Book Review: How to Make a Horror Movie and Survive

 

From Bram Stoker Award‑nominated author Craig DiLouie comes a darkly humorous horror novel that sees a famous 80s slasher director set out to shoot the most terrifying horror movie ever made using an occult camera that might be (and probably is) demonic.

Horror isn’t horror unless it’s real.

Max Maury should be on top of the world. He’s a famous horror director. Actors love him. Hollywood needs him. He’s making money hand over fist. But it’s the 80s, and he’s directing cheap slashers for audiences who only crave more blood, not real art. Not real horror. And Max’s slimy producer refuses to fund any of his new ideas.

Sally Priest dreams of being the Final Girl. She knows she’s got what it takes to score the lead role, even if she’s only been cast in small parts so far. When Sally meets Max at his latest wrap party, she sets out to impress him and prove her scream queen prowess.

But when Max discovers an old camera that filmed a very real Hollywood horror, he knows that he has to use this camera for his next movie. The only problem is that it came with a cryptic warning and sometimes wails.

By the time Max discovers the true evil lying within, he’s already dead set on finishing the scariest movie ever put to film, and like it or not, it’s Sally’s time to shine as the Final Girl.

My Review

When it comes to horror movies, I am with Max on this. The "pure" form of horror movies is a bit lost now a days. There does not have to always be a huge body count within the first ten minutes of the movie. Let the suspense build up. 

Where are the horror movies that send chills up your spine and not make you laugh when someone is getting k!lled. This is why I could understand Max's reasoning for him wanting to produce his style of horror movie even if he knew that everyone would d!e. 

"Horror has to be personal. Psychological horror with a splash of fear of the unknown is where it's at."