To classify Paul Tremblay’s books as “horror” completely diminishes what he does. His work clearly rises to the level of classic fiction and crosses many genres in doing so. His latest novel, HORROR MOVIE, takes the premise of the “cursed” horror film to new heights in a story that is constantly engaging, frightening and at times disturbingly real.

In 1993, a group of young independent filmmakers got together to create a low-budget chiller of a flick called Horror Movie. It was met with tragedy and more than a few absurdly odd occurrences that included a filmed murder. Only three scenes ever got released to the public, and the movie was buried for good.

"HORROR MOVIE is a completely genre-defying read that comes across as pure meta --- so real and possible that all of the thrills going through your body as you read it come from the structure that Tremblay has created."

Three decades later, a Hollywood producer is pushing for a Horror Movie reboot. It would include a large budget and an attempt to remain faithful to the original script, even utilizing the actor who portrayed the killer, oddly named “The Thin Kid.”

Throughout the book, Tremblay splices in the pages of the original screenplay in real time. This gives readers the opportunity to follow along in the same manner as the actor playing “The Thin Kid,” who is not given the entire script up front, allowing him to remain in the moment while shooting. Filming is mostly done at a long-abandoned high school, and we watch in abject horror as “The Thin Kid” morphs into something horrific --- all seemingly caused by a haunted mask given to him by the screenwriter, Cleo, that transforms him into a mindless killer.

In the present day, Marlee is the filmmaker running the show, and “The Thin Kid” is more than taken aback when asked not only to be in the reboot but to reprise some of his character’s scenes. This is more than surreal; it is downright terrifying for him as he is one of the few who remembers what actually happened during the original shoot. Horror Movie remains popular at annual conventions due to the cursed tag that has been hung on it. The other three actors are dead, and one of them was killed while the movie was being made.

While reading the screenplay portions of the novel, it becomes apparent that the mask “The Thin Kid” was given may have actual supernatural properties as he physically begins to change during the filming. His mind is also impacted, which plays a big role in the tragedy that shut down Horror Movie. Tremblay keeps the creep factor at an unsettlingly high level, and readers will have no idea where they will be taken with each passing chapter.

HORROR MOVIE is a completely genre-defying novel that comes across as pure meta --- so real and possible that all of the thrills going through your body as you read it come from the structure that Tremblay has created. It is an uncomfortable and claustrophobic read. And like all great horror movies, you have to experience it straight through to the end no matter how frightened you may be.