Just a few months ago in June, best-selling and contemporary horror author Paul Tremblay released his new book “Horror Movie” that combines the traditional format of a novel with a movie script.
The book is about an unnamed narrator and an old friend who make a film which was never released but grew a cult following on the internet years later. During this time, the narrator is approached by a producer who wants to remake his film and he agrees.
Critics say that Tremblay’s new book bends the rules of horror and is one of his best books yet, right alongside his other most popular novels “Cabin at the End of the World” and “Head Full of Ghosts.”
It is Halloween season, which means it’s a great time to sit outside before it’s freezing, watch the leaves change and read a horror novel that will absolutely give you nightmares.
I have not read Tremblay’s “Horror Movie” yet, but I have read his two most acclaimed novels so far.
Most recently I finished “Head Full of Ghosts,” I picked it up in the summer and read about 80 pages. But once I picked up where I left off, I finished it in two days and could not put it back down.
“Head Full of Ghosts” is one of Tremblay’s most popular for good reason. It was first released almost 10 years ago but is absolutely worth a read for anyone who enjoys horror.
The novel is centered around the Barrett family, a mother and father with their two daughters, who have been struggling to make ends meet. During this time their oldest daughter, Marjorie begins to develop what seems like mental health issues.
She begins to have violent and disturbing outbursts and claims to hear voices which prompts her parents to put her into therapy.
The father, however, has recently begun going to church to seek help for his daughter and the priest he meets with begins to think there is more wrong with Marjorie than meets the eye.
After word gets out about the church’s involvement in what now people are thinking is a possession, the family was offered to be on a reality TV show that would document the entire experience.
The format goes between the typical format of a novel and a blog, written by the younger sister Meridith, whom everyone calls Merry.
The past is written as a novel. The present is written as a half novel, following an interview of Merry and half a blog post, diving deep into a reality TV show from over a decade ago called “The Possession.”
It centered around the Barrett family and their daughter’s supposed possession and exorcism, which is why Merry is writing the blog over a decade later.
After being offered a deal for the TV show, the family agrees, partly because of the money and partly because they think it will help Marjorie.
Disturbing, violent and gory events continue to happen throughout the novel, mostly to Majorie and many between the two sisters until the dreaded exorcism.
However, the novel does not end there. Tragedy follows after the fall out from the not so successful exorcism. The story ends in a way you never thought it would.
Between the narration done through the little sisters perspective, the detailed description of events and the back and forth between Merry in the past and present make for an incredibly engaging read.
One of the best parts of this book however, is how Majorore is portrayed and described. Tremblay does not go out of his way to convince the reader that she is possessed.
There is not a lot of evidence given to prove that she is. It is up to the reader to decide whether they think Majorie was ever actually possessed or if she was only schizophrenic but her paranoia and delusions were worsened by the introduction of the church.
Horror can just be horror, but it can also have a message in it, and I think this novel does a really great job of mixing a good scary story with an important statement about mental health and how it’s viewed.
Though this review is about a book that came out almost 10 years ago, Tremblay’s writing has only seemed to get better with his most recent release and if this novel sounds at all interesting, his newest novel “Horror Movie” might be a good one to try.
Warning for violence, gore and disturbing imagery.
