I went into Horror Movie without knowing much about it beyond its intriguing tagline: "cursed found footage." That alone was enough to pique my interest, and I didn’t dive too deeply into the rest of the synopsis. Fair warning: this book might not be what you’re expecting, and it’s definitely a “what the actual hell” kind of novel. 

The story unfolds through a mixed-media format that blends a screenplay, found footage transcripts, and the narrator's perspective, all while jumping back and forth between past and present. While this approach sounds creative, it can feel disjointed at times. The narrative trickles out in bits and pieces, slowly revealing the history of a supposedly cursed film. The premise is fascinating: only three scenes from the original movie were ever released, yet they generated a massive cult following. Adding to the intrigue, everyone involved in the film’s production, except the narrator—known as the "Thin Kid"—has died, fueling the legend of the "cursed film." 

Despite the promise of this setup, the execution fell flat for me. My reading experience was interrupted a few times, which made it harder to get fully immersed, but the real issue lies in the story itself. While the moments of filming and the "Big Reveal" at the end provide brief spikes of excitement, the journey to get there is slow and underwhelming. The final reveal, unfortunately, doesn’t deliver the punch it seems to be building toward, leaving the climax feeling lackluster and unsatisfying. 

This was my first book by Paul Tremblay, and while I appreciated the originality of the concept, the pacing and payoff didn’t land for me. I might give his other works a try in the future, but this one didn’t quite hit the mark.