How to Survive a Horror Movie by Scarlett Dunmore
4 stars
Out: Now
Charley, lover of horror films has found herself in the middle of a teen one. At the all-girls boarding school she goes to on a remote island someone is killing off the senior class. Also she starts seeing the ghosts of the victims who want her to help them. As people start to suspect her Charley decides to solve the mystery of the murders aided by her only friend Olive. Now if only the ghosts were more helpful...
Diving right into the boarding school setting we are gifted with a cheeky 1st person POV. Setting the scene for a horror film as it starts with an oncoming storm. This narrative had me invested from the start, first in the now socially awkward, with bouts of clumsiness protagonist, then into what is going on. I really liked how descriptive and evocative it is. Weird little things start happening early, bringing on the suspense and the intrigue, and I'm here for it. Delicious creepiness ensues when needed.
Since I love movies like Scream this story was tailored for me, preferring a bit of humor poured into my horror. But the murder mystery also works for those who love that kind of thing though with the addition of unruly and hilarious ghosts. The book doesn't have chapters but "Rules" which are continuous (no starting on a new page for the next one) with ironic titles and a clear nod to Scream. It made the experience even more immersive. I enjoyed the long paragraphs. The two-three lines paragraphs trend can be exhausting, stop-starting the story for the reader, becoming irritating.
The musings and reactions of the protagonist are grounded in reality. She suddenly isn't a badass detective, she has growing pains of screaming, wanting to vomit and so forth. Her inner dialogue of what she is going through and what she's been through in the past is insightful.
Beyond entertaining, the execution of the story is clever and works at keeping its promise of originality. There are winks or even full-fledged bows to inviting horror and mystery cliches. A few things niggled at me, that were not explained or not explained adequately, like the severed head (you'll know when you read it) and one certain twist kind of annoyed me. Like all horror films, it is natural to end up wondering about some things.
At about 3/4ths of the book I had an epiphany and I knew who the killer was. They did something uncharacteristic. It's so minor, a sliver. I don't think a lot of people will get it. But then I was wrong. Or was I? Love the endmost twists or should I say twist? And the three final words...
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