RaveThe New York Times Book Review\"Horror Movie delights in prodding the manipulation inherent to artistic creation, the slippery give-and-take between auteur and audience ... Horror movies do have rules, yes, as do horror novels, and both Tremblay and the fictional filmmakers delight in finding out exactly how far those rules can bend, and how far the audience will bend with them ... Tremblay is often (and rightfully) recognized as one of the great contemporary horror writers, in terms of both technical talent and storytelling ability. As I read Horror Movie, I found myself marveling at its high-wire act ... It takes bravado and skill to layer overlapping narrative frames like this without sacrificing tension, but Horror Movie never once loses its momentum or its way. It’s a smart book, smartly told, and should establish Tremblay as not just one of our great horror writers but one of our great fiction writers, full stop.\
Elizabeth Hand
RaveThe New York Times Book ReviewShot through with...witchy sacrifice ... There are some direct echoes of Jackson’s novel here ... For the most part, though, Hand is responding to the source material on a deeper level, echoing Jackson’s structure, characterization and storytelling beats rather than relying on superficial similarities ... And, above all, it’s scary. Hand’s facility with language and atmosphere and use of short, propulsive chapters work their own dark magic on the reader. It’s a compelling and frightening novel, but did it need to take place in Jackson’s universe? Probably not — and that’s why it works.
