Hello, Tartlets and Darksiders! A new book club podcast episode is up on Dark Side of the Word. Join me and Kait as we discuss the slasher horror novel How to Make a Horror Movie and Survive by Craig DiLouie.
After attending the premier for the third installment of his horror movie franchise, Hollywood director Max can’t get the audience’s laughter out of his head. It haunts him. It makes him want to quit. But the contract with his producer has him committed to filming another installment in the franchise.
After stumbling on footage of the worst day in cinematic history — when a whole movie crew was lost to a helicopter accident – Max knows what he needs to go down in history. He needs to make audiences feel the visceral fear of horror. This means no more campy dialogue and over-the-top special effects. He wants to make the real deal, to unleash true terror.
When Max stumbles upon the camera that caught that movie crew catastrophe, he learns that the accident might not have been an accident. There may be a supernatural power through the camera’s view finder. A power Max might be able to harness to make his name go down in history.
In this conversation, Kait and I discuss How to Make a Horror Movie and Survive’s 80s setting, the film industry’s portrayal in the book, and author DiLouie’s writing style. I express my dislike for the story’s excessive “telling” and lack of originality, while Kait defends the book and appreciates its exploration of the film industry. We also discuss character development, pacing, the use of similes, and the portrayal of LGBTQ+ relationships in the book.
How to get this month’s episode about How to Make a Horror Movie and Survive:
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Next month’s book club pick:
Since August has an extra Thursday, we’re doing something a little different next month. We’re reading TWO books. That means we’re giving you TWO book club podcast episodes in August.
Don’t be alarmed about reading two whole books in one month. Because they’re both novellas! Which means, they’re short. They’re both also part of T. Kingfisher’s “Sworn Solider” series.
We’ll be talking about Book 1, What Moves the Dead on August 22, and about Book 2, What Feasts at Night, on August 29. Start reading the books now so you can follow along with next month’s episodes. Since Kait and I both loved Kingfisher’s The Hollow Places, we’re both super excited to see what these novellas have in store for us.
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