Lists
by Kelsey Ford, July 27, 2023 9:10 AM
I love horror movies and I love books, so I am an absolute sucker for any book that gets meta with its horror, whether the story takes place on the set of a cursed remake or a reality TV shoot. Since it’s the summertime, a season that’s especially perfect for pulpy reads, I thought I’d pull together a list of some recent favorites. This is a list filled with homages to film noir and slashers, occultism and curses, TV shows about ghost hunters and an enigmatic man named Mister Magic, podcasters and Hollywood history. I promise: you’ll be as scared as you will be thrilled by the turns these stories take.
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
This is the book that made me want to put this list together. Ever since Mexican Gothic, I have looked forward to every new Silvia Moreno-Garcia release, and as soon as I read that this one was going to be a twisty horror centered around film noir and occult politics, I knew I’d be all in. And I was! Set in Mexico City in the 1990s, Silver Nitrate follows a film editor (sidelined, thanks to the annoying ‘boys’ club’ at work) and her best friend, a struggling but still very attractive actor. When they meet an old neighbor who turns out to be a legendary horror director who hasn't put out a new movie in decades, they find themselves caught up in a swirl of occultism, curses, violence, and danger. They are completely in over their heads — will they survive, or will they find themselves the latest victim in a long line of them? You’ll have to read this yummy, twisty horror to find out.
by Marisha Pessl
If only I could go back and read this one again for the first time!! This delightfully complicated and textured novel from Marisha Pessl is the story of one man’s search for answers — about the horror filmmaker who’s been gone from the public eye for decades, about that filmmaker’s recently deceased daughter, and about the threads that tie all this together. Journalist Scott McGrath follows leads from online forums, the filmmaker’s filmography, psychotropic drugs, and so much more, all of which lead him down an inevitably dark and unnerving path. Night Film is a scary and immersive meta-novel via fun-house mirror. You’ll need to sleep with the lights on after reading this one.
by Craig Dilouie
I love a good, meta book, so when I went looking for a new haunted horror novel and came across this one, about a Ghost Hunters-esque crew getting more than they bargained for out of a long-abandoned property, I was all-in. I went in expecting a by-the-books haunted house story (always satisfying!!) and was completely shocked, blown away, and thrilled by the directions this one took. This one is so much fun.
by Mark Savage
Okay, admittedly, Fictional Film Club is more film-adjacent than horror-adjacent, but it’s a store favorite, so I had to include it on the list. Portland-local Mark Savage’s book pulls together a series of reviews of movies that don’t exist. Whimsical at first blush, sure, but as you read, footnotes begin to intrude, letting you into the life and thoughts of the reviewer. This is a genre-bendy, obsessively fun, alt-cinema history that’ll leave you wishing you could watch the made-up movies.
by Craig Russell
The Devil’s Playground jumps through time: in 1927, a leading lady mysteriously dies on a film set and a Hollywood fixer is brought in; in 1967, a film scholar searches for the one remaining print of that 1927 horror film; and in the late 1800s, curses and voodoo dolls abound in Louisiana. Superstitions and legends, rumors and lies swirl around the titular and long-lost “greatest horror movie,” The Devil’s Playground. This book is filled with a thrillingly uneasy atmosphere. So satisfying, so spooky, so good.
by Anna North
This is the least horror-y book on the list, but I still felt compelled to include it because of the way it got under my skin, and its trenchant exploration of how someone can get lost in stories of their own making. (Scary, in my opinon!!) The Life and Death of Sophie Stark is, predictably, about Sophie Stark, a difficult-to-understand filmmaker, as told by her familiy and friends. Sophie is enigmatic, irascible, complicated, and the story that swirls around her is absolutely compelling — and chilling.
by Josh Winning
What happens when a journalist finds out she’s covering an upcoming remake of a cult classic film — a cult classic movies that's cursed and one that she herself starred in (and was one of the only survivors of!). It’s a great recipe for a smart, startling horror novel, all about the darkness in Hollywood (both literal and metaphorical) and the lengths some have to go to in order to survive. High body counts, slashery fun, and many unexpected twists along the way make Burn the Negative a very enjoyable, very rewarding read. Even better? Winning is clearly loves his horror movies, a love that seeps through in every detail.
by Kiersten White
Ooh, this one got under my skin. Satisfying and unnerving in all the best ways, Mister Magic asks that classic question: what would happen if strangers started to approach you, claiming you’d been costars on a cult classic, kids’ TV show? And then what would happen if a podcaster asked to interview you about the tragedy that ended the show, a show you can’t remember being on? Childhood trauma and grief, unsettled memories and rabid fan forums, that feeling of slimy discomfort in your skin — scrumptious.
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