How to Make a Horror Movie and Survive: A Novel

From Bram Stoker Award-nominated author Craig DiLouie comes a darkly humorous horror novel that sees a famous 80s slasher director set out to shoot the most terrifying horror movie ever made using an occult camera that might be (and probably is) demonic.

Horror isn't horror unless it's real.

Max Maurey should be on top of the world. He's a famous horror director. Actors love him. Hollywood needs him. He's making money hand over fist. But it's the 80s, and he's directing cheap slashers for audiences who only crave more blood, not real art. Not real horror. And Max's slimy producer refuses to fund any of his new ideas.

Sally Priest dreams of being the Final Girl. She knows she's got what it takes to score the lead role, even if she's only been cast in small parts so far. When Sally meets Max at his latest wrap party, she sets out to impress him and prove her scream queen prowess.

But when Max discovers an old camera that filmed a very real Hollywood horror, he knows that he has to use this camera for his next movie. The only problem is that it came with a cryptic warning and sometimes wails.

By the time Max discovers the true evil lying within, he's already dead set on finishing the scariest movie ever put to film, and like it or not, it's Sally's time to shine as the Final Girl.

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400 pages

Average rating: 4.53

17 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Hartfullofbooks
Feb 19, 2025
3/10 stars
A horror director finds a cursed camera that kills whoever is in its viewfinder in bizarre ways, giving Final Destination. This book was a horror comedy with a lot of commentary on the horror genre and what makes horror truly horrifying. Incredibly gorey, with characters I didn’t really care for, and dark humor that borders the line of campiness here are the major reasons I didn’t really enjoy this book. I don’t like comedy in my horror, and I need strong characters which I just didn’t see in this one. I’m also not a huge fan of gore and desensitizing violence, which I get was the point and one of the main commentary pieces here, but I just didn’t enjoy it. If you like comedic horror or violent gore books this one probably might hit but if you’re looking for a serious or scary novel, this isn’t what I’d recommend.

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