Scarlett Dunmore
About Author
How to Survive a Horror Movie, Scarlett Dunmore's debut novel for YA readers, was inspired by her own love of scary films and halloween.
Scarlett studied English and Creative Writing, eventually finding a love for YA literature. When she's not writing, she can often be found watching scary films or exploring abandoned abbeys, old cemeteries and ruined castles in Scotland for inspiration.
Interview
How to Survive a Horror Movie (Little Tiger)
September 2024
If you enjoy horror movies, you're going to love How to Survive a Horror Movie by Scarlett Dunmore, ReadingZone's YA Author of the Month. Scarlett joins us to tell us how her own love of horror movies helped inspire her book, shares her favourite horror tropes, and gives her top horror recommendations!
Review: "A fast-paced, funny, and addictive book from the outset." Read a Chapter from How to Survive a Horror Movie
Q&A with Scarlett Dunmore: How to Survive a Horror Movie
"I've always loved reading YA fiction, especially the old Point Horror books, so taking my writing
in that direction felt the most natural."
1. Can you tell us a little about yourself, your career to date, and what has brought you into writing for YA readers?
Hi, I'm Scarlett Dunmore! I studied English and Creative Writing at University, and after graduating moved into the world of literature. I've been writing for a while now, but this is my first horror story and I had so much fun developing this novel. I've always loved reading YA fiction, especially the old Point Horror books, so taking my writing in that direction felt the most natural.
2. What happens in your YA debut, How to Survive a Horror Movie?
The book is set on an isolated island in the middle of the ocean, at an all-girls boarding school during the month of Halloween. Charley and her dorm roommate, and best friend, Olive spend their weekends hosting their own 'Slasher Saturday' where they watch scary movies and eat popcorn. But after a dead body of a student is found on the cliffs, the two girls find themselves cast in their very own slasher flick!
And as the body count starts rising, Charley and Olive need to use their expert knowledge of the horror genre to solve the murders and stop the Halloween serial killer!
My brother showed me my first horror movie ('Evil Dead') and from then on we just bonded
over scary movies!
3. How did your own love of horror begin, and why did you decide to write a horror novel?
My brother showed me my first horror movie ('Evil Dead') and from then on we just bonded over scary movies! Still to this day, I watch horror films with him. I decided to write a novel of that genre because I know the tropes so well, and even had fun working them into the chapter headings.
4. What inspired you to draw on the horror movies you've loved for How to Survive a Horror Movie, and which movies did you most enjoy revisiting in your book?
Since I know the formula for a horror movie so well, it was pretty easy to draw upon my own knowledge and love of the genre. I particularly enjoyed revisiting 'Scream', 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' and some 80's cult classics like 'Heathers'. I was slightly worried about making it more tongue-in-cheek than spooky, but horror comedies are my favourite.
"My favourite trope is a classic jump scare. I particularly had fun writing the scene with mannequins!"
5. Can you tell us about your chapter headings? Which horror tropes did you have the most fun with in How to Survive a Horror Movie?
The chapter headings are a play on popular survival rules, such as wearing appropriate footwear to run in and not going outside to investigate strange noises at night. My favourite trope is a classic jump scare. I particularly had fun writing the scene with mannequins! I drew from the film 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' for that sequence.
6. Movie enthusiast Charley finds herself at the centre of a horror movie. How did she develop and what did you most enjoy about writing her?
The character of Charley developed quite naturally for me, especially because there's a lot of myself in her. In many ways, Charley was me at high school, reading Stephen King while her peers went out to parties!
7. Charley can also see the ghosts of the dead girls - why did you decide to bring them into the story?
Without giving too much away, I had so much fun writing a few particular characters that I didn't want to completely kill them off. Bringing them back as ghosts was my way of keeping them in the story, while also pulling in another loved horror trope: the wronged spirit!
"Isolated settings, where help is restricted, can make the chances of survival seem slim."
8. Were you always going to have a girls' boarding school and island setting for the novel? Did a particular place or film help inspire the setting?
I find that many of the slasher flicks I enjoy watching use restricted settings, like schools or rural locations, so I decided to include both in my novel. Isolated settings, where help is restricted, can make the chances of survival seem slim, therefore, raising the suspense and tension.
Harrogate Boarding School for Girls is loosely inspired by recent visits to Trinity College in Dublin, Georgetown University in DC, and of course, many cathedrals and ruined abbeys around Scotland.
9. We see there's going to be a sequel to How to Survive a Horror Movie - what else do you have planned for Charley?
We're moving Charley, and her mum, to a small town with a dark history. There she'll further explore her ability to communicate with the dead, her personal connections to the town, and her trauma from almost being murdered by her best friend. I'll be pulling inspiration from more horror flicks, like Hocus Pocus and The Craft, for some witchy fun!
10. Charley and her friend Olive enjoy 'Slasher Saturdays' movie nights - Do you, and what would be your top three movies to watch?
Yes, that's where I got the idea from. I love Saturday night movies! And with popcorn and Skittles. And like Charley, I pick out the red ones!
My top three movies to watch are all horrors, of course. Either a horror comedy like Totally Killer, Zombieland or Shaun of the Dead, or a scary shark movie of some kind!
11. Do you also read YA horror? Any favourites you can recommend to our readers?
I read mostly YA. For classics, I recommend any book from the Point Horror collection like 'Camp Fear' or 'Funhouse'. And for more contemporary YA horror, then I'd suggest Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis, Mina and the Undead by Amy McCaw and Say Her Name by Juno Dawson.
12. Outside of horror, what do you enjoy doing to relax?
To relax, I enjoy reading, journaling, watching movies, and also going for a run.
13. And how do you plan to spend halloween this year - is it a favourite time of year for you?
For me, Halloween is bigger than Christmas! I decorate the house usually at the very beginning of September, sometimes the end of August, so I can enjoy it for longer! I invite family and friends over every Halloween evening for a spooky-themed dinner. Everything has a silly name, like 'witches brew' soup, halloumi 'zombie' fingers, and 'spider' sliders!
How to Survive a Horror Movie
