How to Survive a Horror Movie

By Author / Illustrator

Scarlett Dunmore

Genre

Horror

Age range(s)

14+

Publisher

Little Tiger

ISBN

9781788957120

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

05-09-2024

Synopsis

Horror movie enthusiast Charley is determined to keep a low profile when she's enrolled at a girls' boarding school on a remote island. That is, until someone starts killing off her senior class! From elaborate scare tactics to severed heads in fridges, Charley has found herself at the centre of a teen horror movie. And that's not the only alarming thing that's happening - she's now seeing the ghosts of her former classmates!

Haunted by her peers, and with everyone beginning to suspect her, Charley decides to do something about it. She and her only best friend Olive are going to solve the murders and find out who's killing off the class before graduation. Charley just needs those pesky ghosts to shut up and give her a hand...

A fast-paced tongue-in-cheek YA novel about two friends trying to survive senior year - literally! Perfect for fans of Fear Street, The Midnight Club and the SCREAM franchise.

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Reviews

Lorraine

Charley is starting over in a new boarding school on a remote island. Luckily her roommate shares her love of horror movies, and they bond over Slasher Saturday movie nights. Tormented by the popular and rich girls, and trying to reinvent her shady past, things take a rapid turn for the worse when several students suffer mysterious deaths, classed as suicide. Haunted by their ghosts and determined to find the truth, Charley uses her movie knowledge on what not to do late at night - with a murderer on the loose.

How to Survive a Horror Movie is a fast-paced, funny, and addictive book from the outset. Red herrings and movie references abound as we are swept into the wild nature of the island and the school's hierarchy. A mix between Hogwarts and St.Clare's, it is a fitting setting for the murders that take place, and contrasts well with the life Charley has left behind. Although her past is hinted at, we are only given snippets of what truly happened before, until later in the book.

Heavily centred on horror movies there are some grisly details but due to the comedic nature of the writing, and the theme, these slot into the narrative without being too shocking or gratuitous. With a long list of possible suspects, readers are kept wanting more and awaiting the next victim. I did find that Charley at times ignored her own advice on what not to do with a murderer on the loose, but this adds to the drama and excitement, and is of course what happens in horror movies.

The characters are fairly typical for a girl's school with a prim headmistress, suspicious male teacher, and the normal group of rich students that make everyone lives a misery. In this case, however, the author turns the narrative around and I found it refreshing and engaging.

The ending is slightly hurried, with a sequel already planned, but I feel teens will love the overall punchy narrative and be left wanting more. Highly recommended,

352 pages / Reviewed by Lorraine Ansell, school librarian

Bethany - Age 14

I really loved How to Survive a Horror Movie, it is a horror and very thrilling with lots of unexpected twists. As soon as I started reading, the book had its hooks in me and I finished the book that evening. It is very engaging with just the right amount of the supernatural.

Classic high school drama dynamic with the Best Friend, Bully and Crush, but with a strange ghostly addition. It is very enjoyable and I would highly recommend it. I would love to read more titles from this author.