By Scarlett Dunmore

“Horror movie enthusiast Charley is determined to keep a low profile when she’s enrolled to 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!” (Goodreads).

Listen, I am not a horror movie person. I can handle a good ol’ M. Knight Shymalan psychological thriller, but blood, gore, and jumpscares are not my forte. Yet somehow, horror books are just fine – probably because it’s less visual and I can choose not to imagine the yucky stuff 😉 How To Survive a Horror Movie did not feel like a horror novel. Sure, there was blood and very… thorough… descriptions of gross stuff, but the vibe leaned a lot more toward comedy and drama. Dunmore kept me entertained the whole time with constant quips, fun dialogue, and physical humor. It was a very refreshing and creative approach to an equally creative premise.

If you’re a fan of horror, comedy, and a lil’ bit of self-reflection and growth on the side, you’ll love this one. Check the content warnings though – Christians may balk at some of the graphic content.

I cannot praise this book’s plot enough. Constant action and new revelations, endless twists and turns, and a completely unexpected ending. Even the ridiculous and unrealistic events just added to the book’s charm and humor. The premise immediately pulled me in and the book truly was a love letter to the horror genre. I read this book so fast – the pacing was perfect and there was never a slow moment. From the physical shivers I felt from some of the murders or creepy scenes to the sweet moments between Olive and Charley that made me think of my own girl friendships, How to Survive a Horror Movie just had so much going for it.

Scarlett Dunmore’s writing style was both immersive and self-aware. She kept me in the story and a part of the action, but also understood the ridiculousness of some of the stuff going on and brought in a lot of dramatic irony and humor by poking fun at the horror genre as a whole. One of my favorite parts was when the action started picking up and Charley began to get careless and ignore some of her own “rules” (her philosophy is that horror movies teach you things – like “don’t walk around alone at night” or “don’t open the creepy door”). Her friend Olive pointed it out, and it brought to mind all the times people make fun of movie characters for doing stupid things in horror movies… but Dunmore seemed to be pointing out that we might do the same in such an adrenaline-filled situation 🙂 While she could’ve stood to be less descriptive when it came to the blood-and-guts parts, Dunmore really made the reader feel like a part of the story.

Charley and Olive were really the focal points of the book, and their relationship was one of my favorite parts. Despite having only been roommates for a little while, they had such a sweet and understanding friendship. They each gave the other space to be themselves and trusted each other even when it seemed strange.

Some of the other characters definitely seemed less developed (the mean girls in particular) but that seemed more intentional than a mistake. Many of the side characters were the classic foils/suspects in a basic horror movie and played those roles perfectly. What seemed like cookie-cutter characters just added to the “Truman show” vibe Charley was experiencing.

As for the villain, I wish I could say more, but I’m already struggling not to spoil anything. You’ll see 😉

I loved this book. Charley’s unique personality, the creativity of the plot, and the unexpected ending kept me hooked from start to finish. I might have to read the sequel… Four stars for this horror/comedy. I only knocked off a star because I wish I could’ve seen more of Charley’s character arc after some hard truths came to light, but the book ended. I guess that’s a good thing though if the solution was me wanting to read more 😉 If you love a cozy dark academia setting with ghostly hauntings, somehow humorous deaths, and plenty of classic horror movie references, you’ll love How To Survive a Horror Movie.