Vividly written from the POV of a true genre fan. Engaging dialogue and inner dialogue(s) with fleshed out characters. Exciting descriptions of the ghoulish nature and nothing felt out of place i.e. everything was written for a reason. An excellent choice for horror fans of a variety of ages.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me a ARC.

I really liked The Remaking. The urban legend of Ella Louise and Jessica is terrific! Their story definitely unnerved me, which I was really hoping for. All of the references to classic horror in this book made me so happy, as a big horror fan. The cyclical nature of Ella Louise and Jessica's story is captivating and keeps you wanting to read. The only reason this wasn't a five star book is I didn't love the ending. It's still an amazing book and I absolutely would recommend it to anyone interested in horror.

The Remaking was a book that I struggled through. It was confusing and just not cohesive. I always finish a book, but I almost didn't with this one.

DNF at 50%.

Unfortunately I just could not get into this one at all. While initially I was intrigued by the multiple styles of storytelling, they ended up not blending well in my opinion. That along with underdeveloped characters and a lack of the "creep factor" caused me to give up halfway through.

I enjoyed the way this book explored the origins and evolution of an urban myth. The real horror story here was how Amber’s mom, the directors of each movie, and then the podcast creator were more interested in gaining notoriety than in telling the true story of Jessica’s murder.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

This was . . . I’m not sure, to be honest. Is it a horror novel? Is it a ghost story? A true crime podcast? A meta commentary on cult horror films and the actors that forever live under their shadow? A novel with an unreliable narrator?

And the delivery was, well, kind of confusing as well because there were four different styles of storytelling. Part one is done in the style of someone telling a ghost story by the camp fire, part two is third person following child Amber’s POV during the making of the first film, part three is an INCREDIBLY long stream of consciousness first person POV from adult Amber leading up to the making of the sequel film, and part four flips between first person POV of the podcaster recording his podcast, bits of the finished podcast, and one third person Amber tossed in, too.

And after all that, I’m still not sure what I just read. Guess I’m not the target audience, though there was enough to keep me flipping pages to find out what happened next.

First, this cover is fantastic. I like that the cover was actually referenced twice in the book as well. This is a very entertaining and fun horror that really places the spotlight on bad, B horror films and the fans that follow it. I really enjoyed Amber discussing her horror conventions and the fans; I have friends that are deeply into this and I feel that the author was able to do the horror-con circuit justice (even if it's not in a favorable light - the actresses probably feel exactly the way Amber described).

*Received via NetGalley for review*

At the very end, Chapman (in the voice of Ellen Louise, a women murdered with her young daughter in rural America on accusations of witchcraft), delivers a kind of closing message: men have and never will do the story of these two women justice. Which is fine and fits into the themes of the novel... but why, then, call yourself out as a male author writing about these two women?

The Remaking focuses on the titular remaking of an urban legend about two women, Ella Louise and Jessica, who were accused of being witches and burned at the stake. A first, failed movie is made that achieves cult status, a second is permanently stalled by a death, and an attempted debunking podcast finds out the truth but is unable to pass it along.

Much is made of how ignorant the people of Pilot's Creek were in burning the two women, but much of the novel focuses on how their story has touched people and remained in the subconscious mind. Amber, who played Jessica in the first movie and was slotted to cameo as Ella Louise in the second, is the most touched, being in contact with the ghosts of both women throughout her career.

Chapman seems to have bit of a bit more than he could cover, however. In wanting to discuss the impact of failed cult films on their actors, in addition to the story of the two tragic women, in addition to Amber's trauma stemming from both the film and her mother, in addition to the satirization of true crime podcasts... it's all too much, and just gets muddled in the delivery.

I absolutely enjoyed this novel as a long time horror fan. The story was very interesting and the writing was cinematic. I hope this is adapted into a movie or TV series eventually.

October is the perfect time of year for this book to get published. It is scary, scary, scary. I’d equate it with some of the older Stephen King books. I don’t watch horror movies much, the last one I watched was The Blair Witch Project and I’d put this as equal on my horror scale.

Amber is grown now, but she was a child star in a B horror movie. She never really recovered from this experience. She doesn’t act anymore or work at all really. She attends conventions and uses what little money she earns for drugs and alcohol.

The movie becomes a cult favorite and it seems to actually haunt people who see it. Her fans look possessed. She still feels the evil inside her and terrible things happen to most of the cast members.

When she gets approached to star in the remaking of the film, things get worse for everyone involved. The story jumps from Amber to the original subjects (the ghosts or witches) and at times it got confusing as to what time the chapter was a retelling, but whether it is the far past, Amber’s childhood, or the present the ghosts are actively haunting people and it is pretty terrifying.

I read an unpublished advance copy so the details could change prior to publication.

Amber is cast in a horror movie based on a true story when she was a child and is affected ever since after something horrible happens when she is on set. The movie becomes a cult favorite and it seems to actually haunt people who see it. Amber turns to prescriptions and liquor to drown her feelings and as an adult she is asked to appear in the remake. Can she stop the spirits who haunt the town? The book jumps in time from when Ella and her daughter are accused of being witches to later when Amber is young and then older.
"It felt like the film was an entity of itself-a phantom with my face. It wanted to be watched. It was using my likeness, my smile, to lure people in."

I enjoyed the beginning of this book up until Amber is lost, but then I lost interest. I don’t know if it’s because the style of writing changed, or the fact the ending was only so-so.

Thanks to Mr. Chapman and Quirk books for the Advance Reader Copy of The Remaking. I read several different genre's and particularly enjoy thrillers, horror, and some true crime, so when I saw the synopsis I quickly requested. I did enjoy the book, it is a little different than what I was expecting, a little more on the YA side, which is fine, I just usually enjoy more adult themes in my horror. That being said I do read Graphic Novels, including some by Mr. Chapman and I enjoy them. If you enjoy Graphic Novels and YA horror, I think this will a great book to add to your TBR this summer! The book moves at a brisk pace with some definite creep factor that kept me interested throughout. I look forward to more work from Mr. Chapman. Thanks again to the publisher and NetGalley! Happy Reading! #theremaking #netgalley

A strong opening and a fun idea that turns into a quick read. The time jumps and the way they link together are fun.