Killer Pictures: A Meta-Horror Must-Read

Killer Pictures: A Meta-Horror Must-Read

Having been on the periphery of festivals and their organisation, I can attest that they can be a cutthroat business, where friendships are forged and lost over the most minor details. However, I have never witnessed anything close to the terror and mayhem on show in this fascinating and hugely enjoyable novella from the multi-talented horror mistress Hope Madden.  

Killer Pictures is a dialogue-heavy, engaging, and, most importantly, entertaining horror novella. It takes place at The Mayhem and Madness Film Festival, where a group of troubled and flawed organisers discovers a series of film entries that mysteriously appear in the festival inbox. These films bear the names of the judges, who subsequently end up being murdered after watching the film associated with their names.

Dez, our complex and troubled heroine, is responsible for uncovering the truth behind these strange films. Is the festival cursed, or do we truly have a killer picture on our hands?

I hate to use the term meta-horror, as it’s not a genre of horror that I have historically had a great time with. I’m probably going to get a lot of flak for this, but Scream is just an OK horror movie, and its it’s sequels, for me, are a series of ever-decreasing returns, to the point where I have zero interest in the new one, despite the involvement of Matthew Lillard.  

I generally find them to be the domain of the hipster D-bag, overly bright and self-referential to the point of them making me wish everyone involved in them gets killed off really quickly so I can get about the rest of my day.  

And Killer Pictures, despite my disdain for this genre, sits squarely in this genre. However, as much as I dislike this genre of horror, Killer Pictures manages the almost impossible task of grabbing my attention and making me reassess my preconceptions of metta-horror.  

One of the main factors that contributed to the success of Killer Pictures is the aforementioned dialogue-heavy narrative. Hope Madden brings a proper sense of organic and natural-sounding dialogue to the novella. The cast of characters each has their unique voice, but more importantly, they sound like real people.  

I tend to skip over dialogue-heavy sections in books; God, I am putting myself in the firing line with this review, mainly because it is in these sections that another one of my gripes seems to live and breathe: the massive info dump.  

But thankfully, Hope realises that even a dialogue-heavy story needs to keep the narrative flowing, and she never once sacrifices the narrative for an extra line of needless dialogue.  

This means that the reader’s attention is always firmly in her grasp, and she doesn’t let go. You are kept reading this punchy novella, desperate to find the truth behind these killer movies.  

The true brilliance of this horror novella lies in the dynamic heroine, Dez, and Madden’s masterful ability to weave a clever, yet never overbearing, sense of meta-horror into the world of Keller Pictures.

Dez is an incredible character—flawed, selfish, and beautifully messed up. She’s someone I can deeply relate to. Staying up late, lost in horror movies, her t-shirt speckled with crisp crumbs (chips, for my American friends), she embodies that familiar struggle of feeling disconnected from the world and the people who matter most.

And like all good meta-horror, she is intrinsically linked to the narrative’s events.  

Killer Pictures manages to make many nods to so many horror movies, from The Ring-like premise of watching a movie then dying, to the Scream-like awareness of horror movies displayed by the cast of characters, to I Know What You Did Last Summer, to a Tucker and Dale sense of humour that bubbles under the surface. And I would even throw in a slight nod to Ready or Not.  

It would have been easy for these nods to horror movies to bog down the narrative or become a bit cheesy with a sense of “Oh, here we go again, another reference chucked in”, but Madden keeps these nods and sensibilities under control. They are never overtly thrown in your face. Instead, Madden keeps them chained up, with many instances being more of a feeling rather than an overt nod.  

When a novella has such an engaging central narrative that leans heavily into horror movie lore, it is vital that the payoff is worth it, and Killer Pictures pulls this off brilliantly; this novella won’t let you down. Dez’sDez’s sense of always being kept off balance by the events of the story is projected onto the reader; you are never entirely sure of the truth of the events, whether it is supernatural, is Dez, connected, is the killer who is undergoing memory loss brought on by previous trauma, or is there something more malicious at play.  

But don’t worry; the payoff is perfect when the truth is revealed.  

Killer Pictures grabs meta-horror by the throat, plunges a meathook deep into its core, and tears it apart with a ferocious energy that feels both brutal and refreshing.

Killer Pictures by Hope Madden

It’s late, and Dez should have gone to bed, but instead, she keeps watching horror movies for the Mayhem & Madness Film Festival. She sees a new one pop up in her to-review Adam. That’s a funny title, she thinks, since there’s another judge named Adam. But instead of watching, she goes to bed, and by the time she wakes up, the judge named Adam has killed his wife and himself, and in the film, Adam has disappeared from the judging queue.

In its place is a film called Grant — the name of another judge. Is Grant doomed to Adam’s fate? Will Dez see her name as a film title? If she does, will she dare watch it?

Welcome to the Mayhem & Madness film festival, where the judges are committed and the pictures are killer.

Further Reading

For fans of horror literature, The Ginger Nuts of Horror website is an essential destination that should not be overlooked. This platform offers a dedicated horror book review section that caters specifically to the needs of horror enthusiasts. With its unique blend of insightful critiques, expert recommendations, and a vibrant community, the site serves as a treasure trove for anyone seeking their next spine-chilling read.

One of the standout features of the horror book review section is its diversity. Readers can discover everything from classic horror novels to contemporary indie gems, ensuring that there’s something for everyone. Each review is thoughtfully penned, providing not just a summary but also a deep dive into the themes, writing style, and overall atmosphere of the works. This allows readers to gauge whether a particular book aligns with their preferences.

For those passionate about horror literature, checking out this section is a must!