Scream Queen

Scream Queen Grace C B4 1/20/06 The name of the book I read was, "Scream Queen," by Edo Van Belkom. It was about two producers named Ike and Erwin Gowan who used to make famous horror films. Instead of a horror film, they wanted to make a reality TV show. The show would be called, "Scream Queen," and take place in a haunted house. There would be six contestants that would have to make it through the night without leaving the house. The winner of the show would get a cash prize and a starring role in their next horror film. The only problem was the Gowan brothers didn't know that the house was truly haunted. The six contestants were, Jody, Forrest, Tamisha, Melanie, Radko, and Vonda. The rest of the book is about how they strive to make it through the night. The types of things they have to face are things such as ghosts, dead bodies, people disappearing, rats, and the house itself. The conflict of the book was overall pretty scary and kind of gross. This book was really exciting to read especially because of the cliffhangers. It was also exciting to me because I love horror books that freak me out. Also, there was never a dull moment; there was always something happening whether it was someone disappearing or something going wrong with the house. For the most part I felt like I was in the book because of the amazing descriptions the author used to describe the characters and how the felt. But sometimes it didn't feel like I was in the book because some of the things weren't very realistic. The main conflict did interest me because of how different it was. The book was interesting because the whole story was a reality show that went bad instead of everything being perfect. The characters were realistic because there were many types of people. There was a rich girl, a cocky guy, a girl with attitude, a laid back guy and girl, and kind of a crazy girl. The book's ending was actually pretty disappointing. I thought the ending would include something crazy happening but it just kind of stopped. There were no surprises or anything. The author's voice was the characters thoughts and actions. He also narrated other sections of the book. The vocabulary the author chose was interesting because he used a lot of metaphors and similes to describe the feelings of people. The way he writes was kind of weird. It was weird because was mainly dialogue between the six contestants in a creepy setting of a haunted house. His description was amazing, that was what jumped out at me the most. It was easy to imagine what was happening and what the haunted house looked like. The tone was good because it set the mood to the book which was really scary and sad. Overall I think Edo Van Belkom was strong in using description. I rate this book a four out of five because I love this kind of genre but the ending was pretty bad. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes horror and gore books that have a lot of suspense. Also, this book could

Not everyone is a fan of reality television. I happen to be one of those odd folks who can't get enough of "did they really do that" television. SCREAM QUEEN takes a familiar theme, the haunted house, and spins it on a dime! This is good stuff! The horror is sudden and unexpected, and even when you know it's coming, Belkom still delivers. My only quarrel with this book was the smackdown ending. It felt jarring and unfinished. But isn't that what "reality" is all about? SCREAM QUEEN is a good read. I can think of only a handful of authors who consistently bring it and Edo Van Belkom has taken his spot on my list. This a horror classic! SCREAM QUEEN rocks!!

I am a fan of thriller and horror novels. This book will have you keeping your light on at night. It is a very good read and if you are into spirits and hauntings, you will definitely enjoy this one!!!

I zipped through this book in a day and had a blast. It's not particularly scary, but it moves at a rapid click and kept me wanting to turn the pages. Exactly what I hope for in a thriller. The premise is simple -- reality show contestants spend a night in a haunted house to earn money and a role in a feature film and end up getting more than they bargained for. The characters are entertaining, although not very likable. But the best part was Van Belkom slamming the door shut on the world of reality television. The filmmaking brother team in this book is priceless. They reminded me of an even sleazier version of the producer and director from the brilliant film "The Making Of...And God Spoke." EVB gets in some good laughs, some nice jabs at Hollywood, a few decent scares, and several "wet" scenes. The ending does drop off instantly but it can't be any worse than a manufactured tropical island set during a "Survivor" season finale.

Okay, there is no mention of a movie being made from this book, but in my humble opinion - there should be! The book itself reads as though you're watching the story unfold on a movie screen. I enjoyed it. True, it wasn't scary enough to make me lose a night of sleep (hence the 4 star and not 5 star rating - sick, huh? *laugh) but I did have to peek over my shoulder from time to time. *laugh I have to agree with one reader that the story seemed to just - end - but then I think that was the purpose of the ending...to kind of leave the readers hanging. Hanging for what? A sequel? Who knows? All in all, this book is definitely worth getting. A few graphic but not over the top horror scenes and an interesting plot. Like I said, I'd be the first in line if the story were turned into a movie. Speaking of movies, if you liked "House on Haunted Hill", "13 Ghosts", or "Ghost Ship" - grab this book because it's pretty much based on the same theme of greed and such.