Curse of the Reaper

By: Brian McAuley

Narrated by: Eric Altheide

Decades after playing the titular killer in the eighties horror franchise Night of the Reaper, Howard Browning has been reduced to signing autographs for his dwindling fanbase at genre conventions. When the studio announces a series reboot, the aging thespian is crushed to learn he's being replaced in the iconic role by heartthrob Trevor Mane, a former sitcom child-star who's fresh out of rehab. Trevor is determined to stay sober and revamp his image while Howard refuses to let go of the character he created, setting the stage for a cross-generational clash over the soul of a monster. But as Howard fights to reclaim his legacy, the sinister alter ego consumes his unraveling mind, pushing him to the brink of violence. Is the method actor succumbing to madness or has the devilish Reaper taken on a life of its own?

In his razor-sharp debut novel, film and television writer Brian McAuley melds wicked suspense with dark humor and heart. Curse of the Reaper is a tightly plotted thriller that walks the tightrope between the psychological and the supernatural, while characters struggling with addiction and identity bring to light the harrowing cost of Hollywood fame.

©2022 Brian McAuley (P)2023 Tantor

What a classic!

If you love 80s slasher films and Scream you’ll love this book. I want to give this book 5 stars. I loved the characters, the ode to horror classics, and the great ending! My only complaint is that it starts off so slow. There is a lot of character development which I do appreciate but it seems all the action is at the end. That being said I highly recommend!

Good campy fun

I had a great time listening to this!

I liked the character building, they didn’t feel hollow.

Narrator was great, I knew which character I was listening to, without their accents being way to over the top.

Not super mysterious, but still had scenes that took me by surprise!

Great one liners from the Reaper; if you’re a fan of The Evil Dead series, this is for you!

A psychological slasher

I was a huge fan of Candy Cain Kills, so when I saw this one in an audible sale, I grabbed it immediately.

As a debut, I found this to be an incredibly cohesive and well done story. Howard is getting on in years, and although he’s grown tired of signing photos for (less and less) fans, he still feels a sense of pride in being the horror star in the Night of the Reaper franchise. But when he finds out that they plan on rebooting the series, and sowing their fields with some much younger seeds, deep-seated rage grabs hold. Trevor Mane, a recovering addict that’s aspiring to retake his career, is all-too eager to snatch up the role of the Reaper from underneath him.

I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the two actors, both displaying their own end of the spectrum in Hollywood horrors. Howard, once a slasher staple, has been cast aside—the slowing stream of revenue and fans leaving him unwanted. Meanwhile Trevor, struggling with the heavy expectations of childhood acting, has fallen to drugs and alcohol to carry the heavy weight of disappointment. Neither receive the help and care from the industry they deserve, and the recasting of the Reaper has set them both on paths of destruction. Both personal and exterior, no one is coming out unscathed.

As someone relatively new to horror (couple of years now…) the Night of the Reaper parts still brought to mind the slashers of old, like Friday the 13th, Halloween, and the blurb mentioned Scream. But it also reminded me of some newer ones like Fear Street: Part Two and even last year’s Thanksgiving with its witty, borderline cringey one liners and wacky kills. The blurb linking it to The Shining is of course a great mention, as that kind of creeping psychological thriller is absolutely present with Howard. It also has that kind of The Evil Dead ‘is this really happening supernatural feel’ as well as the typical vibes you get with Cabin Fever.

What the author delivers is this unique blend of horror. Each part features a reading from one of the Reaper series entries, as well as the climax itself giving way to full blown slasher. Then that psychological aspect meshing in to make you question everything. It’s very well done. I so curious what a sequel would be like…