The Film You Are About to See

The Film You Are About to See by Haley Newlin is a reality blurring creature feature set at an all-night “Dusk Til Dawn Spooktacular” at a 1950s Indiana drive-in showing classics like House of Wax and The Tingler while a big bug is turning moviegoers into pod people. And, yes, it is as amazing as it sounds.

The novella - first of all, it’s the perfect length, just like the punchy 70 - 80 minutes runtime of the classics the folks in this are watching - follows a group of teens in 1959 who are excited to go to an all night drive-in immersive experience where they’ll be watching films like Cat People and House on Haunted Hill. The theatre is adding to the vibe by having an actual hearse in front of the screen and repeated warnings against being frightened to death, complete with barf bags and actors dressed as nurses on standby.

One of the teens, June, is an empath, and when something starts killing people, she knows it’s real, and she’s the only one that knows what the creature wants and how to find it.  Before the other moviegoers even realize the danger is not part of the show, she and her friends are determined to stop it.

With Newlin’s cinematic writing, her love for classic horror films obvious on every page, and June with all her Final Girl Energy (FGE) in charge, The Film You Are About to See is a must-read for anyone who loves those campy classic horror films - this is one of those in book form.

P.S. That book cover, though!

Thank you to NetGalley and Mad Axe Media for the review copy for my unbiased opinion.

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