Jinxed

by Thommy Hutson

on Tour March 12 - May 11, 2018

Synopsis:

"Thommy Hutson is the ultimate authority in nostalgia-driven storytelling."
~ Clive Barker, Bestselling Author of Books of Blood and The Thief of Always

High School Can Be a Real Killer

Break a mirror
Walk under a ladder
Step on a crack

Innocent childhood superstitions …

But someone at the secluded Trask Academy of Performing Arts is taking things one deadly step further when the campus is rocked with the deaths of some of its star students.

Layna Curtis, a talented, popular senior, soon realizes that the seemingly random, accidental deaths of her friends aren’t random—or accidents—at all. Someone has taken the childhood games too far, using the idea of superstitions to dispose of their classmates. As Layna tries to convince people of her theory, she uncovers the terrifying notion that each escalating, gruesome murder leads closer to its final victim: her.

Will Layna’s opening night also be her final bow?

Book Details:
Genre: YA HORROR/THRILLER
Published by: Vesuvian Books
Publication Date: March 13th 2018
Number of Pages: 244
ISBN: 978-1944109127
Series: This is the first in a new trilogy, each is a stand alone but with a teaser for the upcoming book you won't want to miss!!
Get Your Copy from: Amazon & Barnes & Noble! Plus add it on Goodreads!

My Thoughts
Jinxed is one of those books that intrigued me because of the concept. You've got a bunch of teenagers trapped on an island with haunted ghost story swirling around them, a nice atmosphere created by thunder and lightning storms and descriptions of eerie sounding buildings, and one by one they are being picked off by a killer. What more could you ask for? Sounds so Agatha Christie or Scream. And then, for me, the whole effect was ruined by the addition of one line, the last line in the prologue, something I wish the author had left out as it effectively gave away the whole game in the story.

First of all, I do want to say that I did enjoy the story though and thought the death scenes were quite effective. However, because I didn't really connect with any of the characters, while the death scenes were interesting in the way the characters tried to escape and flee, I was disconnected from what happened and that didn't sit well with me. Death scenes should resonate with people, and I really felt like even the other characters were disconnected from what happened. I think the author was maybe trying to show they were in shock but it didn't come across that way and it left me a bit discombobulated, wondering about the exact nature of the friendship between these people. And some of the comments between them weren't always very nice either. It's a murder-mystery, I get it, and I wasn't necessarily looking for major character development, but when a friend of yours dies, don't you expect to see a bit more emotion amongst your friends? And when there was finally some drama, what do we get? Teen love triangle - no thanks, not for me. It just didn't fit in, especially after a great death scene. Left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.

That being said, the murder scenes were probably my favourite part of the book, away from the silly teen drama. And you get to experience the deaths at different POVs. If you don't really like these things, then you shouldn't be reading horror, it is what it is. And all I could picture was the movie Scream and how this book could be made into a cult movie like that one, with the cheesy cliches and comments, but put together somehow all work. The pace was good, the action was good, and you've got the girl leaving her room to check on scary noises thing happening which makes you want to shake your head and shout at her, like you would at the movies if you were watching. Unfortunately, some of this campy stuff would come out better in a movie than in a book and I had to visualize it in order to get through it. I really think the author and I have an affinity for the same horror movies, but sometimes what works in movies doesn't quite come across the same in books. And like I said, while none of the characters really stood out and made an impression, none of them were horrible either; I just didn't really care who lived and who died.

Which leaves me with the actual reason and the ending for all this gore. The actual ending was good, and although I was expecting something to happen, it didn't quite happen the way I thought, which is good. If you are a fan of horror though, you will find this a bit predictable and cheesy, the reason for all this gore being rather the usual stuff, nothing overly original.

Verdict
Jinxed definitely had an interesting concept that would draw many people to it, especially those who love slashers and horror films. People love stories about superstitions and things like that, but I felt the story could have been better and related better. Some things just didn't make sense. Some of the petty drama surrounding the students made them feel insincere, immature, and selfish, and really hard to connect with, especially in a novel where you don't really expect a lot of character development to begin with in the first place, as it's about the horror. But you do want to feel empathy for the characters when they die. It's very clear that Hutson knows his horror movies extremely well, and I would love to see him weave his magic and turn this into a film or something as I think it would be very good as it has all the elements there; it just didn't quite work in a novel. And would I be willing to read the next book in the trilogy? Oh, definitely. Just for the death scenes alone. What can I say? I love horror, both on and off the screen.

Thommy Hutson

Author Bio:

Born and raised in Upstate New York, Thommy graduated from UCLA and launched his career co-writing the story for the Warner Bros. animated hit SCOOBY-DOO IN WHERE’S MY MUMMY? He followed that with co-writing the concept and additional material for CHILL OUT, SCOOBY-DOO!

His career then took a thrilling turn when he wrote and produced several definitive genre film retrospectives for television and home entertainment: SCREAM: THE INSIDE STORY, NEVER SLEEP AGAIN: THE ELM STREET LEGACY, MORE BRAINS! A RETURN TO THE LIVING DEAD and HIS NAME WAS JASON: 30 YEARS OF FRIDAY THE 13th.

He was also a staff writer on Hulu’s daily web series “The Morning After,” a smart, witty, pop culture program aimed at getting viewers up-to-date on the latest entertainment news and celebrity interviews.

Thommy also produced the critically acclaimed feature THE TROUBLE WITH THE TRUTH, an insightful relationship drama starring Lea Thompson and John Shea. He also produced DREAMWORLD, a quirky, romantic dramedy.

He co-wrote and produced ANIMAL for Chiller Films and Drew Barrymore’s Flower Films. The project debuted in iTunes’ top ten horror films (reaching #1) and became the network’s highest-rated original movie.

Continuing his passion for uncovering the stories behind the story, he went on to produce CRYSTAL LAKE MEMORIES: THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF FRIDAY THE 13th, which is the most comprehensive look at the popular film franchise.

As an author Thommy crafted a limited-edition coffee table book detailing the making and legacy of Wes Craven’s 1984 classic A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. A trade version distributed by Simon & Schuster reached number one in Amazon.com’s Movie History & Criticism category. He also has a deal with Vesuvian Media to write a YA thriller trilogy with the first book due out spring 2017.

He produced and made his feature directorial debut with THE ID, an independent psychological drama/thriller. Filmmaker Magazine stated it was “a deeply unsettling thriller that’s as moving as it is frightening…with skillful, provocative direction that has echoes of early Polanski.”

Most recently, Thommy wrote the screenplay for CineTel Films’ supernatural horror film TRUTH OR DARE. He is also directing, writing and producing a documentary with Clive Barker’s Seraphim Films in addition to developing other film and television properties with the company.

As an author, he is currently writing another book that definitively details the history, making and legacy of another fan-favorite genre film from the 1980s.

A member of the Producers Guild of America, Thommy continues to develop unique, compelling and provocative projects across multiple genres for film, television, publishing, and home entertainment through his company Hutson Ranch Media.