One of Us Is Already Dead by E.L. Chen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
When Josie Wu was in college, she went along with some friends as they snuck into an abandoned home to film a found footage horror movie. There were four of them when the project began, but by the end, only three remained.
Surprising everyone, the film became a huge success, rocketing the filmmaker, Josie’s crush, Sean Maher, to stardom. For a while, Josie was along for the ride, but when the unconventional Final Girl didn’t fit the image Hollywood wanted, she faded from the limelight, returning to the more acceptable life her parents wanted for her.
Twenty-five years later, Josie finds herself recently divorced, sharing custody of her daughter and struggling to make ends meet. Her days are monotonous and stressful, and not a lot of people appreciate her; including herself.
She kept her starring role in The Bleeker House Tapes a secret from everyone in her life, besides her parents and her ex-husband. Even her daughter doesn’t realize her cult status as a Final Girl. It’s something she keeps firmly locked in the past, but in her most vulnerable moments, she misses the girl she was then.
When she receives a call from Sean that he’s planning to shoot a reunion documentary for the film’s anniversary and he wants her to be part of it, she initially declines. Preferring to keep the past in the past.
However, the money that’s offered could be life-changing for Josie. It could definitely help her get back on her feet and provide some stability for her and her daughter. And if she’s being honest, a reunion with Sean could be exciting.
She ends up accepting Sean’s offer to return to Bleeker House. As the reunion, which does include other cast and crew, kicks off, the truth of the path rises to the surface, and perhaps Bleeker House isn’t done with them yet.
This was fun. I blasted through it in a day. It brought me back to when The Blair Witch Project sort of changed the landscape with its impeccable found footage format. That movie took the world by storm, with rumors flying about the actual fate of the cast. I went to the theaters to see it 3x.
But what would it have been like to be a cast member, and where would you be now, over 25-years later? In a way, that’s what this story sets out to explore. I did have some slight issues with the MC, but other than that, I found this really engaging.
One of the aspects I enjoyed the most was slowly learning the truth about the original filming. Chen doesn’t give it to you all at once, you have to work for it, and I loved watching the puzzle pieces fall into place.
Even though I found Josie to be a bit grating, I did appreciate the journey she went on in this book. For me, her negative self talk and woe-is-me attitude was exhausting, but I’m sure it will hit a little differently for every Reader.
Being a year older than this character, the way she thought about herself as ancient and washed up, all I could think was, girl, snap out of it. Hit the gym, go out with some girlfriends, flirt with a guy or gal. You would have thought she was 98-years old with the way she thought about herself. Nope, 47.
Besides her being one of the biggest Debbie Downers on the planet, she did have her moments and I was happy to see her gain a bit of self-confidence over the course of the story, and also was able to let go of some things from the past.
We love that for her, don’t we?
This is the second novel I’ve read from Chen, and I do really appreciate the nods she gives to the genre of Horror; the classics and staples that got many of us through some hard times. I also like that her Horror has substance, but can still be fun. She balances it very well.
Thank you to the publisher, Run For It, for providing me with a copy to read and review. You had me at ‘found footage’ and I really enjoyed this story. I’m looking forward to whatever Chen releases next!