Darlene's Book Nook: Book Review: Cinema of Shadows by Michael West

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Book Review: Cinema of Shadows by Michael West

PUBLISHER: Seventh Star Press
PUBLICATION DATE: August 9, 2011

FORMAT: Paperback, 298 pages
GENRE: Horror

ISBN: 9780983740209

Welcome to the Woodfield Movie Palace. The night the Titanic sank, it opened for business...and its builder died in his chair. In the 1950s, there was a fire; a balcony full of people burned to death. And years later, when it became the scene of one of Harmony, Indiana's most notorious murders, it closed for good. Abandoned, sealed, locked up tight...until now.Tonight, Professor Geoffrey Burke and his Parapsychology students have come to the Woodfield in search of evidence, hoping to find irrefutable proof of a haunting. Instead, they will discover that, in this theater, the terrors are not confined to the screen.

MY REVIEW:

I received this book for review from the publisher. I did not receive any compensation for my review, and the views expressed herein are my own.

When Kim Saunders was a baby, her mother was sure that she was developmentally delayed or autistic. Despite being assured by doctors that her beautiful daughter was absolutely normal, she still worried because it seemed that Kim was watching things that no one else could see.

The story then flashes-forward to when Kim is in college, and she is taking a Parapsychology course to fulfill her Psychology requirement. Professor Burke uses all types of specialized equipment in his investigations to identify paranormal activity, such as infrared thermal scanners to detect changes in temperature.

With the news that the Woodfield Movie Palace is slated for demolition, Professor Burke is keen to take his students there to investigate for paranormal activity. The old building has long been plagued with unusual occurrences and violent incidents, and there were claims of spectral activity made by both staff and patrons. Before the building is destroyed, Professor Burke wants to determine whether there is any truth to the rumors.

What happens at the Woodfield Movie Palace is straight out of a horror flick! Cinema of Shadows is delightfully creepy, and West has a way of writing that makes the hair stand up at the back of your neck. At a particularly eerie part in the story, I flipped the page and was faced with a ghastly illustration (courtesy of Matthew Perry) that startled me into dropping the book!

Some horror books are pretty gruesome and gory, but this book falls more into the “scary” category. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a book that gives you the creeps while reading! West is a new-to-me author, and I certainly plan to read more of his work!

MY RATING: