#night film marisha pessl

[brightbeautifulthings]

Night Film by Marisha Pessl

"'It's infected,' the man mumbled. 'The story. Some are, you know.'"

Year Read: 2024

Rating: 3/5

Thoughts: After reading all the reviews about what a mindfuck this book is, I'll admit I expected more. I actually found it way less twisty than Pessl's young adult novel, Neverworld Wake, which I adored and recommend far above Night Film. There's not really anything wrong with this book except that it's kind of slow and boring. The characters are essentially running an investigation throughout the entire book. By design, this makes it so that we're barely present for any of the supposed horror, but simply being told about it from another character. It's a punctured balloon, all the air escaping, never able to get off the ground. The one part of the book that is quite confusing is explained well enough later on. [Spoiler.] Of course you don't know how you got from one room to the next if you're high as fuck.

I think the biggest problem for me is that I never believed anything supernatural was happening. The novel quite intentionally walks the edge between paranormal and not, but by making the main character a skeptic, it's almost impossible for the reader to feel any way but skeptical toward it. Even by the time he started to wonder and believe, I still wasn't feeling it. There's nothing that happens that couldn't have a perfectly ordinary explanation, if we choose to lean that way. I like my supernatural to be a little more concrete.

Though Scott isn't particularly likeable for a lot of the novel--he's kind of a self-centered, egocentric jerk, and he fumbles a lot of things that a seasoned journalist should know--I did warm to him a bit, primarily through his father/daughter relationship with Nora. It's Ashley who's the real pull of the book though. While rarely actually on the page, the investigation builds a portrait of a compelling, ethereal figure lurking always and ever in the shadows and on the edges, never quite in focus or close enough to touch. I think I would have enjoyed a book more from her perspective.

There's a kind of meta aspect to Night Film that I suspect adds to that feeling of mindfuckery, but that's been done to better effect in other books. It sort of halfway works here. The deeper Scott gets into the conspiracy, the more layers the book has, with mysteries uncovering mysteries. Much like Scott, the reader has a choice: we can keep chasing this mystery, keep trying to get to the ever-elusive truth, keep trying to make all those connections, and continue down that spiral, or-- we can accept that, even if we were able to make all those connections, we still wouldn't have the answers. There were several times I thought the book could have ended to better effect, but its true ending supports this spiral into darkness. It's not clear, at this point, whether Scott can ever pull himself out of it. It's fun to think about and, while I didn't love it, I'm still glad I read it.

[sophielovesbooks]

Finished reading "The Rachel Incident" today. I absolutely loved it. Highly recommend for fans of Sally Rooney.

Then I started reading The Magpie Society but now sadly suspect that this book may be... quite bad?

I always feel so guilty rereading books when I have so many unread ones on my shelves (many of them gifted to me), but I really, really want to reread Night Film right now. Should I?

[books-and-cookies]

5 SECOND REVIEW

[wideeyedreader]

Recently Read: Night Film by Marisha Pessl

4.25 stars!

[yoongivenn]

Darkly — Marisha Pessl

Darkly is Marisha Pessl’s latest offering and one I was very much looking forward to since her book Night Film is my favorite book ever. You can listen to the episode about this book on your preferred audio platform or on Spotify through the player below. This is the author’s first new novel in nearly seven years, and her second young adult story. I was thoroughly interested by the premise,…

[wachendlichaufmaria]

I just finished reading this book and I can already feel it has changed me

thinking abt night film today but when am i not

[thebramblewood]

hey Shannon! One of my simblr bingo prompts is to ask a storyteller about their inspiration - and I'm genuinely curious about yours! Are there any books, TV shows or movies that inspired the way you depict your vampire world? There are so many different ways of doing it, so I wonder what made you decide on the rules.

Also, is there any part of it that's completely your own idea, or have you drawn exclusively from what's already been established?

Thank you for thinking of me for this ask, Hannah! 🥰 I think I've answered this in bits and pieces before, but I'm as surprised as anyone by where this story has taken me. If you'd asked me a couple years ago, I never would have thought I'd be writing about vampires of all things! My writing in the past has always been very rooted in reality and the seemingly mundane aspects of everyday living, which I think you can still see in the more "slice of life" moments of HZID. But the horror and fantasy elements are something new for me!

Honestly, the initial inspiration was really just the game itself. Vampires was one of the last game packs I held out on acquiring because I didn't think I was very interested in that sort of gameplay. Then I started messing around with making vampires in CAS and was immediately like, "Hey, vampires are actually very cool and fun!" It just spiraled from there, and most of my vampire lore and rules have been a mix of stuff from gameplay, whatever random assortment of vampire knowledge exists in my head, and a lot of completely making things up on the fly!

That being said, I think with this recent arc of Helena living with the Vatores especially I've taken a lot of inspiration for the anguish and dramatics from Interview with the Vampire and the silliness and moments of levity from What We Do In the Shadows. And, of course, a lot of Helena's transformation/vampire discovery arc was heavy on the Twilight references. I don't think I take much from it directly, but Midnight Mass is another piece of vampire media I think about a lot. The movies Only Lovers Left Alive and A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night have also been very influential on the aesthetic vision.

As for non-vampire inspirations, one of the most influential books on my development as a writer, period, was Donna Tartt's The Secret History, which I first read when I was about 19, I think, and am always and forever obsessed with. Its basic premise is "college student lacking strong sense of self falls in with mesmerizing but dangerous crowd and fucked-up shit ensues," which is basically the entire shtick I've been chasing since then as both a reader and a writer, lol! Also, Night Film by Marisha Pessl and Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo are two books I think have the sort of atmosphere I aspire to. And there is my entirely too long answer to your question, which has just become my shameless excuse to recommend TV, films, and books that I like!

[fairycosmos]

night film by marisha pessl

[i-got-the-feels]

Kan Theerapanyakul

George Orwell, 1984/Daniel Handler/John Dryden/Mitta Xinindlu/Unknown/Roseanne Barr/Joel Osteen/Marisha Pessl, Night Film/Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment/Dianna Hardy, Blood Shadow/Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now

[heavenlyyshecomes]

Would love a few book recommendations to get through my current reading slump. (the shorter it is, the better)

i usually píck whatever thriller is trending currently when I'm in a slump bc i just want to get back into reading and don't want to turn my brain so if u like the same or want to try it out I'd rec:

the only one left, riley sager

the ruins, scott smith

night film, marisha pessl

burnt offerings, robert marasco

if u want something short:

yellowface, r. f. kuang

blood over bright haven, m. l. wang

all systems red, martha wells

margaret the first, daniel dutton

a dowry of blood, s. t. gibson

the greenhollow duology, emily wells

what moves the dead, t. kingfisher

[greeeenhand]

So here's the thing. I like horror as a genre, but at the same time, I am a huge wuss. I can't stand jumpscares, so I can't really play horror games or watch horror movies without eating myself from the anticipation.

Horror novels, however, are perfect for me, since you can't really create a jumpscare from written text alone.

That's why I've been reading some horror novels over the past few years, and I'm gonna share my thoughts on them. This isn't a ranking or a deep dive into each; just my opinion.

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. I've mentioned it before, but I really enjoyed this one. The premise revolves around a house with seemingly impossible dimenions and a hallway that leads into a dark, infinite labyrinth. Some folks refer to it "The Backrooms before The Backrooms was a thing", to which I reply "ehh kinda." This book is unique in the sense that it's layered pretty heavily. You're not reading about the guy who ventures into the house, you're reading about a guy who found a manuscript about a film that doesn't exist; with a ton of extra material added to it for... context? Vibes? In any case, this book is the hardest to recommend because of how cerebral it gets sometimes, but if you want a book with layers upon layers of themes, try this one.

Brairdark by S.A. Harian. The latest book I've read. A research team hikes into the mountains where five women went missing; only to find the wilderness making less and less sense around them. It ends on a cliffhanger, but I'm eager to read the sequel. I liked this one because the chapters are neatly divided between the different characters; no chapter drags on for too long.

The Fisherman by John Langan. This one had a bit of a slow start, but a solid ending, IMO. This story features a widower taking up fishing with a coworker, until they set off for the mysterious Dutchman's Creek. Out of all the stories on this list, this one felt the most... "Lovecraftian", I would say. It shares a bit of similarity with Briardark, and a little with House of Leaves, but skewed a bit more towards the former.

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager. Now this one feels the most digestible to anyone looking to get into horror books. A young woman revisits the old house her family lived in for a time; the same house her father wrote a novel about that claimed the place was haunted by a malevolent spirit. Every other chapter in this book is an excerpt from that novel; a way for the reader to compare the fiction and the reality. What I love about this book is that the mystery is fully solved and explained but stays scary. The truth of what really happened comes out, hits like a truck, and then another twist hits you.

Night Film by Marisha Pessl. This is less horror and more mystery thriller, so take that FWIW. It's about a journalist looking into the death of Ashley Cordova, the daughter of a mysterious movie director, and hopes to uncover the director's secrets. I have to say, as gripping as this book was, the ending just kinda petered out without much fanfare. It has a view images on the pages depicting web pages and photos, but this idea isn't as present in the latter half.

BTW, if you have horror novels to recommend, I'm all ears.

[monsterhunting]

I like your fanfic and we share some of the same ships. Do you have any book recs? My tbr list is long but I don't mind adding more books

firstly: thank you so much!!! secondly i have TONS of book recs. honestly i could’ve kept going but i was getting a little crazy so lemme stop here. thank you for asking!!!

fiction:

the lincoln highway by amor towles: bildungsroman, beautiful story, satisfying ending, long but worth it

ask again yes by mary beth keane: family drama, turning point halfway thru that made me gasp and screech

such a fun age by kiley reid: a Black babysitter gets stopped by a grocery store security guard and a video of it goes viral and a bunch of other stuff also happens. lots of really good discussions on racism. her other book that just came out this year was really good too!!!

fantasy/sci-fi:

the last binding trilogy by freya marske: finally read these a few months ago and i loved them so much 😭 great romance great characters exciting plot with high stakes FOUND FAMILY!!

silver under nightfall by rin chupeco (and the sequel court of wanderers)… vampire couple x vampire hunter throuple of my dreams what more can you want

ocean’s echo / winter’s orbit by everina maxwell: queer scifi romance!!!! stand-alones set in the same universe but both are great

station eleven by emily st. john mandel: this is a pretty well known book but it was GOOD! takes place in a post-apocalyptic world and centers on the importance of living as opposed to just surviving and also the beauty of creating and sharing art ❤️

romance:

cat sebastian writes really good queer historical romance, I’ve read like 6 of her books this year. we could be so good and the ruin of a rake are my favorites so far

lex croucher!!! she has three historical novels, one is a sapphic romance (I’ve only read two) and then she has a YA called Gwen & art are not in love that’s a queer Arthurian legend retelling

love hate & clickbait by liz bowery: m/m fake dating where the two MCs are politicians who kinda suck and are trapped in a PR stunt. a better red white & royal blue. i’ve read it like 3 times

sarah hogle is my oomf but also writes great romance. you deserve each other and just like magic specifically

the charm offensive by alison cochrun: the new bachelor falls for the producer of the reality show instead of his contestants. probably my favorite romance ever. also great asexual rep!!

horror:

the lost village by camilla sten: a group of people filming a documentary go to an abandoned village where everyone in the town just up and disappeared one day and were never seen again and weird stuff starts happening. i read this in like 2 days. also i based the town in the stoncy ghost files au off of this lmao

the whisper man and the shadows by alex north: crazy as fuck plot twists that made me close the book and run around my house. he has a third book too but unfortunately I didn’t like it very much

night film by marisha pessl: reporter obsessed with elusive director who’s daughter just mysteriously died investigates director and his family. very good mixed media element and very immersive

mister magic by kiersten white: child actors from children’s tv show mister magic — a tv show that ended suddenly and tragically, with no surviving video footage or evidence of the creative team behind the show whatsoever — gather together for a reunion as adults. kinda like if IT by stephen king was combined with a weird creeypasta and throw in some religious trauma also. sooooo good

graphic novels:

check please! by ngozi ukazu: duh

bubble by jordan morris: guardians of the galaxy esque but also a criticism of capitalism. very fun

hooky by miriam bonastre tur: i DEVOURED these last october. perfect cozy fall vibes. just a cute fun story. they’re technically for children but idc 😭 so many characters and i loved them all, i can’t wait to reread again in the fall

[livingasaghost]

okay @permanentreverie did this in honor of book lovers day (aug 9) so here i am being obnoxious and sorting my favorite books based on genres bc i'm procrastinating editing

put it under read more because i'm annoying and this is longer than i thought it'd be ahjflksd

classics:

les miserables by victor hugo

1984 by george orwell

a midsummer night's dream by william shakespeare

hamlet by william shakespeare

the crucible by arthur miller

the great gatsby by f scott fitzgerald

contemporary romances:

red white and royal blue by casey mcquiston

with you forever by chloe liese

everything for you by chloe liese

beach read by emily henry

happy place by emily henry

a very merry bromance by lyssa kay adams

crazy stupid bromance by lyssa kay adams

love, theoretically by ali hazelwood

the love hypothesis by ali hazelwood

not in love by ali hazelwood

let's talk about love by claire kann

roomies by christina lauren

the hating game by sally thorne

fantasy:

tower of dawn by sarah j maas

kingdom of ash by sarah j maas

a court of mist and fury by sarah j maas

a court of silver flames by sarah j maas

the starless sea by erin morgenstern

a storm of swords by george r.r. martin

a feast for crows by george r.r. martin

wizard's first rule by terry goodkind

temple of the winds by terry goodkind

prince's gambit by c.s. pacat

kings rising by c.s. pacat

a discovery of witches by deborah harkness

jade legacy by fonda lee

the dragon republic by r.f. kuang

babel by r.f. kuang

every heart a doorway by seanan mcguire

the magician's nephew by c.s. lewis

priory of the orange tree by samantha shannon

strange the dreamer by laini taylor

sci-fi:

the host by stephenie meyer

nona the ninth by tamsyn muir

graphic novels / comics:

monstress by marjorie liu & sana takeda

check please by ngozi ukazu

the boy the mole the fox and the horse by charlie mackesy

heartstopper by alice oseman

lore olympus by rachel smythe

fence by c.s. pacat & johanna the mad

heart of gold by eliot baum & viv tanner

the prince & the dressmaker by jen wang

historical fiction:

cloud cuckoo land by anthony doerr

the book thief by markus zusak

literary fiction:

evenings & weekends by oisín mckenna

henry henry by allen bratton

a little life by hanya yanagihara

piranesi by suzanna clarke

malibu rising by taylor jenkins reid

if we were villains by m.l. rio

the invisible life of addie larue by v.e. schwab

real life by brandon taylor

s by doug dorst

horror:

house of leaves by mark z danielewski

imaginary friend by stephen chbosky

night film by marisha pessl

don't let the forest in by c.g. drews

middle grade:

magyk by angie sage

a kind of spark by elle mcnicoll

sir callie and the champions of helston by esme symes-smith

holes by louis sachar

the mighty heart of sunny st james by ashley herring blake

new adult:

loveless by alice oseman

obsidian by jennifer l armentrout

masters of death by olivie blake

alone with you in the ether by olivie blake

angelfall by susan ee

the sunshine court by nora sakavic

the king's men by nora sakavic

vicious by v.e. schwab

queenie by candice carty-williams

hell bent by leigh bardugo

nonfiction:

into the wild by john krakauer

it was vulgar and it was beautiful by jack lowery

the last lecture by randy pausch

what i want to talk about by pete wharmby

furiously happy by jenny lawson

ace by angela chen

blood sweat and chrome by kyle buchanan

refusing compulsory sexuality by sherronda j brown

the great divorce by c.s. lewis

the cancer journals by audre lorde

the dark interval by rilke

inverse cowgirl by alicia roth weigel

translated works:

the memory police by yōko ogawa

vita nostra by marina dyachenko

the strange library by haruki murakami

young adult:

the mask falling by samantha shannon

check & mate by ali hazelwood

i was born for this by alice oseman

the hunger games by suzanne collins

just listen by sarah dessen

ignite me by tahereh mafi

the unexpected everything by morgan matson

save the date by morgan matson

tash hearts tolstoy by kathryn ormsbee

neverworld wake by marisha pessl

the spirit bares its teeth by andrew joseph white

compound fracture by andrew joseph white

the wicked king by holly black

short story collections:

the tangleroot palace by marjorie liu

what is not your is not yours by helen oyeyemi

the late americans by brandon taylor

filthy animals by brandon taylor

seven empty houses by samanta schweblin

[e-b-reads]

I'm not going to pretend that the poll will influence my choice, because I'm definitely going to choose before the poll's over. But I'm curious!

[mommyhorror]

This is my summer of reading thrillers written by women

so far I’ve read:

-symptomatic by Danzy Senna

-Caucasia by Danzy Senna lol (biracial posting..)(not necessarily a thriller but her writing is always a little eerie😍)

-Greenwich park by Katherine Faulkner

So far to read:

-seven lies by Elizabeth Kay (halfway through)

-Night Film by Marisha Pessl

does anyone have any recommendations? :-) themes I love: women’s obsessions w other women, yeah that’s it actually . But open to other stuff lol

[majesticartax]

i was tagged by @suddenrundown like a million years ago and i'm sorry i'm just getting to it now!! thank you for tagging me!

Star Sign(s): *googles "how to find all your signs* sun: leo, moon: virgo, ascendant/rising: pisces. what any of that means, i'm not too sure. i was also born in the year of the tiger if that's anything.

Favorite Holidays: halloween

Last Meal: seared sesame tuna and roasted eggplant

Current Favorite Musician: uhhh i legit do not know.

Last Music Listened To: Dragonforce - The Power of the Sabre Blade, because i was playing beat saber lol that song fucks.

Last Movie Watched: i caught the last half of the Joker and sort of paid attention to it today. but the last movie that i WATCHED watched was, coincidentally, Beau is Afraid, directed by Ari Aster. stellar. 9/10. highly recommend if you want to feel bad for 3 hours.

Last TV Show Watched: Jujutsu Kaisen

Last Book/Fic Finished: Night Film by Marisha Pessl

Last Book/Fic Abandoned: The Troop by Nick Cutter (but i'm coming back to it some day!)

Currently Reading: just gay manga

Last Thing Researched for Art/Writing/Hyperfixation: circadian mediation of dopamine activity in the vental tegmental area of the brain (for Deadly)

Favorite Online Fandom Memory: omg everything blends together... i don't know, really. but whenever i get a long comment on one of my fics, that always sticks with me. even if i can't respond to it because i can't find the words in the moment, please know you've reached me and touched me deeply <3

Favorite Old Fandom You Wish Would Drag You Back In/Have A Resurgence: i don't really have this? i only started really engaging in fandom like 8 years ago, and i'm still immersed in the haikyuu/kghn fandom (even if i sort of fell off a bit in the last couple years, i never REALLY left. i've just been in the shadows)

Favorite Thing You Enjoy That Never Had an Active or Big "Fandom" but You Wish It Did: i think all of the things that i enjoy that i could wish had a fandom already have a fandom. did that make a bit of sense? there are things i like to enjoy just for myself and i intentionally avoid the fandom... i can't answer this lol

Tempting Project You're Trying to Rein In/Don't Have Time For: a/b/o and somnophilia kghn fics!

mmkay, i will tag @sagechan, @snikkeler, @majoringinsarcasm, @majikhara