What do you think?
Rate this book
Script to Scream: A Novel
308 pages, Paperback
Published November 25, 2025
10 people are currently reading
220 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 6, 2025
If there’s one thing 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 does flawlessly, it’s giving me a final girl I can root for long after her glory days… and honestly, she might be my favorite character in the slasher subgenre. Jennifer Hawkins isn’t your typical scream queen. Well, she was way back when, but now she’s the washed-up final girl, the one who ruled the slasher scene in the ’80s thanks to her gloriously corny and remarkably cheap (but wildly beloved) 𝘌𝘷𝘪𝘭 𝘌𝘭𝘧 films. Think shoulder pads, practical effects, big blown-out hair, and a fandom that never truly let her go.
She’s the kind of character who once had the world at her feet, only to find herself decades later navigating obscurity, faded fame, and all the emotional shrapnel that comes from surviving a killer elf that never dies and surviving Hollywood. And I LOVED her for it. She’s messy, stubborn, and prickly, and the way the Hicks duo writes her makes her feel like a legend who never quite got her flowers. But boy oh boy, does she get her flowers at the end. Not just flowers, but a whole bouquet of them.
What really hooked me is how the story pulls Jennifer back into the spotlight. Early on, she’s approached by an overenthusiastic 𝘌𝘷𝘪𝘭 𝘌𝘭𝘧 superfan at one of the many conventions she attends. These scenes are equal parts heartbreaking and darkly funny, especially since Jennifer is barely scraping by while a younger, trendier “final girl” at the next booth absorbs all the crowds, money, and admiration she used to command. The fan invites her to star in a fan-made movie set in Tinseltown, the long-abandoned amusement park where the very first 𝘌𝘷𝘪𝘭 𝘌𝘭𝘧 film was shot. The project reunites her with several former co-stars, including her beloved friend Dougie, who originally played Plucky, the killer Elf. Jennifer hesitates, and honestly, who could blame her, but the promised paycheck is hard to ignore for someone surviving on nostalgia and autographs alone. She finally agrees, unaware that stepping back into her past may be the most dangerous role she has ever taken.
This book has everything I love about slasher fiction because it doesn’t just settle for the blood and gore. It’s fun, campy, and self-aware in all the right ways. But like every horror lover out there wants, there’s still plenty of blood and gore. The side characters are amazing, and even though you know not all of them are going to make it out alive, you can’t help but stay hopeful. And don’t even get me started on the setting! An abandoned Christmas amusement park in the middle of the Nevada desert? Creep-central. From the way it’s written, I would die to tour that amusement park.
(𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝, 𝙅𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙇𝙮𝙙𝙞𝙖 𝙃𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙨, 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙜𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠!)
She’s the kind of character who once had the world at her feet, only to find herself decades later navigating obscurity, faded fame, and all the emotional shrapnel that comes from surviving a killer elf that never dies and surviving Hollywood. And I LOVED her for it. She’s messy, stubborn, and prickly, and the way the Hicks duo writes her makes her feel like a legend who never quite got her flowers. But boy oh boy, does she get her flowers at the end. Not just flowers, but a whole bouquet of them.
What really hooked me is how the story pulls Jennifer back into the spotlight. Early on, she’s approached by an overenthusiastic 𝘌𝘷𝘪𝘭 𝘌𝘭𝘧 superfan at one of the many conventions she attends. These scenes are equal parts heartbreaking and darkly funny, especially since Jennifer is barely scraping by while a younger, trendier “final girl” at the next booth absorbs all the crowds, money, and admiration she used to command. The fan invites her to star in a fan-made movie set in Tinseltown, the long-abandoned amusement park where the very first 𝘌𝘷𝘪𝘭 𝘌𝘭𝘧 film was shot. The project reunites her with several former co-stars, including her beloved friend Dougie, who originally played Plucky, the killer Elf. Jennifer hesitates, and honestly, who could blame her, but the promised paycheck is hard to ignore for someone surviving on nostalgia and autographs alone. She finally agrees, unaware that stepping back into her past may be the most dangerous role she has ever taken.
This book has everything I love about slasher fiction because it doesn’t just settle for the blood and gore. It’s fun, campy, and self-aware in all the right ways. But like every horror lover out there wants, there’s still plenty of blood and gore. The side characters are amazing, and even though you know not all of them are going to make it out alive, you can’t help but stay hopeful. And don’t even get me started on the setting! An abandoned Christmas amusement park in the middle of the Nevada desert? Creep-central. From the way it’s written, I would die to tour that amusement park.
(𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝, 𝙅𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙇𝙮𝙙𝙞𝙖 𝙃𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙨, 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙜𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠!)
December 10, 2025
Nothing says Christmas spirit like an evil elf that murders people with a sharpened candy cane and strings of Christmas lights! This Christmas slasher is a festive version of a locked room thriller as a group of unsuspecting actors are lured to a dilapidated Christmas themed amusement park and find themselves trapped with an evil elf. If you’re a fan of 80s slasher films and tropes like me then you’ll love these vibes! Want to know who makes it out alive by the end? You’ll have to read to find out! This was exactly what I needed to make me feel festive this year.
December 14, 2025
Holy crap that was a ride!
Jennifer is a fiftyish actress, best known for her role as Rebecca Sommers in the Evil Elf franchise. Now her call backs have ceased and she has been relegated to the horror movie convention circuit—and she is barely making a living there. When an obsessed fan approaches her with a sizable salary to reprise her role as Rebecca in a fan fic Evil Elf movie Jennifer takes it—she’s that desperate. But when she’s driven to the middle of the Nevada desert to film on location at the abandoned Tinseltown amusement park with her former film costars, things seem less than kosher.
This book is so freakin fun. It is intense, cinematic and fast-paced. I could picture the decrepit Christmas-themed amusement park and Plucky the Evil Elf was terrifying! Plus Jennifer is relatable and funny and interesting and I was cheering for her every step of the way. This is the PERFECT holiday horror book to add to your list so do it! And once you’ve read it you can help me beg the authors for a sequel.
Jennifer is a fiftyish actress, best known for her role as Rebecca Sommers in the Evil Elf franchise. Now her call backs have ceased and she has been relegated to the horror movie convention circuit—and she is barely making a living there. When an obsessed fan approaches her with a sizable salary to reprise her role as Rebecca in a fan fic Evil Elf movie Jennifer takes it—she’s that desperate. But when she’s driven to the middle of the Nevada desert to film on location at the abandoned Tinseltown amusement park with her former film costars, things seem less than kosher.
This book is so freakin fun. It is intense, cinematic and fast-paced. I could picture the decrepit Christmas-themed amusement park and Plucky the Evil Elf was terrifying! Plus Jennifer is relatable and funny and interesting and I was cheering for her every step of the way. This is the PERFECT holiday horror book to add to your list so do it! And once you’ve read it you can help me beg the authors for a sequel.
December 31, 2025
god, i love ultra-meta slashers. jennifer was the realest bitch ever and i loved how— despite all her flaws— she never gave the villains the satisfaction of besting her. because they did, multiple times, but she kept swinging and got the girl in the end too. i really really cherish how we got a lesbian final girl over 50. like that’s so cool! we seriously need more rep like this in horror
i adored all the references to other meta-centric films. i appreciate a good nerdy horror romp, in fact, it’s my favorite thing ever. loved this book and loved all the odes to the greats
i adored all the references to other meta-centric films. i appreciate a good nerdy horror romp, in fact, it’s my favorite thing ever. loved this book and loved all the odes to the greats
December 10, 2025
What a banger omg.
Something that is this silly has no business being this clever.
This has everything you’d want and expect from a Christmas slasher. A memorable villain, a unique isolated setting, over the top Christmas themed kills, a cast of great characters who are only sometimes stupid. The thing that sets this one apart, is that when they’re stupid, they’re clearly stupid by design.
This is one of the most self aware horror books I’ve ever read. Think Scream but instead of teenagers they’re 60-year-old washed up actors from a decades old franchise that specifically known for being campy and bad. Script to Scream somehow manages to critique the slasher genre and pay a loving homage to it. Something that cannot have been easy to do.
Our main character is Jennifer, the original final girl of the Evil Elf movies, a b level series of horror slashers that came out in the 80s. Now, four decades later Jennifer‘s career never really took off. She’s barely making it. She has no prospects. She never had a family and she’s generally pretty unlikable. At the start of the novel she’s approached by arguably one of the franchises biggest fans to do a new entry. This entry would be to take place in the original setting of the franchisees first movie, a Christmas themed amusement park in the Nevada desert. Just as time has ravaged the characters, so has it done to the infamous Tinseltown. After years and years of declining sales, declining sales which started long before the cast film their original movie, the park is now been abandoned and taken over by the environment. Jennifer initially believe she’s going to a traditional set, however, as the novel progresses and the filming conditions worsen, it becomes clear that there is something much more sinister going on. Not only must the aging former costars confront titular the evil elf, Plunky, for one last time. They must also confront their past regrets and the reality that life doesn’t turn out the way you expect when you’re young, especially when you’re in show business.
Something that is this silly has no business being this clever.
This has everything you’d want and expect from a Christmas slasher. A memorable villain, a unique isolated setting, over the top Christmas themed kills, a cast of great characters who are only sometimes stupid. The thing that sets this one apart, is that when they’re stupid, they’re clearly stupid by design.
This is one of the most self aware horror books I’ve ever read. Think Scream but instead of teenagers they’re 60-year-old washed up actors from a decades old franchise that specifically known for being campy and bad. Script to Scream somehow manages to critique the slasher genre and pay a loving homage to it. Something that cannot have been easy to do.
Our main character is Jennifer, the original final girl of the Evil Elf movies, a b level series of horror slashers that came out in the 80s. Now, four decades later Jennifer‘s career never really took off. She’s barely making it. She has no prospects. She never had a family and she’s generally pretty unlikable. At the start of the novel she’s approached by arguably one of the franchises biggest fans to do a new entry. This entry would be to take place in the original setting of the franchisees first movie, a Christmas themed amusement park in the Nevada desert. Just as time has ravaged the characters, so has it done to the infamous Tinseltown. After years and years of declining sales, declining sales which started long before the cast film their original movie, the park is now been abandoned and taken over by the environment. Jennifer initially believe she’s going to a traditional set, however, as the novel progresses and the filming conditions worsen, it becomes clear that there is something much more sinister going on. Not only must the aging former costars confront titular the evil elf, Plunky, for one last time. They must also confront their past regrets and the reality that life doesn’t turn out the way you expect when you’re young, especially when you’re in show business.
December 4, 2025
80's horror icon, Jennifer, got her start playing the final girl in a series of christmas themed horror slashers called 'Evil Elf'. Nowadays, she spends her time in the convention circuit as she slowly faded from fame. When a fan approaches her and asks if she would reprise her role filming in the original location of "Tinseltown" nearly 40 years later, it's impossible to say no. When she arrives, many past cast members do as well and they suddenly realize the kills may not be so fake.
This was campy, slashy, and a joy to read. Basically a christmas version of any OG slasher film taking place around a theme park. It was fast-paced and bloody. It has some incredibly unique kills as they all happened to be holiday themed. Our MC Jennifer was very easy to dislike but it didn't stop you from rooting for her. Her character development over the course of about a week was impressive.
And again, I love the chance to read a horror novel with a cast of characters all over the age of 50.
This was campy, slashy, and a joy to read. Basically a christmas version of any OG slasher film taking place around a theme park. It was fast-paced and bloody. It has some incredibly unique kills as they all happened to be holiday themed. Our MC Jennifer was very easy to dislike but it didn't stop you from rooting for her. Her character development over the course of about a week was impressive.
And again, I love the chance to read a horror novel with a cast of characters all over the age of 50.
December 3, 2025
Jennifer is an aging actress who was once famous for playing the final girl in the Evil Elf series. Now she’s barely scraping by in a rundown apartment. So when a fan asks her to reprise her role one last time, she agrees—only this time, the danger is real.
This was an absolutely brilliant read. Horror–comedy can be very hit or miss, and I’ve read plenty that try too hard to be funny and fall flat. This one does not.
I found myself giggling throughout. This would be a fantastic movie.
If you're a fan of cheesy horror movies, Christmas and slashers, this one is for you.
This was an absolutely brilliant read. Horror–comedy can be very hit or miss, and I’ve read plenty that try too hard to be funny and fall flat. This one does not.
I found myself giggling throughout. This would be a fantastic movie.
If you're a fan of cheesy horror movies, Christmas and slashers, this one is for you.
November 27, 2025
Script to scream is the sort of book that warrants just one more chapter, until its morning and your alarm is blaring!
Comedic horrors can often be so hit and miss, but this is an absolute needle in a haystack! Enjoyed it throughly from beginning to end, and it was surprisingly unpredictable. After reading so many disappointing books in this genre, this was a breath of fresh air. The characters had depth and it kept my pulse racing to the end. Must read!
Comedic horrors can often be so hit and miss, but this is an absolute needle in a haystack! Enjoyed it throughly from beginning to end, and it was surprisingly unpredictable. After reading so many disappointing books in this genre, this was a breath of fresh air. The characters had depth and it kept my pulse racing to the end. Must read!
November 26, 2025
I rarely read a book cover to cover but I couldn’t put this down. The setting, the action, the protagonist and the premise were all really special. Loved how I could really get behind Jennifer who was written so well - I NEED to see this as a movie!
Lots of metaphors, meta-ness and so much fun! As a Horror fan, I devoured this.
Lots of metaphors, meta-ness and so much fun! As a Horror fan, I devoured this.
November 23, 2025
Enjoyed this a lot. I could envison all the action and characters in my head and it kept my interest from the very beginning and all throughout. As someone who's a bit of a coward when it comes to horror films the ending was a little intense for me but it was a brilliant story.
November 25, 2025
Received my copy today and flew through it. Loved it! I read a lot of horror and this one actually felt refreshing
November 26, 2025
An excellent story jam-packed with tension and gore!
December 7, 2025
2.5/5 ⭐️
campy as hell, twisted as fuq
this isn’t something i’d usually go for but had to support my girl
campy as hell, twisted as fuq
this isn’t something i’d usually go for but had to support my girl
December 9, 2025
Fantastic book, great to read on these dark cold nights, highly recommend!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
January 14, 2026
3.5 rounded up to 4
January 18, 2026
3.5 stars. I liked it.
January 21, 2026
This book had my mouth on the floor and I highly recommend it.
December 25, 2025
Reading a Christmas slasher was not on my 2025 Bingo card, but I had a grand ole time with this ✨ Very camp 🎄
December 17, 2025
Thank you to the authors for sending me a copy of Script to Scream. Here are my thoughts!
Jennifer Hawkins was the Final Girl from the Evil Elf film franchise. But now, a few decades later, she’s finding it hard to book acting gigs and most of her earnings come from signings at cons. A young filmmaker invites her and her old castmates for the creation of one last Plucky film, in the amusement park that started it all. But people start dying… and they are not acting.
This book was such a treat. I was looking for Christmas horror books to dive into, because what better way to get into the Christmas spirit than with campy horror?! Script to Scream checked all the boxes. We have a fun and diverse cast, a memorable villain and lots of ridiculous one-liners and dialogue. The setting is also described perfectly and adds to the scariness of the scenes. They will stick with me forever, and hopefully they don’t bother me too much next time I’m at an amusement park!
What this novel did a bit differently was that they added length to the usual fast-paced slasher novel to dive deep into character development. All the characters had grown and had vast changes since they last interacted. So, it was super important for me as a reader to see how time had impacted not only these people, but how they felt about one another. I’m very happy this choice was made!
I often have people ask for Christmas horror recs, and this one will be waiting at the top of my recommendation list!
Jennifer Hawkins was the Final Girl from the Evil Elf film franchise. But now, a few decades later, she’s finding it hard to book acting gigs and most of her earnings come from signings at cons. A young filmmaker invites her and her old castmates for the creation of one last Plucky film, in the amusement park that started it all. But people start dying… and they are not acting.
This book was such a treat. I was looking for Christmas horror books to dive into, because what better way to get into the Christmas spirit than with campy horror?! Script to Scream checked all the boxes. We have a fun and diverse cast, a memorable villain and lots of ridiculous one-liners and dialogue. The setting is also described perfectly and adds to the scariness of the scenes. They will stick with me forever, and hopefully they don’t bother me too much next time I’m at an amusement park!
What this novel did a bit differently was that they added length to the usual fast-paced slasher novel to dive deep into character development. All the characters had grown and had vast changes since they last interacted. So, it was super important for me as a reader to see how time had impacted not only these people, but how they felt about one another. I’m very happy this choice was made!
I often have people ask for Christmas horror recs, and this one will be waiting at the top of my recommendation list!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews