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This Movie Doesn't End the Way We Want
Not yet published
Expected 15 Sep 26A woman, haunted by the disappearance of her sister and best friend thirty years ago uncovers the terrifying urban legend behind the last film they watched together, in this chilling riff on the cursed film subgenre by the Bram Stoker award-winning author of Queen of Teeth.
Perfect for fans of Gretchen Felker-Martin and Andrew Joseph White.
In November 1994, three girls visit their local movie theater to see an obscure film. Only one of them is ever seen again.
Thirty years later, Val McQueen has never forgotten the day she lost her little sister and best friend, but she’s closed the curtain on it, certain she’s moved on despite her parents’ resentment and hounding by true crime enthusiasts.
That is until a stranger’s murder brings it all screaming back—a terror she’s tried to tell herself is only a movie. Enlisting the help of cinephile and former classmate Roxie de la Fontaine to find the film, Val soon realizes that hers is not the only pursuit. Someone, or something involved with the movie is on the hunt, too…
… For the girl who got away all those years ago.
Perfect for fans of Gretchen Felker-Martin and Andrew Joseph White.
In November 1994, three girls visit their local movie theater to see an obscure film. Only one of them is ever seen again.
Thirty years later, Val McQueen has never forgotten the day she lost her little sister and best friend, but she’s closed the curtain on it, certain she’s moved on despite her parents’ resentment and hounding by true crime enthusiasts.
That is until a stranger’s murder brings it all screaming back—a terror she’s tried to tell herself is only a movie. Enlisting the help of cinephile and former classmate Roxie de la Fontaine to find the film, Val soon realizes that hers is not the only pursuit. Someone, or something involved with the movie is on the hunt, too…
… For the girl who got away all those years ago.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication September 15, 2026
About the author
Hailey Piper
109 books1,059 followersHailey Piper is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Queen of Teeth, A Game in Yellow, A Light Most Hateful, The Worm and His Kings, No Gods for Drowning, Cranberry Cove, and other books of dark fiction.
She is also the author of over 100 short stories appearing in Weird Tales, Pseudopod, Cosmic Horror Monthly, and various other publications, and of articles appearing in Writer's Digest, Tor Nightfire, CrimeReads, and Library Journal. Find her at www.haileypiper.com.
She is also the author of over 100 short stories appearing in Weird Tales, Pseudopod, Cosmic Horror Monthly, and various other publications, and of articles appearing in Writer's Digest, Tor Nightfire, CrimeReads, and Library Journal. Find her at www.haileypiper.com.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 26, 2026
Thanks to Titan Books and Net galley for a copy of this arc!
There have been a slew of cursed media books to come out in the past decade and This Movie Doesn't End the Way we Want is my favorite.
Maybe it’s because this premise, the killing hook, would trap me 100% of the time. My favorite way to consume horror is by going in completely blind, so a limited run of a horror movie with a silly name that I’ve never heard of? Sign me UP.
This concept is a little silly, but that silliness is in itself a lure that pulls you into a complicated family dynamic and nuanced take on survivors guilt and childhood trauma.
Piper seems more in touch with the changing technology trends of the time. Both the film projectors and talk of tiktok feel natural. There are some references that I think ultimately will date this book but I got all of them so it even more made this feel like horror built for ME.
I’m really liking Hailey Piper and I have concrete plans to read as much as I can this year.
Pick this one up if you like cursed media, serious books pretending to be silly and horror that feels like screaming in a cornfield at a sky that only looks like a sky.
Most importantly. Remember. Somehow? Heartbreak feels good in a place like this.
There have been a slew of cursed media books to come out in the past decade and This Movie Doesn't End the Way we Want is my favorite.
Maybe it’s because this premise, the killing hook, would trap me 100% of the time. My favorite way to consume horror is by going in completely blind, so a limited run of a horror movie with a silly name that I’ve never heard of? Sign me UP.
This concept is a little silly, but that silliness is in itself a lure that pulls you into a complicated family dynamic and nuanced take on survivors guilt and childhood trauma.
Piper seems more in touch with the changing technology trends of the time. Both the film projectors and talk of tiktok feel natural. There are some references that I think ultimately will date this book but I got all of them so it even more made this feel like horror built for ME.
I’m really liking Hailey Piper and I have concrete plans to read as much as I can this year.
Pick this one up if you like cursed media, serious books pretending to be silly and horror that feels like screaming in a cornfield at a sky that only looks like a sky.
Most importantly. Remember. Somehow? Heartbreak feels good in a place like this.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
What starts as a cursed film turns into a cosmic horror nightmare that'll have you screaming by the end.
When Val was fifteen she took her younger sister and best friend to see a b-movie called Blood Curse Of The Toad Man at the local theater. What should have been a night of escapism turns horrifying and her sister and friend are never seen again, leaving Val traumatized.
Thirty years later and Val has never recovered. But something is stalking her and when people start disappearing, she's convinced her nightmare from those years ago has finally caught up to her.
With the help of an old schoolmate, Roxy, they're on a quest to discover what this film actually was and how far the darkness spreads.
As always, Hailey Piper writes characters which stand out. Val is flawed, lost, and sometimes does morally questionable things but you want to root for her just the same. There's a depth and richness to her that most of us can relate to.
This is a creep up on you story, making sure you'll read well into the night with doors locked and never to begin chanting "Toad man Toad man..."
I highly recommend it. I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.
When Val was fifteen she took her younger sister and best friend to see a b-movie called Blood Curse Of The Toad Man at the local theater. What should have been a night of escapism turns horrifying and her sister and friend are never seen again, leaving Val traumatized.
Thirty years later and Val has never recovered. But something is stalking her and when people start disappearing, she's convinced her nightmare from those years ago has finally caught up to her.
With the help of an old schoolmate, Roxy, they're on a quest to discover what this film actually was and how far the darkness spreads.
As always, Hailey Piper writes characters which stand out. Val is flawed, lost, and sometimes does morally questionable things but you want to root for her just the same. There's a depth and richness to her that most of us can relate to.
This is a creep up on you story, making sure you'll read well into the night with doors locked and never to begin chanting "Toad man Toad man..."
I highly recommend it. I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
all about the creepy vibes. engaging enough to keep me reading, but very light on characterization.
Want to Read
February 8, 2026Cursed film subgenre?! I'm there! Pub date: 9/2026 feels SOOO far away!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews