I'm a lifelong horror fan, and Pyscho, directed by the late great Alfred Hitchcock, is my second favorite slasher movie—right behind John Carpenter's Halloween. So, it should be no surprise that I was eager to read THE HITCHCOCK HOTEL by Stephane Wrobel, the USA TODAY Bestselling Author of DARKLING ROSE GOLD.
Like many of my reads, I went into this book blindly, ignored the blurb, and let the stunning and creepy cover—a similar Bates Motel shower curtain dropping open with an old-fashioned bathtub below where a crow is perched—make my reading decision.
The plot goes like this: Alfred Smettle is not your average Hitchcock fan. He is the founder, owner, and manager of The Hitchcock Hotel, a sprawling Victorian house in the White Mountains dedicated to the Master of Suspense. There, Alfred offers his guests round-the-clock film screenings, movie props, and memorabilia in every room, plus an aviary with fifty crows. To celebrate the hotel’s first anniversary, he invites his former best friends from his college Film Club for a reunion. He hasn’t spoken to them in sixteen years—not after what happened. But who better than them to appreciate Alfred’s creation? And to help him finish it. After all, no Hitchcock set is complete without a body.
A reader will pick up THE HITCHCOCK HOTEL because they're either die-hard Pyscho fans or/and they are die-hard Alfred Hitchcock fans. You're better off falling in the latter category because the author, Stephanie Wrobel, references many of Hitchcock's films, not just Psycho. The plot is a blend of Bates Motel—not the 2013-2017 series, but the failed 1989 back-door-pilot TV movie—and Richard Bloch's Psycho House, published in 1987. And for the most part, the "hotel" setting works well, but it's nothing more than a background setting. The characters are more important than the setting, and they're all tied together through a past event; I won't go further into this to avoid spoilers.
Like many of my reads, I went into this book blindly, ignored the blurb, and let the stunning and creepy cover—a similar Bates Motel shower curtain dropping open with an old-fashioned bathtub below where a crow is perched—make my reading decision.
The plot goes like this: Alfred Smettle is not your average Hitchcock fan. He is the founder, owner, and manager of The Hitchcock Hotel, a sprawling Victorian house in the White Mountains dedicated to the Master of Suspense. There, Alfred offers his guests round-the-clock film screenings, movie props, and memorabilia in every room, plus an aviary with fifty crows. To celebrate the hotel’s first anniversary, he invites his former best friends from his college Film Club for a reunion. He hasn’t spoken to them in sixteen years—not after what happened. But who better than them to appreciate Alfred’s creation? And to help him finish it. After all, no Hitchcock set is complete without a body.
A reader will pick up THE HITCHCOCK HOTEL because they're either die-hard Pyscho fans or/and they are die-hard Alfred Hitchcock fans. You're better off falling in the latter category because the author, Stephanie Wrobel, references many of Hitchcock's films, not just Psycho. The plot is a blend of Bates Motel—not the 2013-2017 series, but the failed 1989 back-door-pilot TV movie—and Richard Bloch's Psycho House, published in 1987. And for the most part, the "hotel" setting works well, but it's nothing more than a background setting. The characters are more important than the setting, and they're all tied together through a past event; I won't go further into this to avoid spoilers.
THE HITCHCOCK HOTEL was a well-written, fast-paced thriller with a few too many Hitchcock references—written by a Hitchcock fan, and there's nothing wrong with that; I am a Hitchcock fan, too. There are a few predictable moments and several horror clichés sprinkled about, which might've been intentional, but nothing that takes away the enjoyment of reading it. ╌★★★★✰
Just a quick reminder: This book is available for purchase on Amazon.com. I am an Amazon affiliate, so if you buy the book through the link above, I will receive a small commission. All earnings will help to support future reviews.
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OOh nice! I've seen a few of Hitchock's big films myself and when I saw this cover I was immediately intrigued! This one does sound rather interesting and I may have to pick it up eventually! Glad to see it was entertaining. Nice review!
ReplyDeleteI am definitely going to have to give this one a look!
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