Curse of the Reaper

DEBUT Screenwriter McAuley’s debut novel is a metafictional, multigenerational clash of monsters. Actor Howard Browning played the murderous Reaper through an entire series of Reaper movies in the 1980s. Now Hollywood is rebooting the franchise, but the titular psychopath will be played by a younger actor, former child star and recovering addict Trevor Mane. While Trevor battles his addictions and self-doubt, Howard battles his deteriorating mind, which is being influenced by the Reaper. To reclaim the role he created, Howard would do anything, including unleashing the Reaper on the upstart after his legacy. The novel is at times deliriously fun and delightfully gory. Its blood-filled heart, however, is its main characters and their personal struggles. Both actors, in their own ways, strain under the unrelenting pressure of others’ expectations. To give the Reaper life, McAuley shares snippets of fictional movie screenplays that show the Reaper is just as deadly and entertaining as Jason or Freddy.