An ensemble cast of theatre kids are slowly killed off on their 30th birthdays in this debut slasher-inspired horror novel with the glamor and guts of It Follows and Scream.
It’s a cliché for a reason. “If I don’t make it by 30, I’ll die,” is a refrain that has rung out through rehearsal spaces, drama school classrooms, and regional black box theaters for decades. It hits especially hard today, when it feels like the shelf life for performers and creatives of all kinds is getting ever shorter. In his debut novel, filmmaker Remy Fink bends his own fear of “missing the window” for success into a race-against-the-clock slasher that follows a group of drama school classmates as they try to outrun a supernatural force who is giving the saying a dark and literal spin.
Thespians: A Tragedy opens on September 30th, the fateful day that aspiring actor Chloe St. Claire sets herself on fire. One month later, her drama school classmate Zachary Downing throws himself off a building. Both died on their 30th birthdays. Haunted by an exchange they had that day, in which Zach hinted that somebody might be stalking him, struggling playwright Dante Pérez decides to investigate Zach’s death and discovers a disturbing trail of breadcrumbs that point toward a sinister figure, the Muse, which seems to decide which of its victims live or die based on their professional success (or lack thereof). As the clock ticks closer to their 30th birthdays and the Muse claims more victims, the dwindling ensemble of surviving friends must attempt to achieve fame and fortune . . . or die trying.
Fink’s debut is a dazzling one that manages to play two roles. In Act I, Thespians is a larger-than-life slasher that—via a nonbinary “Final Girl,” a tragedy-“Masked Killer,” and an iconic “Final Showdown”—smartly adheres to and subverts classic horror genre conventions in ways that feel original, but still grounded in tradition. In Act II though, the novel delivers a sincere contemplation on why we make art, who we make it for, and what happens when we stop. In both roles, Thespians never takes itself too seriously, positioning Fink not only as a student of horror, but as a breakout writer capable of a bloody romp with a brilliant beating heart.
ON SALE: May 4, 2027
