Experimental Film

By: Gemma Files

Narrated by: Morgan Hallett

Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Fired at almost the same time as her son, Clark, is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, former film critic turned teacher Lois Cairns is caught in a depressive downward spiral, convinced she's a failure who's spent half her adult life writing about other people's dreams without ever seeing any of her own come true. One night Lois attends a program of experimental film and emerges convinced she's seen something no one else has - a sampled piece of silver nitrate silent film footage whose existence might prove that an eccentric early 20th-century socialite who disappeared under mysterious circumstances was also one of Canada's first female moviemakers.

Though it raises her spirits and revitalizes her creatively, Lois' headlong quest to discover the truth about Mrs. A. Macalla Whitcomb almost immediately begins to send her much further than she ever wanted to go, revealing increasingly troubling links between her subject's life and her own. Slowly but surely, the malign influence of Mrs. Whitcomb's muse begins to creep into every aspect of Lois' life, even placing her son in danger.

But how can one increasingly ill and unstable woman possibly hope to defeat a threat that's half long-lost folklore, half cinematically framed hallucination - an existential nightmare made physical, projected off the screen and into real life?

©2015 Gemma Files (P)2016 Recorded Books

Still think about it months later

After several months and many books I find myself still thinking about this one. It's a very solid slow burn-horror novel that builds over the course of the book with a satisfying payoff. Plus I learned some interesting things about the Canadian film industry.

Wow

This was interesting and mysterious and I couldn’t put it down. Just wow.. the entire story just blew my mind

Smartly done and well written.

A former Canadian film history teacher, investigates a decades old mystery surrounding the disappearance of a ground breaking experimental film maker. The secret to her disappearance lies in the content and meaning contained in her films. Lois Cairns is going to have to put it all on the line to unravel the ghosts of the past and find out the truth about what really happened back in the day. That is if it doesn’t kill her and her family first.

I am not sure this will be everyone’s cuppa. It was a bit of a slow burn in parts and had an interesting format. Normally those things may throw me off, but I felt it actually added to the building tension and dread as the story unraveled. I dug it.

Smartly done and well written.

I wanted to love it

I was truly enthralled for the majority of this book. The pace was perfect, the story was creepy and interesting, and the main character was relatable. I just wish the ending wasn’t so…forced? I guess I was expecting more after such build up. I was underwhelmed. But maybe it was just the way I interpreted the story. Definitely a good one to listen to if you like supernatural stories.

Interesting nests

Good story and well read. Showcases nested stories with an artistic appeal to an exquisite haunting.

Beautifully haunting

Gemma Files is able to balance a mystery thriller with Folk Horror to create a compelling story. The narrator gives an amazing performance and is seamlessly in character.

Quietly effective

Enjoyed the story and character development while getting a feel for the Canadian film industry and gaining greater understanding of ASD. The 1st person pov drew us into the tale, and I loved how Gemma Files taught us about ASD through compelling storytelling. I think my staunch atheism kept me from fearing the goddess, but I was still invested in Lois’s personal journey through the mythology and out the other side to her new reality. Terrific story, well scribed by the author and well read for audible.

a little (too?) well informed on film?

I feel like the story slogged along for 2/3 of the book... it was clever, I guess... but it was a too long version of the Ring. But less scary.

fun spooky read

loved it. couldn't picture myself reading it so was excited to see it was an Audible choice. as a parent of a 20 y/o w Autism, i related to so many points. very beautifully and respectively described behaviors and dichotomy of feeling on a parents part some points I got lost in the scene (whose perspective, etc)reading for a book club. recommended for listening.

not bad, not good.

the premise is interesting but done in a lackluster way. No real push and added a lot of cussing to sound intense. it felt shallow and a little cheap.