Although he has not been seen in public for more than 30 years, Cordova commands a cult following and his horror films are legendary, as is his philosophy; the idea that fear is the key to freedom, allowing us to recognise that death is inevitable and therefore we should let nothing stand in the way of fulfilling our deepest desires.
The title of the book is a reference to his final five films, self-financed after he is dropped by the mainstream studios when a woman suffers a mental breakdown at a test-screening, and shown in covert midnight screenings in makeshift theatres.
These night films, reputedly so horrific that they take viewers to the edge of sanity and beyond, have led gained Cordova a cult following, but also seen him condemned as a threat to society, both figuratively and literally.
Among the latter camp is reporter Scott McGrath, who believes Cordova deliberately destroyed his career after he tried to find out more about this intensely secretive man, and when the director's beautiful young daughter, Ashley, commits suicide, McGrath is convinced her father is directly responsible for her death.
His subsequent investigation draws him inexorably into such a dangerous and macabre world that the lines between fiction and reality appear to disappear, transporting him into one of Cordova's own movies and leaving him totally at the invisible director's mercy.
The novel is intensely creepy and disturbing, full of contradictory evidence that constantly unsettles expectations and leaves you unsure who or what to believe.
Pessl manages to convey a clear impression of both of the director and his films (think David Lynch meets Roman Polanski by way of Stanley Kubrick with a dash of Steven King thrown in for good measure) by sketching broad outlines but leaving plenty of room for the readers imagination to fill in the details.
She also makes good use of new technology, interspersing the narrative with police reports, articles downloaded from the internet and pages from the Blackboards, secret Webpages run by and for the director's fans.
There are even on-line extras in the form of film trailer and found footage that invite us to immerse ourselves completely in the Cordova experience.
Although Night Film has its flaws I was irritated by Pessl's (or rather McGrath's) habit of italicising word and phrases for emphasis every other sentence, and a little disappointed by what felt like an anticlimactic ending most of the ride is thrilling, and well worth the price of admission.-
- Cushla McKinney is a Dunedin scientist.
