October Dark — David Herter

There are hints of an interesting novel inside this overlong and unsuspenseful book. On Halloween 1977, teen film buff Will Travers flees a terrifying threat in the small town of Grenton, ultimately finding temporary refuge in the home of retired Hollywood model maker Les Deerton. The narrative then jumps back to October 31, 1931, when Deerton and King Kong creator Willis O'Brien teamed up to work on a project somehow connected with a stage magician whose relative was responsible for the death of hundreds in Grenton in the late 1890s. The opening of Star Wars in 1977 is a constant reference point for the more modern sections, but if Herter (Ceres Storm) is attempting to make a profound statement about moviemaking by computer vs. the craft of those like O'Brien, it's lost in an unashamedly derivative plot. (Dec.)