The October Film Haunt

Released in September of last year and written by Michael Wehunt, The October Film Haunt is the latest horror novel to emotionally wreck me. And if you love the horror genre as much as I do, it’s probably going to wreck you too.

Our story begins with our main character, Jori. Ten years ago, she and two of her friends ran a, um, a horror review blog.

Hum.

Things went south when Jori wrote something that inadvertently contributed to the death of a teenage girl.

Now, Jori’s stepped away from the horror genre entirely. She and her son live in Vermont, and she doesn’t so much as watch horror movies anymore. Ashamed of her former actions, she’s cut off all ties with that world. Then, she receives a VHS tape in the mail. This sets off a horrific series of events. What starts as a summer slasher quickly turns into a psychological supernatural horror.

There’s even a creepy doll.

This book was clearly written by a horror fan, for horror fans. Which is to say, all of our favorite tropes are here. The Final Girl, the scary but easily replicated costumes, and the meta horror references.

This would have been fine by itself. But the story goes further than that.

To start with, the language and writing in October Film Haunt are just fantastic. The writing itself, to a word nerd like me, was fantastic. It’s poetic, lyrical, and gruesome. Through this book, you can feel the beauty of Vermont, which is a fantastic backdrop for the ensuing horrors.

Speaking of ensuing horrors, this book isn’t just a slasher. In a way, the story almost lures you in with a false sense of security that it is, in fact, just a serial killer slasher film. But it’s so much more than that.

There are dark creatures, eldritch horrors. There are mysteries and monsters we can’t fully comprehend. Which is always my favorite sort of monster.

The great thing about this part of the storyline is that it sneaks up on you. Even knowing the paranormal side is coming, you don’t really see it coming.

I do want to switch gears for a moment and talk about a question this book asks.

How do we, as horror fans, interact with this sort of material in an ethical way? Not just True Crime content, though we all know what an ethically questionable fandom that can be. But how do we, as horror fans and horror content creators, behave in a way that’s responsible? In a way that isn’t going to get anyone hurt.

How can fiction get someone hurt? Well, let’s consider the Slenderman killings that were referenced in The October Film Haunt. Fiction can influence people. And while I think more people are hurt playing Pokémon Go, horror does have an impact that should be considered. And we, as a horror community, are better for having this discussion.

While reading The October Film Haunt, I really only had one complaint. The scenes became a bit formulaic.

Especially when we’re with Jori. The scenes start having a specific flow. Jori is investigating, then someone attacks. Jori’s on her computer, then someone attacks. Jori’s at the grocery store, then someone attacks. It just felt a bit redundant eventually.

Overall, The October Film Haunt was a fantastic book. It was dark, thought-provoking, and a fantastic reminder of why October is everyone’s favorite month.

Want to read another book review? Here’s one I wrote about The Fox and The Devil by Kiersten White.