Nick Cato and Andre Duza deliver a pulse-pounding, suspenseful horror experience with At Midnight We Possess the Damned, a novel brimming with mystery, tension, and unexpected twists. From start to finish, the story kept me on edge, expertly balancing a sense of creeping dread with shocking revelations that made it impossible to put down.

One of the book’s biggest strengths is its atmosphere—dark, unsettling, and layered with an ominous feeling that something truly disturbing lurks beneath the surface. The pacing is tight, the characters are engaging, and the narrative constantly throws surprises at the reader, making for a thrilling ride.

That said, one aspect of the story didn’t quite add up for me. The protagonist, Gary, spends years saving money just for the chance to view a single snuff film. While I understand that he’s portrayed as a hardcore horror superfan, it felt a bit implausible given the ease of accessing disturbing content online for free. The level of obsession required for him to go through all that trouble didn’t feel entirely justified, which slightly weakened my immersion in an otherwise well-crafted plot.

Despite this, At Midnight We Possess the Damned is an excellent horror novel that grips the reader with its eerie unpredictability. Fans of suspenseful, mind-bending horror will undoubtedly appreciate the relentless tension and unsettling twists this book has to offer. Highly recommended for those who love their horror dark, disturbing, and full of surprises.

Rating: 4/5 stars.

I want to thank NetGalley and Del Rey Publishing for sending me a free advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

ARC provided by Dead Sky Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

At Midnight We Possess The Damned is a gritty, dark, and unapologetically thrilling ride that had me hooked from the very beginning. Co-authored by Andre Duza and Nick Cato, this book blends horror, mystery, and a touch of the supernatural in a way that feels both fresh and unrelenting. If you’re a fan of books that push the boundaries of what’s comfortable, this is one you won’t want to miss.

The story takes readers into a nightmarish world where the lines between reality and the supernatural blur, and the characters are just as lost and dangerous as the world they inhabit. Duza and Cato have created an atmosphere that’s as eerie as it is captivating, with moments that made me shiver in both fear and excitement. The pacing is fast, and the tension is palpable throughout—there’s no time to catch your breath, as every chapter drags you deeper into the madness.

What really stood out to me in this book were the characters. Each one is multi-dimensional, with their own personal demons to face, making their journeys both disturbing and poignant. The way the authors weave the past and present of these characters into the larger horror elements adds layers of emotional depth to the story, making it more than just a typical supernatural thriller. It’s dark, emotional, and at times, heartbreakingly beautiful.

Dead Sky Publishing has once again delivered a raw and powerful piece of horror fiction. At Midnight We Possess The Damned is one of the most unique and gripping reads I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing. If you love your horror with a heavy dose of atmosphere, complex characters, and twists that leave you questioning what’s real, this book will not disappoint.

I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys horror that pushes boundaries and doesn’t shy away from the darkest aspects of the human psyche. This one will stick with you long after you turn the last page.

Gary McKay is a dissatisfied aspiring filmmaker. He’s had a short he poured his passion into and ended up disappointed by on the festival circuit, nevertheless leveraged it for a couple of near miss feature deals. Burned out and dejected, he’s working a crappy day job and dreaming about horror movie stardom …

When he has the chance to see something truly disturbing, he’s jumping at the chance. This time, it’s a supposedly real snuff picture featuring a Catholic priest allegedly responsible for very sinful behaviors. That film is nothing like he’s expecting. No simple knifing or shooting, the whole situation is meticulously planned, the priest is tortured with a Sawzall power tool and cauterizing techniques to prolong his pain and suffering. After witnessing the filmed murder, Gary is shocked. A little turned on, as well.

So, imagine his surprise when he returns home to find an intruder in his house. Not some thief, this is the distributor who took Gary’s money and showed him this whole other world. That man knows a lot about Gary, and he’s got an offer: Come work for me.

Gary’s no killer and explains as much, but the man doesn’t need that kind of help. He needs a director/cinematographer to shoot the thing. Gary has the unparalleled opportunity to make a document of torture and carnage. It’s not an easy decision to reach, but it is an inevitable one: he’s all in. Providing he can use an alias. The man doesn’t mind: after all, he goes by Thirty-Six, so if Gary wants to be known as Lee Revok, so be it.

However, the experience behind the camera is like nothing he expected. And it will open whole new doors for him. But the deeper he gets, the more inconsistencies he discovers with Thirty-Six’s program. Soon enough, curiosity gets the better of Gary, and he starts to delve into things, getting too deep for comfort. It’s only a matter of time before his investigation comes around to bite him on the hind end. It’s only a matter of time before his efforts get noticed, and Thirty-Six is forced to retaliate … And that’s when things get even stranger and more horrifying than even a gorehound like Gary can take.

Nick Cato and Andre Duza have collaborated on a terrific novella of gruesome horror with touches of science fiction and social commentary with At Midnight We Possess the Damned.

The setting is a near future one, a world that’s a mirror of our own, though it is caught in the waves of a future pandemic. The media outlets are flooded with all kinds of information and misinformation, leading average citizens like Gary to wonder who’s to be trusted. As it turns out, belief is a major thematic thread in this book, both in fellow human beings as well as larger institutions and systems. It’s a topic that Cato and Duza enjoy playing with. Whether through the protagonist’s own disaffected approach to a worldwide epidemic to a more local issue with religious groups (devil worshippers versus the so-called Gatekeepers who oppose them) squaring off over matters of faith, to the impossibility of appreciating the larger-than-life forces despite overwhelming evidence.

At Midnight We Possess the Damned rides the line between extreme horror and splatterpunk, starting off in the first camp and then shifting gears into the other side of the gory equation when it starts to take a much more direct satiric approach to both our species’ and our society’s foibles. However, the gross out material is certainly lovingly rendered. Readers are invited to stare into the abyss via sequences of disturbing torture and murder, each rendered with clarity and wit. There is not a shred of levity to be found in the book apart from a few acerbic asides. This is not a Jeff Strand work, after all, though it matches that author’s penchant for clever mayhem.

There is a cinematic quality to the prose. But we are also invited into Gary’s inner landscape and given an intimate chance to understand him from the inside out. We know his aspirations, his disappointments, and witness his growth from an angry young man into a remorseful one. It’s all organic, and while the length of the piece will give readers looking for protracted approaches to the material some literary blue balls, the novella is the perfect length to give us the right dose of horror and characterization.

While readers looking for quiet chills and allusions to the real horror will best be served elsewhere, those horror fans with an interest in gory set pieces and gruesome revelations will find plenty to enjoy here. As well, those horror fans looking for a gleefully subversive horror yarn with a few things to say about and a few shots to take at the world we live in through a horror fiction lens will also find plenty to enjoy here. It’s a solid mix of messy horror with an honest emotional core and fueled by enough ideas to power a full-length novel.

This was such a different read for me, there were many moments that shocked me and moments that surprised me.

Very different and interesting read.
A little disturbing in some aspects but overall I was surprised it wasn’t difficult for me to read or get through.
I did not see the ending going the way it did so that was a plus.

This book certainly was a wild ride!

The start had been very intrigued as we find Gary, an aspiring director, getting mixed up in the world of snuff films and getting in over his head when he ends up behind the camera, filming some really disturbing movies.

The more he learns about his secretive boss number thirty-six, the deeper the rabbit hole goes.

I think I really enjoyed the first half of this book, when it started to turn more toward the satantic cult thing, I was okay with it, but it almost felt as if there was so much more backstory needed for Thirty-Six and his brothers and it felt a bit rushed due to the length of the novella.

Nevertheless, I finished it in a few hours and it definitely made me feel a bit uncomfortable, which is good when it comes to horror.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC copy of this book.

This is a tricky book to review. It's a nasty little splatterpunk on one hand (which is absolutely as advertised, not a negative at all), and a 'hero's journey' story on the other.

Gary was an interesting protagonist, and I liked how the authors engaged the reader in what was a pretty sordid adventure. He's not immediately likeable but is very human, and seeing his Faustian slide downwards kept me turning the pages.

The setting of a pandemic New York was also fascinating, especially after the events of 2020. Apocalypse on top of public panic seems somehow reasonable!

Sadly it fell apart for me rather at the end. The last third of the book was exciting, sure, and the action was well-written. Unfortunately, from Gary's 'encounter' with his ex-girlfriend, events seemed to be rather on-rails. Perhaps that's the point - he was the Fated Hero, after all. I think I would've appreciated it more if he'd just been some random chap caught up in a sordid world. Adding in Supernatural (the trope and the TV show) elements seemed a bit of a sharp turn away from the rest of the book.

I definitely enjoyed the ride, but I was sad to be left feeling a little bit short-changed when it was done.

This was a quick read.

Personally, I found the premise of it a lot more interesting than the actual story. Neither did I really care for the direction the story went, as it felt disconnected from everything else going on. It wasn't necessarily bad. I just didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped.


Thanks to Netgalley, as well as the publishers, for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

When you're into the extreme side of cinema, as Gary McKay is, you'll do whatever it takes to get your fix. Like most addictive habits, you need to keep pushing the boundaries, need to go bigger and badder and better to get your fix. Special effects and make up can go only so far, though, eventually you're going to want the real thing.

Some people think they want to see certain videos you hear about in urban legends. Some people know they never do. Gary is ready to spend all his savings to view a snuff film, Gary thinks he's ready.

It's very hush hush, the process of getting a viewing is mysterious and thrilling. Then it's a bit worrying because Gary could be robbed or killed at any time, he doesn't know anything about these people.

A curator of snuff films with a selection by genre or victim, how do you trust someone like that with your life? At some point, you have to wonder if you'll be the next star in his collection.

But tonight, all that matters is that you're going to experience a gruesome film. Tonight your obsession reaches a new level. Tonight you'll see things you can't unsee, and it might not be enough.

This one choice brings Gary into a new world. He can put his skills to use here, there is a place for him. But at what cost?

This novella is a violent and paranoid race that keeps you turning pages to see what happens next.

In the end, remember this book the next time something you're passionate about is on the verge of becoming an obsession. Then again, how will you know?

Boy this did NOT go in the direction I was expecting and that ending was absolutely buck wild, in the best way. I went in expecting a short, gross story about extreme horror and came out with some musings on morality??

If you like extreme horror and books about snuff films, you'll like this one. However, be warned that it is gory and might not be for everyone.

(Rounded up from 3.5)

This fast-paced novella is a nasty piece of work. Glitz covered grime, it does a great job at showing deep horror bonafides while also subtly poking fun at the obsessive horror movie nerds that will probably make up a good part of its audience, (and no doubt authors, too). The writing felt similarly pointed and smart, with a propulsive pace and enough detail to paint a scene and tell a bigger story but most of the other fat trimmed away. The main character was great, complicated and incredibly real, the kind of person desperate for attention and recognition but unable to acknowledge it, teetering on the edge between auteur and incel, the potentially to land in one or the other due to the winds of circumstance.

The plotting was great throughout, moving the story forward, with snide thoughts and asides doing a lot of story and character work in place of exposition dumps. Sometimes everything felt a little abrupt, though that seems more like story than plotting. I thought the story was good, it was a mean little exploration of what morals someone might sacrifice for their shot at glory, wrapped in a snuff film. The brief bursts of gore were violent and graphic and queasy, just the right amount of sleaze. I would not have minded if there was a little more development in the story. Felt like the main character had all other depths he could have explored. The way the ending twisted and turned was fun, but there was nothing in the story that set up for any of that, not really, until the final act, which felt rushed. I was fine with where it ended up, even though it actually feels way more conservative than I would have personally wanted it to go, but I would have liked more mystery and enigma building up to that ending, something that made everything that happened feel earned instead of just a twisty surprise.

Fast-paced, fun, bloody, and just a little sleazy, what else do you want?

I want to thank the authors, the publisher Dead Sky Publishing | Death’s Head Press, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thanks to both authors, the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC. I love the novella length, the perfect reading length. You get to experience an enriched story that maintains your focus. At Midnight We Possess the Damned fits the bill. I don't want to disclose too much of the plot but let me say the story shifted gears several times that caught me by surprise. It works as a straight up horror novella with some apocalyptic overtones. Highly recommended.

Secretive Satanic Covens? Check.
Snuff films? Check.
Curtis Silwa and the Guardian Angels? Check.

Nick Cato and Andre Duza’s collaborative novella At Midnight We Possess the Damned traffics in some great mythical 80s legends. Big thanks to Dead Sky Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this wild ride of a book. When I saw the cover and read the description, I knew that this was a book I really wanted to read. I wasn’t disappointed, and I hope that more people will get to read this At Midnight We Possess the Damned. Cato and Duza are able to use some of these urban legends to advance the story, but they also take these legends to new places and the narrative takes some inventive and entertaining strides to advance the plot. Ultimately, though, this is a book for horror movie obsessives. The story focuses on Gary McKay, an aspiring genre director who is looking for inspiration and financial backing for his new film after his short film was recently rejected from a NY film festival. Where else can an aspiring horror movie director find ideas but from the underground snuff film circuit. Gary’s quest for inspiration leads him to meet up with a mysterious man in a storage center in Brooklyn, notably where the scenery “melted from shiny-happy to hold-onto-your-purse sketchy”. I really enjoyed Cato and Duza’s descriptions of people, scenes, and the gore and violence. It wasn’t overly descriptive, but oftentimes funny and rooted in a kind of realism and relatability that appealed to me. In addition, I really liked Gary. He’s an artist who loves horror movies and is inspired by some of the greats. That was another appealing aspect of this book—the various horror movie references throughout the book. Whether it was the frequent Fulci name drops or using an alias Lee Revok as an homage to Cronenberg, this book has some excellent references for horror fans. Although I’m not sure exactly what a snuff film collector would ask for and how someone would initiate this process, Cato and Duza provide a great set-up that seems both mysterious and cryptic. I wasn’t exactly sure how Gary was able to afford to splurge on the viewing, but Cato and Duza create an interesting story about how these films are made, and this particular story about a priest was both shocking and intriguing. Gary’s interest leads him to an opportunity to direct his own snuff film and work with the “talent” in these films. There’s not much description of the films contents, but I loved the titles- Burning Man, Eaten Alive (maybe a Hooper reference), Pin Cushion, and Skin Deep. Just the suggestions of these titles was enough to make my imagination go off on a flight, and I loved how Gary added these artistic touches to the films that lacked them in the beginning of the book. While Gary is developing his directing credits, a global virus is quickly moving across the Atlantic, beginning to infect Americans and shutting businesses and other social events down. Cato and Duza played with our pandemic experiences in an entertaining way, creating a new virus that will serve an important purpose later in the book’s plot. I won’t give any other details away, but I really liked what Cato and Duza did with this current event and how they used it to advance the story. They not only took this more recent event, but also took the legends like snuff films and Satanic cults to appeal to readers, but also used these tropes in inventive ways that challenged my assumptions. While some of the events are a little unbelievable, I really enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down. It was easy and fun to read, and the chapters left me in suspense wanting to find out more about what was going to happen. I loved the use of the snuff film and satanist plot lines—they created a kind of air of mystery and familiarity, but these elements were also used to further the story in a creative way. I can’t wait to check out other books by Cato and Duza; I was especially excited to see the other books about films that Cato has written, and if they are anything like this book, reading them should be a wild ride. Highly recommended!

Extreme horror is not for everyone but I love the genre. But it needs to have a bit of finesse to it to be good. Extreme horror that is used only to create emotions and without doing something for the plot is not my cup of tea.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the free eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

At Midnight We Possess the Damned is undoubtedly a bizarre and unique book that I approached with curiosity, but ultimately left me with mixed feelings. I wasn't fully prepared for the splatterpunk vibe that permeates the entire story, and this took me by surprise. For readers who enjoy extreme, graphic horror, this might be right up your alley, but for me, the excessive gore felt more gratuitous than meaningful.

The premise of the book initially grabbed my attention, and it definitely held my interest as the story unfolded. The characters and the setting are intriguing in their own right, and the narrative itself is bold and unsettling. The writing is visceral, with scenes that are both bizarre and intense, which definitely creates a certain kind of atmosphere. The world-building is rich, and the twisted, dark nature of the plot definitely evokes strong emotions.

However, the extreme violence and gore, which seem to be used simply for shock value, ultimately detracted from my overall enjoyment of the book. While I understand that splatterpunk often thrives on pushing the boundaries of horror, I found that in this case, the graphic depictions of violence overshadowed the story itself. Gore for gore's sake is something I usually don’t enjoy, and it felt like it was used to fuel the shock factor rather than adding any real depth to the narrative or characters.

That said, At Midnight We Possess the Damned is still an engaging read for those who enjoy this subgenre of horror. The twisted and surreal elements are certainly attention-grabbing, and the author’s ability to craft an intense atmosphere is evident. If you’re a fan of splatterpunk or horror that doesn’t shy away from pushing the boundaries, you’ll likely find this book to be an interesting experience.

Basic brutal horror. Definitely fun to read through if you are into the more extreme ends of horror fiction but it doesn't really do much new.

This was a WILD ride! I love to go into a book without any knowledge of what's to come, and the surprises this one had in store made that choice all worth it! I definitely DID NOT see that ending coming!! This book has some intense and graphic themes/imagery, but if you can stomach it, it's worth it! An entertaining read front to back, no doubt!

This is a horrific novel about how Gary, who is not doing well in life, ends up doing snuff films. The book is short but jumps straight into the horror, and Gary's reactions to what he was doing were just as horrific as the murders themselves.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

A short novella that will give you nightmares, this is the story of Gary. He’s a failed movie director who is now working as an office drone but is still obsessed with horror movies. Due to its low page count, the excitement starts right away, with Gary going to see a snuff film. This is only the beginning and the plot has a lot of action, different settings and non-stop twists. I wasn’t expecting the direction the story took. My problem was directly related to that twist and I don’t want to give anything away because it’s an effective turn, but I didn’t like, root for or emphasize with Gary in any way. Someone who goes to such lengths and spends so much money to watch a snuff film is a bad person in my book (actually, anyone who willingly watches such a movie is no good). Even if the “talent” is someone I wouldn’t go out of my way to save, who other than a psychopath would want to see them killed? So normally I’d be OK with a story about someone like that, but the big reveal adds something that, to me, contradicted Gary’s character and there was no time for him to redeem himself. The content of the films themselves was creative and not for the faint of heart.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Dead Sky Publishing | Death's Head Press.