DNF.
I’m not sure what the issue was with this, but I found myself skimming pretty early on. I wasn’t hooked within the first 100 pages and felt myself not excited to pick it up.

I really wanted to love this book. I've come off of reading several horror novels based about horror films lately, and was excited for another to add to my recommendation list.

Unfortunately this one wasn't it. I tried so hard to get it into it, but the pacing was so slow that I found my attention flagging every time I tried to pick it up. The concept is amazing and I'm hoping taking some time away I will be able to give it another (albeit very caffeinated) go.

I've heard great things about Michael Wehunt, so I will take a foray into some of this other works to see if they are a better fit for me.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC of 'The October Film Haunt' by Michael Wehunt.

Unfortunately I didn't enjoy 'The October Film Haunt' all that much. I say 'unfortunately' because it has everything I enjoy in a horror novel. Unsettling, multiple character storylines merging as the novel progresses, strange creatures, old friendships, mysteries, etc.

I ended up skimming much of it because it was so long and repetitive (and long books don't scare me off) - it felt like I was missing absolutely nothing by speed-reading through much of it.

Maybe it was a 'meta' aspect of the novel - connecting it to horror movie trope of characters making daft decisions - but some of the decisions made by lead characters throughout and especially towards the climax just made no sense, especially for people so steeped in the lore.

I suppose, in the end, I didn't much care what happened to any of the characters.

I've read a couple of film-related horrors recently - 'Silver Nitrate' but Silvia Moreno-Garcia and 'Horror Movie' by Paul Tremblay - and they were tighter, more engaging, and just as unsettling.

This is probably a masterpiece, it wouldn't be the first masterpiece I didn't enjoy, but it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion!

I added this book to my TBR when I first saw it on Goodreads because it sounded like an amazing read, so imagine my absolute joy (literal screaming) when I was approved to read this by NetGalley! I legitimately couldn't put this book down until I was finished with it, and that was no easy feat considering this book is 336 pages. When the synopsis said "Horror Movie meets the scope and emotion of Stephen King:", that description was the absolute truth; this book will grip your attention from the very first page and will not let go until the last. The amount of tension, the uncertainty that plagues the characters, the scope of the mythos being created, it's just all so, so good and honestly a top read of 2025 for me! This book can get intense at times, and there's so much going on that it can get confusing, but all of it is more than worth it in the end. I can't wait for more people to read this book and get as excited about it as I am!

This is the best horror novel I’ve read in some time. This doesn’t surprise me a bit considering Michael Wehunt writes some of the best short fiction to be found in the field. If you’re a fan of haunted media, found footage and creeping yourself out this book is for you. It’s unnerving on a cellular level. I finished this several days ago and I’m still afraid to go in the basement. I can’t recommend this enough.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, and the publisher, for my ARC!

This book was a ride, to say the least. It was incredibly descriptive, bringing both monsters and people to life, along with a gorgeous setting in Vermont that felt just as much as a character as anyone else the story followed!

This book is a love letter to horror, especially found footage, which has always been a favorite subgenre of mine. This book read with a similar vibe to Ringu in that it lives and breathes with you through the day. I felt moments of genuine dread while reading. The book begs to be read with its continuing horrific mysteries, asking you to read just a few more chapters. I loved the rotating POV’s, giving us insight to the people involved. The special appearance of a recent horror legend was also funny and wholly appropriate within the book as well. It felt like a historical horror fiction in some ways, which was also fascinating. The parallels to the Slender Man story was intentional and fantastically done. I know I was part of the target audience for this book because I grew up in prime creepypasta era, along with those scary chain emails that had me crying to my mom at age 8 because I genuinely believed I would get killed in the night if I didn’t have at least 10 people to forward said email (I definitely didn’t have 10 people to forward to).

Overall, fantastic book written for people like me. It felt like this book was written for me in some ways, and I hope others like me feel similarly. I wish I had friends like young Jorie, Beth, and Colin (even if it would get us in deep shit) to talk about this book with. Cannot wait for more works from this author!

"The October Film Haunt" by Michael Wehunt is a disturbing horror novel that provides plenty of creepy atmosphere, but that unfortunately suffers from a bloated second act, a slew of characters making ridiculously irrational decisions, and a predictable twist at the end that diminishes an otherwise promising novel that is still a worthwhile read for horror fans.

The story involves two estranged former friends who are indirectly responsible for a tragedy a decade earlier revolving around a mysterious film. Now nearing forty, they must confront their past when mysterious, sheet-covered figures begin to menace them for unknown reasons, threatening both their sanity and their very lives - along with the lives of their families.

The novel has several standout horror moments that genuinely get under a reader's skin, and it has a consistent, dread-inducing vibe from beginning to end. In many ways, this is one of the scarier novels I've read.

Unfortunately, the characters make bad decisions repeatedly for the sake of moving the plot forward or avoiding easy solutions that the writer doesn't seem to know how to handle otherwise. This doesn't just happen once - it's a constant thing, from every character, all the time. It gets to a point near the end where even the characters are calling themselves out for it, without any good explanation provided as to why they're still doing it. It became incredibly frustrating toward the end.

The second act also suffers from being overly long and slow and nearly kills the book's pacing. There are many stories that warrant a 300-400+ page count, but I'm not sure this was one of them.

I won't go into spoilers other than to say the identity of the real threat in this book will be pegged by most seasoned readers almost as soon as the character appears in the novel. I'm reluctant to call this out because it was so obvious I'm not sure it was intended as a twist, but it seems to be written like we're supposed to be surprised.

Overall, it's a solid, scary read with some notable and glaring issues holding it back from being something truly special. I'd still recommend it to people who like this kind of thing, but keep expectations checked at the door.

Also, very special thanks as always to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced review copy in exchange for my honest opinion. The book is available in wide release on September 30, 2025 - the perfect time of year to check this kind of story out.

3.5/5

This book was very disturbing! It was scary, it had a big buildup and made me feel anxious and nervous while reading. I think it was well written, but honestly it was a bit too much for me. This is not something that I normally read

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

The October Film Haunt is definitely a perfect book to add to your fall/spooky season TBR! This book was messing with my mind so hard because I didn't know what was really going on for the longest time. The whole time I was trying to figure out was everything a prank? Was someone seeking revenge for what happened to Hannah? Was it all really just a book the Jorie was editing or writing herself?

I am a sucker for multiple POVs and this book delivered it. I was nervous about it at first because a good portion of the POVs took a long time to show how they were actually connected and why those characters were relevant enough to get their own chapters over others, but it worked out in the end.

I think The October Film Haunt brings on a new take to the horror book genre in a way that combines so many of the elements that people seek out in both horror books and films without taking it too far where it would have been overwhelming. If you're looking for a suspenseful, on the edge of your seat, paranormal, demonic book to read this October, I highly recommend The October Film Haunt by Michael Wehunt!

Fans of Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay are going to love this book! The pacing of the book is excellent, in my opinion. The creepiness starts early and keeps going until the very, very end. The horror builds steadily, both the very human type along with paranormal. The thing that stands out the most to me is that the climax of the story does not devolve into the ridiculous, as so often happens in horror. The darkness emerges slowly and even as we get to the final section of the story, that darkness maintains it's mystery and believability.

If you enjoyed Burn the Negative by Josh Winning, How to Make A Horror Movie and Survive or Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie, or Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay, I really think you'll love this book.

I really like the atmosphere of this book but that was about it. I thought it was incredibly slow and should not be in the horror category at all, more of a mystery thriller if anything.

Jorie Stroud (Hello, Laurie Strode?!) is a former horror fanatic who now lives a quiet and near-reclusive life in rural Vermont. After a horrible accident at the “hands” of her horror blog, the October Film Haunt, left a young high school girl dead, Jorie turned her back on horror, and the two friends she shared it with.
But now, that accident is coming back to haunt her, and her once horror-filled mind comes back, and because of it, she is at risk of losing her former best friend and her young 8-year-old son, Oli.
I truly wanted to love this book, I truly did. The description is everything I normally look for in a horror/thriller novel. It eludes to a lot of horror tropes that speak to me, as a horror and Halloween lover. But, the second I started this book, I knew it wasn’t going to be for me. After getting about 40% of the way through, I looked at other reviews written by other ARC readers, and it seems that either you really loved this book or you didn’t, and unfortunately, I’m one of those that didn’t.
It was incredibly repetitive, oftentimes talking about the gray hairs that Jorie was finding in her hair and how the light played off of them. The book is descriptive, which I’m normally a fan of, but this author was a bit over the top with how descriptive just about everything got. It was strange, and it was hard keeping track of everything that was going on all at once.
Sadly, I gave this book 1 out of 5 stars. I almost gave it a two, but like others, I found myself upset when the book just abruptly ended. There is no closure, and while I would normally be excited at the thought of a follow-up novel, I won’t go out of my way to request an ARC or purchase it due to the variety of factors I listed in this novel.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. The opinions aforementioned are my own.

Continuing on my run of reading advanced copies, here’s one that I have been tracking ever since I first heard the buzz about it in horror circles, Michael Wehunt’s “The October Film Haunt”. What a great title, and a creepy and eerie cover design to go along with it.

The novel stars with a great opening intrigue: receiving a mysterious (and anonymous!) VHS tape in the mail. This strikes home given I was raised on this tech! Wehunt does an excellent job of not only describing the oddity of receiving this “gift” but especially of accurately recreating the sights and sounds of watching one. I was instantly drawn deep into the story’s setup. Bravo and well done!

There’s a great “whodunnit” and even “what exactly is going on” vibe to this story that keeps you guessing. In addition, it really does justice to horror movie fandom.

Wehunt also goes into the life that a movie can have beyond the screen, beyond its intended medium, especially in this era of social media, blogs, and hashtags galore, not to mention copycats, rumor mills and gossip websites. It all adds to the mystery of what exactly is (or isn’t) going on with the October Film Haunt.

Although telling the story from different perspectives is nothing new, Wehunt seems to take it one step further, or at least comes up with very interesting and unexpected perspectives, which keeps us guessing and increases our doubt as to what’s really going on.

There is a sense of haunting in each told perspective that echoes throughout the book and keeps reminding us that there’s an evil lurking in the background. Dread and impending doom are everywhere and at all times of the day and night, and although they are in much different forms and memories for each character, they’re also somehow all connected.

Wehunt also adds occasional interludes which contribute sidebar reflections and deep thoughts on various takes from differing sources, which enhance both the mystery of it all as well as the buildup of tension. Everything leads to a high-octane climax as is typical of a great horror novel or movie, with the ending being… well I am not going to spoil it for you!

Michael Wehunt’s “The October Film Haunt” is a solid and very well layered horror story that delivers as many chills and creeps as it does mystery and suspense. I really enjoyed reading it, and I especially appreciated it’s many nostalgic trips and attention to detail down memory lane!

The October Film Haunt could have been so good. Initially, I anticipated a slow burn horror/thriller like something by Paul Tremblay. Unfortunately, this was not that.

A former member of a blog group, the October Film Haunt, Jorie, has done everything she can to get away from her old life. She brought her 8 year old son, Oli, along for the ride, and did her best to be as small as possible after the controversy of a teenager dying as part of an attempt to recreate a scene from the viral Helene Enriquez film, Proof of Demons.

At the outset and via the description, I thought this book would be great. 3/4 of the book absolutely slogged. The story sounds great, but the execution was hard to follow. While the author’s expansive vocabulary is impressive, the book could have been shorter by at least 50 pages. I didn’t like any of the characters and by time things got quick enough to matter, it was too late.

I really liked the premise of this book, and the writing was excellent as was the character building. I was really enjoying it for the first half, and at the midpoint there's a major event that felt like it was signalling the conclusion coming before long. But in the second half I started to get book fatigue. I understand now why so many reviews talk about the book dragging, because it did feel like a slog the second half. For what's listed as a 336-page novel, it felt like it was a good 150 pages more than that. I really wanted to enjoy it more, mostly because of the strong prose, but entire chapters really needed to be excised to leave a stronger, tighter story.

This was a cool book. Slightly receptive in some scene. I l9ve the haunted movie type books so that's a plus. This author will do great things in the future I'm sure.

Jorie is a former horror fanatic. But 15 years ago her blog October Film Haunt with her two friends came to a tragic end when Jorie embellished a post and it caused a high school girl to die.

Now Jorie has an 8 year old boy and shelters herself and him from any form of horror. That is untilshe is sent a horror film that caused all her problems, but now there are very small differences. Now Jorie is thrown into a real life horror movie. Are these just demented fans of the movie that have now decided to live out their horror movie dreams, or are they really summoning demons. Or is it a combination of both?

The story is interesting, but it is slow in places and there is a lot of jumping around that can be a bit confusing and hard to follow.

The premise of this book sounded interesting.
However, I tried to read this and I had no idea what was going on in the story even 1/4th was through. Therefore, I did not finish the book.
I received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.

This was everything I never knew I wanted and needed in a horror novel. As someone who loves paranormal horror films, as well as the classic slasher film, this book appealed to every part of my creepy heart. Excited for more books from this author! I’ll read every single one.

What I liked about it:
The mixed media was definitely a fun part to the book, the use of old VHS tapes, the participation of online media and the POV of the main character all merged together really well.

The whole plot surrounding a small group of horror lovers who showed up to the filming locations of their favourite horror movies was a unique storyline for me and one that caught my interest.

There are definitely a lot of eery scenes that will creep you out as to be expected in a horror book 😂

What didn’t work for me:

Overall this book felt a little too long and a little too slow at times. The plot was there and the characters were interesting I just wished we could have kept a fast paced momentum from beginning to end.

Thank you to St Martin’s press and Michael Wehunt for the EARC!

Publish date - September 30th 2025