Audiobook Review: The October Film Haunt by Michael Wehunt

 I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

The October Film Haunt by Michael Wehunt

Mogsy’s Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Genre: Horror

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Macmillan Audio  (Septmber 30, 2025)

Length: 14 hrs and 42 mins

Author Information: Website | X

Every once in a while, I’ll read a book where the intro and the first half will excite me, only to run into a second half that falls flat on its face. Thankfully this doesn’t happen a lot, but unfortunately The October Film Haunt by Michael Wehunt ended up being one of those reads, where the beginning hooked me early on but the further I went the more uneven things became.

The story follows Jorie Stroud, who was once part of a close-knit group of horror-obsessed friends calling themselves the October Film Haunt. The three of them would travel to the filming sites of their favorite scary movies, geek out over the experience before sharing their thoughts on a blog read by a large following. But one night, the trio pushed their luck with the wrong film, a little-known cult indie called Proof of Demons which is infamous for a scene featuring a ritual to open the gates of hell. Following their coverage, several impressionable teens were inspired to get involved themselves, and as a result, one of them died.

The repercussions were immediate. In the aftermath of all the criticism and accusations, the October Film Haunt disbanded, and Jorie retreated to a quiet life in Vermont. There, she abandoned her film industry ambitions to instead focus on raising her young son. However, that peace is shattered when a mysterious VHS tape finds its way to her doorstep, its contents revealing that someone is attempting to make a sequel to Proof of Demons, the cursed film that ruined her life. The tape also pulls Jorie back into a world she thought she’d left behind, but like it or not, she’s suddenly back in the spotlight drawing the attention of the online horror community’s most dangerously obsessive fans. Out of options, Jorie is forced to dig up her past and reach out to old friends in the hopes of protecting her sanity and the life of her child.

Let’s start with the positives. Wehunt sets the stage well, including several elements that are considered staples of atmospheric horror like isolated cabins, demonic rituals, old videotapes of mysterious origin, etc. As the title suggests, the novel draws appropriately from classic horror movie tropes, evoking films like The Ring, but also it taps into contemporary cultural fears, such as unhealthy obsessions made worse by social media and online forums, as seen in the Slender Man case. All of this leads to an irresistible hook blending horror movie nostalgia, pop culture, and real-world fears.

When it comes to the characters, the book admittedly takes a few interesting directions with the friends-having-a-fallout-after-a-tragedy concept. Jorie carries a lot of guilt from what happened, and her retreat from the horror media world feels like a kind of self-imposed punishment. Other characters drift in and out of the story, but some of their choices can be frustrating, especially since they are supposed to be familiar with the horror genre and its fandom, yet they keep walking straight into obvious traps. Granted, these ironies might have been highlighted purposefully, but the writing doesn’t always make it obvious, nor do they always land in a good way.

Now for the negatives, which for me is really the entire second half of the book. The problem is that the story starts to sprawl. We lose that sense of mystery we started with, as well as the sense of urgency. The plot begins meandering so much, the main thread of the story is lost completely, and pacing slows to a crawl. When the climax finally arrived, it came and went without leaving much of an impact, and at that point it was also hard to care. If there was anything noteworthy, it was buried under a mountain of filler that made the book feel much longer than it needed to be. And honestly, had the book started out like this, it would have tossed immediately into the DNF pile, but being this far in already, I felt  trapped by the obligation to finish.

In the end, The October Film Haunt is a mixed bag. The first half had a lot going for it, like atmosphere and plenty of moments that were genuinely clever and effective. For a while, I could see myself really enjoying this book…until the second half completely unraveled. Needless to say, this isn’t a book for everyone. It certainly wasn’t for me. Fans of meta horror and cult-film subjects might get more out of this novel than I did, but overall it’s an intriguing concept that never quite comes together.