Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre It’s one of my most anticipated novels of 2025. And from one of my favourite authors. Some horror novels announce their intentions in subtle horror and slow burning atmospheres. Others crash through the door, grabbing a bloody knife in their hands, making sure they don’t look away. Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre It is very important in the latter category. Philip Fracassi writes brave and brutal horror novels that don’t rely on gimmicks. He wrote something memorable, chewed, and very moving. Let’s talk about that.
At first glance, you may be thinking: Nursing Home Massacre? surely Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre It is written for shocking values and other attention-grabbing themes. But it is clear from the very first page that it carefully creates this story, exploring aging, vulnerability, and what “fits” as we age. Which location do you keep? Where do we belong?
For a long time, teens and twenties have dominated the body count of the thrasher genre. However, here the cast is primarily an elderly resident of the fall Springs Retirement Home. Readers are forced to rethink both the typical dynamics of thrasher fiction itself, as well as our own assumptions about vulnerability and resistance. Fracassi challenges us to think outside of the norm.
The setting itself – the retirement home – creates an atmosphere. The pastel walls and the faint scent of disinfectant do not really hide the fact that we are in some kind of facility. The institutions that are supposed to go until you die. Fracassi is not shy to weave in a commentary on the diminishing visibility of the lives of these older adults. They were forgotten by their families, amortized by society, and forced into a form of dependence on others. This background adds a layer of tragedy that deepens fear, making impending violence even more unsettling. Home dials tension and feels like a pressure cooker before the first drop of blood spills.
As the murder begins, the story shifts to high gear. The perpetrator is introduced with calm efficiency. Their motives are unknown, but their atrocities are unquestionable about the stakes. It’s life and death for these inhabitants. The murder itself is graphic, unattended, and is drawn out with cruel originality reminiscent of classic slashes of the 70s and 80s.
It is a sharp contrast between victim Gore and humanity that prevents the novel from sinking into pure violence. These are not unnamed one-dimensional characters aimed at genocide. They are widows, veterans, grandparents, each with dynamic and enough backstory to stab dangerous situations and potential deaths. In contrast, it makes their attempts to survive even more thrilling.
This takes us to Rose Dubois, the last girl. Autumn Springs Retirement Home MassacreMy heart beats. Meanwhile, her resolve to find the truth keeps herself alive, injecting real heroinism (yes, I made up the words), destroying the ruses of the “last grandmother” and “last girl” who refuse to be underestimated. Her backstory and meditation perfectly gives the novel emotional depth that has been written and conveyed.
What’s particularly impressive is the balanced tone of Fracassi. On one side, I enjoy the book too much. It’s violent, outrageous, and willingly morbid. On the other side, it never loses sight of its core theme. It is invisibility and the fear of life long enough to be abandoned by society. Murderers become less villainous and become a manifestation of ignoring what the world shows to the elderly. That all-talented undertone raises the massacre beyond its shocking value, giving readers something to chew on ever since their blood gets dry.
Stylistically, the prose is lively and cinematic. The action is clearly depicted, with each murder being described in enough horrifying detail. The quiet scenes are also a place where the writing shines. The juxtaposition of soft, aging humanity and violence that arises in the shadows is the book’s greatest strength.
Thank you to Tor Nightfire for sending me a copy of my review. This is one of many explosions of what I call “Horror with Heart” this year. Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre It will be released on September 30th, 2025. Pick up wherever you buy your books! Also PS – this book already has options for film adaptation! Make sure you keep an eye on it.
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Philip Fracassi I’m the author of the novel Don’t let them down, kids alone with strangers, Gothic, The boy in the valley and The third rule of time travel. His upcoming books include novels Sarafina and Autumn Spring Retirement Home Massacre. Other works include story collections No one is safe! , Under the pale sky (Named “The best collection of the year” by Rue Morgue Magazine and the finalist of the Bram Stoker Awards, and Look at Void (It was named “Best Collection of the Year” This is scary). He is also the author of several novels Sacrina, Shiro, Commodore, and D7. Future film adaptations of Philip’s short stories include failsafe and an altar.
Image courtesy of Tor Nightfire
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