A Short and Comedic Horror Thrill Ride

Slacker friends Justin and Angus have been stuck in the same town their whole lives. Justin plans to get away from it all while Angus suddenly becomes the new caretaker of the local cemetery. After Angus convinces Justin to come explore the abandoned crematorium with him, they end up getting trapped overnight by an evil force, along with a mysterious stranger and a trio of amateur paranormal investigators. What starts as a thrilling adventure becomes a fight for their lives. Will they survive the night, or will the town Justin never left become the last place he sees?

Amazon Synopsis

Overall Rating

3/5

Spooky Rating

3/5

Quick Take

This Town Died with You by A.J. Spencer is a quick read that is darkly comic and has moments of extreme horror. One can’t help but tear through this horrific thrill ride, and I highly recommend it for readers looking for a brutal read that can be experienced in one sitting. You are in for a treat!

Tell Me More

I am a frequent fan of extreme horror, as well as horror that is darkly comedic, and A.J. Spencer’s novella, This Town Died with You, is everything I love wrapped into one quick read.

The novella follows Justin and Angus, two friends who wind up getting stuck in a crematorium with a group of paranormal investigators. Supernatural elements permeate the story, and while the novella starts off very comedic, it quickly becomes dark and grotesque. There were moments of extreme horror that I did not see coming, which increased my shock value.

I do have to say that I wish that this story had been a novel instead of a novella, because I would have liked to see more character development and horrific scenes that didn’t feel so rushed. Spencer has a great story here, and it would have made an excellent full-length novel.

Unfortunately, I do have to mention that there were noticeable grammar and formatting errors throughout the novella that detracted from my enjoyment of the story. If the story were further edited and formatted, I would have definitely given it a higher rating.

If you are looking for a quick and brutal horror read, This Town Died with You is a great way to spend a snowy afternoon. Spencer has great skill when it comes to balancing comedic writing with extreme horror, and I look forward to reading more from him.

Originally published at http://thehorrormaven.com on January 2, 2023.