The Last Haunt by Max Booth III

 

On the one-year anniversary of a young woman’s tragic death, an extreme haunted house attraction reopened its doors to the public. What happened next would forever traumatize a small Texas town. The Last Haunt is an attempt to make sense of the mysterious brutality that occurred on that fateful Halloween night. Constructed from interviews with the survivors, this oral history is the closest anyone has ever come to documenting the truth behind the McKinley Manor massacre.

This novella is written in a true crime/mockumentary style. The Last Haunt tells the story of the life and death of Gus Mckinley, a man whose love of horror and Halloween grew into an obsession with extreme haunt attractions, and the people whose lives were affected by McKinley Manor. Much like an extreme haunt that actually exists, you can enter Mckinley Manor for the mere cost of a bag of dog food. But can you get out?

Told from multiple points of view, as an oral interview by those who knew or worked for Gus, including his family, neighbors, and the brother of the young woman who died while trying to reach the end of Gus's haunt, gives the story a realistic feel. I loved the build-up and suspense as each piece of the interview came together for the final reveal, culminating in a horror that brought a clever and satisfying conclusion. 

5 out of 5 stars

My thanks to Max Booth III for the review copy.

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