It Came From the Woods

by Matthew Mercer

What was supposed to be a simple college assignment has turned into a week-long camping trip, filmed and documented by eight friends. Their target? Bigfoot.

The footage they captured on their trip has been a matter of heavy debate for almost forty years now. In an effort to move on with her life, Nancy Miller is inviting a filmmaking crew to her home, where they will interview her while she watches her own complete and unedited copies of the footage for the very first time. Watching the people she leaves get slaughtered in the woods and reliving her greatest nightmare will be one of the worst experiences she will ever have, but getting the world to believe that Bigfoot killed your friends is not an easy task.

Matthew Mercer continues his "It Came" anthology series with this indirect sequel to "It Came From Above." The author combines the 80s slasher formula with a unique "found-footage" narrative to bring an even more thrilling, gory, horrifying, and suspenseful story than his last.

Genres: Horror, Summer

242 pages, Paperback

Published April 22, 2023

About the author

Follow me on Instagram @matthewmercerauthor

Reviews

[Kate Victoria RescueandReading · Rating 3 out of 5]

40 years ago a group of young adults go camping in the woods, hoping to catch Bigfoot on film…. Carnage ensues.

I really liked the style of writing and the plot for this story; it’s a found footage documentary with a survivor of the incident narrating the tapes and being interviewed by a film crew.

There were some fun lighthearted scenes of the group enjoying the outdoors, and some terrifyingly gruesome moments as well. This was a great story and I liked the characters and despite the trope of “clueless kids” (aka decide to go wander in the forest by themselves after finding dead people earlier on) enjoyed following them on their wilderness adventure.

I did notice a few editing errors, sentence structure and what not, but these issues weren’t too frequent.

The thing I wasn’t sure about was the ending; what happened with Bianca? What’s the deal with the kids camp? Who was that crazy man they kept encountering, and what did he mean about the creature being angry? Is there going to be a sequel to explain more? Otherwise I don’t understand why these things were added in along with the reunion.

Thank you so much to the author for a copy to read and review!

[Milt Theo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author offered ARCs of his new book; The moment I realized this was a 'found footage' kind of horror novel, I was sold! It's a Bigfoot mockumentary, where Nancy, a survivor, is invited to watch the tapes from her 1983 camp trip gone wrong. The descriptions are purely cinematic, the dialogue flows easily, and the characters are quintessential B-movie found footage types! I was really happy to read this, and the ending is not bad, either. Plus, for anyone who's read the first book in the series (they're supposed to be standalones), there's a really bizarre reference to it (I don't want to spoil it), showing that the author has a much bigger story in mind. I hope this resolves some questions from the first book, as well. Can't wait for the next entry in the series!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was really my kind of premise... camping in the woods looking for Bigfoot and written in found footage style.... HOOK IT TO MY VEINS!! I really enjoyed the story and absolutely loved all the characters. It took a while to get them all straight in my head but their personalities were so different, and the author described them so well that it was never really confusing. The only negative I have is the ending. It just seemed to stop so abruptly and I was really expecting some twist or to at least know what happened to a certain character. I would love a sequel!

[kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book. I will definitely be reading more by this author.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5!

[Craig King · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I was lucky enough to get an ARC copy of this book. It was a lot of fun. It plays out like a cross between found footage horror flick and an 80s monster movie.

The book follows a group of friends going into the woods in search of Bigfoot. The story is told through footage the group shoots during the trip. The MC Nancy is on a tv show and watching all of the footage for the first time while being interviewed.

The back and forth of the footage and the interview was a little jarring at first, but you get used to it after a chapter or two.

Definitely check it out. This is an easy to read, fun monster book. It’s not too intense, while still managing to sprinkle in the horror.

[Roxy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Huge improvement compared to the first one. There was better character development and it didn’t feel rushed. I noticed he likes to use a lot of characters in his books, which is fine, but because these are shorter books, it can get a little confusing having to remember so many names. Really enjoyed the “found footage” trope, as I love watching those kind of horror movies :)

[Meghan Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one scratched that exact itch for a quick, nostalgic horror read! Think found footage meets interview-style storytelling, all wrapped up in a retro camping slasher aesthetic. Yes, the characters fall into those familiar summer horror archetypes (you know the ones), but honestly? I didn’t mind. That’s half the charm.

At under 200 pages, it never felt rushed or thin. In fact, the pacing was spot on—just enough blood, mystery, and eerie woods atmosphere to keep me flipping pages like I was watching an old VHS tape in the dark.

I had no idea this was part of a series, but it totally works as a standalone. That said… now I need the others. If you’re craving a fast and fun horror read that doesn’t take itself too seriously but still delivers the spooky vibes, this one’s worth adding to your stack.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up not knowing it was book 2 in a series, but they appear to be standalone (with one crossover character, from what I gathered). So I don't feel it's necessary to read It Came From Above before this book. This was a super fun cross between a survivor interview and found footage. Some of the dialogue came across a bit stilted at times, but it added to the whole B movie vibe of the book. I could definitely see it making a really fun found footage movie. I plan on checking out the rest of the series. 3.5 stars

[Courtney Schafer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️.

This was a fun read. I enjoyed the format of Nancy commenting as she watched the found footage back.

Also love that Mitch ends up being the Mitch from Summer Camp for Slasher Victims. Great interconnecting of stories.

And Bianca disappearing and her clothes being left behind? Fun connection from It came from Above.

What is worse? Being abducted by Aliens or killed by Bigfoot?

[Eric Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked the book. A big fan of found footage and Bigfoot. There was a lot of character development and setting the scene - which is sometimes the case with found footage movies. If you want a book that primarily focuses on Bigfoot and the carnage it wreaks, this really isn’t the book you. While it does contain some of that, it’s not the focus. The focus is more on the group of campers and their experience with some found footage scenes of Bigfoot doing his thing.

[Jordyn Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so well written. I loved the story/ interview theme of the book. The book was such a typical and good 80’s themed book. Reminds me of most in the woods movies. I’ve seen so many movies it was predictable, but I did enjoy it! I wish there would have been some twist to the end though, but overall I loved it!!

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun book by Matthew Mercer. He's easily becoming my favorite horror author. I also love that there is a connection between this story and his newest story "Summer Camp for Slasher Victims" which is my favorite read so far this year. If you are a huge fan of horror movies especially 80's horror movies you will love Matthew Mercer's stories

[Luc Dantes · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I'm not a big fan of home video style stories, be it in a book or movie, author Matthew Mercer has done a great job with it here.

As always, I love his characters, that feel so relatable that they could be someone you know or even you yourself.

What's also really cool is how this book ties in to his other novels.

[Brandon Wong · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was well written, but 75% of it had no substance. You didn't see anything bigfoot related until maybe halfway through, and then had to wait until the 3/4 through the book to have anything actually happen in regards to bigfoot. Then everyone gets killed in surprisingly anticlimactic ways. Then it's over.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It took me a minute to figure out which character was who, though. I wish that the book was a little longer as I felt like the ending was rushed a bit. But overall, it was a great read that kept me entertained the whole way through.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

College kids making a documentary of their search for Bigfoot.

Available on Kindle Unlimited as of July 2023.

[cas ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75⭐️ the 80s summer slasher camp vibes are perfect but the ending felt rushed and wtf happened to bianca… that being said I will be reading this author’s backlist because this was fun

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun book! I love the reference to summer camp for slasher victims!

[Jo Swords · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the back story of what happened to Mitch from Summer Camp For Slasher Victims book. I really enjoyed this, another fun book.

[Daytona Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

someone turn this into a movie rn

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book of the bunch so far! It’s fast paced, fun, gruesome! Very much enjoyed this

[Kiki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Von diesem Buch habe ich mir wirklich viel erhofft. Und der Beginn wirkte auch wirklich vielversprechend - vor allem das Dokumentarfilm/Interview-Setting hat mir richtig gut gefallen. Leider ist dann aber so 85% des Buches über wirklich gar nichts passiert, außer dass ich die Protagonisten dabei begleitet habe, wie sie im Wald gezeltet, im See geplanscht und rumgemacht haben.

Etwa 30 Seiten vor Ende wurde dann fast die komplette Gruppe von Bigfoot (eher unspektakulär) abgemetzelt und das war's dann auch. Schade, das Buch hätte richtig viel Potenzial gehabt!

[Shasta · Rating 5 out of 5]

To say I was excited for this book would be an understatement. I already had the countdown clock for release day in my phone, but I was doubly excited to be able to read an arc.
Matthew Mercer knows how to write a fun and campy horror story. His characters and situations are fully developed and relatable. The dialog in this book was spot on. I really enjoyed his take on the “found footage” trope, as well as the interview style that sprinkled throughout.

I dont want to give away too much, but here’s a clue: Bigfoot, woods/camping, & teenagers. What could go wrong? If you’re not sold by now, I dont know what more I can do 🤭

This is a super fun and quick read, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a creature feature, found footage, or throwback horror.

Release day 4/22/23

On a side note, his book covers are some of my favorite! Also, if you haven’t already, check out his book It Came From Above!

[Danielle Yeager · Rating 4 out of 5]

1983 found footage cryptid slasher about eight clueless kids who go on a camping trip in the hopes of catching Bigfoot on film. True to '80s slasher form, we've got all the usual suspects here: expendable minor characters, creepy gas station guy, boyfriend with anger issues, loner prude, good-girl-turned-bad. The four day trip is far from uneventful and the bodies pile up!

Decades later, a survivor named Nancy is being interviewed by a documentary film crew while she watches the original, unedited footage from all four cameras for the very first time. There's nothing terrifying or too gory here, and there's no build-up to a chilling climax. It is exactly what it aims to be: an entertaining read akin to watching late night TV horror.

This is one of three books in the "It Came..." series; all with awesome vintage covers! I dug it, just bought "It Came From Above," and will buy "It Came From the Loch" when it's released. Fellow creature feature, slasher, B-movie fans should definitely check out this new author and series.

Thank you to the author for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

[Mickey · Rating 4 out of 5]

40 years ago, a group of friends headed into the woods in search of Bigfoot. Eight people enter the woods, but not everyone makes it back out.

This was a found-footage/monster movie mashup. When the friends had gone into the woods, they had several cameras that they were using to record everything. Nancy is now with an interviewer watching the tapes and giving commentary throughout the events.
It took a little while for anything to really happen, but once things started going south, it all happened so quickly. I was super happy to see mention of Summer Camp For Slasher Victims, which was a 5* read for me, and I feel like now I've read this I need to go and reread that one.
This book was, at times, light-hearted, sometimes funny, and obviously we had some fairly gruesome scenes, and I loved it all.

[SpookyxSpice]

DNFing at page 73. There are too many characters, their banter feels forced. Too many cliches packed all right on top of each other and I'm not a fan of the interviewer and older Nancy interjecting every damn paragraph.