What do you think?
Rate this book
The Missing Reel
The history of Earth’s Fingers is as dark and troubling as any haunted house has ever had. Murders, suicides and unexplained occurrences plague the building's past. Opened as an asylum nearly a century ago, then converted to a greenhouse sometime after, the place has resurrected once again into a haunted attraction.
When an online celebrity arrives at Earth’s Fingers for a lights-on tour, he quickly realizes what a find this might be for his channel. As he makes his way into the building, however, his apprehension grows as his ability to distinguish props from the paranormal begins to disintegrate.
From the combined minds of Christopher Besonen and Fredrick Niles, this is one chilling and surreal tale you won’t want to miss!
When an online celebrity arrives at Earth’s Fingers for a lights-on tour, he quickly realizes what a find this might be for his channel. As he makes his way into the building, however, his apprehension grows as his ability to distinguish props from the paranormal begins to disintegrate.
From the combined minds of Christopher Besonen and Fredrick Niles, this is one chilling and surreal tale you won’t want to miss!
Unknown Binding
Published November 2, 2023
20 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 25, 2024
Just as I hoped Besonen and Niles really brought forward the best of one another's writing skills in this one.
The imagery was fantastic (seriously it is the main reason I liked this book so much) with haunted house elements, botanical horror elements, circus elements and more it has a little something for every type of horror fan. The pacing was snappy (it's less than 40 pages long the authors really didn't give themselves space to dilly dally) and the character exposition was woven into the story really well.
4.5 rounded up.
The imagery was fantastic (seriously it is the main reason I liked this book so much) with haunted house elements, botanical horror elements, circus elements and more it has a little something for every type of horror fan. The pacing was snappy (it's less than 40 pages long the authors really didn't give themselves space to dilly dally) and the character exposition was woven into the story really well.
4.5 rounded up.
November 8, 2023
Jesse accepts an invitation for a lights-on tour of Earth’s Fingers. He loves all things spooky and couldn’t wait to get the camera rolling and show his viewers the haunted attraction. Earth’s Fingers has a dark past and what it shows leaves Jesse questioning everything.
Besonen and Niles did a great job of making the reader question what is real and what isn’t much like the main character. Following Jesse through the haunt brings unsettling feelings, questioning reality, and an overall creepy vibe. It isn’t your typical haunting. The Missing Reel brings much more than that and I looked forward to seeing what horrors the next room held. The authors put a different spin on a haunted attraction, and I enjoyed the uniqueness of it.
If you enjoy haunted attractions served with a side of mind games, this is a great book to dive into.
Besonen and Niles did a great job of making the reader question what is real and what isn’t much like the main character. Following Jesse through the haunt brings unsettling feelings, questioning reality, and an overall creepy vibe. It isn’t your typical haunting. The Missing Reel brings much more than that and I looked forward to seeing what horrors the next room held. The authors put a different spin on a haunted attraction, and I enjoyed the uniqueness of it.
If you enjoy haunted attractions served with a side of mind games, this is a great book to dive into.
January 12, 2024
A truly beautiful piece of writing, that brought the work of the authors together in this story. The pace was intense from start to finish, as Jesse’s tour was brought to life in a very visual way. The more you read the more visual it becomes, he went in expecting your typical fake haunting. But got more than he bargained for, in a way I'm glad he didn't bring the wife along for the ride. At least then the spirits wouldn't have had such a hold over him. But each brilliantly depicted room, building into each scene ups the ante and creep factor. It was an insane ride, as we ventured into the theme of seasons twisted into something dark and macabre. So you have to bear in mind this in an asylum for KIDS which makes it just that little more unsettling as we get closer to the heart of the building. That seems to have the same effect on the psyche as The Vannacutt Psychiatric Institute for the Criminally Insane. Even the reader questions what is real and what is madness.
March 8, 2025
Take a haunted attraction at a former children's asylum and mix it with a botanical garden and that's what this story is.
Stunningly lush descriptions of the attractions will blow your mind. I have never read anything like this before. How the authors combined plants and gore was insanely good.
From the beginning there is an increasing sense of dread that will leave you chilled to the bone.
Stunningly lush descriptions of the attractions will blow your mind. I have never read anything like this before. How the authors combined plants and gore was insanely good.
From the beginning there is an increasing sense of dread that will leave you chilled to the bone.
August 30, 2024
After reading this book, I can officially say that I don't like haunted houses anymore. The Missing Reel was incredibly well written. It kept me hooked from start to finish. While it wasn’t gory it was definitely spooky delivering just the right amount of suspense to keep me on edge. While reading I found myself questioning what was real and what was a prop just like the main character Jesse. The end of the story left me wanting more and hoping there will be a sequel. The Missing Reel is a short story that will stick with you, making you want answers after turning the last page.
October 29, 2023
Yet another piece of astounding work
November 3, 2024
This one was very creepy, with some amazing visuals - if it were a short film it'd be a truly nightmarish one! The writing is very strong, and theme-wise it covers a lot of ground: it starts with the promise of a 'haunted house' attraction which is actually haunted, and then turns into a gallery of botanical horror instances, coupld with ghosts, creepy children, and some body horror as well. It's really uncanny how this is done in less than 50 pages!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews