Phantom Circuit

Fright Factory

by E.D. Black

The controller may be in your hands...But the game is in control.

Jackson loves retro video games, so when he stumbles across a mysterious old console, he can’t wait to fire it up. But the moment he does, strange things start happening and the console seems to know more about Jackson than it should.

No matter how many times Jackson tries to walk away, something sucks him back in. The game wants him to play and it’s not playing fair.

Jackson finds himself stuck in a fight for survival, where every stage brings new nightmares. The only way out might be buried deep in the game’s darkest secret...

156 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 26, 2025

About the author

E.D. Black is a horror enthusiast and author of the Fright Factory series, a spine-chilling collection of middle-grade horror stories inspired by ’90s nostalgia. He lives in Northern Colorado with his wife, Bri, and their German Shepherd, Cash.

A lifelong fan of all thing’s horror, E.D. grew up watching shows like Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, and Beetlejuice: The Animated Series. His love for scary stories was fueled by iconic book series such as Goosebumps, Shivers and Bone Chillers, which sparked his passion for reading at a young age.

E.D. created the Fright Factory series to share his love of horror and storytelling with a new generation, helping young readers discover the thrill of a good scare. When he's not writing, he enjoys watching horror movies and cheering on his favorite basketball teams.

Reviews

[John Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

With Phantom Circuit, E.D. Black continues what I see as one of Fright Factory's biggest strengths: appealing to a more modern generation of young readers. This is most evident in the fact the book antagonist is a game streamer (as if streamers weren't evil already. Kidding.) But it also draws a lot on nostalgic collecting and video game urban legends. I'll admit these types of "game comes to life" type stories aren't my favorite, but I had fun with how it was done here. In general, I was glad to see Black continuing to get creative with his concepts like he did in Don’t Open the Oven, and the writing feels stronger here too. Definitely the most Goosebump-y so far, but I mean that in a good way. It even has a dark ending. Cathy Cakes still sits at the top for me overall, but don't overlook this one.

[Pulp_Fiction_Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started off as a good haunted possession story but then it turned into a very surface level fantasy tale with an antagonist who's motivation made zero sense. I can absolutely see why people would enjoy this, just wasn't my vibe unfortunately (2.5 stars).

[Squall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real (pardon my pun), 'game changer' for Fright Factory and spooky middle grade books as a whole.

[Fionna Cosgrove · Rating 5 out of 5]

🎮 PHANTOM CIRCUIT 🎮 by @frightfactorybooks
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Phantom Circuit is an imaginative nod to retro 90s video games and digital horror 💀
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When Owen starts playing VoidFuze the last thing he expects is for the horrors within to start leaking into real life. Eventually he reaches breaking point and takes matters into his own hands by diving head first into the digital world.
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The ending, reminiscent of the horror i read as a kid, had a tasty twist that made the whole book work for me.
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Keen gamers and nostalgic horror lovers will enjoy this virtual reality terror.
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Middle grade read, 8 to 12 💚

[Jennifer Sahms · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phantom Circuit is a fun read that's perfect for not only kids but adults as well! Who wouldn't love a story that brings back that mid-90s nostalgia of playing on Sega and PlayStation? E.D. Black does a phenomenal job of delivering a wonderful story to young readers. From the very beginning of meeting the main characters, diving directly into the game, encountering TurboByte, and facing the final boss, he creatively brings each character to life.
Press play and grab a copy today!
Easily my favorite of the Fright Factory series... so far.

[Kaytee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely the best in the Fright Factory series! I really enjoyed the story and the mystery of the console/game. The twist at the end was unexpected and really cool. Excited for the next book in the series