One of Us is Already Dead

by E. L. Chen

Twenty-five years after the making of a notorious found-footage horror movie, the estranged cast return to the site of filming - including the former final girl, whose dreams are still haunted by that night. One of Us is Already Dead is a propulsive and chilling horror novel from a new star in horror.

Twenty-five years ago, four college kids snuck into an abandoned house to film a found footage horror movie. Only three returned.

Now, newly divorced Josie Wu's life is monotonous, and her time as the Final Girl in the cult classic The Bleeker House Tapes is firmly in her past. Her main concerns these days are paying the bills, raising her daughter, and the real-life horrors of perimenopause.

So when hotshot director and former crush Sean Maher invites her back to the abandoned house for a reunion shoot, Josie can't resist. She misses the reckless, daring girl she used to be, as much as she denies it, and the sizable paycheck certainly doesn't hurt.

But not all the terror in the original film was scripted, and there's a reason Josie left her Final Girl days behind. Something lingers in the shadows of the Bleeker House - something dangerous.

As the cast and crew retrace the making of their indie movie, haunting memories blur into the present, and one thing becomes someone needs to pay the price for what happened in the Bleeker House.

Genres: Horror, Adult

Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 23, 2027

Reviews

[megs_bookrack]

Yessss, I'm so stoked for this. ARC received!!

Thank you so much, Run For It!!!

[Nikki O'Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

If you like found footage style media, mysteries and mayhem then this is a must read for you. I devoured it within a day. It toggles between the past and present seamlessly. It's refreshing to see an older protagonist and be able to relate to the characters. There are a lot of twists and turns; some are predictable but others are more surprising.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Us is Already Dead was excellent. Fast-paced, thrilling, and I found all the characters to be interesting. E.L. Chen mentions the final girl troupe without it being overly cliché. Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the ARC.

[Katie Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four 21 year olds create a found footage horror movie. One vanished without a trace. Fast forward to twenty six years later and they’re visiting that same house.

This book was an incredibly fun read! I was really blown away by it and enjoyed it thoroughly.


Thank you as always for the ARC NetGalley!

[ReadTheHotline · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

One of Us is Already Dead | El Chen

🖤🖤🖤.75/5

Listen, I will always be seated for a group of filmmakers reuniting to revisit their infamous horror movie, especially when that reunion involves an abandoned house that absolutely no one should enter, a whole lot of unresolved trauma, and the creeping suspicion that maybe the cameras aren't the only things watching. And that's why I devoured "One of Us is Already Dead" by E.L. Chen in one sitting, ghouls.

Twenty-five years after filming The Bleeker House Tapes left one cast member missing and another with a lifetime of nightmares, Joey Wu is back at the scene of the crime. Our reluctant Final Girl is newly divorced, raising a daughter, trying to pay the bills, and navigating the very real horror show that is perimenopause. Joey, girl. I see you, I feel you, I'm with you.

And honestly? Following Joey was one of my favorite parts of this book. I loved the idea of revisiting a Final Girl decades after her brush with horror, when the world remembers her as the girl who survived, but she's the one who's had to live with what happened. Everyone else got a cult classic. She got the trauma. What a deal!

The vibes here were giving Scream x Hell House LLC x Pulse, and I was absolutely here for it. Between the old secrets, shifting memories, questionable footage, and a cast of people who all have their own reasons for returning to Bleeker House, there's plenty to keep you side-eyeing everyone and wondering what's real, what's being performed for the camera, and what the actual hell is wrong with the camera.

Did this one completely blow my mind or send me careening through a dozen unexpected twists? No. The pacing stayed fairly steady, and I didn't find myself thrown for too many loops. But I was entertained, invested, and happy to see where things went. Sometimes a horror tale doesn't need to rearrange your entire brain to be a good time.

I also appreciated the bigger ideas simmering beneath the creepy-house shenanigans, particularly the way women and people of color are treated by the horror industry, the media, and society at large. Who gets to tell the story? Who profits from someone else's worst experience? And what happens when the world turns your trauma into entertainment while you're still trying to make sense of it yourself? Joey's perspective gives those questions real weight and challenges you to sit with some uncomfortable answers.

If you're a sucker for found footage, horror movie lore, complicated reunions, and the kind of situation where going back to the scene of the nightmare is obviously a terrible idea (but the paycheck is good, so here we are), this one's worth adding to your TBR.

Tropes!

🎬 Found-footage horror
🔪 The final girl
🏚️ Haunted house with baggage
📹 A movie within a movie
🕰️ Dual timelines and buried secrets
👀 Unreliable memories and questionable reality
🖤 Trauma, fame, and the cost of survival
✊ Women and POC navigating a system that exploits their stories
🌡️ Perimenopause representation (because apparently surviving a horror movie wasn't enough)

A creepy, enjoyable ride with supernatural camera shenanigans, and a Final Girl us elder millennials can root for. You can grab a copy on February 23, 2027!

Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit Books and E.L. Chen for the opportunity to read and relish this book.

[Kimberly · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

One of us is already dead is a creepy horror novel that will leave you chilled.

Joey is a middle aged woman who once starred in a horror movie (filmed Blair Witch style) called the Bleeker house tapes. The good news is the movie got super famous? The bad news, the other girl in the movie disappeared and was never seen again. 26 years after the movie Joey is approached to do a documentary at the house. With straining finances she agrees and the nightmare begins again.

What I really like about this is the whole final girl, haunted house, deal with the devil plot. It’s creepy horror at its finest. The atmosphere is spooky and gives the story that chilling factor.
The development of the characters is also a big pro of this book. We see what each character went through before the movie, during the filming, and afterward. I love the depth.

I do think this book was a little longer than needed, and the whole camera/eyes thing was never well explained. I have a theory but am unsure if it’s accurate. Also I understand creepy factor but I swear the word fly was on every single page.
I do wish we got a more clear cut reason for everything happening, it was inferred several things may have happened but I’m a huge clear cut give me the answer kind of girl.

This was such a good fun spooky read and will definitely look for more by E.L. Chen.

If you are looking for a good chilling read similar to RL Stine (think Fear Street) then you will love this.

Thank you to Orbit Books, Run for it for the arc!!

[Shelby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you as always to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

I really enjoyed this authors debut and when I read the description I was hooked. I LOVE found footage and a good old reunion!

First of all starting the book with a 47 year old protagonist getting fired from her bullshit job and her life is in flames while starting menopause was 10/10. Love following an older FMC even though she is slightly pathetic as the novel goes on.

I would’ve liked MORE flashback scenes honestly, even what happens after that weekend at the house because we obviously can’t watch the movie ourselves but I think the author did a good enough job creating intrigue.

My other hang up is my god how many times do we need to mention the phones? Like imagine filming a mini doc us Erie’s and constantly mentioned “On the new iPhone 17 pro plus…” like I get it was necessary at first but it got distracting after a while. Also some other elements felt really hamfisted (the flies, the menopausal woman being a witch?, the desire to be an actress but needing to lose weight etc) but nothing as distracting to me as the mention of the phones.

I guessed the overall ending just not in the order/how it was revealed but that was similar to the authors other book and it didnt hamper my enjoyment. I RIPPED through this so I would highly recommend if you are in a slump!

[Priscilla Calvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect horror for fans of haunted houses, secrets, and deadly consequences. Following her divorce, Josie is experiencing financial strain, perimenopause, and being the mom to a teenager. If that isn't enough, she's hidden her past as a movie star in a documentary style indie horror film at a creepy location, but an offer comes along that she can't resists from old friend, director Sean. The money is too tempting to pass up and she finds herself back at Bleeker House. They're supposed to be filming interviews, easy stuff. When events take a deadly, traumatic twist, Josie finds herself channeling her inner Final Girl one more time.

I thought the creep factor was excellent in this book! Ghostly appearances, a creepy haunted house, and characters hiding secrets you slowly uncover the truth to as you read. I would say this felt like a slow burn horror, but I think the pacing added to the discomfort and storyline. I loved as all the secrets converged, giving a finale to the book that was both surprising and satisfying. The descriptiveness of the scenes and mystery woven through this book was spectacular and the author did a great job in showing how important it is to separate past and present as we change and grow as humans over the years.

[Hayley Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book so much. The concept of a found footage film from 26 years ago that gets its cast to reunite to ask the question of what happened to the final girl intrigued me from the start. Rarely do you get to see what happens after the Final Girl survives. Once I started this book, I could not put it down. It was creepy, atmospheric, gory, had fantastic characters, and was incredibly well written. I loved getting to know Joey and I loved how realistic she was portrayed as a former Final Girl who never made it big than with one movie. But also it does a great job of portraying a 47 year old woman. That's not something that I feel I come across to much in reading and as a woman, I appreciate that. I also loved all the call outs to other horror films. This felt like a book that was written by someone who absolutely loves classic horror films and I think that's what made it so enjoyable. Really glad I had the opportunity to read this and when it's released I plan on telling anyone who likes horror to pick this up. This book is definitely going to stay with me and something I will add to my physical library.

[Alyssa · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

First off, that last paragraph! I was NOT ready for that! It changed my entire rating, boasted it half a star.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, it was a bit slower, but to be fair, I think I was expecting it to be similar to Summer Slasher, which it is not. This is in the vein of more of a true horror story. It sets up the characters and the setting very well. I love the random flash backs to 26 years prior, to really add (or confuse) the story. You slowly see Sean for who he really is, and I like that we discover it as Joey does. I loved the overall theme of women over 40, and the expectations that are placed on them, and how that influences their own self talk. While Joey's internal monologue and self hate talk gets repetitive, it's also realistic to how women blame themselves (because Craig is the villain Hannah!). I also just loved the fact that we have a perimenopausal Main character going through THE CHANGE, and how that influenced the way she would brush away events.
Overall, this was a great slow burn horror book, that has paranormal aspects to it. I will continue to always pick up E.L Chen, and I am excited to see where this takes her.

[Christina Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from NetGalley

25 years ago 4 college friends create a "found footage" movie called The Bleeker House Tapes. 1 cast member goes missing during filming, 1 is never heard from again, 1 goes on to be a director, but Joey Wu is a 47 year old divorced mom who feels unfulfilled with her life. And then the director comes calling and wants her to go back out to the house that stars in all her nightmares to relieve the past she's desperately trying to forget.

I had to keep reminding myself while reading that i couldn't pull up YouTube and look at clips from The Bleeker House Tapes. Although i wish there were MORE flashbacks, E.L Chen does a great job of dragging you into the past to the first time everyone was there. There were sometimes i wished we had a little less internal monologue from Joey, but it did a good job of showing the reader how deep her guilt/paranoia/fears go. Great, quick read, especially during spooky season!

[Violetdazey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you netgalley & publishers for the arc of this book 📹🩸.
»»———　ᢉ𐭩　———««

This was so better then the authors book 1, I simply flied through the book, the premise was just like the 90s slashers, scream 2 but ofc with it's own plot line, final girl is old and after ages the whole gang and one of the girls little sister go back to the home and they are trying to make a documentary that will stream at a streaming service.

Things go haywire and many things are unveiled as book move on, I liked the ending honestly and it make sense so much, this book remind me of Blair witch project so so much, there were so many similarities. But the creepy vibe of the book was fun to read honestly, but I do wish there was more atmospheric horror and gore, and then it whould have been absolutely perfect.

[Olivia Adrianna · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

So so excited about this and jumped in, finishing in a day. Couldn’t put this down, finally some post-Final Girl stories where the story is years later and she’s had a full (kinda sad, but full) life. Kid, divorce etc. This was a good story with an older female protagonist and I loved it. Even if she went through some scary sh**

Remake the Blair Witch Project!!

Josie is a great character at her wits end when she encounters a blast from her own past. Her friend, and filmmaker Sean is creating a bit of a documentary about their tragic film and how it was made. Josie is tight on quite a few financial strings so she agrees.

I loved how this story took place in Canada!! So cool, but kinda wish it was a true story because Agnes did NOT come up on my search. This was a fast, horror read and perfect for my weekend.

Thanks NetGalley!

[Michelle · Rating 2.75 out of 5]

First, thank you to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
I was extremely excited to receive One of Us Is Already Dead. Having enjoyed E.L. Chen’s Slasher Summer, I was ready for more of the same fun. I was pretty disappointed though. We are following Josie, a middle aged one time former actress who has recently divorced and is trying to figure out her future. She returns to Bleeker House mostly because she’s broke but also wanting to revisit the person she used to be. But can any of us really relive being 21? The cast is pretty insufferable and the storytelling was both repetitive and full of holes. I was left confused in the end, was the house really haunted or were these people so narcissistic and shallow that they were the real horror in this story?

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally read thrillers, but the found footage/final girl elements sounded great. The vibe was a tense mix between Stay Alive and The Deep House, with a poignant overarching critique of the way women and POC are treated in horror, media, and society in general. There's a lot going on here. Between the split timeline and everyone's own selfish reasons for being present, the twists came hard and fast until the very end, and there was never a solid moment where I was confident I had a grip on what was real and what was manufacturered. This was fast paced, enjoyable, and surprisingly touching.

Thank you so much to the author, Orbit Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early!

[Chelsea · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

Phew! This is the perfect thriller/murder mystery/horror book to pick up around Halloween. Reading it before bed was a mistake, a night light may or may not have been needed for me that night. Diverse characters, a rich story, and enough bumps in the night to keep my goosebumps perpetually raised.

My only “ugh why” was our main girl’s crush on a guy I couldn’t stand. And I mean, I’m sure it was written that way because I kept hoping she’d choose herself. I loved how morally gray she was throughout, though. Very very interesting main character.

Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a good paranormal (or is it?) thriller.

[Britney Ireland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely an excellent read. I enjoyed this very much and will be recommending to my friends and family.

The storyline was great. From start to finish I was intrigued by the pacing of this story and how gripping it was throughout.

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC to read and review.

[Debbie T · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love thrillers/hauntings. I really enjoyed this one! it kept my attention all the way through. I loved the storyline and how it all played out. Gave kind of Blair witch project vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.

[Tayler K.M.]

Did we purposely name a character after a real-life actor? Or did we just not watch Firefly?