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Midnight Horror Show
Set against the pastoral fields and crumbling meat packing plants of South Eastern Iowa during the fall of 1985, Midnight Horror Show is a Midwestern Gothic Horror story of fairytale shadows, drive-in shocks and VHS era splatter. It’s a story that begins with murder performed for an adoring audience and ends with a young outsider transformed into the monster he thought he wanted to be.
- GenresHorror
Kindle Edition
Published September 25, 2020
7 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
About the author
Ben Lathrop
3 books9 followersBen Lathrop has written and taught on the history of cinema with a focus on the horror genre and cult audience behavior. He is a native Iowan, former television horror host and present librarian. He lives with his family in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 8, 2021
If you go down on your knees and hold your ear close to the horror grapevine, you will hear Crystal Lake Publishing does not give the readers crap. Their reputation for delivering quality stories makes most horror fans trust the authors they publish, and in this difficult business it is worth gold.
Which is why the debut novel MIDNIGHT HORROR SHOW from Ben Lathrop is well worth the investment. Some might call this one a ‘supernatural police procedural’ – and it really works well on both levels.
What’s it about, you ask? Well, person of indeterminable sex, if you can’t draw your own conclusions form the name and cover, you are probably young – too young to know anything about the drive-in movies. Allow me to take you on a little stroll through your parents’ lives.
You used to be able to get the full cinematic experience in your own car. You’d drive out of the city to a place where ambient city lights would not be a problem. There was this huge screen and a paved lot with ample parking, with these metal poles sticking out of the ground everywhere. Only two buildings – the first one where you pay for entry and the second selling snacks at exorbitant prices, which also contained the projection room. On the poles were attached these – if you can use your imagination here – speakers which looked like a radio slightly bigger than your palm, and a protrusion at the back where you could hook it to your almost closed window. These speakers provided the sound for the movie you are watching.
Now, the best place to park was in the middle, but everybody knew that, so the place filled from the middle outward and, if you were lucky enough to get a place near the middle, the speakers would usually malfunction halfway through the movie or there would be this scratching like a radio station which is almost tuned. On bad nights, the visuals might be half a second before the sound or a light drizzle might make the watching part a little difficult.
However…there was nothing like it. It was an experience you can’t explain to anybody who was never there. And, chances are, if you were born before 1990, you might have been conceived there.
Back to the story:
In the 60’s in the USA, there was this huge movement to try to stop the devilish influence of rock music, horror movies and any form of entertainment which went against the fundamental beliefs of the powers that be.
Boris Orloff has a television show, Saturday Nightmares, which was very popular among the youth, but because of these protests he loses his job. So, what does he do? He takes it to the Moonlight Drive-In in the small Iowa town of Dubois. Until his live show goes up in flames, literally, killing him.
Move on 20 years to the 80’s.
Detective David Carlson must investigate strange murders in the small town. There are sightings of a dark figure and strange animals lurking about. And there is this weird teen, James West, who is involved with the coming Halloween party at the abandoned Drive-In…
That’s right, crap is about to get…well, crappier.
Ah, the nostalgia! People who grew up in the 80’s should delve into this like it is a retro toy store. Loved this story – real quality horror.
*Originally reviewed at IndieMuse
* https://www.myindiemuse.com/author/mo...
Which is why the debut novel MIDNIGHT HORROR SHOW from Ben Lathrop is well worth the investment. Some might call this one a ‘supernatural police procedural’ – and it really works well on both levels.
What’s it about, you ask? Well, person of indeterminable sex, if you can’t draw your own conclusions form the name and cover, you are probably young – too young to know anything about the drive-in movies. Allow me to take you on a little stroll through your parents’ lives.
You used to be able to get the full cinematic experience in your own car. You’d drive out of the city to a place where ambient city lights would not be a problem. There was this huge screen and a paved lot with ample parking, with these metal poles sticking out of the ground everywhere. Only two buildings – the first one where you pay for entry and the second selling snacks at exorbitant prices, which also contained the projection room. On the poles were attached these – if you can use your imagination here – speakers which looked like a radio slightly bigger than your palm, and a protrusion at the back where you could hook it to your almost closed window. These speakers provided the sound for the movie you are watching.
Now, the best place to park was in the middle, but everybody knew that, so the place filled from the middle outward and, if you were lucky enough to get a place near the middle, the speakers would usually malfunction halfway through the movie or there would be this scratching like a radio station which is almost tuned. On bad nights, the visuals might be half a second before the sound or a light drizzle might make the watching part a little difficult.
However…there was nothing like it. It was an experience you can’t explain to anybody who was never there. And, chances are, if you were born before 1990, you might have been conceived there.
Back to the story:
In the 60’s in the USA, there was this huge movement to try to stop the devilish influence of rock music, horror movies and any form of entertainment which went against the fundamental beliefs of the powers that be.
Boris Orloff has a television show, Saturday Nightmares, which was very popular among the youth, but because of these protests he loses his job. So, what does he do? He takes it to the Moonlight Drive-In in the small Iowa town of Dubois. Until his live show goes up in flames, literally, killing him.
Move on 20 years to the 80’s.
Detective David Carlson must investigate strange murders in the small town. There are sightings of a dark figure and strange animals lurking about. And there is this weird teen, James West, who is involved with the coming Halloween party at the abandoned Drive-In…
That’s right, crap is about to get…well, crappier.
Ah, the nostalgia! People who grew up in the 80’s should delve into this like it is a retro toy store. Loved this story – real quality horror.
*Originally reviewed at IndieMuse
* https://www.myindiemuse.com/author/mo...
September 16, 2020
An ode to the nearly lost tradition of the Midnight Creature Feature and their macabre hosts. If you fondly remember Elvira, the Svengoolie, Vampira, Dr. Creep, Sinister Seymour, or Grampa Al Lewis you will absolutely love this sinister adaptation of the late night monster movie scene. The debut novel of this author, Midnight Horror Show takes place in the 1980s when the horror host was on its last legs, with a few flashbacks to the 1960s when they were at the height of popularity.
The actions of the last late-night horror host in the small town of Dubois come back to haunt the present day. A series of savage murders rocks the town. The local sheriff is stumped as the evidence begins to point to revenge by a dead man and a pair of satanic sisters who died nearly twenty years earlier. Many twists and turns occur and just when you things are wrapped up in a nice tight bow, and other criminal complication springs up to throw the theories out of whack. All of it ends with an October surprise and a Halloween event no one in Debois will ever forget.
The actions of the last late-night horror host in the small town of Dubois come back to haunt the present day. A series of savage murders rocks the town. The local sheriff is stumped as the evidence begins to point to revenge by a dead man and a pair of satanic sisters who died nearly twenty years earlier. Many twists and turns occur and just when you things are wrapped up in a nice tight bow, and other criminal complication springs up to throw the theories out of whack. All of it ends with an October surprise and a Halloween event no one in Debois will ever forget.
September 12, 2020
What a chilling way to set the tone for this year’s spooky season. This book has it all. The author lets you know at the very beginning that he’s not afraid of body horror. That sets the tone and keeps you anxiously turning pages. The plot unfolds like crime fiction, but with psychological and creature horror supplying thrills along the way. The ending is packed with more of each of the book’s horrors, as well as occult horror (which really turns up the terror). When you consider that all of this takes place in Autumn in the 80’s, and with a finale on Halloween, no pumpkin loving scary book reader should miss out on this treat.
I was supplied with an ARC before publication date, but that fact did not affect my review.
I was supplied with an ARC before publication date, but that fact did not affect my review.
April 2, 2021
Set in 1985 so there’s that! I love reading and remembering the 80’s. This book has it all, horror, VHS rentals, drive in, old cars, a late night costumed host for horror movies on TV, even pay phones. Such a fun read with some pretty gruesome murders, almost splatterpunk. It’s a good one and I really enjoyed reading it. Ending has a nice touch too😉
September 25, 2020
Contained within the pages of this horror novel is an engrossing detective story. As the author describes it, THE MIDNIGHT HORROR SHOW is “a horror story about a detective” that “doesn’t fit easily into one genre.”
The police procedural is a tried and true device that has served as the framework for many popular and acclaimed works. Rather than seem formulaic, when it’s used properly it can move a story along at a page-turning pace as it does here. The difference is in the way the writer develops and portrays the characters and their emotions and responses to what they observe and experience. THE MIDNIGHT HORROR SHOW is a story rich in characterization, description, and detail. The detective story serves as the framework. Upon this skeletal structure, the horror elements provide the sinew and fat, the meat that make the story sizzle.
The novel transports readers back to 1980’s pop culture nostalgia with spooky film festivals at drive-in theaters and late night horror movies on television. Interest in horror spawned a rapidly-growing market for scary films within the burgeoning videotape (VHS) culture. Remember the public hysteria over heavy metal music, horror films, dungeons and dragons role-playing, and secretive satanic cults during the 1980’s? On a lesser scale, some religious groups and overwrought parental activists went after the more flamboyant television horror movie hosts and sought to censor them.
In the backstory to THE MIDNIGHT HORROR SHOW, one such television host, Boris Orloff, loses his job in 1964 after a concerned group protests his devilish influence on younger viewers of his very popular Saturday Nightmares program. They threaten to pull their advertising support from the local television station in the fictional town of Dubois, Iowa. They do their best to run him out of town, but he resurfaces as the host for Saturday night horror movies at the local Moonlite Drive-In.
Twenty years later, strange murders begin to occur in the sleepy town.Soon, sightings are noted of a strange dark figure in the shadows and threatening wolf-like animals. Detective sergeant David Carlson is assigned to investigate and the novel follows his narrative as he uncovers one clue after another which leads him to a brotherly friendship with a horror-obsessed teen who may be a prime suspect. As more information is obtained, the evidence seems to point to the unlikely resurrection of Boris Orloff, who perished in a fatal fire at the drive-in.
Author Ben Lathrop knows how to keep readers engaged and builds the tension until the final outcome at a revival of the old Saturday night horror movies with a new Orloff inspired host at the remodeled Moonlite Drive-In on Halloween night 1985.
In an interview with Lathrop by publisher Joe Mynhart, the author referenced several 1980’s horror films in describing his novel: “It’s kind of like Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II mashed up with Trick Or Treat and set in Twin Peaks<.\/i>. Like those classics, THE MIDNIGHT HORROR SHOW deals with the darkness that exists inside and the satanic urges to release it. At several points the reader may feel that they are watching a movie, just waiting for the jump scares.
The police procedural is a tried and true device that has served as the framework for many popular and acclaimed works. Rather than seem formulaic, when it’s used properly it can move a story along at a page-turning pace as it does here. The difference is in the way the writer develops and portrays the characters and their emotions and responses to what they observe and experience. THE MIDNIGHT HORROR SHOW is a story rich in characterization, description, and detail. The detective story serves as the framework. Upon this skeletal structure, the horror elements provide the sinew and fat, the meat that make the story sizzle.
The novel transports readers back to 1980’s pop culture nostalgia with spooky film festivals at drive-in theaters and late night horror movies on television. Interest in horror spawned a rapidly-growing market for scary films within the burgeoning videotape (VHS) culture. Remember the public hysteria over heavy metal music, horror films, dungeons and dragons role-playing, and secretive satanic cults during the 1980’s? On a lesser scale, some religious groups and overwrought parental activists went after the more flamboyant television horror movie hosts and sought to censor them.
In the backstory to THE MIDNIGHT HORROR SHOW, one such television host, Boris Orloff, loses his job in 1964 after a concerned group protests his devilish influence on younger viewers of his very popular Saturday Nightmares program. They threaten to pull their advertising support from the local television station in the fictional town of Dubois, Iowa. They do their best to run him out of town, but he resurfaces as the host for Saturday night horror movies at the local Moonlite Drive-In.
Twenty years later, strange murders begin to occur in the sleepy town.Soon, sightings are noted of a strange dark figure in the shadows and threatening wolf-like animals. Detective sergeant David Carlson is assigned to investigate and the novel follows his narrative as he uncovers one clue after another which leads him to a brotherly friendship with a horror-obsessed teen who may be a prime suspect. As more information is obtained, the evidence seems to point to the unlikely resurrection of Boris Orloff, who perished in a fatal fire at the drive-in.
Author Ben Lathrop knows how to keep readers engaged and builds the tension until the final outcome at a revival of the old Saturday night horror movies with a new Orloff inspired host at the remodeled Moonlite Drive-In on Halloween night 1985.
In an interview with Lathrop by publisher Joe Mynhart, the author referenced several 1980’s horror films in describing his novel: “It’s kind of like Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II mashed up with Trick Or Treat and set in Twin Peaks<.\/i>. Like those classics, THE MIDNIGHT HORROR SHOW deals with the darkness that exists inside and the satanic urges to release it. At several points the reader may feel that they are watching a movie, just waiting for the jump scares.
October 2, 2020
Cinematic scares, monsters, moody cops and mostly dead killers
Midnight Horror Show
Author: Ben Lathrop
Publisher: Crystal Lake Publishing
Page count: 205
Release date: 25th September 2020
Sat 3rd May 1964
Well hello boils, ghouls and ... readers
Welcome to the Midnight Horror Show
The year is 1964.
Steeped in the limbs and livers of R. L. Stine, this retro horror novel sees kids watching the host of the show open up the viewing in true Crypt Keeper style; full of bloody, camp effects and bad puns, whilst apparently killing a young girl on stage before the double feature.
David Carlson loved it.
At first.
Oct 1985
Years later, the now adult David Carlson, has been appointed "head of the Investigative Unit", which prior to this, had been a one-man band, back in his home town.
Carlson had started drinking years ago, his wife left him and he'd hoped his transfer to a small town would help, but he was still drinking.
'Til Chief Hayes had helped him pull it together 'bout ten years ago.
Carlson in a way appears to be the cliched grizzled, jaded cop, yet as the novel progresses we find out more about some of his buried memories and how it relates to the events in 1985.
He's also aware of the skills of a female police officer who is mostly ignored by colleagues and wants to help James West, a loner teen who may or may not be involved in the murder of a local dignitary.
The nude male body of Richard Boyd is found by his wife Mary.
The body is tied up, hanging upside down but there's a distinct lack of physical evidence; no blood despite the throat being cut. And the witnesses all saw the streets filled with heavy fog, "like out of a movie."
The victim is Boyd of "Boyd’s Quality Meats Boyd" - a local meat packing plant employing many of the guys in Dubois. Though Boyd had retired and sold up he would always be known for the meat business.
Something isn't right with this case, and cop Franklin tells Carlson he reckons it's some sort of cult thing.
Then there's the weird guys passing out flyers.
"Midnight Spook Party
SEE the dead return! ...
See a murder live in stage"
Set the same year that 'Fright Night ' came out, the book revels in the vibe of the late night movie showing, and even has its own 'Peter Vincent' in the form of Boris Orlaf, host of Saturday Nightmares. It is brimming with movie nostalgia, with Easter eggs or pop culture references scattered throughout the text,the most amusing being the character Johnny Alucard, a name fans of Kim Newman will recognise.
There's also some very real commentary about the role of women in film during this period and contextual discussion between characters about the violence in film creating serial killers etc, which adds a depth and a realism to the text.
I liked Carlson so much I thinks could easily lead his own continuing series of supernatural cri!es, kind of like Barker 's Harry D'Amour.
Gory, funny, punny and with genuine scares, 'Midnight Horror Show' is a fantastic blend of Richard Laymon meets R L Stine with a dash of noir cop and The Monster Squad - for adults.
This is probably my favourite horror of 2020.
Ben Lathrop's cinematic visions are a force to be reckoned with.
Midnight Horror Show
Author: Ben Lathrop
Publisher: Crystal Lake Publishing
Page count: 205
Release date: 25th September 2020
Sat 3rd May 1964
Well hello boils, ghouls and ... readers
Welcome to the Midnight Horror Show
The year is 1964.
Steeped in the limbs and livers of R. L. Stine, this retro horror novel sees kids watching the host of the show open up the viewing in true Crypt Keeper style; full of bloody, camp effects and bad puns, whilst apparently killing a young girl on stage before the double feature.
David Carlson loved it.
At first.
Oct 1985
Years later, the now adult David Carlson, has been appointed "head of the Investigative Unit", which prior to this, had been a one-man band, back in his home town.
Carlson had started drinking years ago, his wife left him and he'd hoped his transfer to a small town would help, but he was still drinking.
'Til Chief Hayes had helped him pull it together 'bout ten years ago.
Carlson in a way appears to be the cliched grizzled, jaded cop, yet as the novel progresses we find out more about some of his buried memories and how it relates to the events in 1985.
He's also aware of the skills of a female police officer who is mostly ignored by colleagues and wants to help James West, a loner teen who may or may not be involved in the murder of a local dignitary.
The nude male body of Richard Boyd is found by his wife Mary.
The body is tied up, hanging upside down but there's a distinct lack of physical evidence; no blood despite the throat being cut. And the witnesses all saw the streets filled with heavy fog, "like out of a movie."
The victim is Boyd of "Boyd’s Quality Meats Boyd" - a local meat packing plant employing many of the guys in Dubois. Though Boyd had retired and sold up he would always be known for the meat business.
Something isn't right with this case, and cop Franklin tells Carlson he reckons it's some sort of cult thing.
Then there's the weird guys passing out flyers.
"Midnight Spook Party
SEE the dead return! ...
See a murder live in stage"
Set the same year that 'Fright Night ' came out, the book revels in the vibe of the late night movie showing, and even has its own 'Peter Vincent' in the form of Boris Orlaf, host of Saturday Nightmares. It is brimming with movie nostalgia, with Easter eggs or pop culture references scattered throughout the text,the most amusing being the character Johnny Alucard, a name fans of Kim Newman will recognise.
There's also some very real commentary about the role of women in film during this period and contextual discussion between characters about the violence in film creating serial killers etc, which adds a depth and a realism to the text.
I liked Carlson so much I thinks could easily lead his own continuing series of supernatural cri!es, kind of like Barker 's Harry D'Amour.
Gory, funny, punny and with genuine scares, 'Midnight Horror Show' is a fantastic blend of Richard Laymon meets R L Stine with a dash of noir cop and The Monster Squad - for adults.
This is probably my favourite horror of 2020.
Ben Lathrop's cinematic visions are a force to be reckoned with.
September 28, 2020
'Midnight Horror Show' was a ride down memory lane, back to the good old 80's times of VHS and splatter movies. But it was more than that, because it went much deeper into character and plot building, giving the book substance.
A series of gruesome murders seems to be connected to a horrible catastrophe in the past, where a horror movie show host at a drive-in named Boris Orloff burned to death together with the cinema. Now, the drive-in is renovated and to be re-opened on the anniversary day of that fateful night, but it seems some ghosts of the past have been revived as well and are now seeking revenge.
A teenager obsessed with that story is about to step in Boris' shoes and become the new host of the new horror movie night. Or is he even more involved with recent events, not only slipping into Orloff's role, but in a dark way becoming him? Investigating detective Carlson doesn't think so, but the more things get out of hands the more doubts he has to face.
This was such a great horror murder mystery mix! Trust Crystal Lake to dig up only the tastiest morsels in horror literature, and this new finding makes no exception. Highest recommendation!
(I chose to read and review this book, which was kindly provided as an ARC by the publisher)
A series of gruesome murders seems to be connected to a horrible catastrophe in the past, where a horror movie show host at a drive-in named Boris Orloff burned to death together with the cinema. Now, the drive-in is renovated and to be re-opened on the anniversary day of that fateful night, but it seems some ghosts of the past have been revived as well and are now seeking revenge.
A teenager obsessed with that story is about to step in Boris' shoes and become the new host of the new horror movie night. Or is he even more involved with recent events, not only slipping into Orloff's role, but in a dark way becoming him? Investigating detective Carlson doesn't think so, but the more things get out of hands the more doubts he has to face.
This was such a great horror murder mystery mix! Trust Crystal Lake to dig up only the tastiest morsels in horror literature, and this new finding makes no exception. Highest recommendation!
(I chose to read and review this book, which was kindly provided as an ARC by the publisher)
November 28, 2020
I just discovered an amazing new horror writer, Ben Lathrop, one that I will be watching for in the future. This thrilling novel had characters that were plain everyday middle Americans mixing it up with some of the most macabre beings you will come across. A Must read!
January 19, 2021
Super fun read. Well-written with a sympathetic main character.
July 26, 2021
A little backstory might be in order for this review.
This story is built around the old Screen Gems release of Universal horror pictures in syndication to television stations in the late 1950s. With the encouragement that the stations bring in a host to introduce the "Shock" and later "Son of Shock" pictures, Screen Gems helped to platform an industry, first popularized by Vampira, the original horror host on television. There have been many others along the way, including notable icons such as Vincent Price, Joe Bob Briggs, and Elvira. Midnight Horror Show captures a nostalgic snapshot of a time that's lost in memory, turning it into something truly sinister, and telling a fantastic tale along the way.
With a series of unusual killings in the sleepy Iowa town of Dubois in 1985, Detective David Carlson finds himself thrust into the midst of an all-too-real horror show. Investigating the seemingly unrelated crimes, he encounters James West, a strange young man with a fixation on horror and heavy metal, soon to host his own horror show at a local drive-in with a dark history.
James's obsession with a former television and drive-in host, Boris Orlof, brings Detective Carlson face-to-face with secrets and terrifying truths previously buried in the past. Confronting his own forgotten memories, a file of missing person cases from twenty years before, and the very real possibility that there's more than simple movie magic taking place behind the scenes, Detective West finds himself fighting a ticking clock to solve the unbelievable mystery and save the young man he's grudgingly befriended before Halloween night.
Midnight Horror Show is a captivating story that leaves you guessing what's going to happen right up until the end. When you think you have a handle on what's next, Lathrop manages to dodge your assumptions and veer off in a different direction.
The narration provided by Tee Quillin is fantastic and believable as he voices the assorted characters populating the tale with seeming ease.
This story is built around the old Screen Gems release of Universal horror pictures in syndication to television stations in the late 1950s. With the encouragement that the stations bring in a host to introduce the "Shock" and later "Son of Shock" pictures, Screen Gems helped to platform an industry, first popularized by Vampira, the original horror host on television. There have been many others along the way, including notable icons such as Vincent Price, Joe Bob Briggs, and Elvira. Midnight Horror Show captures a nostalgic snapshot of a time that's lost in memory, turning it into something truly sinister, and telling a fantastic tale along the way.
With a series of unusual killings in the sleepy Iowa town of Dubois in 1985, Detective David Carlson finds himself thrust into the midst of an all-too-real horror show. Investigating the seemingly unrelated crimes, he encounters James West, a strange young man with a fixation on horror and heavy metal, soon to host his own horror show at a local drive-in with a dark history.
James's obsession with a former television and drive-in host, Boris Orlof, brings Detective Carlson face-to-face with secrets and terrifying truths previously buried in the past. Confronting his own forgotten memories, a file of missing person cases from twenty years before, and the very real possibility that there's more than simple movie magic taking place behind the scenes, Detective West finds himself fighting a ticking clock to solve the unbelievable mystery and save the young man he's grudgingly befriended before Halloween night.
Midnight Horror Show is a captivating story that leaves you guessing what's going to happen right up until the end. When you think you have a handle on what's next, Lathrop manages to dodge your assumptions and veer off in a different direction.
The narration provided by Tee Quillin is fantastic and believable as he voices the assorted characters populating the tale with seeming ease.
December 12, 2020
The book reminded me of Stephen King in that the author clearly knows the location (small town Iowa) and loves it, and loves 1980s horror tropes, much in the way that King loves Maine and kids who have special psychic powers.
The author did a good job of keeping me guessing, I wasn't really sure how this would end till it ended, and then I wanted more. I would definitely read more of this author's work, and a sequel to this book if he ever writes one.
Anyone who loves old time horror hosts, supernatural horror and the 1980s would enjoy this book.
The author did a good job of keeping me guessing, I wasn't really sure how this would end till it ended, and then I wanted more. I would definitely read more of this author's work, and a sequel to this book if he ever writes one.
Anyone who loves old time horror hosts, supernatural horror and the 1980s would enjoy this book.
December 25, 2020
What a cool glimpse of monsters and mayhem in an unassuming 1980s Iowa town! The author does an excellent job of infusing his quirky murder mystery with elements of dark horror, B-movies, and late night drive-in delights. The writing is tight and descriptive, and the story is compelling. I can't say much more without revealing some of the crafty plot twists. What I really liked is how the book highlighted the nature of true horror.
October 20, 2020
Great book! I read it in two
days... once I started it I could not put it down. Looking forward to the sequel!
days... once I started it I could not put it down. Looking forward to the sequel!
dnf
October 29, 2020The first chapter was interesting, but this feels like more of a procedural, and I'm not in the mood.
December 4, 2021
Good little book. Support small publishers! This one was recommended to me on Twitter by the publisher when I was looking for a Friday the 13th-ish book among all the Halloween Kills hubbub.
December 9, 2020
1985. A small town is shocked by the murder of one of the pillars of the community. Detective David Carlson has only one lead: the local legend of "Boris Orlof," a horror movie host who died during a performance at the drive-in 20 years ago.
•
Ben Lathrop’s novel is a well written & engaging but suffers from not delivering the 80’s horror funhouse promised by the cover, instead telling a straight detective story laced with supernatural horror. The drive-in fun doesn’t rear its head until the last 20 pages, which wouldn’t be a problem if the detective plot & main character were more interesting.
Detective Carlson is your standard troubled 80’s cop - broken marriage, drinks a lot, hardly eats, breaks a few rules etc etc. But we don’t find out what makes him tick, just that he is a hollow shell of a man. A fresh spin on this type of character is needed instead of the trope. James, an 80’s horror kid entwined in the main plot is more interesting & may have made a better protagonist.
Another problem with the detective story is if you’ve read some Chandler, Ellroy or Leonard then there will be nothing here to surprise apart from the horror elements.
A secondary problem is the lack of plot momentum. The first 2/3’s of the book feature a repetitive cycle of a murder followed by a search for clues which leads to someone telling Carlson an important part of the history of the town & Boris The Horror Host. As interesting as this mythology is it is conveyed with long sections of exposition.
In the end there are too many flavours to merge into a satisfying whole. The supernatural element is deliberately kept vague (& for a reason) but when it finally rears its head it feels like too little too late.
Having said that, it is not a boring read and Lathrop clearly has a lot of love for the era & particularly Horror Hosts, as he was one himself for a time. The writing is strong & Lathrop paints a vivid portrait of small town 80’s life. I would still recommend it for readers looking for a fun detective horror tale with a big finale at the end that lives up to the promise of the cover.
•
Ben Lathrop’s novel is a well written & engaging but suffers from not delivering the 80’s horror funhouse promised by the cover, instead telling a straight detective story laced with supernatural horror. The drive-in fun doesn’t rear its head until the last 20 pages, which wouldn’t be a problem if the detective plot & main character were more interesting.
Detective Carlson is your standard troubled 80’s cop - broken marriage, drinks a lot, hardly eats, breaks a few rules etc etc. But we don’t find out what makes him tick, just that he is a hollow shell of a man. A fresh spin on this type of character is needed instead of the trope. James, an 80’s horror kid entwined in the main plot is more interesting & may have made a better protagonist.
Another problem with the detective story is if you’ve read some Chandler, Ellroy or Leonard then there will be nothing here to surprise apart from the horror elements.
A secondary problem is the lack of plot momentum. The first 2/3’s of the book feature a repetitive cycle of a murder followed by a search for clues which leads to someone telling Carlson an important part of the history of the town & Boris The Horror Host. As interesting as this mythology is it is conveyed with long sections of exposition.
In the end there are too many flavours to merge into a satisfying whole. The supernatural element is deliberately kept vague (& for a reason) but when it finally rears its head it feels like too little too late.
Having said that, it is not a boring read and Lathrop clearly has a lot of love for the era & particularly Horror Hosts, as he was one himself for a time. The writing is strong & Lathrop paints a vivid portrait of small town 80’s life. I would still recommend it for readers looking for a fun detective horror tale with a big finale at the end that lives up to the promise of the cover.
October 5, 2020
80's cheese at its finest. Definitely worth a read.
November 27, 2023
Originally posted on the book blog Creature From the Book Lagoon.
*Trigger Warning: Dog death
I’ve been in a theme mood lately of reading horror that has to do with the movies or tv shows. Midnight Horror Show deals with both! 😀
This novella has a fun premise of a demented horror host putting on a hell of a Halloween show at the drive-in! A very nice mystery at the heart of the plot that had me guessing through most of the book. I was excited to see how all these weird people and plot threads were going to connect at the end. There are a couple of really sweet twists and surprises along the way. The very end is a WTF!
I enjoyed the characters. I felt bad for most of them. Everyone is likable or super mysterious. I do wish the creepy “sisters” were a little less mysterious though. Are they witches? Satanic cult leaders? And what exactly did happen to “Boris”? That is a tiny bit unclear too…? There are plenty of clues as to what might have happened but no clear answers.
Midnight Horror Show’s plot is so addictive. What is going on? How do all the deaths connect? Towards the end, the book did feel a little bit listless, but the plot tightens back up for the final showdown! 🙂
This is such an engaging mystery and so hard to put down! A little bit too cryptic in some spots…. Kinda wish things were a little clearer about a few of the characters. The final showdown is bananas!
*Trigger Warning: Dog death
I’ve been in a theme mood lately of reading horror that has to do with the movies or tv shows. Midnight Horror Show deals with both! 😀
This novella has a fun premise of a demented horror host putting on a hell of a Halloween show at the drive-in! A very nice mystery at the heart of the plot that had me guessing through most of the book. I was excited to see how all these weird people and plot threads were going to connect at the end. There are a couple of really sweet twists and surprises along the way. The very end is a WTF!
I enjoyed the characters. I felt bad for most of them. Everyone is likable or super mysterious. I do wish the creepy “sisters” were a little less mysterious though. Are they witches? Satanic cult leaders? And what exactly did happen to “Boris”? That is a tiny bit unclear too…? There are plenty of clues as to what might have happened but no clear answers.
Midnight Horror Show’s plot is so addictive. What is going on? How do all the deaths connect? Towards the end, the book did feel a little bit listless, but the plot tightens back up for the final showdown! 🙂
This is such an engaging mystery and so hard to put down! A little bit too cryptic in some spots…. Kinda wish things were a little clearer about a few of the characters. The final showdown is bananas!
October 22, 2020
Cannot get into it
I tried to get into it got up to 40% was waiting for the supernatural to come or even horror to come into the story, but it was just more of a murder mystery than anyting. This might be for some people like the good murder mystery and kudos to you guys. Have fun. 1 Star out of 5
I tried to get into it got up to 40% was waiting for the supernatural to come or even horror to come into the story, but it was just more of a murder mystery than anyting. This might be for some people like the good murder mystery and kudos to you guys. Have fun. 1 Star out of 5
October 31, 2023
This was a book I picked up thanks to a suggested book card at Buckets O Blood in Chicago. Very glad I did, too! This was a lot of fun. Fantastic spooky season vibes. Replicates the feel of the 80s in an authentic way.
Full video review on TikTok
Full video review on TikTok
September 25, 2025
Started out really well, I was thinking it would be a 5 star read... but by the middle of the book, it really started to drag and it lacked the scares of the earlier scenes. Can only give it 3 stars for the story but the writing was good.
April 20, 2024
Oh this was such a fun story!! I found myself furiously reading trying to figure out what was going on! I would love a sequel to this as well! Maybe from James's perspective!!
February 20, 2025
This story was part of a 'blind date with a book' experience, and I doubt I would have ever heard of or read this story otherwise.
I think this book did some things well and many things okay, and overall it was a fun experience, just not an overwhelming hit for me.
Pros: very good atmospheric writing, the creepy tone of the story was executed well and you felt the building tension and unhinged nature as things progressed. I also liked our young horror film-obsessed side character, he was intriguing and his relationship with the main character was nice to see unfurl.
Cons: the main character just being a one-dimensional detective was underwhelming. The story really didn't do anything new or different enough to make it stand out, and honesty felt sometimes like spaghetti was being thrown at the wall in terms of the supernatural and crazy things going on in the town, there was just too much that didn't feel connected well enough. Also the lore of the story from decades past and the town back then actually was interesting, but the repetitious way we were given it was very disappointing. It was just our detective going to talk to someone in town, they info dump a whole ton of stuff for many pages, and rinse/repeat.
I think this book did some things well and many things okay, and overall it was a fun experience, just not an overwhelming hit for me.
Pros: very good atmospheric writing, the creepy tone of the story was executed well and you felt the building tension and unhinged nature as things progressed. I also liked our young horror film-obsessed side character, he was intriguing and his relationship with the main character was nice to see unfurl.
Cons: the main character just being a one-dimensional detective was underwhelming. The story really didn't do anything new or different enough to make it stand out, and honesty felt sometimes like spaghetti was being thrown at the wall in terms of the supernatural and crazy things going on in the town, there was just too much that didn't feel connected well enough. Also the lore of the story from decades past and the town back then actually was interesting, but the repetitious way we were given it was very disappointing. It was just our detective going to talk to someone in town, they info dump a whole ton of stuff for many pages, and rinse/repeat.
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