Night of the Freaks

by Harrison Phillips

WARNING: This book contains scenes of explicit violence and gore.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages - welcome to 'William Wilson's Wonderful World Of The Weirdos'! A terrifying array of hideous oddities await you behind these doors. Dare you step inside? Come along, don't be shy! But be forewarned - those of you brave enough to enter, might not make it out alive!"

Heather didn't like the look of this place. There was something unnerving about it, something telling her that this was a bad idea. But her friends were missing. Was it even possible that they were in there? If there was any chance that she might find them, then she had to look...

Detective Inspector John Andrews had never seen anything like it. The way this girl had been attacked so brutally - the broken bones, the shredded skin, the lacerated flesh... The bite marks... It was like something from a horror movie. What sort of a man could be so savage?

Genres: Horror, Splatterpunk

183 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 26, 2022

About the author

Harrison Phillips is an English author of horror, sci-fi and fantasy. His literary influences range from Clive Barker and Stephen King, to Jack Ketchum and Edward Lee. He was born and raised in Birmingham, England, where he still resides with his long-suffering wife, their two daughters, and a schnauzer named Minnie.

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Always a shame when a freakshow goes rogue. Has anyone actually ever been to one? Do they exist anymore? So this was written to be gory, ugly, and surface-level, and that’s exactly what it was. No character depth or accompanied emotional components. Just some disfigured creatures raping and killing innocent people, hoping to proliferate their…I guess I can use the word species here? I understand none of this is politically correct, but it is what it is. I didn’t love the ending, but it was fine. Probably the only way to complete the finale at that point. Overall this was pretty good. I had a really unpleasant experience with my first Harrison Phillips book awhile back, but this was a much better outing. I’m cautiously optimistic about seeing more of his works.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was bloody freaky....it flipping freaked me out....and it certainly lived up to it's title and cover!!! The story line was incredibly good and easy to follow,with excellent characters...it brings a whole new meaning to the word "Mother"...Roll Up... Roll Up...Come and see Willie's Freak Show....it will freak you out!!!!!👺👹👻🤢🤮😫😱☠️...you can visit...but you will never leave!!!!

[Tara Losacano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!! The premise was right up my alley and the "freaks" were seriously terrifying! This was my first book by this author but before I even finished I'd already ordered two more. The writing flowed, the characters were relatable, and the violence and gore were perfection! I couldn't ask for more when it comes to an extreme horror tale. 5/5 decapitated skulls 💀

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heather, Linda, and Alan go on a roadtrip for a beach party. They get to the destination early so they go walking around the area. They happen to find a freak show so they go to waste some time. Little do they know that this place isn’t just a regular “freak show”. It’s a bunch of serial killers that so happen to be freaks. When Linda and others go missing the the freak show is the main focus point. This story was brutal and super fun. At points it made you feel sorry for the freaks because they just wanted to survive.

[Cody Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Texas Chainsaw Massacre meets Disney world? Night of The Freaks by Harrison Phillips dives right into some absolutely beautifully chaotic shit. This one was bloody, creepy and all around a good read. A slasher with an all around absolute kick in the dick story. This was my first read by Harrison Phillips, I thoroughly enjoyed it, will definitely be reading more soon by this author.

[Stephen Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't go wrong with freak shows and extreme horror. Really enjoying Harrison's work and planning on reading plenty more, this was another great one.

[Carrie_reads_horror · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars good solid read

[Veronica ☠️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heather, her boyfriend Alan, and her friend Linda are going to a beach party. While on their road trip, they come in contact with some strange people. They ignore it and continue on until they reach their destination. While there, they decide to explore the area. They don't realize how far they've walked when all of a sudden, they see an attraction on the outskirts of the town.

William Wilson's Wonderful World Of The Weirdos has come into town! They are a freak show filled with different sights and attractions. See the Lizard man, fall in love with the boneless woman, play with the wolf boy, and so many more! But the freak show hides a terrible secret. When teenagers start to come up missing, all eyes are pointed to Willie, the ring master, and his freak show.

This book is a prime example of what NOT to do when you're in danger! I swear I was yelling at everyone, but it was a great read! I really enjoyed the different characters at the freak show, and a lot of the kills were awesome! The ending made me scream, but I also didn't want it to end! A very fun read from Harrison! Definitely go grab a copy!

[Jason Harlow · Rating 2 out of 5]

This unfortunately was a very big disappointment. I obviously knew it would feature all kinds of graphic depictions of violence and have nonstop adult themes, but unfortunately all of that stuff seemed oddly forced. Even despite this being fast-paced, I got bored with it after about 40 pages or so. The story follows both the tourist trap victims entering a sideshow and the authorities who discover that something odd is going on in the town. I wanted to like this so much more than I did. There are amazing descriptions of sideshow freaks, and the violence and gore was fun enough, but overall this was more of a chore to read than the page-turner it should've been. I wanted to give this at least a 3/5, but considering all the typos and the fact that it seems like very little passion went into this, I decided to go with 2 stars. Not recommended unless you're looking for something "extreme" just for the sake of being "extreme."

[Jessie Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harrison has quickly become one of my favourite authors! This book is exactly what you expect and more! We follow our main characters going to a beach party. On their way they see an event which they go into. Then 3 members of their friendship group go missing after the party and they hunt for them. The author has great creativity and the gore was top notch! Looking forward to reading more from this author!

[megb · Rating 4 out of 5]

first of all .. the cover *chefs kiss* the sole reason i decided to start this book. was definitely intrigued by a freak show plot. my first thought when i finished was that i didn’t like the ending but you know what .. upon further thought i do bc sometimes a bleak ending is fine and i don’t know how else i’d like it to end anyway

[Sea Caummisar · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this book more stars... well I would.
It starts with a pretty gritty murder (two, actually) that was violent enough to whet my appetite for gore. From the first page, the book grabbed my interest.
Then there are a few chapters of meeting the characters. The essential stuff to make a good story great.
Then we learn of a 'freakshow' set up on the edge of town. Maybe I shouldn't have chosen that word to describe the traveling attraction because the workers hate to be called freaks.
Freaks, violence, death.
And we even learn what motivates the killer and/ or killers. And it's repulsive (in a good way).
And the ending is so climatic. Like seriously, I'm reading at a hurried pace, having to learn how everything ended.
This is an excellent story

[Dalton Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly fun splatter horror.

[Ashley Hana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always love me a good slasher, and this one was no different. Very fast-paced and loads of death.
Though I have to admit it bored me a little. But overall not a bad read!

[Ryane: Ry’s Reading Corner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really sure what I just read… not what I expected at all..hmmm

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

this books was going to be a two-star, because i found it subpar, frankly. until, i got to the end, because HOLY FUCKING SHIT. that was such a macabre ending, but it landed. if you have the stomach for the nasty, definitely recommend.

[Taylor Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝕓𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 — Night of the Freaks 𝕓𝕪 Harrison Phillips

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

𝙢𝙮 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

ˏˋ°•𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕪𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕖*⁀➷ೃ
I liked the plot of this book, I felt like it was interesting! It had a good storyline-to-gore ratio that i appreciated as some splatterpunk tends to focus on shock value over plot. I liked the concept of a freak show for the storyline, thats what originally drew me to this book and I think it was executed well. It was definitely gory, disturbing, and menacing, it made for a good extreme horror book.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

ˏˋ°• 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤*⁀➷ೃ
I liked the main characters well enough, but what was really interesting was the the leader of the freak show and all the many different freaks. They were all described so well that I felt like I could perfectly picture them, which really contributed to the horror factor.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

ˏˋ°• 𝕨𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕤𝕥𝕪𝕝𝕖
The writing was really good! The gore and other disturbing content was written so descriptively, which I appreciated as it made for a more imaginative portrayal of the atrocities happening in the book. I liked how descriptive this book was overall, actually. The dialogue was also well written and realistic as to how people talk to eachother.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

ˏˋ°• 𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕣𝕪 𝕕𝕖𝕡𝕥𝕙 & 𝕚𝕞𝕡𝕒𝕔𝕥
This book was entertaining, scary, and downright disturbing, all in the best ways. I enjoyed it thoroughly!

°• 𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕘𝕖𝕣 𝕨𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤, 𝕢𝕦𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕤, 𝕖𝕥𝕔.

⋆⑅˚₊ 𝕢𝕦𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕤 ⋆⑅˚₊
I am not going to quote anything for this book due to its explicit content and to avoid spoilers.

⋆⑅˚₊ 𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕘𝕖𝕣 𝕨𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 ⋆⑅˚₊
- extreme gore
- torture & murder
- on page, detailed rape
- cannibalism
- body horror
- consensual sexual content
- & more.

*this book had a lot of explicit content so please be aware of your triggers & mental health*


⋆⑅˚₊ 𝕒𝕦𝕕𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 ⋆⑅˚₊
I would recommend this book to those who enjoy splatterpunk and have very few triggers.

⋆⑅˚₊ 𝕗𝕚𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 ⋆⑅˚₊

I liked this book a lot and am looking forward to reading more of the author’s work.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕜 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕣���𝕒𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕙𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙 𝕞𝕪 𝕓𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨
𝕝𝕖𝕥 𝕞𝕖 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 𝕠𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕓𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕓𝕖𝕝𝕠𝕨
𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕒 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝𝕪 𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕕𝕒𝕪

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

[Glance Ghoulish · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars ⭐️

Willlies wonderful world of weirdos arrives in town.... a Freakshow full to the brim with Willies disfigured and deformed incestuous family.
Unfortunately things don't stay quiet for very long in the small southern seaside town, many people go missing including Heathers best friend and she decides to take things into her own hands and try to get her friend back!

This was a really fun little read, gross and gory but not too much to scare people off.
I really enjoyed the description's of each character and a few of the Freakshow cast gave me the full on heebie jeebies! I just wish we could have spent more time with them and less time on the search mission.

Check your trigger warnings and good luck!

[Sharon Leung · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freaky

This was a gruesome read, even freakish. A young trip of friends off to a beach party meet up with some new friends and group together. But at the party all goes well mostly then once back to there hotel rooms things start to happen. Whilst this is happening there is a freak show that has plans for survival and the group of friends are in their sites. A good read with lots of blood and gore. A nice easy story that keeps you entertained. Not for the easily offended or weak stomached, but otherwise a good little read. Short and freak..

[Clarke · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was relatively average slasher, very predictable, but the 'freaks' is incredibly ableist - listing people with various birth defects or people of short stature just to be mocked and then used as a stereotypical 'wrong turn' type inbred mutant villain just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. People with physical disabilities are not inherently evil, and I feel like we can do better than feed into this horror stereotype - the plot wouldn't have really been effected without this aspect. Let disabled people be the heroes for once, maybe?

[Angel Medina · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a splatterpunk novel, this was awesome. At the same time, I'm gonna have nightmares about clowns. It gets off to a fast start but slows down giving me a chance to breathe. The story had a great flow to it. The ending is as dark as it gets. All I can say is, that these clowns and freaks have more than just numbers, they have family. That alone makes the story even scarier.

Just like a good splatterpunk there is plenty of gore and nasty parts. This was my first Harrison Phillips book and won't be my last.

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

If there's one time where you can judge a book by its cover it's this. Gives the reader exactly what it says on the cover: murderous, mutilating freaks. I did enjoy the mashup of Tod Browning and Edward Lee, but needed a shower after. (And would have been disappointed had I not!)

[Marian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book!

Very gory .. Well written characters. Love the variety of disfigurement....Good story..I thoroughly enjoyed Night of the Freaks and will seek out more work by Harrison Phillips..

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Night of the freaks!

Devoured this in a sitting, absolutely phenomenal slasher story, that kept me on the edge of my seat! I found myself rooting for Willie! I loved the characters, Linda and Heather were a cute friendship!

Please can we have a book 2! 😍

[Cleo Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my last splatterpunk book u tik pay day so I made it last. I'm obsessed with freakshows although the one I went to wasn't as brutal as this one. Some fantastic cool characters and at the ending I would of done the same. Go her!

[Kaycee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great gruesome read. I was able to finish this read in one sitting. I never thought I would find myself a fan of the splatter punk genre but this one has definitely changed my mind. Will definitely be adding more Harrison Phillips to my shelf!

[Kalaya Stutesman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book!
It had a feel of a cheesy 80's horror slasher mixed with other films like Hostel, Terrifier and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Honestly, there isn't much more to say, the gore is fairly well written and this is a great book if you just wanna read straight splatterpunk.

[Kiki Marie Bookish Wh0r3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely tame in comparison to some other books I have been reading, but its pretty well written. I enjoyed the plot of it and enjoyed that it didnt end quite the way I thought it was going to. Its a good quick read.

[Marco · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little story, which has some Texas Chainsaw Massacre vibes at the end. For extreme horror it is more on the tamer side, nothing too extreme here. It is ok for what it is, but it is nothing special, the story is too much of a cliché. Still a fun read if you don't mind that.

[Mike Prewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A freakshow from Hell

This was another banger by Harrison Phillips. And this one might be my favorite. It's exactly as it sounds a group of circus freaks wreaking havoc on innocent people. The ending was messed up. Highly recommend.