The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi Published by Tor Nightfire on September 30, 2025
Source: NetGalley
Genres: Horror, Slasher
Pages: 416
Format: eARC
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Brimming with dark humor, violence, and mystery, The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre is a blood-soaked slasher sure to keep readers cringing, laughing, and guessing until the very last page.
Rose DuBois is not your average final girl.
Rose is in her late 70s, living out her golden years at the Autumn Springs Retirement Home.
When one of her friends dies alone in her apartment, Rose isn’t too concerned. Accidents happen, especially at this age!
Then another resident drops dead. And another. With bodies stacking up, Rose can’t help but wonder: are these accidents? Old age? Or something far more sinister?
Together with her best friend Miller, Rose begins to investigate. The further she digs, the more convinced she becomes: there’s a killer on the loose at Autumn Springs, and if she isn’t careful, Rose may be their next victim.
It’s always so weird saying I loved a book that’s full of murder and torture, but The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre was fabulous. There’s a serial killer stalking the residents of the Autumn Springs Retirement home, but the cops and the administrators seem to think that the deaths, at least the first couple, are just accidents. Old people die. Rose DuBois is convinced otherwise, and she and a few of her friends start investigating.
Rose is a fabulous character. She’s smart and tough. She has flaws, of course, but she makes a great final girl. All the residents we are introduced to are so well drawn, so full of life and character. I actually had to skip a chapter because I didn’t want to read about that particular character’s death. And a lot of them die. We get the requisite amount of blood and gore and terror for a slasher novel. It’s funny and surprisingly emotional for me. We also get a look at how society views/treats our elderly.
The book moves at a quick pace, with short chapters that make is seem less than 400 pages long. I can’t say I was surprised at who the killer turned out to be, but it fit well with the plot. I’ve read two horror books this year, a genre a don’t gravitate towards, but have thoroughly enjoyed them both.
About Philip Fracassi
Philip Fracassi is the author of the novels Don’t Let Them Get You Down, A Child Alone with Strangers, Gothic, Boys in the Valley and The Third Rule of Time Travel. His upcoming books include the novels Sarafina and The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre.
Other work includes the story collections No One Is Safe!, Beneath a Pale Sky (named “Best Collection of the Year” by Rue Morgue Magazine and a finalist for the Bram Stoker award), and Behold the Void (named “Best Collection of the Year” by This Is Horror).
His short stories have been published in numerous magazines and anthologies, including Best Horror of the Year, Nightmare Magazine, Black Static, Dark Discoveries, Cemetery Dance, and others.
As a screenwriter, his feature films have been distributed by Disney Entertainment and Lifetime Television, with several projects in various stages of development.
Philip lives in Los Angeles, California.
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