The Haunted Forest Tour

Moore and Strand deliver a fun blend of horror and humor in The Haunted Forest Tour, reminiscent of the campy monster movies from my youth, but with the gore cranked up to Scream-level intensity. If you're looking for a horror novel that doesn’t take itself too seriously but still packs some scares, this one is an entertaining ride.

The premise is intriguing, if not entirely original: a forest bursting with ghastly creatures turns an ordinary New Mexico town into a paranormal tourist trap. The idea of commodifying horror is both absurd and amusing, laying the groundwork for equal parts terror and satire.

While the writing may not break new ground, it does what it’s supposed to—it's fast-paced, accessible, and vivid enough to immerse you in the action. You can almost feel yourself on the doomed tour tram. The dialogue is snappy, often offering humor just as things get too dark, adding a lighthearted touch to balance the scares.

The monsters are the real stars of this book. Each is crafted with creative flair, blending traditional horror elements with modern, over-the-top gore. Think flying limbs and splattering blood—gruesome, yes, but it’s so exaggerated that it becomes part of the book's campy charm. It’s splatter horror at its most entertaining, perfect for fans of late-night B-movies where the over-the-top violence is half the fun.

Where the book might stumble for some readers is in its character development. The characters often feel like they're there to serve the plot rather than grow with it. But this feels intentional, in line with the homage to classic monster flicks where archetypes reign supreme and character depth isn't the priority.

For pure entertainment, The Haunted Forest Tour delivers. It’s like a rollercoaster through a haunted house where every turn brings a new fright or a laugh—sometimes both at once. The balance between horror and humor is well maintained, making it a great pick for readers who like their scares served with a wink.

The Haunted Forest Tour isn’t here to redefine the genre, and it doesn’t need to. It’s here to entertain, thrill, and evoke nostalgia for those campy, creature-feature films we all loved. If you’re in the mood for big scares, loud laughs, and plenty of monsters, this tour is one worth taking.

I mean.....this book was a wild ride gone wrong. 100% safe right? What could go wrong? This novel was gory, a wild ride, demons, hideous creatures, but also was the most fun. Like Jurassic Park, creature edition. 4.5 stars

There wasn't much down time with this book! I binged it in a couple days, it was a constant page turner, it rarely had a break with character's twiddling their thumbs.

I read the prologue and laughed my tail off. I felt bad about it, because a town got decimated by a bunch of trees...pretty horrific...yet the random gallows humor was top notch.

I flew through this book. The plot is not the greatest. Characters don't get developed too much. Lots of gore and death - but the humor is COMEDIC GENIUS. Sometimes is would be there when you least expected it and would literally make me belly laugh in surprise and delight. So definitely don't go into this one expecting beautiful prose, a great storyline or character development - go in expecting to laugh and you'll get exactly what you're looking for.

10/10 will be reading more of this series and check out others from this author pair - these kinds of stories will make excellent fluffy palette cleansers between denser, more complex reads.

The first book in a while that I can say it had me hook to every single word. It was action packed, goary and I loved it. One thing annoyed me was Matt.😩😩him and his constant thoughts of other women besides his wife. I rolled my eyes everytime. I just thought it was unecessary for the story.