Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce is a haunting #spooktober thriller that cuts deep

Daisy Pearce’s Something in the Walls is the kind of book that makes you glance over your shoulder while reading. Equal parts folklore horror and psychological suspense, it delivers a chilling blend of witchcraft, mob mentality, and small-town secrets that feel both timeless and terrifying. If you’re looking for a gripping #Spooktober read, this one absolutely delivers.

The story follows Mina, a young psychologist still finding her footing, who takes on the case of Alice Webber, a troubled thirteen-year-old girl in the remote village of Banathel. Alice insists she’s haunted by a witch, and her symptoms grow more alarming as the days pass. Mina, desperate to prove herself and help the girl, joins forces with journalist Sam Hunter. But Banathel is a place steeped in superstition, and the villagers have their own brutal methods of “dealing with” witches. The deeper Mina digs, the more dangerous the truth becomes—especially as echoes of her own past begin to surface.

What makes this novel so unnerving is its atmosphere. Pearce doesn’t just create a creepy backdrop; she draws readers into scenes that are downright visceral. The folklore elements are steeped in dread, and there were moments when I could sense the story gearing up to hit me hard. That’s when I had to set the book aside—especially at night—and save those passages for daylight. Horror movies are too much for me, but horror novels give me the control to step away, and Pearce’s writing tests that boundary in the best way.

Beneath the supernatural terror lies a sharp commentary on mob mentality and patriarchal control. Banathel has a long history of witch hunts, complete with a ritual called “the Riddance” where women are assaulted in the town square under the guise of tradition. The parallels to Salem are clear, and the townspeople’s hunger for punishment is as frightening as any ghost.

That patriarchal control is echoed in Mina’s personal life as well. Her fiancé, Oscar, is a rigid man of science who insists on rational explanations for everything. Mina herself feels a pull toward the supernatural—fueled by her longing to reconnect with her dead brother—but Oscar’s opinions weigh heavily on her. It isn’t just what he believes, but what he imposes on Mina, that pushes her to ignore the evidence right in front of her and frame Alice’s torment in clinical, rational terms. The tension between what Mina sees and what she’s expected to believe sharpens the novel’s themes of control, doubt, and silenced voices.

Pearce has crafted a story that is unsettling, unforgettable, and nearly impossible to put down. If you like your horror thought-provoking as well as terrifying, Something in the Walls will get under your skin and stay there long after you’ve turned the last page.

Have you read Something in the Walls yet? Would you be able to handle it at night, or would you need to save it for daylight too? Let me know in the comments—I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Related Content

• Daisy Pearce on poltergeists, misogyny, and coming of age in a fractured world (CrimeReads)
• My review of Daisy Pearce’s The Missing (Stevie Turner)
• The Silence by Daisy Pearce (Jen Med’s Book Reviews)
• A few questions with author Daisy Pearce (New Writing South)

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