Dark is When the Devil Comes by Daisy Pearce: A chilling, slow-burn horror that burrows under your skin

I knew exactly what I was getting into when I picked up Dark Is When the Devil Comes by Daisy Pearce—or at least I thought I did. After how deeply Something in the Walls unsettled me (to the point that I had to stop reading it before bed), I expected dread. I expected unease. What I didn’t expect was just how suffocating this story would feel once it took hold.

Set in the English countryside, the novel follows Hazel, who returns to her hometown of Idless after a traumatic divorce, intending to quietly rebuild her life. But when she fails to reconnect with her sister Cathy as planned, concern quickly turns into something darker. The town whispers. The woods loom. And the sense that something has gone very, very wrong settles in almost immediately.

Pearce excels at creating that slow, creeping tension—the kind that doesn’t rely on shock, but on the steady erosion of safety. There’s an ever-present feeling that something is watching, waiting, and inching closer. The woods themselves feel less like a setting and more like a living force, bound by rules no one fully understands.

At the center of the novel’s horror is Andrew, a man whose certainty is more disturbing than anything supernatural. From the moment he meets Hazel, he becomes convinced that she carries a darkness that needs to be removed. He sees himself as her savior, regardless of what it costs her. Even as his actions cross into undeniable cruelty, his belief in his own righteousness never wavers—and that’s what makes him so terrifying. He doesn’t think he’s doing harm. He thinks he’s doing what’s necessary.

This idea—that a man can justify controlling or destroying a woman in the name of “saving” her—echoes a theme Pearce explored in her previous work. While Dark is When the Devil Comes doesn’t lean as heavily into religious framing, that underlying mindset is still present, shaping Andrew’s actions in ways that feel all too real.

There’s also an undercurrent of family tension that adds emotional weight to the story. Hazel and Cathy’s relationship carries the familiar strain of the golden child and the scapegoat, shaped by years of resentment and distance. Their dynamic raises interesting questions about the role their mother played in that divide—particularly given how detached she seems, more invested in her cats than in either of her daughters. It’s a thread that could have been explored more deeply, especially since both sisters are clearly shaped by that neglect.

And then there are the mushrooms.

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It’s hard not to notice how often fungi have been showing up in horror lately—sometimes even labeled as sporror. In this novel, their presence adds another layer of unease, something organic and quietly invasive. It brought to mind Wife-Shaped Bodies, though the use here is entirely different. There’s something about fungi—the way they spread unseen, the way they blur the line between life and decay—that makes them a perfect fit for this kind of story. It’s fascinating to see how multiple authors seem to be tapping into that same imagery at once.

Ultimately, this is a novel that thrives on atmosphere. The dread builds slowly but relentlessly, tightening with each chapter until it feels inescapable. This isn’t a story driven by twists or shocks—it’s driven by the quiet, persistent sense that something is wrong, and has been for a long time.

Dark is When the Devil Comes is an unsettling, immersive horror novel that lingers long after the final page. With its suffocating atmosphere, deeply disturbing antagonist, and creeping sense of inevitability, it’s a strong follow-up from Daisy Pearce.

If you prefer your horror slow, psychological, and grounded in the terrifying logic of people who believe they’re doing the right thing, this one is absolutely worth your time. And when you finish, I’d love to hear your thoughts—did it get under your skin the way it did mine?

An advance reader copy of this book (ARC) was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Related Content

• Sporror books: The best mushroom horror novels rooted in decay, nature, and creeping dread (Elderfly Books & Gifts)
• The H word: The sporror, the sporror! (Nightmare Magazine)
• Daisy Pearce On Poltergeists, Misogyny, and Coming of Age in a Fractured World (CrimeReads)
• Review: Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce (Write on the World)
• The evolution of mushrooms in fiction by Rosamund Lannin (Strange Horizons)

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