Stay Buried by Jennifer McMahon: A cozy folk horror steeped in small-town superstition

Jennifer McMahon’s Stay Buried embraces the eerie traditions of New England folk horror, blending supernatural folklore, family secrets, and atmospheric mystery into a story that feels tailor-made for readers who enjoy cozy horror with a gothic edge.

Jennifer McMahon has built a reputation for weaving together dual timelines, family mysteries, and unsettling folklore, and Stay Buried continues that tradition. Set in the isolated Vermont community of Boone’s Ferry, the novel alternates between 1919, when a mysterious illness threatens the town, and 2016, when two siblings inherit property tied to generations of family secrets. As past and present begin to converge, long-buried truths—and the superstitions surrounding them—refuse to stay buried.

One of the more interesting aspects of Stay Buried is the contrast between its subject matter and its tone. On paper, the novel contains many of the ingredients horror readers love: witchcraft, unsettling local traditions, mysterious illness, unexplained phenomena, blood, gore, and an isolated rural setting where superstition carries as much weight as reason. Yet despite all of those darker elements, the overall atmosphere feels surprisingly cozy.

Boone’s Ferry is filled with autumn decorations, picturesque farms, and small-town traditions that give the novel an inviting seasonal aesthetic even as increasingly disturbing events unfold beneath the surface. Rather than emphasizing relentless dread, McMahon leans into atmosphere and mystery, creating a story that feels ideal for readers who enjoy curling up with spooky fiction on a crisp October evening. If “cozy horror” is becoming its own subgenre, Stay Buried fits comfortably within it.

The dual timelines also allow McMahon to explore two very different approaches to the unknown. In 1919, Frankie O’Massey has been studying medicine under her uncle, Dr. Thomas Endicott, placing scientific thinking in direct conflict with the fears and folklore of Boone’s Ferry. As an unexplained illness spreads through the community, the town becomes convinced that supernatural forces are at work while Frankie searches for rational answers.

Meanwhile, Ashley and Malcolm arrive nearly a century later carrying their own family questions, only to discover that many of the town’s old beliefs remain very much alive. The contrast between scientific inquiry and inherited superstition provides the central tension throughout the novel and gives both timelines a natural connection.

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Readers looking for richly atmospheric horror will likely find plenty to appreciate here. McMahon devotes significant attention to building Boone’s Ferry as a fully realized setting, introducing its history, customs, and generations of interconnected residents. The result is a novel that emphasizes worldbuilding and mood as much as plot.

For readers who enjoy lingering in haunted communities and slowly uncovering generations of secrets, that deliberate pacing may be part of the appeal. For others, however, the novel’s leisurely approach may feel slower than expected.

Although Stay Buried ultimately wasn’t the right fit for my personal reading tastes, I can easily see its appeal for readers who enjoy atmospheric folk horror with a gentler, cozy sensibility. McMahon creates an evocative New England setting filled with unsettling traditions, mysterious family histories, and supernatural possibilities, making this an easy recommendation for fans of character-driven horror that prioritizes mood over relentless scares. If you’re looking for horror that’s spooky without becoming relentlessly bleak, Stay Buried deserves a place on your fall reading list.

If this novel leaves you wanting more horse horror, I highly recommend The Haunting of Paynes Hollow by Kelley Armstrong, which shares a similarly eerie equine element and supernatural atmosphere. Readers looking for a more literary and uncompromising take on spooky horse fiction should also seek out Salt Bones by Jennifer Givhan. It delivers many of the same haunting equine motifs while embracing a much grittier gothic tone, and it remains one of my favorite novels of 2025.

Have you read Jennifer McMahon’s novels? Will you be picking up Stay Buried? Let me know in the comments!

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

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Related Content

• LJ talks with Jennifer McMahon, author of Stay Buried (Library Journal)
• Women in horror: Interview for Jennifer McMahon (Horror Writers Association)
• The Haunting of Paynes Hollow by Kelley Armstrong (Write on the World)
• Salt Bones by Jennifer Givhan (Write on the World)

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