Philip Fracassi is one of the more potent writers in the horror genre, known for novels that pack a great emotional punch as well as chills that run up and down your spine. In The Autumn Springs Retirement Home, Fracassi gifts readers with a most unique final girl in a most unique setting. The title gives away the setting and it can be surmised that our heroine Rose DuBois (in her 70s) may be older than the typical final girl. She is a delight and a joy to get to know.
Rose is trying to live a life on her own in the Retirement Home, she’s got a few close friends one of whom (a charming man named Miller) could be more than that, a daughter (Sybil) and grandson who love her. One of her friends dies under strange circumstances, the cause of death doesn’t quite make sense. Then another dies, then a third. There’s clearly a serial killer terrorizing the residents of Autumn Springs even if the first death was deemed “an accidental slip in the bathroom” while another was ruled as a suicide.
Seems fairly straight-forward, but Fracassi gives his characters such depth, he builds powerful empathy for them that this novel is far more than just a “Septuagenarian Slasher.” Case in point – Rose, I soon fell for her as a character, I loved her. A great writer gradually reveals layers of their story and characters and with Rose, Fracassi delivered a master-class in a slow reveal of the character. We knew what we needed to know about her when we knew it about Rose and when we knew more of her backstory it led to a wonderful, powerful reveal of just what an incredibly strong character Rose is. She kept her life history fairly close to the vest with the small circle of friends and acquaintances in Autumn Springs, just as she did with the readers.
I found myself really liking Miller, too. He wanted more than a friendship with Rose, but his love and respect for her shined through in his interactions with her. Other characters that stood out were Tatum, a character beloved by just about everybody in Autumn Springs and film buff Gobi, who had a particular respect for movies like Black Sunday.
The narrative for much of the story feels like a murder-mystery as Rose’s friends continue to be killed and the tension in Autumn Springs can be felt. As more people are killed, the normal flow of life (chess, movie nights, etc) soon come to a halt. There were some truly heart-pounding scenes that felt right at home alongside some of the tensest moments depicted on the screen.
While I’m more than a couple of decades away from Rose’s age, I do think about my mortality and what kind of life I’ll have when I am her age. I think about my own parents who are around Rose’s age and even my Grandparents who are no longer with us. Getting older is a scary prospect and while Fracassi’s characters are self-aware enough to know their age, they don’t let that stop them from trying to be the best version of who they want to be and living life to the fullest. That kind of theme isn’t in your face at all, but there’s definitely a feel of that for me.
There was a show on Netflix about a year ago (and returning in November 2025 for a second season) called A Man on the Inside starring Ted Danson. It was made by Mike Schur (The Good Place, Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn 99) and was a wonderful look into a retirement community that isn’t too dissimilar to Autumn Springs. I couldn’t help but find some heartwarming resonance between the two.
I’d also say this novel could be something of a companion to a novel I reviewed earlier this year – The Sundowner’s Dance by Todd Kiesling. Both feature elderly characters in the cast, though there’s some definite differences. Both are terrific novels.
Lastly, the reveal. The clues may have been there, Fracassi did a nice job of making multiple characters as plausible reveals for the killer. I would have liked just a little more of the “why” behind the motives, but what was most important in the novel was the characters and Fracassi absolutely over-delivered. I think it is important for characters to earn endings and that’s another element where Fracassi earned high marks. His afterword is a must read, too. Gives some insight to the writing of the novel and hints that we may see more of Rose. Let’s hope we do!
The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre was a superb novel.
Recommended
© 2025 Rob H. Bedford
Hardcover | 416 Pages
September 2025 | Tor Nightfire
https://pfracassi.com/
Excerpt: https://screenrant.com/the-autumn-springs-retirement-home-massacre-philip-fracassi-excerpt/
Review copy courtesy of the publisher, Tor Nightfire
