Knock Knock; Nancy is a local campsite story no one takes seriously until knock knock knocks are heard. She was a witch beheaded who now knocks on cabin doors after dark, and takes your head if you answer. One by one, campers are gone, until Willow, playing the classic Final Girl archetype, must investigate and, in true slasher style, learn to swing an axe to save herself and whoever is left.
Maybe it was a bad joke? Maybe it was taken out of context? Maybe you just had a bad day and an even worse impulse? Heads Will Roll begins with Willow’s story when the internet and Hollywood were done with her, canceled her.
Willow is a sitcom star who responds to a tweet at the wrong time and with the wrong language, and as a result loses her job, her fiancé, her money, and her apartment. So, if you are in an 80s-themed slasher horror, what do you do? You retreat to a secluded camp retreat in remote upstate New York.
No phones. No social media. No electronics whatsoever.
Josh Winning knows his horror, and there are constant references to past movies, books, situations, and more throughout. Heads Will Roll wears its Friday the 13th hat proudly and takes on cancel culture. Winning explores critical LGBTQIA+ themes that shine a light on hypocritical leanings in our society.
The campers aren’t teenagers making bad decisions. No, they’re adults making bad decisions, which can get a bit annoying and repetitive at times, but then again, the suspension of disbelief must be activated when reading this book.
Every one of the characters has been publicly shamed, canceled, or otherwise chewed by the internet, so maybe, just maybe, they aren’t sure what the right decisions are anymore.
It’s a good concept, and overall, Winning executes it with a classic summer-camp, 80s vibe, but be wary that some of the dots might not be as well connected as you would hope.
I was suspicious of almost everyone at Camp Castaway, including Willow at one point.
The social commentary feels real, sometimes intense, but real. Cancel culture as a horror metaphor is powerful.
That said, the dialogue gets cringe-worthy in spots, almost cliché, and I wasn’t a fan of the omniscient text messages between many chapters. The ending happens quickly, and, as I said before, it leaves things a bit too loose, with unnecessary ambiguity and confusion. Not as tight as I was expecting.
If you enjoy slashers and a masked killer stalking a camp excites you, Heads Will Roll is worth your time.
Interested in the Horror/Thriller Book Club? Email reference@hobokenlibrary.org, or register for our next meeting by searching under Events on our website.
You can reserve it in the BCCLS system here.
Hit subscribe to get the Hoboken Public Library Blog delivered to your inbox!
Written by: Sean Willey
Information and Digital Services Assistant
Hoboken Public Library Blog 
Leave a comment