Philip Fracassi is an award-winning author and screenwriter living in Los Angeles.
His debut collection of short horror, BEHOLD THE VOID, won "Story Collection of the Year" award from both This Is Horror and Strange Aeons Magazine.
His new collection, BENEATH A PALE SKY, arrives June, 2021, and his debut novel, BOYS IN THE VALLEY, comes out on Halloween day, 2021.
His stories have been printed in numerous magazines and anthologies, including Best Horror of the Year, Black Static, Cemetery Dance, and Nightmare Magazine. His work has been reviewed in The New York Times, LOCUS Magazine, Rue Morgue and many others.
His screenplays include the Lifetime thriller Girl Missing and Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups, from Disney. Both are available as VOD.
Follow Philip on Facebook and Twitter (@philipfracassi), or visit his website at .
The dread factor in this one goes to 11! Philip Fracassi pulled me into this story immediately and drug me straight through to the other side! This is a story about a couple who’s lost and happen upon a dive bar, but something in here is not quite right. I don’t want to say too much because it’s quick, but a lot of things happen. Totally freaked me out and was incredibly compelling. My only complaint was I wish it was longer!! I loved it regardless. Philip is one of those authors I just love to read!
Love everything Philip writes, this was short but packs a punch, I love the haunted object trope (gothic is a fav of mine) this was fast paced and a ton of fun, I've never looked at a coke vending machine the same since reading The Tommyknockers and I'll be giving jukeboxes a side eye from now on too 😅
Philip Fracassi is a modern master of old-school horror tales. D7, about a haunted jukebox and a couple trapped there, is another great example of this. I absolutely love his novels for their memorable, fleshed our characters and tight plotting. His short fiction highlights his tight storytelling - his ability to pack a lot of punch into a small number of pages.
Fracassi’s characters can’t stop dancing. You wont be able to stop turning the pages.
Thank you to Shortwave for providing me with an digital copy of this book!
If you give Marisa a novella/novelette, she WILL devour it.
D7 is a quirky horror novelette about a couple who wander upon an out-of-the-way dive bar full of patrons who just can't stop dancing!
Don't let the mere seventy six pages fool you, this story definitely isn't lacking in character or wit. This would be the perfect short read for those who want to dip their toes in the genre.
This was my first Philip Fracassi book, but it definitely won't be my last!
If you have been thinking about trying out Philip Fracassi’s books, this is a great introduction. D7 is 53 pages, a very quick read. Just because it’s short, doesn’t mean is lacking. Every page is filled with Fracassi’s magic. The terror starts almost immediately. Paul and Diane are the main characters, but they are not the story. Sure you want them to survive, because it’s the right way to feel. But once you get deeper into the story, you will be rooting for the horror. It’s hard not to side with a haunted jukebox, lol. It just wants you to dance and feel the beat.
D7 was a fun little story. It would be a great introduction into the horror genre for someone looking to read something haunting. I’m a very seasoned horror reader so it felt extremely predictable to me but I absolutely adored Philip Fracassi’s writing and story telling ability. The characters, setting, and dilemma were perfectly put and Sally was a hoot!
I highly recommend checking this out if you’re looking for a quick read that packs a punch.
Fracassi is one of my new favorites in horror. I recently read Boys in the Valley and it was so scary and reminiscent of The Exorcist that I've been on the lookout for anything else by him that I can get my hands on.
When Alan at Shortwave Publishing sent me the eARC of D7 to review, I immediately opened it and read. All I can say about it is that I wish there was more! It was spooky and such a cool idea for a story. Any horror story that is music-related is always great.
This was a super fun horror novella that had me interested from page one! Obviously with novellas, you’re usually left wanting more which was the case with this one but I enjoyed this one. Definitely recommend if you’re looking for a quick read
Huge thanks to Shortwave for a physical copy of this one to review. I have to say, it’s simple, but this is one of my favorite covers from them.
A couple gets a little lost, so when they come across a bar, they figure why not stop for a beer? They’re already a bit behind, and it’s just going to be one, right? What follows will go down as one of their worst nights…ever.
This is a first read for me by the author. I have a hardcover of Boys in the Valley, it was on my desired October TBR, but I just didn’t fit it in. As I enjoyed this, this may actually function as a really nice introduction to the author for people. It’s short, concise, spooky, kooky even. There’s humor and ridiculousness thrown in that makes it something you can laugh at, while also sidestepping all jukeboxes for the foreseeable future.
Some well done eeriness in such few pages, and a bit of revenge thrown in there as well. Kind of reminded me of something you could see on The Twilight Zone or Black Mirror, especially in its almost episodic length. Check this one out, and as ever, support Shortwave Media.
Philip Fracassi shows off his extraordinary talent to transform ordinary objects into sources of terror in his latest novella where the seemingly innocuous and nostalgic jukebox becomes the centerpiece of an eerie tale set in an isolated dive bar.
Dive bars on the outskirts of nowhere come with their own challenges that a lot of tourists may find difficult to navigate, but our protagonists quickly find out that the problems they envision potentially could happen become a whole different set of nightmares the quickly spiral out of control. Trapped inside said dive bar becomes an unsettling experience they cannot escape.
While we follow a couple into the Happy's Bar and Grill, the haunted jukebox takes center stage quickly. Philip Fracassi use ofsomething as entertaining as a jukebox to instill fear into us as readers is right up the author's alley. Francassi uses vivid descriptions and an atmospheric setting to craft a world within this bar the feels both unsettlingly foreign while also a bit familiar.
What Francassi does with a few short pages is simply fantastic. One might expect with such a brief novella that there would be a lack of depth of complexity, but Francassi defies these expectations with ease. D7 is a quick, fast-paced and exhilarating read that grips you tightly with suspense and dread. Despite its short length, the story delivers on multiple fronts–great character development, tons of plot twists, and somehow a emotional resonance–all within a compact story that allows us to devour it in one sitting.
I can sometimes feel I want so much more from a novella after closing the last page. However, D7 stands out as a great example of how less can indeed be so much more–not that I wouldn't have loved more. The great use of every page to tell this story allows for concise storytelling with little fluff.
While Philip Fracassi storytelling shines in D7, it is worth noting that continues to prove they are curators of excellent stories. Each new release continues to bring top-notch tales like D7. Alan Lastufka seems to know exactly what we all want and strives towards a commitment of quality over quantity that shines through each and every release.
by award-winning author and screenwriter Philip Fracassi is a short yet intense horror tale that will grab your attention from the very first page. Fracassi has gained a reputation for his ability to infuse mundane elements with spine-tingling horror and D7 is a true testament to this skill. D7 is a truly unforgettable read where the unsettlingly dread lasts long after you close the book.
D7 on May 27, 2025 .
NOTE: We received an advance copy of D7 from the publisher. Opinions are our own.
D7, the new novelette from Philip Fracassi, feels like a particularly menacing episode of Twilight Zone, as our generically yuppieish protagonists get lost on the backroads to find sanctuary in a roadside bar.
Inside, however, they find a strange scene: a room packed with silent, unwashed patrons who are distinctly unhappy to see the new arrivals. Attempting to retreat, they find the doors locked and begin to unravel the mystery of this haunting (and haunted) place.
D7 is a short, fast read, filled with Fracassi’s lean prose, but it also feels a bit slight. Boys in the Valley is a favorite for the way it tells a brutal story of religious horror and demonic possession with real heart and fully fleshed characters that we love and hate in equal measure.
And that’s what’s really missing here. I would have taken a tale of twice the length, if it had meant we had time to know something about our protagonists, had time to come to care about them in some real way. As it is, the characters are all rough sketches and types, there to deliver a mean little ghost story that builds to a sudden reveal.
Even the backstory is delivered in a rushed, paraphrased manner, whereas allowing this story to come out through dialogue would have offered a simple and effective way to built more distinct characters and a more solid sense of stakes.
I can’t fault anything found within D7, but I wish there was more. It’s a fun, spooky conceit that’s naturally cinematic in its delivery, but there’s just not quite enough there there to make the ride satisfying.
Another fantastic read by Fracassi (not that I’d expect anything less at this point). A swift novelette but this was a unique one for me and I loved it.
Our protagonists are traveling cross country for a move and decide to stop off at Happy’s Dive Bar for a nightcap before hitting their hotel. The atmosphere feels a bit off when they walk in and things rapidly deteriorate .
I easily knocked this out without even changing positions on the sofa because it’s such a compulsive read. Considering D7 is a shorter book we aren’t given much dimension on the characters, which is unusual for a Fracassi story, but the story easily carries the reader along trying to figure out what the hell is going on.
This is a terrific novelette and Fracassi proves again he doesn’t miss. While haunted objects aren’t a wholly unique trope, the rapid momentum of the book really sets it apart. Definitely recommend.
Thank you big time to Philip Fracassi and Shortwave Books for sending me an advanced copy before this spooky novella hits shelves on May 27, 2025.
Happy’s Bar and Grille is haunted by the music, specifically that which plays from the old jukebox in the corner� and it won’t let its patrons leave the bar. So as the diner continues to lure people in without an exit and forces said bargoers to dance without reprieve for hours on end, the madness simply won’t cease.
Will the guests be able to get away and save their souls? Or will the power of the music keep them locked in time and place forever and ever? Wickedly clever, Philip Fracassi keeps readers hooked from start to finish � making me think twice about stopping at off-road diners late at night�
I was excited to pick up this short story in print at Authorcon V from the author and coming in at just 53 pages, it was easy to read in a single sitting.
D7 follows a couple on the road who stop at a diner for food when they learn of just how strange this diner is that is full of patrons, but only serving water and has low energy.
I will keep the review vague to avoid risk of spoiling anyhting but I really enjoyed this premise a lot. So bizarre and I loved the atmosphere a lot. I'm a big fan of Fracassi's writing and it lent well to this book. My only gripe is that I feel like there was still a lot of meat on the bone for this one. It is effective with its narratvie all the same, and I would recommend you come with your best dance moves and check it out.
There is a lot of terror packed into the 53 pages of "D7" by Philip Fracassi, being released in May, 2025 by Shortwave Publishing. I was lucky enough to win an early copy from the publisher and can say that horror fans are going to love this when they get their hands on it.
The beginning of this tale reminds me a bit of the story "You Know They Got A Hell of a Band" by Stephen King, but Fracassi puts his own twist on the premise of taking a wrong turn on a road trip, and the result is fantastic. After reading this you may think twice about stopping somewhere for a quick after dinner drink at the end of your day.
I love a book I can pick up and read quick, something that can give me some quick thrills and make me uneasy, and this book did just that! In just 45 pages Fracassi created a creepy tale of unhinged feminine vengeance, and I'm here for it!
I think this book made me realize that one of my biggest fears is being stranded or stuck somewhere where I don't know anybody, people being weird as hell, and shit hitting the fan! I was super uncomfortable, especially in the beginning, thanks Philip!! 🫣🤭
Thank you Shortwave for giving me the opportunity to read by providing me with an advanced ebook!!!
I loved the old school horror feel of this short story.
An unsuspecting couple trapped inside a bar with a possessed jukebox? This had the makings of a perfect story and it absolutely delivered.
This was my first read from this author and now I’ve immediately added his other work to my TBR. I highly recommend this bite size delicious horror tidbit if you are new to Fracassi or a seasoned fan!
Thank you to the author & Shortwave for the early copy.
D7 is a perfect example of the impact horror can have in such a short amount of time. I was gripped from the very beginning . A creepy bar in the middle of nowhere, a dark history, and bloody revenge. What more could you ask for in a horror novel. Philip Fracassi really packed a punch with this one. That closing line had my jaw on the floor. Definitely check this one out. 5/5 Stars
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an arc in exchange for my honest review.
a couple, somewhat lost on their way back to their hotel, stop at a roadside bar for a drink and find.. strange things afoot. i don't want to spoil anything, and the book is soooo teeny tiny that i feel like i should just not say anything else about the plot, but! this was satisfyingly creepy and strange and awful, which i found impressive for such an itty bitty thing. recommend, 4/5.
thanks to alan at shortwave for sending me an advance review copy <3
Philip has such immense talent. Be it a novel or short story and everywhere in between, he has the ability to take some everyday or common object and makes it horrifying. I loved it!! Thank you so much to Shortwave Publishing for sending me this ARC. D7 publishes May 27, 2025. Please preorder this off Shortwave’s site. You won’t be disappointed!
I've not read a bad story by this author yet. Philip has a wonderful imagination. Cursed jukebox! So cool. It's hard for me to review this book it's a very fast read and alot going on in a short time. Lets just say it was wonderful and I feel like dancing!
I love Fracassi’s writing. This was a fun little novella that gave me shades of a supernatural version of “The Mist� as people are trapped in a roadside bar by a vengeful spirit! Fracassi is an auto-buy from me as always!
A fun quick read. Fracassi kills in this 2-steppin� honky tonk version of a Danse Macabre. Fracassi reminds the reader that in the eyes of death we’re all equal in only the way Fracassi can.
I enjoyed this spooky gem, it was gripping from the start! Fracassi delivered so much in such a short story and it left me wanting more! I will definitely be checking out his other books!
Thank you Shortwave and Philip for my free ARC of D7 by Philip Fracassi � available May 27!
» READ IF YOU « 🩸 love a quick story that packs a punch 🎸 have ever danced to a jukebox tune 🏘� can’t get enough of f-ed up small town drama
» SYNOPSIS « Our lovely road-tripping couple makes an ill-fated choice to stop for a quick snack at a roadside dive bar. What’s going on in here, though? And will they make it out alive?
» REVIEW « That’s all the synopsis I’m going to give you, because it’s a short story so I don’t want to ruin any of the juicier plot points. I was stressed, though. About one thing in particular at first, which quickly became several things 😅
Alright so it’s a classic faerie story, but set to Elvis? Or maybe a little Motown? Which I am very much down with. I wish we had a playlist to go along with it � Philip, thoughts? 🤣 I enjoyed this little terror tale immensely, and I highly recommend picking it up if you want a short but impactful novelette that will make you look at jukeboxes differently, forever. Yaaaay for horror authors permanently infiltrating my psyche!!