FantasticLand

FantasticLand fits within the epistolary and found-footage horror subgenre, joining works like House of Leaves, Reprieve, and Episode 13 in using fragmented storytelling to explore truth and fear. The novel’s structure—a series of interviews conducted by journalist Adam Jakes—mimics the way that real-world disasters are often dissected through survivor testimony. This format explores The Role of Storytelling and Perspective in Shaping Truth, as each account is subjective, forcing readers to evaluate credibility and piece together events on their own. Like many found-footage horror stories, the novel thrives on unreliable narration, encouraging scrutiny of conflicting testimonies while immersing readers in the psychological aftermath of the disaster.

The found-footage aspect emerges through Travis Barnes’s—a member of the Florida National Guard who entered FantasticLand 35 days after the hurricane—body camera footage in particular, which reveals unsettling visual proof of FantasticLand’s collapse. Unlike more conventional horror novels that feature an omniscient narrator, FantasticLand offers a documentary-style approach that reflects the chaos, biases, and paranoia of its characters. The absence of a singular, authoritative perspective makes the horror feel more immediate, reinforcing the theme of The Psychological Effects of Isolation and Disaster. Jakes—the journalist interviewing the survivors—inserts his perspective at the beginning and end of the novel, but otherwise, he remains in the background. Survivors shape their stories, either seeking forgiveness or answers or crafting a marketable version of their experiences.

Ultimately, Bockoven uses this technique to critique how history is recorded and remembered. By presenting horror through firsthand interviews and video evidence, he emphasizes that reality is ever-changing and shaped as much by perception as by actual events. In doing so, FantasticLand is both an immersive horror novel and a reflection on how narratives evolve.