I'LL QUIT WHEN I'M DEAD

A washed-up rock star and a directionless young woman face nightmarish supernatural and psychological horrors.

After a very public meltdown during one of his shows and a debilitating fall that leaves him addicted to pain killers, Johnny Blake decides it’s time to step away from the spotlight. He takes up residence in a secluded cottage to spend some time detoxing. Upon his arrival, the elderly and undeniably strange couple renting the cottage to him warn him of a supernatural creature called a boggart that is rumored to reside in the area. As the days pass and Johnny spends more time on his own, it becomes increasingly clear that something is watching him from the shadows. Simultaneously, Madison, a young woman who is struggling to find purpose after a nasty breakup, finds hope when she runs into an old gym friend who is now amazingly fit and got a promotion at work. That friend introduces Madison to Ellie, who runs a militaristic fitness boot camp for women called No Days Off. Madison goes for it, and at first results are great, but over time she finds Ellie’s methods increasingly dangerous and sees her fellow students acting strangely. Told in alternating chapters, the stories eventually converge, revealing a link between Johnny and Madison intended to be an innovative twist in the horror genre. Ultimately it seems flimsy and works only to deliver backstory. While at times a gripping thriller as well as a solid piece of horror fiction, this needs a much stronger throughline to connect the twin plots.

Intriguingly layered, but lacking substance.