Book · 2015
A Head Full of Ghosts
by Paul Tremblay
A family invites reality-TV cameras into their home to film their teenage daughter's possession, and nobody agrees on what those cameras actually caught.
What does Reddit think of A Head Full of Ghosts?
r/horrorlit splits down the middle on Paul Tremblay's found-footage possession novel, and the split shows up inside the excerpts themselves. One reader calls it a masterclass in bad parenting, not horror at all: sad rather than scary, more interested in a family falling apart than a demon in the house. Another says flatly they absolutely loved it. A third rates it above Pet Sematary but hedges with 'is a choice,' Reddit-speak that reads as much like side-eye as praise. r/suggestmeabook mostly treats it as a starter recommendation for readers who want scary without much commitment, though its own top comment (↑649) admits abandoning the book mid-read over the anxiety it caused. Nobody disputes the central ambiguity: whether Marjorie is sick, possessed, or performing for a reality show her family agreed to film. Tremblay never resolves that question. Neither does Reddit, across 2728 recognized mentions since 2019.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · Faith versus mental illness as competing explanations for Marjorie's decline
- · A family's reality-TV deal turning their collapse into content
- · Unreliable narration through a grown-up Merry looking back
- · Horror that refuses to hand down a supernatural verdict
Common praise
- + The ↑100 r/horrorlit comment says flatly: I absolutely loved Head Full of Ghosts.
- + A ↑108 r/suggestmeabook commenter recommends it as a good quick scary read.
- + The ↑201 commenter bought the book on the strength of someone else's post and reports back wishing them luck.
Common criticism
- − Multiple r/horrorlit commenters say outright they couldn't finish it.
- − The ↑88 comment calls it a masterclass in bad parenting rather than horror, and says it wasn't scary at all, just sad.
- − Even the comment ranking it above Pet Sematary (↑84) hedges with 'is a choice,' which reads more like side-eye than a compliment.
Who it's for
Pick this up if you want a horror novel that argues with itself about whether the monster is real; the ambiguity that frustrates some r/horrorlit regulars is exactly what other regulars are praising. If you've read other Paul Tremblay and found it thin, one commenter's blunt verdict is worth knowing: overrated everywhere except here. Parents of teenagers might find the family dynamics harder to sit with than the horror. More than one account identifier says the book cost them sleep for reasons that had nothing to do with ghosts.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
- r/horrorlit 1,393
- r/suggestmeabook 891
- r/booksuggestions 416
- r/YAlit 11
- r/Fantasy 8
- r/TrueLit 5
- r/RomanceBooks 3
Which Reddit comments matter for A Head Full of Ghosts?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay. In all honesty, I couldn’t finish it. I saw it on a list of books that scared Stephen King but thought the subject matter was interesting. It centers on the story of a 14 year old girl who is seemingly possessed. The writing and the story caused my anxiety to …
“Paul Tremblay for me. I heard nothing but good things about A Head Full of Ghosts, but I couldn't finish it.
“perhaps try A Head Full of Ghosts, by Paul Tremblay, I thought it was a good quick scary read
“I absolutely loved Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay.
“A Head Full of Ghosts, personally. Seemed more like a masterclass in bad parenting than any kind of horror novel. Wasn't scary at all, just sad, made me feel bad for the kids and hate the parents.
“Horror Movie by Paul Trembly I should have guessed cause I didn't love any of the earlier ones except Head Full of Ghosts. I think he's a very overrated writer. Nobody talks about Ronald Malfi but so far I've loved every book of his. I've read about 6 of them.
“Thought A Head Full of Ghosts was absolutely awful and it talked s*** about Evil Dead 2013 so I gave it a 1
“My standard answer: The Exorcist. Scary while reading it and then after…way after. Also, A Head Full of Ghosts. Another one that creeps its way into your head after you’ve finished.
“Paul tremblay’s a head full of ghosts AHFOG was just a weird and worse version of we have always lived in the castle (which I do like)
“I finally read “Head Full of Ghosts” and absolutely loved it. Was it supernatural? Was it a hoax? Who knows! Love the doubt being sewn, and there were some legit creepy bits.
“Any of the commonly-recommended ones that just read like 14 year-old Reddit nosleep stories: Stolen Tongues, Penpal, The Ritual, Head Full of Ghosts, for example. What passes for good writing has seriously gone downhill in the past ten years.
“Head Full of Ghosts is my personal favourite. Definite Catholic themes. Tremblay isn't Catholic, but he wrote it realistically.
“The realization at the end of Head Full of Ghosts gave me full body chills and I was unable to sleep the night I read that.
“A head Full of Ghosts is a great title when it comes to representing schizophrenia in a psychological horror book
“A Head Full of Ghosts deals with possible schizophrenia. I don’t t want to give anything away, but the novel is about the only one that ever gave me chills. I highly recommend it and really anything by Paul Tremblay is pretty amazing.
Convinced? Pick up A Head Full of Ghosts
What else does r/horrorlit read?
Other books mentioned in the same sub, ranked. Shared-sub overlap with this title breaks ties.
A Head Full of Ghosts — frequently asked
Is A Head Full of Ghosts actually scary?+
Depends who you ask. r/horrorlit has commenters who couldn't finish it and others who say they absolutely loved it; one calls it a masterclass in bad parenting rather than horror, sad more than scary. If you want unambiguous scares, this isn't a guaranteed hit; if you want dread built from family dysfunction, more of the displayed reactions land there.
Does A Head Full of Ghosts explain what happened to Marjorie?+
No, and that's the design. The excerpts show the debate happening inside the threads rather than resolving it: sick, possessed, or performing for the cameras her family let in. Read it for the question the book keeps open, not for a verdict at the end.
Where should I start if I like A Head Full of Ghosts and want more Paul Tremblay?+
Carefully, per one account. A r/horrorlit commenter who read Horror Movie afterward called Tremblay 'a very overrated writer' and said this was the only one of his books they'd loved. That's one identifier's take, not a fleet verdict, but it's the only direct comparison the displayed data makes.
Is A Head Full of Ghosts worth reading if horror makes you anxious?+
Be cautious. The top-upvoted r/suggestmeabook comment (↑649) says the writing and story caused real anxiety and that the commenter never finished the book. That's one displayed, heavily-upvoted reaction, not a universal warning, but it's the single most-upvoted thing said about the book in this data.