Book Club Recap: Ghost Camera by Darcy Coates 👻

October is often synonymous with Spooky, so this was the perfect time for the book club to read the spine-tingling Ghost Camera by Darcy Coates. This collection of eerie short stories struck just the right balance of chills, curiosity, and emotional depth.

Darcy Coates has created haunted worlds that linger long after you close the book. Each story in Ghost Camera captures that unsettling feeling that something just beyond your line of sight is watching and or waiting.

The title story, “Ghost Camera,” sets the tone fantastically with a simple premise that spirals into a terrifying realization about what can be caught on film and what cannot be unseen. I thought the entire book was equal parts psychological and supernatural. Blending the perfect level of fear of the unknown with the reminder that curiosity sometimes comes at a price.

What makes this collection so compelling is how it moves between different shades of fear from the claustrophobic terror of isolation to the quiet dread of unseen presences. Yet woven throughout is a subtle humanity; even amid the horror, Coates gives us moments of courage, compassion, and resilience.

As we discussed in book club, it is not just about ghosts, it is about the people confronting what haunts them, inside and out.

The Title Story: “Ghost Camera”

This story starts with a mysterious old camera being found, by a bright young women who discovers that with each and every photo taken ghostly figures are creeping closer with each and every shot.

The concept itself is simple but chilling, and Coates executes it masterfully. As the tension builds, we are reminded of how technology and curiosity can blur the boundaries between safety and danger.

A favorite theme that emerged in our discussion was how “Ghost Camera” captures the creeping dread of realizing you have invited something in — unknowingly, irrevocably. The story leaves us with questions about control, fate, and the price of knowledge. Would you keep using the camera? Would you even believe what you were seeing?

The Extras 

Beyond the title story, the collection offers several short tales that explore haunted houses, restless spirits, and ordinary people drawn into extraordinary (and terrifying) situations. One of the recurring motifs Coates uses is transformation, how fear reveals who we really are when pushed to the edge. Even the smallest or most frightened character can act with unexpected bravery.

Each story invites you to face a different kind of ghost — sometimes literal, sometimes metaphorical. Some stories leave you unsettled, while others end with a flicker of hope or redemption. 

Here are some discussion questions for the title story “ Ghost Camera" and the extra stories.

📸 For the Title Novella: “Ghost Camera”

The camera as a symbol:

What do you think the camera represents — curiosity, obsession, guilt, mortality? How does your interpretation change as the story progresses?

The power of seeing:

The ghosts become more real the more Jenine looks at them through the camera. How does this theme of observation = manifestation play into ideas of fear, belief, or control?

Friendship under pressure:

How do Jenine and Bree’s reactions to the camera differ? What does their dynamic reveal about trust and denial in the face of the supernatural?

The unseen vs. the captured:

Which do you find scarier — seeing the ghost on film, or knowing it might be in the room but invisible? How does Coates use the limits of perception to create tension?

Moral responsibility:

If you were Jenine, would you have kept taking photos? Do you think she was responsible for the events that followed?

Ending interpretation:

Did you find the ending satisfying, ambiguous, or unsettling? Why?

🕯️ For the Short Stories in the Anthology

Variety of horror:

Which story (besides Ghost Camera) stood out to you the most — and why? Was it because of the characters, the atmosphere, or the concept?

Common threads:

Do you notice recurring motifs across the stories (e.g., isolation, curiosity, grief, cursed objects)? What do these say about Coates’ view of the supernatural?

Fear through setting:

How does Coates use different environments — urban homes, forests, planes, lighthouses — to evoke fear? Which setting was the most effective?

Tone and pacing:

Some stories are slow burns, others are immediate jolts. Which style worked better for you, and why?

Human vs. supernatural horror:

Are Coates’ stories more frightening because of the ghosts themselves, or because of what they reveal about the people encountering them?

🧠 Big-Picture / Author Discussion

Comparing to other Coates works:

If you’ve read her other books (The Haunting of Ashburn House, Craven Manor, etc.), how does Ghost Camera compare in tone, character depth, and scares?

The evolution of Darcy Coates:

This story was one of her earlier works. What signs of her later style or strengths do you see developing here?

Why do we look anyway?

Horror often hinges on curiosity — the need to look, even when we shouldn’t. What drives the characters (and readers) to keep “snapping pictures,” metaphorically speaking?

Medium and message:

If Coates were to write Ghost Camera today, do you think it would involve a smartphone or social media instead of a Polaroid? How would that change the story’s impact?

Ghost Camera was the perfect October pick — haunting without being gruesome, thought-provoking without losing its edge. Darcy Coates reminds us that sometimes the most powerful horror comes not from monsters or ghosts, but from the moments when we recognize ourselves in the darkness.

Stay tuned for next month’s Random Readers pick!

Happy Reading!