‘Spider’ – By Janelle Schiecke (2026 Review)

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“Normal is an illusion. What is normal for the spider, is chaos for the fly.” (Charles Addams)

And so begins Spider, the latest novella from Indie-Horror author Janelle Schiecke. Her fourth dark self-published tale in as many years, and one which arrives hot on the heels of her acclaimed urban-legend slasher The Clatter Man (2025). A book which paid homage to a number of classic Horror movies from the 70s, 80s and 90s, enhancing the reputation of the writer, and setting expectations for her next release sky high.

Schiecke kicks off Spider with a prologue which sets the scene, but does so with an air of mystery as to just what is going to follow. She then introduces Jenna, a protagonist we are going to get know very well over the next hundred or so pages. In the opening chapter, we learn that Jenna suffers from an extreme form of arachnophobia, and Schiecke paints a clear picture which helps to put the reader firmly in Jenna’s shoes … helping us to see the simple house spider as a thing of abject terror.

Jenna is a strongly written and highly likeable character, crafted expertly as we follow her during a transitional period in her life. One which she tries to navigate as best she can while having to deal with a new and thoroughly unexpected problem. Schiecke crafts a slow-burning dread which builds nicely to a terrifying climax. One that the reader knows is coming, but one in which you really have no idea just how it is going to play out until you finally get there.

And in a nutshell, this is what makes Spider work so well. It provides an engaging mystery, woven around a strong relatable character with an underlying fear that something incredibly awful is going to happen … and that creepy crawling eight legged freaks are of course going to be the catalyst for the eventual climactic gut-punch! Schiecke blends a thrilling mystery with insane body-horror, wrapped up in a creature feature with a difference. And she does so with a pay off that is extremely satisfying. KZ

8/10

Review by Mark T. Bates

Intrigued to know more about the author, the inspiration behind Spider and her writing career? Check out our exclusive interview! 👇

1. // We know your love your movies … what are your three favourite creature features and why?

I love this question! My three favorite creature features are:

Arachnophobia

I just love everything about this movie. The characters are so loveable and relatable; the small-town feel is cozy, which works perfect as a contrast to the horror, its set in the nostalgic 90s, and the writing is fantastic. I always like to joke that the spiders were very talented actors in this movie, and I’m still so impressed they worked with that many live spiders!

Tremors

Tremors is a magnificent movie all around, and it still is such a fun watch to this day! A large part of what makes Tremors great is the characters. They’re all very down to earth, and again, this makes them very relatable. But the way they come together to attack the creatures (Graboids) is what elevates this movie. Their attacks are so fun and clever, and they rise above their differences in their fight for survival. There are so many great one-liners from this movie, too!

Jaws

Jaws is phenomenal, and a classic for a reason. This movie really taps into primal fear and tactfully uses the charming fictional beach town of Amity as the location, and I feel the opening scene is up there as being one of the most horrific.

I love how Jaws is a slow build and we eventually witness the struggle of the local authorities when dealing with the Great White shark attacks. It’s summer, everyone wants to kick back and go for a swim, and there are so many factors at play in addition to the shark attacks.

My favorite scene, which is so bittersweet, is when Hooper, Brody, and Quint sing together in the cabin of the Orca after Quint’s tremendous USS Indianapolis speech. It’s such a beautiful scene of camaraderie before the horrors to come.

2. // Your prologue hints to a much larger story with a very unique concept … any plans to revisit this world?

I do love the much larger story at play, and it’s something I would like to revisit and expand on. The idea quite honestly terrifies me, and I could see myself really having fun fleshing it out in much more detail.

3. // Jenna is an incredibly engaging character – did her personality come naturally when you started writing her?

Thank you so much! I loved writing Jenna’s character, and it was a pretty personal experience for me. My brother, Bryan, had been fighting cancer for a year before I began writing Spider, and as I was writing this story his health started taking a turn for the worse. We all knew he didn’t have much time left.

I’m a pretty positive person, glass is always half full, but I was able to channel my hurt and anger through Jenna’s character via her thoughts and emotions. Giving her sharp edges with a bit of a bite felt good, but I also wanted to reveal her vulnerable side as well.

In addition, I sought to make Jenna’s character relatable. Many of the issues she goes through are commonplace, and she has very real frustrations and thought patterns. I felt doing this would make the horror that more impactful as well. 

And I worked in corporate for many years—I remember those meticulous PowerPoint presentations and stressful performance reviews. They both can both be so nerve-wracking!

4. // Asides from arachnophobia, do you have any other fears or phobias?

I do! Claustrophobia has always been a fear of mine and I also have acrophobia, the fear of heights. Funny thing is I love roller coasters, but skyscrapers can get a little dicey—especially when sections of the floor are made of glass. Of course, I have to walk on those glass sections to get that terrifying thrill, but it’s very short-lasting!

5. // Who inspired your love of the Horror genre, and which came first for you … books or movies?

Movies came first for me, and A Nightmare on Elm Street was my first horror movie. I loved to watch others such as Dolls, The Gate, and House (from 1985). Then I began reading the series Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz and this series really kickstarted my love of reading horror. I do feel it also lends to my penchant for writing novellas as well, these being shorter in length. The stories in this series were so unsettling, and the artwork? Oh my gosh, it’s still so frightening!

I went on to read Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen King, and Dean Koontz. Each of these authors helped me understand such different and effective ways to write horror, and they were great foundational inspirations. KZ

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Check out our short story Horror series:

‘The Curious Dark (Vol. 1)’

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‘The Curious Dark (Vol.1)’ – By Mark T. Bates