‘Dopefoot’: A Must-Read Cryptid Horror Novel
Note: Dopefoot author Josh Millican previously served as Editor-in-Chief of Dread Central
Dopefoot is dope. Josh Millican’s (Chopping Mall novelization, Deeper Than Hell) occult creature feature is brimming with radical, subversive ideas. Today’s world of horror publishing, especially indie horror publishing, is richer than it ever has been, but you need to know where to look. While Millican has largely helmed tie-in novelizations before (including the underrated All Through the House), Dopefoot is a riotously original take on cryptid mythos.
The cryptid in question is Bigfoot. While arguably the most famous among them—and Millican’s cold open does well to acclimate readers to decades of lore—the core conceit of Dopefoot does what the best horror does: Pair its monster with the singular savagery of human beings.
A college dropout dubbed Harmless by his crew is picked up roadside at a quirky local Bigfoot Museum for a summer of cutting cannabis. He’s new to the business and distinctly sensitive, though he loves to smoke, and he hopes the few weeks’ worth will make him enough money to last an entire year. That’s the goal, anyway.
Of course, it’s pure Harmless naïveté. Right away, the crew at Goat Farm, the aptly titled compound deep in the California wilderness, oozes menace. Jester, his chauffeur, seems to disregard human life. Honeydew, a young woman inextricably committed to Goat Farm’s ways, claps before every sentence she speaks. And Mother Agatha, while ostensibly maternal and kind, harbors a hidden brutality Harmless can’t yet see.
Millican adroitly weaves in the nature of the farm with fantastical supposition—rumors of Devil cults, a valley called The Green Cauldron. The early-goings tease something more frightening deep in the woods, though Millican bobs and weaves just as that threat starts to materialize. It expertly builds tension, as we’re primed for the quasi-titular Bigfoot, though just as unsettled over rumors of Boilers (crop thieves) and an explosive fight between Lithuanian farmers and those encroaching on their territory.
It’s all akin to Green Room meets Willow Creek, a cryptid horror show populated by frightening and unwavering juggernauts. As the conflict in the woods picks up in the second act, Millican teases considerable threats of violence before going full gonzo in a gruesome and kinetic climax. There are monsters, detours into fairy tale violence, and twists and turns aplenty.
Harmless is a remarkable entry point for those unfamiliar (like me) with the larger mechanics of cannabis farming, even if he’s frustratingly vague at times throughout. The early lack of depth is part of the identification point, though I do wish there were more to motivate him early on, especially as his role, at times, regresses into audience-POV Greek-chorus antics.
Still, as a way of reviving oft-told Bigfoot stories for a new generation, Dopefoot is as subversive and electric as they come. It’s the best of what indie horror does—giving sick, underground voices a platform to rework well-trod genre tropes. Dopefoot is a gnarly summer read, and for fans of Ghoulish Books, Eric LaRocca, and even Stephen Graham Jones, Millican is one to keep your eye on.
Joshua Millican is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz, where he earned degrees in literature and creative writing. He is a journalist (Dread Central), an actor, and an active member of the HWA. Millican’s best-known works of fiction include Teleportasm (Killer VHS Series #3) and Chopping Mall: The Novelization. Dopefoot will be released on June 16th, 2026, courtesy of Mad Axe Media, wherever books are sold.
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Dopefoot
Summary
Joshua Millican’s Dopefoot is a gnarly, pot-fuelled descent into rural madness and cryptid terror– and it’s a must-read.
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