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Halloween #1
The Scream Factory
Many years ago, in the town of Haddenfield, Illinois, a boy named Michael Myers murdered his sister with a knife. Later, he returned to town on Halloween night to kill again. The only ones who knew how to stop him were his doctor and a teenage girl. Now Michael Myers has returned to Haddonfield once more. And this time, nobody can stop him.
153 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
August 26, 2020
John Carpenter's Halloween is my favorite horror film of all time. I first saw it on AMC's Fear Fest in 2007, back when the horror movie marathon was a month-long event and didn't totally suck. (Thanks for ruining everything, The Walking Dead.) I was 14 years old and it was my very first slasher film. Simply put, I fell in love. From Carpenter's haunting original score to the long, panning shots of Haddenfield's nighttime streets bathed in blue moonlight, I adored every frame of the movie. I have watched it at least once every year since 2007 and will continue to do so for the rest of my life. This includes the sequels, even the less than stellar ones. Okay, minus that sequel . . . If you are a Michael Myers fan, you know which one I'm referring to.
Even though I have seen the Halloween films countless times, there has been a blind spot for me: the Halloween movie tie-in novels. This isn't really my fault though. The books are out of print and fetch a ton of money in the third-party seller market. I haven't managed to find many, especially not the 1990s YA series.
Wait . . . there's a '90s Halloween YA series?? Yes. Yes, there is. Let's go back to October 1997, shall we? Author Kelly Reno (writing as Kelly O'Rourke) was hired by Berkley to write a series of three Halloween novels for teens, each book following different teenage characters in Haddenfield, Illinois.
The first book, The Scream Factory, was published on October 1, 1997 and follows seventeen-year-old Laurie. No, this is not the same Laurie from the original movie. In fact, Jamie Lee Curtis's Laurie is never once mentioned in The Scream Factory, and neither is Dr. Loomis or any of the other characters from the franchise, minus the boogeyman himself Michael Myers. The book does, however, reference Michael's killing spree in the '70s which has turned the silent killer into a bit of an urban legend among the teens of Haddenfield High. Some believe he really existed, others say he is nothing but a myth. Either way, who cares? It's the '90s, man, and Halloween is here once again. It is time to party!
When Laurie and her friend volunteer to throw a Halloween bash at the town hall, they start getting threatening messages from an unknown stalker. Thinking these are pranks from one of their enemies at school, the girls proceed with decorating for the party. But as bodies begin to pile up, the friends start to wonder: has Michael Myers returned to Haddenfield?
I'm going to get right to the point; this book is trash. It is plainly written, the characters are wooden, the plot is paper thin, and the dialogue would not be Debra Hill approved. But this is exactly what I loved about The Scream Factory. It is so unapologetically of it's time and I wouldn't have it any other way. What else would you honestly expect from a book like this? I adored the cheesy dialogue, the catty characters, the cringy "mysterious" guys, and more than anything, I got a kick out of the death scenes. Of which there are plenty! O'Rourke heaps on the blood and gore, something that surprised me for a YA book from the '90s. Fear Street and Point Horror rarely got this violent.
Overall, Halloween: The Scream Factory was just a blast and I recommend it to die-hard fans of the franchise or anyone who grew up on '90s YA horror novels. And if you don't want to give your left kidney to afford a copy for yourself, no worries! The 80's Slasher Librarian on YouTube narrates the book in full, as well as the other two books in the series. All ad-revenue from his videos go to the copyright holders, so don't feel like you're breaking the law by listening to his audiobooks. He does a decent job with his narrations and he goes out of his way to make these out-of-print books easily accessible to us fans. I'm excited to listen to the next book in the series!
Even though I have seen the Halloween films countless times, there has been a blind spot for me: the Halloween movie tie-in novels. This isn't really my fault though. The books are out of print and fetch a ton of money in the third-party seller market. I haven't managed to find many, especially not the 1990s YA series.
Wait . . . there's a '90s Halloween YA series?? Yes. Yes, there is. Let's go back to October 1997, shall we? Author Kelly Reno (writing as Kelly O'Rourke) was hired by Berkley to write a series of three Halloween novels for teens, each book following different teenage characters in Haddenfield, Illinois.
The first book, The Scream Factory, was published on October 1, 1997 and follows seventeen-year-old Laurie. No, this is not the same Laurie from the original movie. In fact, Jamie Lee Curtis's Laurie is never once mentioned in The Scream Factory, and neither is Dr. Loomis or any of the other characters from the franchise, minus the boogeyman himself Michael Myers. The book does, however, reference Michael's killing spree in the '70s which has turned the silent killer into a bit of an urban legend among the teens of Haddenfield High. Some believe he really existed, others say he is nothing but a myth. Either way, who cares? It's the '90s, man, and Halloween is here once again. It is time to party!
When Laurie and her friend volunteer to throw a Halloween bash at the town hall, they start getting threatening messages from an unknown stalker. Thinking these are pranks from one of their enemies at school, the girls proceed with decorating for the party. But as bodies begin to pile up, the friends start to wonder: has Michael Myers returned to Haddenfield?
I'm going to get right to the point; this book is trash. It is plainly written, the characters are wooden, the plot is paper thin, and the dialogue would not be Debra Hill approved. But this is exactly what I loved about The Scream Factory. It is so unapologetically of it's time and I wouldn't have it any other way. What else would you honestly expect from a book like this? I adored the cheesy dialogue, the catty characters, the cringy "mysterious" guys, and more than anything, I got a kick out of the death scenes. Of which there are plenty! O'Rourke heaps on the blood and gore, something that surprised me for a YA book from the '90s. Fear Street and Point Horror rarely got this violent.
Overall, Halloween: The Scream Factory was just a blast and I recommend it to die-hard fans of the franchise or anyone who grew up on '90s YA horror novels. And if you don't want to give your left kidney to afford a copy for yourself, no worries! The 80's Slasher Librarian on YouTube narrates the book in full, as well as the other two books in the series. All ad-revenue from his videos go to the copyright holders, so don't feel like you're breaking the law by listening to his audiobooks. He does a decent job with his narrations and he goes out of his way to make these out-of-print books easily accessible to us fans. I'm excited to listen to the next book in the series!
October 5, 2023
This extremely rare young-adult horror book is the first in a trilogy based loosely on the Halloween films that all take place in Haddonfield and feature Michael Myers. The story follows best friend duo Lori and Sally, who learn about the Halloween murders when doing research for a school project. (the school project is the ultimate McGuffin and is literally never mentioned again) The mayor catches them snooping around and asks them to help them put on a haunted house for Halloween at the town hall - hence the title. I don't think Halloween superfans will love this, as it definitely ignores most of everything in the films. (Michael getting shot six times and falling through a window is mentioned, and that's about it) I will say, I do like the idea of Michael never being caught, but the way he's treated as an urban legend is pretty silly. This was extremely entertaining throughout, and I enjoyed the characters so much more than I normally do in comparison to other 90's books. This started out seeming like a lock for a 5/5, but unfortunately, once the story starts to reach its climax, there's really nothing to keep the reader engaged. I would recommend this to just about any horror fan, especially if you're looking for fun Halloween vibes, but don't go in with high expectations.
October 27, 2024
Any devoted follower of the Halloween franchise is going to have pressing questions about this book before they read it, so I'll address a few of them. The Scream Factory is definitely about the Michael Myers of Halloween fame, but it's not directly based on any of the movies. None of the characters are held over from the films either. Lori Parker is the story's main teenage protagonist, but she's not based on Laurie Strode in any way I can see, and the two do not share family ties. The name Lori has to be a nod to Laurie's place in the franchise, but Lori Parker has her own group of friends, living in a town that has changed in many ways since Michael Myers first escaped Smith's Grove Sanitarium and returned to Haddonfield to kill Laurie Strode in 1978. It's now twenty years after that first deadly spree, and though Michael Myers's body was never found, the new generation of teenagers has put him out of their minds. To them he's a relic of the past.
The Scream Factory never makes it entirely clear why Michael Myers is coming home again now, but there's no denying that he is coming, and the longer the teens of Haddonfield go without realizing that, the more perilous their situation grows. Lori and three of her friends have been asked by the mayor of Haddonfield to whip up a little Halloween party at the town's expense, to be held on October 31, as a way of keeping teenagers off the streets and decreasing the normal dangers that Halloween night presents. Lori senses that there's something more to this decision to throw the party, but the mayor's not giving out any additional information, so she and her friends go ahead with the idea and begin putting together a party that should be good enough to outdraw that of their major high school rival, Marsha.
They have little idea of the fact that once again, just as on October 31, 1978, Haddonfield is lined up for a slaughter, and no one will be able to stop Michael Myers once he starts killing. As Laurie Strode herself said in the movie Halloween H2O: 20 Years Later, when Michael Myers finds you there's only one thing you can do: "Try to live."
It was interesting to see the differences and similarities between this first book of what had been a planned series of Halloween novels, and the Halloween movies, themselves. I can see how the books would be considered more appropriate for a young-adult audience than the movies: less swearing, violence and promiscuity is clearly the trend, and the scenes of violence in print aren't nearly as disturbing as they are on film. As for Michael Myers, he's certainly not as frail as any regular human being in this book, but he doesn't really do anything to indicate the type of terrifying superhuman strength he displays in the movies Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers or Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, and this might make him a less frightening figure overall. Michael Myers is presented more as just an enigmatic murderer in The Scream Factory, though there are a few scenes in which we see events unfold from his point of view, which is the classic device used so eerily in the first Halloween movie.
Major fans of the Halloween franchise should take the time to read this book. The Scream Factory doesn't always mesh completely with the Michael Myers storyline as one can piece it together through the Halloween films, and Michael Myers himself even seems a little bit altered at times, but there are some good moments of suspense to the story, and author Kelly O'Rourke has a fluid writing style that never lost my attention. I'll give one and a half stars to The Scream Factory.
The Scream Factory never makes it entirely clear why Michael Myers is coming home again now, but there's no denying that he is coming, and the longer the teens of Haddonfield go without realizing that, the more perilous their situation grows. Lori and three of her friends have been asked by the mayor of Haddonfield to whip up a little Halloween party at the town's expense, to be held on October 31, as a way of keeping teenagers off the streets and decreasing the normal dangers that Halloween night presents. Lori senses that there's something more to this decision to throw the party, but the mayor's not giving out any additional information, so she and her friends go ahead with the idea and begin putting together a party that should be good enough to outdraw that of their major high school rival, Marsha.
They have little idea of the fact that once again, just as on October 31, 1978, Haddonfield is lined up for a slaughter, and no one will be able to stop Michael Myers once he starts killing. As Laurie Strode herself said in the movie Halloween H2O: 20 Years Later, when Michael Myers finds you there's only one thing you can do: "Try to live."
It was interesting to see the differences and similarities between this first book of what had been a planned series of Halloween novels, and the Halloween movies, themselves. I can see how the books would be considered more appropriate for a young-adult audience than the movies: less swearing, violence and promiscuity is clearly the trend, and the scenes of violence in print aren't nearly as disturbing as they are on film. As for Michael Myers, he's certainly not as frail as any regular human being in this book, but he doesn't really do anything to indicate the type of terrifying superhuman strength he displays in the movies Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers or Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, and this might make him a less frightening figure overall. Michael Myers is presented more as just an enigmatic murderer in The Scream Factory, though there are a few scenes in which we see events unfold from his point of view, which is the classic device used so eerily in the first Halloween movie.
Major fans of the Halloween franchise should take the time to read this book. The Scream Factory doesn't always mesh completely with the Michael Myers storyline as one can piece it together through the Halloween films, and Michael Myers himself even seems a little bit altered at times, but there are some good moments of suspense to the story, and author Kelly O'Rourke has a fluid writing style that never lost my attention. I'll give one and a half stars to The Scream Factory.
June 11, 2018
To be clear - this is a TERRIBLE book. The editing is non-existent, the storyline is inane, and the author clearly didn't take the time to watch any of the Halloween movies before sitting down to write this. And yet it is one of my favorites. I've read it multiple times. There are two more titles in this series and I read them repeatedly as well. They're silly, fast and funny. The gore is hilarious.
June 25, 2012
Loved this series and wished it could have continued. Really captured the feel of the movie franchise. You can really feel the horror coming off of the pages.
June 15, 2009
I love a good horror movie. "Halloween" is my all-time favorite from the genre. I couldn't resist books based on the movie. Creepy book!
October 23, 2022
I had some initial hesitancy in going into these books, because I wasn't sure if I was going to like them or not, just based on some mixed reviews I've heard. But I'm glad that I gave this one a shot! Once again, here's my obligatory thanks to The 80s Slasher Librarian, as I wouldn't have been able to go through this book if he hadn't done a recording of a fan-read audiobook for it on his YouTube channel. And please, if you have any interest in trying to go through this or other older slasher tie-in novels, go check out his channel! He uploads readings of these old, out-of-print books for free, to archive them and make them more accessible to fans.
This has no direct ties to any aspect of the movies beyond the setting and references to Michael killing Judith, so as long as you're aware of that, you can go into this without having watched the entire catalogue of Halloween films. The characters in this book are all their own creation; personally it took me a while to get attached to any of them, but I enjoyed and appreciated them by the end.
If you're expecting this book to pull its punches because it was a 90s YA horror novel, I'm here to tell you that it doesn't. While the writing does leave some things to be desired (and there's really not quite as much death in it either,) it's still pretty intense for what it is, and I think it wasn't bad, by the end!
This has no direct ties to any aspect of the movies beyond the setting and references to Michael killing Judith, so as long as you're aware of that, you can go into this without having watched the entire catalogue of Halloween films. The characters in this book are all their own creation; personally it took me a while to get attached to any of them, but I enjoyed and appreciated them by the end.
If you're expecting this book to pull its punches because it was a 90s YA horror novel, I'm here to tell you that it doesn't. While the writing does leave some things to be desired (and there's really not quite as much death in it either,) it's still pretty intense for what it is, and I think it wasn't bad, by the end!
December 12, 2015
I really liked this. I can't wait to start on the second one
It was worth the buy yes there was one or two plot holes there was no such thing as 12 or 19 teenagers dying in the first two movies.... The first movie three teens died and one mechanic the second movie one teen died a couple of nurses and a security guard...
It was worth the buy yes there was one or two plot holes there was no such thing as 12 or 19 teenagers dying in the first two movies.... The first movie three teens died and one mechanic the second movie one teen died a couple of nurses and a security guard...
January 11, 2022
Poorly written teen drama? Check.
Baffling characterization of a famous villain? You got it.
Ignorance of Halloween 2? Oh yeah.
Stupid dumb fun that you can’t help but roll your eyes to and enjoy anyway? 100%.
Bad book, but a worthy perusal for the laughs. Don’t buy. Just listen to the audiobook on YouTube.
Baffling characterization of a famous villain? You got it.
Ignorance of Halloween 2? Oh yeah.
Stupid dumb fun that you can’t help but roll your eyes to and enjoy anyway? 100%.
Bad book, but a worthy perusal for the laughs. Don’t buy. Just listen to the audiobook on YouTube.
March 12, 2023
Halloween: The Scream Factory was published in 1997 and authored by Kelly O’Rourke. The novel would be young adult, but while there isn’t a lot of death scenes the couple are surprisingly graphic. The novel will probably most appeal to fans of the series looking for more stories based around Michael Myers. I highly doubt many would rate this above any of the films and if so probably only 1 or at most 2 of the films. Halloween: The Scream Factory is a fun read, but it does get a little tiresome as it seems many chapters are more or less the same just worded differently so it’s not without its flaws.
However, the biggest flaws are it seems Kelly O’Rourke only read cliff notes about the films or hadn’t seen them in a while and forgot details. In the novel it mentions events of the original film and Halloween 4 and omits all the others that were made as of when the book was published. That in itself isn’t a big deal, but Michael is sort of treated as an urban legend of sorts as the 4 main characters aren’t even sure Michael Myers is real despite the fact the book mentions Michael last killing about a decade ago, which would make the characters old enough to remember. Perhaps the author confused Michael and Jason Voorhees as Jason is often treated as an urban legend in the films. Also Haddonfield itself slightly differs as the Myers House , the block is surrounded by a wood area and anyone who’s seen the films know there’s no wooded area near the Myers House.
The biggest issue is how Michael is portrayed. He’s still Michael thankfully, but does a couple of things out of character such as calling one of his would be victims (thankfully he doesn’t speak) and makes a growling noise from time to time. He also attempts to bury a character alive. There’s also the threats made to two characters with the word revenge written, however, this could also have been done by another character to spook our leads. It’s never made clear on who exactly did it.
Some of these aspects may frustrate fans of the series, but while Kelly O’Rourke strays at times, but it also doesn’t feel unrelated to the Halloween universe. Characters are entertaining and likable and O’Rourke does create a fairly fun tone and easy read. The first half of the novel is the most enjoyable, the 2nd is where it can trail off. The characters of Lori and Jake it’s mentioned non-stop how attracted they are to each other and after a few chapters it gets extremely tiresome. The biggest letdown is the 4 main characters barley have any interaction with Michael. They do encounter him but there isn’t this big chase scene. All character interactions with Michael are brief with really only 1 of the 4 having a couple of scenes with Michael. The ending also is a bit anti-climatic with no real closure.
Despite all this, Halloween: The Scream Factory is still a fairly entreating read with fun lead characters. It’s just certain aspects may frustrate fans of the movies. But for those that have seen the films a bunch of times, read the novelizations of the ones that got that treatment, Halloween: The Scream Factory makes for a decent expansion into the Halloween universe for fans.
My rating is a light 3/5
However, the biggest flaws are it seems Kelly O’Rourke only read cliff notes about the films or hadn’t seen them in a while and forgot details. In the novel it mentions events of the original film and Halloween 4 and omits all the others that were made as of when the book was published. That in itself isn’t a big deal, but Michael is sort of treated as an urban legend of sorts as the 4 main characters aren’t even sure Michael Myers is real despite the fact the book mentions Michael last killing about a decade ago, which would make the characters old enough to remember. Perhaps the author confused Michael and Jason Voorhees as Jason is often treated as an urban legend in the films. Also Haddonfield itself slightly differs as the Myers House , the block is surrounded by a wood area and anyone who’s seen the films know there’s no wooded area near the Myers House.
The biggest issue is how Michael is portrayed. He’s still Michael thankfully, but does a couple of things out of character such as calling one of his would be victims (thankfully he doesn’t speak) and makes a growling noise from time to time. He also attempts to bury a character alive. There’s also the threats made to two characters with the word revenge written, however, this could also have been done by another character to spook our leads. It’s never made clear on who exactly did it.
Some of these aspects may frustrate fans of the series, but while Kelly O’Rourke strays at times, but it also doesn’t feel unrelated to the Halloween universe. Characters are entertaining and likable and O’Rourke does create a fairly fun tone and easy read. The first half of the novel is the most enjoyable, the 2nd is where it can trail off. The characters of Lori and Jake it’s mentioned non-stop how attracted they are to each other and after a few chapters it gets extremely tiresome. The biggest letdown is the 4 main characters barley have any interaction with Michael. They do encounter him but there isn’t this big chase scene. All character interactions with Michael are brief with really only 1 of the 4 having a couple of scenes with Michael. The ending also is a bit anti-climatic with no real closure.
Despite all this, Halloween: The Scream Factory is still a fairly entreating read with fun lead characters. It’s just certain aspects may frustrate fans of the movies. But for those that have seen the films a bunch of times, read the novelizations of the ones that got that treatment, Halloween: The Scream Factory makes for a decent expansion into the Halloween universe for fans.
My rating is a light 3/5
October 12, 2024
Well...that sure was... something.
I realize it was written as a young adult book, but, man...it was pretty badly written. Cheesy as heck. I don't know much about young adult fiction these days, but I have read just enough to know it's come a long way since this was written and is so much better.
Also, as a huge fan of the "Halloween" franchise, this reads like it was written by someone who has never seen one of the films in their life. O'Rourke describes Michael Myers multiple times as growling, lurching, disfigured, having bad teeth and wearing a plastic mask. Michael Myers on film is silent. He walks rather smoothly. We never see his face except for the original. The mask is rubber. Weird descriptions in this book.
All that said...still was a piece of "Halloween" content I had never consumed so I enjoyed it for that.
I realize it was written as a young adult book, but, man...it was pretty badly written. Cheesy as heck. I don't know much about young adult fiction these days, but I have read just enough to know it's come a long way since this was written and is so much better.
Also, as a huge fan of the "Halloween" franchise, this reads like it was written by someone who has never seen one of the films in their life. O'Rourke describes Michael Myers multiple times as growling, lurching, disfigured, having bad teeth and wearing a plastic mask. Michael Myers on film is silent. He walks rather smoothly. We never see his face except for the original. The mask is rubber. Weird descriptions in this book.
All that said...still was a piece of "Halloween" content I had never consumed so I enjoyed it for that.
July 13, 2022
One of three YA Novels written under the "Halloween" banner, Kelly O'Rourke put the 90s "Scream"-style slasher format to good use here. The novel was extraordinarily cheesy, but it kind of worked in its favor. The dialogue was very 90s, and very PG, considering it's written for the 12-17 age range. The odd thing is, the death sequences were gory as all get-out, and I'm very surprised by that. The story about two best friends and their respective boyfriends being stalked by Michael Myers while being commissioned by the mayor to create a Halloween party for all the teens in town (?) is a very low-budget movie plot, and I love it. I'll definitely read the other two in the series (all which have nothing to do with one another) towards fall! *** 1/2 / *****
October 26, 2022
Incredibly rare and hard to track down to own a copy unless you're willing to dish out some heavy mula, The Scream Factory is the first Halloween Young Adult novel by author Kelly O'Rourke and the best of the bunch. Michael Myers doesn't appear for a few of the opening chapters, but when he does finally show up, there will be blood!
I really dug the Hell out of this book. Even though it's marketed for teenagers, it's got some truly violent moments depicted and feels like an Elseworlds-stylized Halloween tale. Maybe another separate timeline. Who knows?
Well-written, provides a creepy atmosphere, and an enticing story, The Scream Factory is a must-read!
I really dug the Hell out of this book. Even though it's marketed for teenagers, it's got some truly violent moments depicted and feels like an Elseworlds-stylized Halloween tale. Maybe another separate timeline. Who knows?
Well-written, provides a creepy atmosphere, and an enticing story, The Scream Factory is a must-read!
August 26, 2023
I don't think I've ever seen so many exclamation points in a novel before.
Who is this author and how did they come to write this YA series based on Halloween? I would love to know the details behind this. I can tell you this much: The author was certainly not a fan or even someone who actually watched the movie(s). They clearly read the synopsis for Halloween and went with their own vision of Michael—one who wears a black jumpsuit, is horribly disfigured with yellow teeth that show through his mask and makes all sorts of evil, grunting noises.
Michael Myers or not, this was just not a good story and I wouldn't even recommend it to fans. I will waste my time with the other two, though.
Who is this author and how did they come to write this YA series based on Halloween? I would love to know the details behind this. I can tell you this much: The author was certainly not a fan or even someone who actually watched the movie(s). They clearly read the synopsis for Halloween and went with their own vision of Michael—one who wears a black jumpsuit, is horribly disfigured with yellow teeth that show through his mask and makes all sorts of evil, grunting noises.
Michael Myers or not, this was just not a good story and I wouldn't even recommend it to fans. I will waste my time with the other two, though.
September 13, 2025
I love the Halloween movies so when I found out there were books about Michael Myers, I knew I wanted to check them out. This first one in the series is a decent read. Honestly, it’s more of high school drama with a little bit Michael Myers thrown in. I did think that all the characters were written as likable. I found myself really caring for them. Also, there are some fun and gory described kills in this one so that was nice. All these are technically out of print so I found a copy online that someone uploaded so if you want find one too, I’d say check it out. Especially if you like the Halloween movies and since spooky season is getting closer.
December 7, 2022
A bit too much of the main group of teens and not enough Michael Myers for my personal liking. I also think at least one of them could’ve been killed. for a book based on the Halloween franchise, the body count was surprisingly low. Michael felt a little out of character at times and the dialogue, and even the writing at parts, I thought was really cheesy. Yet somehow I still had a decent time reading it. if it wasn’t tied to the Halloween franchise and was instead it’s own thing I don’t think I would’ve liked it as much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2023
Fun read!
I didn't know these existed until recently and was immediately fascinated.
The book doesn't follow the Laurie Strode nor the Jamie Lloyd plotlines, but its own narrative and characters almost twenty years after the events of the original Halloween (though some of the details and references to the original don't exactly match).
Still this was pretty cool that YA books were written based upon the Halloween franchise in the late 1990s and though this was tame by comparison but still had a bit of a body count.
I didn't know these existed until recently and was immediately fascinated.
The book doesn't follow the Laurie Strode nor the Jamie Lloyd plotlines, but its own narrative and characters almost twenty years after the events of the original Halloween (though some of the details and references to the original don't exactly match).
Still this was pretty cool that YA books were written based upon the Halloween franchise in the late 1990s and though this was tame by comparison but still had a bit of a body count.
November 18, 2023
This would have made for a great early 90's horror movie!
We all just accept that Michael can be multiple places at once, walk around unseen, & knows where everyone lives. Imaging this as an older slasher movie makes all these plot issues moot as we'd have just looked past them in a movie, haha.
Otherwise, it is very much a YA novel with high school love interests taking up a large portion of the story and Michael does act a bit out of character, but again, the old movies did way worse.
Also, the ending was fantastic!
We all just accept that Michael can be multiple places at once, walk around unseen, & knows where everyone lives. Imaging this as an older slasher movie makes all these plot issues moot as we'd have just looked past them in a movie, haha.
Otherwise, it is very much a YA novel with high school love interests taking up a large portion of the story and Michael does act a bit out of character, but again, the old movies did way worse.
Also, the ending was fantastic!
February 1, 2024
Yes. I listened to this on Youtube because one of my favorite reviewers uploaded an audiobook of it.
Yes. I listened to it immediately because I was worried it might be taken down.
Yes. Part of the reason I listened to this is because it is incredibly rare.
No. It's not very good. The book itself, not the audio . . . I'm convinced the only reason I enjoyed this as much as I did was because of the reading and the fact that it was a Halloween story.
And yes, I'm going to listen to him read the sequel.
Yes. I listened to it immediately because I was worried it might be taken down.
Yes. Part of the reason I listened to this is because it is incredibly rare.
No. It's not very good. The book itself, not the audio . . . I'm convinced the only reason I enjoyed this as much as I did was because of the reading and the fact that it was a Halloween story.
And yes, I'm going to listen to him read the sequel.
May 23, 2025
Docked two stars for the sheer fact that the author does not understand how Michael acts. He doesn’t make any noises (unless you’re watching the RZ remakes but this was released way before those were even conceived during what I assume was a bad acid trip). Michael not making noises aside from his breathing is what makes him Michael. The storyline is meh and for a slasher, there’s not that much slashing going on. None of the leads die, it’s just side characters which make for a really underwhelming story with no stakes.
Still had a lot of fun reading it ngl!
Still had a lot of fun reading it ngl!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2024
Thanks to the 80s Horror Librarian, I finally got to tap into the 90s YA Halloween novels that are VERY OOP now. 2 young girls in Haddonfield get put in charge of hosting a Halloween Party in city hall but one uninvited guest decides to crash it. Plenty of carnage & fun moments to be found here even with a bit of a letdown ending, still a very fun read for any fan of the series or horror in general.
October 13, 2025
As huge fan of RL Stine’s Goosebumps and Fear Street novels in the 90’s, these books were right up my alley after realizing they existed. They are not canon to the Halloween movies but still had a great time reading all 3. After completing the first novel, I went into the second expecting the stories from the characters from the first to continue but all 3 books were different characters. If you are like me and enjoy anything Micheal Myers, you’ll greatly enjoy this series.
May 30, 2024
While it reboots the series in a somewhat interesting way (though likely due to poor research on the part of the author), the weak plotting and flat characters take away from what was already a not-great story featuring a Michael Myers that deviates too much from his established characterization. The writing falls into a lot of YA tropes that kind of ruined it for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 14, 2023
A rare paperback to come across but thankfully there are some audio versions on YouTube. Very much enjoyed listening to this while working on a jigsaw puzzle in a cozy sweater with several cups of tea. 🍵
April 23, 2023
Awful.
Had a good time.
Had a good time.
August 7, 2023
So fun! It was exactly what I hoped it would be: a mashup of Fear Street & Sweet Valley High vibes all wrapped up in ‘90s cheesy teen pulp horror gloriousness.
October 14, 2023
Read like a somehow even cheesier version of a Fear Street novel.
December 28, 2023
Read this book as a kid and thourougly enjoyed it
September 6, 2024
3.5 stars.
October 22, 2025
Boy, is this book ever stupid. I love it.
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