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Nightmare Hall #8
The Experiment
Caryl Amberly is thrilled when she is selected to participate in Professor Maximillian Delure's new seminar until she learns of his reputation as a scientist, poet--and killer. Original.
160 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1994
2 people are currently reading
291 people want to read
About the author
Diane Hoh
83 books285 followersDiane Hoh is the author of fifty-seven novels for young adults. She grew up in Warren, Pennsylvania but currently resides in Austin, Texas. Reading and writing are her favorite things, alongside gardening and grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 4, 2023
3.5 stars
Standard point horror entry this one. Some fairly decent suspense and there was some time spent in setting up the characters. But the plot was a little on the bizarre side and the end reveal was the most obvious choice. Still enjoyed it on the whole and would recommend. But there's much better entries in the series.
Caryl is delighted to be accepted on the advanced science course at the University, lead by the attractive Professor Delure. But when series of accidents aimed for her occur in the class, she starts to believe the professor may be more dangerous than he seems.
Standard point horror entry this one. Some fairly decent suspense and there was some time spent in setting up the characters. But the plot was a little on the bizarre side and the end reveal was the most obvious choice. Still enjoyed it on the whole and would recommend. But there's much better entries in the series.
Caryl is delighted to be accepted on the advanced science course at the University, lead by the attractive Professor Delure. But when series of accidents aimed for her occur in the class, she starts to believe the professor may be more dangerous than he seems.
September 24, 2022
Not my favourite, too many loose ends.
No explanation for Professor DeLure’s and Caryl’s weird first meeting and I want to know about that conversation between Ben and Anna!!!
No explanation for Professor DeLure’s and Caryl’s weird first meeting and I want to know about that conversation between Ben and Anna!!!
January 11, 2026
- this one does suffer from a few YA horror cliches (stalker notes with bad rhymes, etc.) but is also surprisingly feminist??
- poetry seminar for science students sounds cool actually?
- thought it was going to be a skeevy professor story and it wasn’t at all (although, hot prof was STRANGE—we never did get an explanation for what he was doing with those…specimens)
- this one is BONKERS in a telenovela kinda way
- yes there are giant spiders
- several v bad names in this one (lookin at you, Perri Biddle and Professor Maximilian delure, and yes, even the protag bc I kept reading her name as CARLY and not CARYL. What is that spelling)
- poetry seminar for science students sounds cool actually?
- thought it was going to be a skeevy professor story and it wasn’t at all (although, hot prof was STRANGE—we never did get an explanation for what he was doing with those…specimens)
- this one is BONKERS in a telenovela kinda way
- yes there are giant spiders
- several v bad names in this one (lookin at you, Perri Biddle and Professor Maximilian delure, and yes, even the protag bc I kept reading her name as CARLY and not CARYL. What is that spelling)
June 12, 2021
Caryl is a freshman at Salem University, who's just gotten into a seminar with her favorite teacher, mysterious Professor DeLure. But there is something odd about him, something she can't quite trust. And soon she begins to receive threatening notes. Is it a prank? Or is she in grave danger?
This was a quick read that sent chills down my spine in true 90s teen horror fashion. Caryl was a touch blank but likable enough. The mystery of the notes was engaging, though there were some loose ends to the story that I wish the author had better tied up.
This was a quick read that sent chills down my spine in true 90s teen horror fashion. Caryl was a touch blank but likable enough. The mystery of the notes was engaging, though there were some loose ends to the story that I wish the author had better tied up.
August 29, 2015
Source: I own this book.
Cost: 20p from a charity shop
Title: The Experiment
Series: Nightmare Hall #8
Author: Diane Hoh
Overall Rating: 3.7 stars
I love 90's teen horror books.
How could you not? They're so different to more modern horror books as they actually give you chills. I had chills throughout this book. I really liked Caryl, I thought she was a decent charity for this being such a short little book. I think Diane Hoh and RL Stine are the quintessential Point Horror writers. I have such love for this genre and I can't wait to revisit it and review them all.
This one definitely had a very interesting plot, I found Professor DeLure very very creepy.
Very creepy.
But sure, it all worked out at the end.
Cost: 20p from a charity shop
Title: The Experiment
Series: Nightmare Hall #8
Author: Diane Hoh
Overall Rating: 3.7 stars
I love 90's teen horror books.
How could you not? They're so different to more modern horror books as they actually give you chills. I had chills throughout this book. I really liked Caryl, I thought she was a decent charity for this being such a short little book. I think Diane Hoh and RL Stine are the quintessential Point Horror writers. I have such love for this genre and I can't wait to revisit it and review them all.
This one definitely had a very interesting plot, I found Professor DeLure very very creepy.
Very creepy.
But sure, it all worked out at the end.
May 15, 2022
I love the Nightmare Hall series. LOVE IT. But this is by far the worst of them. From the hokey characters to the ridiculous plot to the stolen Sherlock Holmes lines, none of it makes sense or fits together. It almost feels like someone else wrote it. It’s one of the shortest at least.
September 14, 2022
It was so so. This book felt rushed and not quite right. I found many grammatical mistakes and I usually never catch them I'm wondering if Diane Hoh actually wrote this. It wasn't the worst I've ever read but I'm hoping the other Nightmare Hall books are better.
September 22, 2021
This one was really weird.
March 9, 2025
The only thing that ever really held me back from reading this one was the creepy spider on the cover but everything else was just too good to pass up reading the back of the book and finding at Half Price Books.
This is one of the Nightmare Hall books where it was actually written by Nola Thacker and not Diane Hoh as printed on the copyright page. Sometimes, these are hits and misses. The Experiment falls more in the hit category due to its creepy atmosphere.
Caryl Amberley (pronounced like Carol) is a freshman student chosen to be one the twelve participants in the newest seminar by Salem University professor, Maximillian DeLure. Besides that, he is also an award-winning poet along with his degree in studying animal behavior to go alongside his tall, dark and handsome looks. Silver touched black hair and an eye patch over his eye has plenty of female students swooning over him but also seems to be a turn-off for others like her best friend, Anna.
Could also be the rumors that he isn't exactly sane or as ethical as one would believe a teacher to be.
Caryl isn't happy to learn that blonde, cat-eyed Perri is another student included in DeLure's class because the girl is not well-liked by many as she is a flirt and a witch with a capital B. The only thing Anna has interest in is that DeLure's teaching assistant Nicholas is very attractive and more her type in guys.
Caryl has been going on a few dates with Ben who does work study at the university post office and seems to be a fan of horror films and pranks...far off from someone as sophisticated as a poetic teacher with a Gothic quality to his looks. Despite claiming that she has respect for DeLure and not a crush, Caryl is surprised to see that another participant in class is Dare Winters, known as a campus bad boy, himself.
It is clear that Caryl is becoming a teacher's pet for DeLure and though it gets her some resentment from the others, it doesn't stop Dare from asking Caryl for help with their first assignment. It does seem to give Perri a reason not to like Caryl as she and Dare have "history" but dating woes are the least of Caryl's problems.
In her mailbox, she finds a dead Siamese fighting fish like the ones in the aquarium tank that Professor DeLure keeps in his office. Along with it, the first of threatening notes of bad poetry left for her to find and frightening instances of feeling as if someone were watching her.
Caryl has a group of suspects surrounding her thanks to Perri being jealous and Ben being jealous, the looming instance of her best friend being crazy since this is a Point Horror, her teacher's reputation and establishing that both Dare and Nicholas are important to the plot. Red herrings abound in this one and yes, that creepy tarantula does play a vital part in the book.
Apparently, the title is supposed to be a nifty one because this truly is an experiment in fear despite there being no such experiment taking place in the book. The professor in question does have a lab filled with poisonous snakes and spiders yet it only provides a reason since he studies the behavior of animals yet only the really creepy ones.
At least it isn't on the cuter ones like dogs or cats or bunnies...that would be far more unnerving than a dead fish though not as bad as a spider *shudders*
The Experiment is a far better Nightmare Hall entry than The Wish in comparison IMHO from beginning prologue to even the ending, highly recommended.
This is one of the Nightmare Hall books where it was actually written by Nola Thacker and not Diane Hoh as printed on the copyright page. Sometimes, these are hits and misses. The Experiment falls more in the hit category due to its creepy atmosphere.
Caryl Amberley (pronounced like Carol) is a freshman student chosen to be one the twelve participants in the newest seminar by Salem University professor, Maximillian DeLure. Besides that, he is also an award-winning poet along with his degree in studying animal behavior to go alongside his tall, dark and handsome looks. Silver touched black hair and an eye patch over his eye has plenty of female students swooning over him but also seems to be a turn-off for others like her best friend, Anna.
Could also be the rumors that he isn't exactly sane or as ethical as one would believe a teacher to be.
Caryl isn't happy to learn that blonde, cat-eyed Perri is another student included in DeLure's class because the girl is not well-liked by many as she is a flirt and a witch with a capital B. The only thing Anna has interest in is that DeLure's teaching assistant Nicholas is very attractive and more her type in guys.
Caryl has been going on a few dates with Ben who does work study at the university post office and seems to be a fan of horror films and pranks...far off from someone as sophisticated as a poetic teacher with a Gothic quality to his looks. Despite claiming that she has respect for DeLure and not a crush, Caryl is surprised to see that another participant in class is Dare Winters, known as a campus bad boy, himself.
It is clear that Caryl is becoming a teacher's pet for DeLure and though it gets her some resentment from the others, it doesn't stop Dare from asking Caryl for help with their first assignment. It does seem to give Perri a reason not to like Caryl as she and Dare have "history" but dating woes are the least of Caryl's problems.
In her mailbox, she finds a dead Siamese fighting fish like the ones in the aquarium tank that Professor DeLure keeps in his office. Along with it, the first of threatening notes of bad poetry left for her to find and frightening instances of feeling as if someone were watching her.
Caryl has a group of suspects surrounding her thanks to Perri being jealous and Ben being jealous, the looming instance of her best friend being crazy since this is a Point Horror, her teacher's reputation and establishing that both Dare and Nicholas are important to the plot. Red herrings abound in this one and yes, that creepy tarantula does play a vital part in the book.
Apparently, the title is supposed to be a nifty one because this truly is an experiment in fear despite there being no such experiment taking place in the book. The professor in question does have a lab filled with poisonous snakes and spiders yet it only provides a reason since he studies the behavior of animals yet only the really creepy ones.
At least it isn't on the cuter ones like dogs or cats or bunnies...that would be far more unnerving than a dead fish though not as bad as a spider *shudders*
The Experiment is a far better Nightmare Hall entry than The Wish in comparison IMHO from beginning prologue to even the ending, highly recommended.
November 11, 2025
I do enjoy Diane Hoh's Nightmare Hall books, and I find them immensely readable, but The Experiment is the worst one so far. So imagine my surprise when I checked the copyright page to see that writing duties on this book were actually handled by Nola Thacker, not Diane Hoh. Thacker previously wrote
The Scream Team
, which has been one of my favourite Nightmare Hall books so far. I do really enjoy being in this setting, and I still think the overall Nightmare Hall concept is strong, but there's a lot here that doesn't really work too well. So let's start there...
There's occasions where it feels like whole passages have been removed, where events or conversations are casually referred to later but these casual references are the first time we've been made aware of this ever happening. This would be a fine technique if we had an unreliable narrator, but that's not the case here. It ends up feeling like the book was hastily and lazily put together, and would really have benefitted from an editor or someone giving it a look over before publication. Character motivations are also questionable throughout, and there are scenes which feel like they should be consequential but then remain unexplained for the entirety of the book. The ending also leaves an awful lot unresolved in a way that is just unsatisfying. The Experiment also has a strange tie to The Silent Scream . These Nightmare Hall books do often contain cross-references, but this time it just comes across quite awkwardly. It's often quite a befuddling read as to why certain decisions are made throughout.
However, it's not all bad. I liked the protagonist, Caryl, and there's a couple of fun sequences. I also enjoyed getting some (admittedly very brief) glimpses into one of the classes held on campus. I found Professor Maximillian DeLure to be an intriguing character too, and although I didn't particularly like the resolution of the central mystery here, I still quite liked the mystery itself. Still, this is a terribly average Nightmare Hall entry, which is a shame as I have come to quite look forward to these books.
2.5/5
Point Horror Ranked
1) The Girlfriend - 4/5
2) Thirteen More Tales of Horror - 4/5
3) The Dead Game - 4/5
4) Trick or Treat - 3.5/5
5) Camp Fear - 3.5/5
6) Nightmare Hall - The Silent Scream - 3.5/5
7) Dream Date - 3.5/5
8) Fatal Secrets - 3.5/5
9) Teacher's Pet - 3.5/5
10) The Baby-Sitter II - 3.5/5
11) The Cheerleader - 3.5/5
12) The Hitchhiker - 3.5/5
13) Nightmare Hall - The Scream Team - 3.5/5
14) April Fools - 3.5/5
15) My Secret Admirer - 3.5/5
16) The Lifeguard - 3.5/5
17) Freeze Tag - 3/5
18) Thirteen Tales of Horror - 3/5
19) The Accident - 3/5
20) The Vampire's Promise - 3/5
21) Funhouse - 3/5
22) Nightmare Hall - Pretty Please - 3/5
23) The Stranger - 3/5
24) Nightmare Hall - Deadly Attraction - 3/5
25) The Window - 3/5
26) Nightmare Hall - Guilty - 3/5
27) The Invitation - 2.5/5
28) Nightmare Hall - The Wish - 2.5/5
29) Help Wanted - 2.5/5
30) The Perfume - 2.5/5
31) The Train - 2.5/5
32) The Waitress - 2.5/5
33) The Snowman - 2.5/5
34) Nightmare Hall - The Roommate - 2.5/5
35) The Yearbook - 2.5/5
36) Halloween Night - 2.5/5
37) Beach House - 2.5/5
38) The Mall - 2.5/5
39) Nightmare Hall - The Experiment - 2.5/5
40) The Boyfriend - 2/5
41) The Fever - 2/5
42) The Cemetery - 2/5
43) Mother's Helper - 2/5
44) The Baby-Sitter III - 2/5
45) The Phantom - 2/5
46) The Dead Girlfriend - 2/5
47) The Baby-Sitter - 1.5/5
48) Hit and Run - 1.5/5
49) The Return of the Vampire - 1/5
50) Beach Party - 1/5
There's occasions where it feels like whole passages have been removed, where events or conversations are casually referred to later but these casual references are the first time we've been made aware of this ever happening. This would be a fine technique if we had an unreliable narrator, but that's not the case here. It ends up feeling like the book was hastily and lazily put together, and would really have benefitted from an editor or someone giving it a look over before publication. Character motivations are also questionable throughout, and there are scenes which feel like they should be consequential but then remain unexplained for the entirety of the book. The ending also leaves an awful lot unresolved in a way that is just unsatisfying. The Experiment also has a strange tie to The Silent Scream . These Nightmare Hall books do often contain cross-references, but this time it just comes across quite awkwardly. It's often quite a befuddling read as to why certain decisions are made throughout.
However, it's not all bad. I liked the protagonist, Caryl, and there's a couple of fun sequences. I also enjoyed getting some (admittedly very brief) glimpses into one of the classes held on campus. I found Professor Maximillian DeLure to be an intriguing character too, and although I didn't particularly like the resolution of the central mystery here, I still quite liked the mystery itself. Still, this is a terribly average Nightmare Hall entry, which is a shame as I have come to quite look forward to these books.
2.5/5
Point Horror Ranked
1) The Girlfriend - 4/5
2) Thirteen More Tales of Horror - 4/5
3) The Dead Game - 4/5
4) Trick or Treat - 3.5/5
5) Camp Fear - 3.5/5
6) Nightmare Hall - The Silent Scream - 3.5/5
7) Dream Date - 3.5/5
8) Fatal Secrets - 3.5/5
9) Teacher's Pet - 3.5/5
10) The Baby-Sitter II - 3.5/5
11) The Cheerleader - 3.5/5
12) The Hitchhiker - 3.5/5
13) Nightmare Hall - The Scream Team - 3.5/5
14) April Fools - 3.5/5
15) My Secret Admirer - 3.5/5
16) The Lifeguard - 3.5/5
17) Freeze Tag - 3/5
18) Thirteen Tales of Horror - 3/5
19) The Accident - 3/5
20) The Vampire's Promise - 3/5
21) Funhouse - 3/5
22) Nightmare Hall - Pretty Please - 3/5
23) The Stranger - 3/5
24) Nightmare Hall - Deadly Attraction - 3/5
25) The Window - 3/5
26) Nightmare Hall - Guilty - 3/5
27) The Invitation - 2.5/5
28) Nightmare Hall - The Wish - 2.5/5
29) Help Wanted - 2.5/5
30) The Perfume - 2.5/5
31) The Train - 2.5/5
32) The Waitress - 2.5/5
33) The Snowman - 2.5/5
34) Nightmare Hall - The Roommate - 2.5/5
35) The Yearbook - 2.5/5
36) Halloween Night - 2.5/5
37) Beach House - 2.5/5
38) The Mall - 2.5/5
39) Nightmare Hall - The Experiment - 2.5/5
40) The Boyfriend - 2/5
41) The Fever - 2/5
42) The Cemetery - 2/5
43) Mother's Helper - 2/5
44) The Baby-Sitter III - 2/5
45) The Phantom - 2/5
46) The Dead Girlfriend - 2/5
47) The Baby-Sitter - 1.5/5
48) Hit and Run - 1.5/5
49) The Return of the Vampire - 1/5
50) Beach Party - 1/5
April 4, 2024
THIS BOOK LEFT US HANGING IN SO MANY PLACES. Like we needed to know more about the conversation between Ben and Anna. We needed to know more about that weird lab. We needed to know more about GiselleNo that was probably done in previous books of this series. It just didn't feel right and had so many loose threads.
Now the story. It did have some good points of suspense and it did have good character and tension building, but didn't it feel straight from A SHERLOCK HOLMES BOOK!? But the plot twist. I didn't see it coming. .
Nevertheless, this was a good, short read. I think I would have liked this book more if I read all the books in the series? Also, as I was reading reviews for this book, many mentioned that this was Diane Hoh's worst book of this series. So maybe I can give it one more chance! But I do recommend this book...
"All of them were deadly.
Only one of them could win.
But only time would tell who would live and who would die:
The observer.
The Professor.
Or the spider."
Now the story. It did have some good points of suspense and it did have good character and tension building, but didn't it feel straight from A SHERLOCK HOLMES BOOK!? But the plot twist. I didn't see it coming. .
"She looked forward to seeing Professor DeLure. Trusted him. Believed somehow that he could make everything come out all right?
But he wasn't there.
Nevertheless, this was a good, short read. I think I would have liked this book more if I read all the books in the series? Also, as I was reading reviews for this book, many mentioned that this was Diane Hoh's worst book of this series. So maybe I can give it one more chance! But I do recommend this book...
"If they don't kill me first." 🗡️
May 6, 2024
There was a brief visit to Nightmare Hall in this one, and we even had an encounter with Giselle!
March 28, 2023
A promising set-up and some intriguing characters are wasted with slapdash plotting and thin supporting characters. At 160 pages, it's short even for Point Horror, and a bit more rigour would have made all the difference. As a result, we have a frustrating rush job, when we could have had one of the better entries in the series.
As an aside, my copy had several egregious typographical errors, which didn't help my enjoyment.
As an aside, my copy had several egregious typographical errors, which didn't help my enjoyment.
November 16, 2025
This book was weird. I don't think I connected with a whole lot of it, and while I enjoyed the other Diane Hoh book I read, this one just felt rushed and underdeveloped. There were a lot of cool ideas here, but some of the more unique ones seemed to just fall away and be forgotten in favor of others that also never fully reached their final potential. Overall, a disappointing read but with a lot of untapped potential.
October 11, 2020
Another throwback to my childhood!
I actually quite enjoyed this one, and found myself suspecting everyone - once again I didn't guess who the bad guy was!
I am definitely better at guessing the ending on the more modern thrillers.
I actually quite enjoyed this one, and found myself suspecting everyone - once again I didn't guess who the bad guy was!
I am definitely better at guessing the ending on the more modern thrillers.
December 5, 2020
Was such a good book, It gives you chills, still remember it now.
September 11, 2023
Literal shivers
January 26, 2024
This was a pretty poor addition to the series! 1.5* rounded up. The plot was all over the place! The characters were generally pretty weak and there were a lot of loose ends.
July 24, 2012
This is the first book in this series that I've read, but I bought a whole stack of them yesterday and I am not disappointed! These teen horror stories from the early 90's deliver exactly what they promise..chills and thrills. Paced well, suspenseful and an ending you don't see coming, can't wait to read the rest of these!
March 28, 2012
This was not one of diane's better tales for sure. The heroine was wretched and it had spiders or should I say tarantulas as a antagonist!!! I hate bugs!!!!
On that standard alone I would not recommend this to anyone.
On that standard alone I would not recommend this to anyone.
November 23, 2009
Dis BoOk IS gUdd
October 4, 2014
Anna really isn't that good of friend. I mean have your moment of mad and then listen to your friend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2024
This book had lots of loose threads in it and I think that would be obvious as I skipped 7 books and just read the 8 one but overall the book was ok
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews