Funhouse

by Diane Hoh

Book by Diane Hoh

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Teen, Childrens

176 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1990

About the author

Diane 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.

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seventeen-year-old Tess Landers is hanging out with many school friends at the amusement park on The Boardwalk, in Santa Luisa, California. After she stops in the ladies restroom she comes back out and watches the rollercoaster go up the track (with three of her friends on board). To her horror she sees it fly off the track and crash before her eyes, killing and maiming many on board, including three of her friends. She tells the friends she’s with that she noticed someone that looked suspicious underneath the rollercoaster, dressed in black, quickly slip away after the crash, not coming to help, but going in the other direction. Tess is pretty shook up, but she eventually goes home. She lives at an exclusive condominium complex with her stepmother, Shelley, who is now divorcing Tess's father. But Shelley just took a trip to Europe so Tess is now all alone in the apartment. That night, someone slips a threatening note under her door.

After this, more accidents keep happening---all to her friends, and all at The Boardwalk. Tess is also receiving more threats, menacing phone calls, notes... She tells the police but they don’t take her seriously. Why is someone targeting her friends? And why The Boardwalk?

I really enjoyed this book. I liked Tess and I liked the settings---The Boardwalk, the amusement park, etc... This was a fun and entertaining young-adult suspense story from the 90's. A fast and easy read.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual names of characters in this book: Guy Joe, Sr., Guy Joe, Jr., Trudy Slaughter. Unreal.

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are few things more awesome than cheese and FUNHOUSE certainly fit that mould nicely. Not only that but I love reading un-updated works if for nothing more than the outdated styles of dress. Boys in cutoff jeans? Ha! But I remember it. Most of it would probably be pretty innocuous to the younger readers now simply because the descriptions aren't too detailed but every once in a while you'll get the little nugget of nostalgia that'll have you going 'yup.' Love it.

FUNHOUSE combines two of my favorite things: horror and boardwalks. Thanks Lost Boys. You rear your mulleted head once again. There just always seems to be something sinister underlying a carnival-like atmosphere. I'm pretty sure it's the clowns. Are the looking at the same cover I am? So going in it had the proper ambiance for me to be nice and cozily happy.

The thing about a lot of these old school cheesy YA horror books is that there really isn't any supernatural involved; they're mostly thriller but the way they're written it could go either way. This particular novel utilized pseudo-flashback pieces that involved a diary and insinuated at maybe a haunting. Personally I think that's just enough to pull it all together.

Another common theme in the cheese is the novel having at least one character that you desperately wish would get hit by a bus. They're just total shitbags that you can't help but wonder why they have friends at all. Trudy was that person in FUNHOUSE. She's just an all around nasty, negative human being that any normal person would probably drop like a bad habit. But I guess because she's rich and all their daddies work together she's automatically lumped in with the rest. Sucks for the rest of them.

Tess is the kind of heroine that I wish I saw more of in today's YA. She has Sam (her perhaps/maybe-boyfriend) constantly trying to protect her but she's so adamant that she can take care of herself that I couldn't help but go yeah! Granted she takes it to a point of it being a fault, especially when the events start getting drastic and her life appears to really be in danger but she wants to stand on her own two feet. She don't need no man to protect her! Yes! Aside from that she is strong, wanting to solve the mystery behind all of these events even in the face of doubt and ridicule. Everyone else things it's a string of unfortunate accidents (of course) but Tess knows better. There are too many elements going on for any of it to be coincidental.

Hoh is one of the better old school YA horror writers. She doesn't pander to her audience and just lets the story tell itself. None of the dialogue feels contrived and the characters feel real to me. Of course there's a bit of the melodrama going on and the entire plot centers around a bunch of rich kids but they're not obnoxious about it. They don't flaunt their parents' wealth. It's not a motivating factor in the story; they all just are and who their parents are just happen to be who their parents are. It's not a card to play, which I liked.

FUNHOUSE is a great addition to my cheese library and one I'll probably re-read at some point in the future. There's a classic feel to it, aside from the fact that the roller coaster is named The Devil's Elbow. How . . . threatening?

[Kyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tess, the main character was the dumbest person ever. Example: having the feeling that she was being followed, she felt unsafe walking alone at night on the main street of town. So what did she do? She decided to walk through the fucking woods in the middle of the night... Yeah, cause that's so much safer when you're being followed...

The killer in this book was also a pure joke. The motives, the hatred.. Nothing made any sense.

I grew up with the Point Horror novels and I really loved quite a few of them, but this one wasn't that great. I will continue to read the Point Horror novels because I know some of them are very enjoyable.

[Stay Fetters · Rating 4 out of 5]

”Dade and Sheree went up the hill, With Joey right behind them, Now Dade is dead and Sheree’s ill, And Joey’s leg can’t find him.”

Another day, another magical Trent pick. He is now 3-3 with his picks. Not sure if I’ll ever go back to picking my own reads (we all know that’s a lie)

Funhouse was the true house of horrors. I devoured this book due to the insanity that took place between these pages. Point horror is so spot on that I’ll never tire of these reads.

Also can we discuss the names of the characters in this book? Guy Joe? Doss? Dade? And the list goes on. That may be the true mystery here…

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

With such a gruesome explosive opening chapter of a roller coaster crash, including one victim having his leg 'separated' - it's easy to see why these books were so popular in the 90's.

Our main protagonist Tess is convinced that she saw someone leaving the scene and is sure that it wasn't an accident.

There's a nice blend of mystery and suspense as Tess needs to discover why her friend group seemed to be targeted, with some nice theories planted along the way.
The nice mix of chapters that includes some POVs from the villain adds more enigma to the narrative.

Whilst there are possibly too many characters to keep track of, Hoh certainly writes in a mature way for a teen audience which helps make it a standout in the Point Horror series.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another teen horror novel whose cover was instantly familiar to me. Oh my gosh, the font for the title!!! So good.

This book was really silly and full of plot holes. But I am burying the lead . . . which is that there is a character named "Guy Joe." Seriously. Actually, it is Guy Joe, Jr., which means there is a Guy Joe, Sr. Guy Joe!!!!! For real.

The book starts with a pretty grim scene in which a roller coaster derails, killing and maiming several friends of the main character, Tess. But there's no time for any of the teenage characters to mourn or have feelings about it because there is PLOT to get to! Tess sees a mysterious person underneath the roller coaster tracks right before the accident, but when she tries to tell people about it, no one believes her because she is a silly emotional girl who is probably seeing things. Then she gets a letter containing death threats, so she takes it to the police station. Before she can even speak, a police officer says, "You got a problem, little lady? What's the matter, you missing a boyfriend? . . . Fellow'd have to be crazy to walk out on a pretty little thing like you." Tess is 17. She can't even report a death threat without being sexually harassed and silenced. Yikes. I don't know. It was starting to depress me. I think if the main character was a guy, no one would question what he had witnessed or the fact that he felt threatened. But I digress . . . More bad things start to happen to Tess and her group of friends and still everyone but Tess thinks it is just coincidence - which, of course, it is not. The resolution of this book doesn't really make sense and the killer's motivation is strange and his/her methods are way too complicated. If you want them dead, just kill them - stop being so convoluted about it. I don't know, all of these teen books are kind of cliched and silly, but this one felt like it was worse for some reason.

Two other random thoughts:
- The roller coaster of doom from the beginning of the book is called "The Devil's Elbow" - which feels like kind of a laughable name for a thrill ride. Are elbows scary?

-This book contains maybe the most 80's line of all time: "Clamping the headphones over her ears and snapping the cassette player on the metal chain belt circling the waist of her jeans, she began her search." The music on the cassette: George Michael.

[Mark Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

"When Tess gave into sleep, every light in the house was blazing".... I guess CLIMATE CHANGE just wasn't on her mind.....

So there is a TERRIBLE "accident" on a rollercoaster which leaves Teenagers either DEAD or just Mangled......

There is nothing I like more than sitting down to a nice CUP OF COFFEE on a rainy Sunday afternoon and reading about DEAD and Mangled teenagers.... Bliss...

Tess was a witness to this accident and she just so happened to see a figure dressed in black fleeing from the scene.... Hmmmmmm, I think we have a Mystery on our HANDS gang.... Yeah it would be cool if FRED JONES popped up and sorted this out but he doesn't. This TESS girl doesn't even tell the police.... well that is until CREEPY notes are being sent out with words like 'YOUR NEXT' written on them - I mean talk about ruin your day. There you are with the vision of some poor Jock with his leg hanging off and feeling gutted that he wont be able to dance at the PROM and you get a note like that.... Thanks, thanks a bunch...

The story is told quite well and the CREEPY first person narrative chapters of the Man in Black work really well.

One of the better Point Horrors out there....

[Grace Chan · Rating 4 out of 5]

***SPOILERSSSSS***

A rollercoaster careens off it's tracks, mangling a bunch of people and killing one. Kids fall out of a hole in the floor of the Funhouse, shattering bones. Menacing notes at the doorstep and threatening phone calls are made. This is all very exciting stuff, people!!

Watch out for your evil brother who's not ACTUALLY your brother. He's plotting to murder you and all your friends because he found out from an old diary in the attic that he was adopted at birth and his real parents were driven to suicide....in part because of his adopted parents. DUN DUN DUN!!! He's gonna sneak up behind you when you're listening to George Michael on your Walkman and take you hostage into the Funhouse so he can plan a poetic murder/suicide in there for the both of you. DANG, THIS BOOK IS SUPPOSED TO BE FOR CHILDREN, YOU GUYS 😱😱

Anyways I would've loved to have a Funhouse 2!! No happy ending here....the killer has unfinished business and lives to plot out his ultimate revenge, albeit from the insane asylum....which I guess is another type of Funhouse 😅😅

4 out of 5 flying body parts in the aftermath of the rollercoaster accident. This was a fun one!

[Kelsi - Slime and Slashers · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded down. I guessed who the antagonist was halfway through the book, but it was still a fun and super quick read. I wish the story had more scenes set in the funhouse though. It felt like that setting was barely featured. Also, the ending could have been a bit more fleshed out. I am honestly not upset about any of this because I always know what I'm getting into with these 90s YA books. And I still always have a great time reading them overall!

[The Local Spooky Hermit · Rating 2 out of 5]

I figured the funhouse would play a bigger role in the book seeing as it's called Funhouse. Too bad the place sounded cool so I was hoping the climax would really get into it and go max creepy with that crazy place but nah too quick.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished my very first book from Diane Hoh called Funhouse.Earlier this year I found out she sadly passed away,and from what I remember I never got around to reading any of her work.I finally finished one and I thought it was pretty good!The book starts off with Tess and a few of her friends.I don't remember all of them,but I know there is a Trudy,Sam,Doss,Candace ,beak and her Brother Guy Joe.She is staying at her house vy herself ,because her mom is off on a trip.Her Brother lives with her dad.Right off the bat I'll say the names were a little different.I got confused at a few points.Anyway,this group is at the boardwalk near a Funhouse that is this towns main attraction.One of the rides at this Boardwalk is called The Devils Elbow and it suddenly crashes.This part is very grim and written in a way that these Point Horror books I've never seen.The crash happens and we have a casualty and a bunch of injuries,including one where a guy that runs track loses a leg.They call the ambulance and Tess sees a shadowy figure running away from the scene.She tells the group what she sees and they don't seem to see what she's talking about.We cut to the next chapter and it follows the villian.This person is talking about finding this diary in an attic.It claims that there was a baby that got sold along time ago and it's very cryptic.We get multiple chapters throughout this book and its very intresting.Tess ends up getting a letter in the mail that has a super creepy unique poem that basically brags about the crash and asks who is next.Tess and her friends ends up going back to the boardwalk to prove its safe,because her friends parents all work for the boardwalk.They are the commissioners or something like that.They go and explore a bit.They get ready to leave and Tess leaves her keys.Tess goes back to retrieve them,but Gina offers to go inside instead.She ends up falling through where this saucer thing is at.Tess finds her and one of the saucers is missing.When the kids go back the saucer is put back.Tess thinks there is a connection between all of these kids and their parents.She tries to tell her friends and they don't belive her.She gets information from one of the kids about a suicide that happend inside the Funhouse a lomg time ago.Tess gets home and runs into a cat hanging from a chandelier.she panics and one of the friends discovers it is a stuffed animal.Tess sees this as a threat though and thinks it has to be one of her friends because nobody knows she is holding onto Gina's cat.She ends up getting a phone call from the culprit saying she is going to pay or something like that.Tess goes to visit Gina at the hospital and when she comes back all of her tires are shashed.They end up having a birthday party for Trudy and all of them get sick from some brownies somebody left Trudy.It turns out it had rat poison in it.We get a climax inside the funhouse where we find all of our answers.It gets pretty good but ends pretty quickly.Negatives for this book have to be for the motive for the villian.I understood it,but it wasn't the most convincing.Also I got super confused with the characters names there is a Trudy,Guy Joe,Beak,and the cats name is Trillby.There is also a character in the diary entry named Tully I think it is.I will say though,this book wasn't scared to go darker places and I appreciated it for that.I loved the setting and the things that happen to Tess and her friends were pretty violent.I give The Funhouse a four out of five stars.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun Point Horror! I knew from the title and cover it was going to be right up my street. Not only do we have the magical Boardwalk amusement park setting but there's a decent plot too. We're led on a journey to discovering the identity of the little toerag causing havoc in this tight-knit seaside town. Diane Hoh never seems to disappoint, I'll be sad when I've read all her contributions to this series.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diane Hoh is a queen at writing slasher type thrillers. This book was published in the 1990s but still manages to give you a quick thrill.

Our main character Tess sees something she shouldn't. When watching the horror that is a Rollercoaster going off the rails, she notices something else that puts her in danger. Treating notes, more accidents and terror are in store for her. Can she find out who did it?

As these books were published during the point horror boom they are getting quite old. However they are written in such a quick, fast paced way that you'll want to keep reading. There are some small plot holes though.

I love these books and hope to keep re reading them this year.

[Jenelle Compton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh Point horror books. These were my addiction when I was in junior high. For that reason, they don't have the best impression in my head, as far as books go. I love them, but I think of them as crap. I don't know why, because that really isn't true.

Funhouse IS decently written and a fun read, the mystery is as good as half the mystery books I read. I'm absolutely going to go back an read a bunch more of these books :)

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A string of dangerous accidents begin to occur between Tess and her friend group, concentrated on the boardwalk. Although, Tess is not so sure they're accidental at all; she thinks one of her friends is doing this - she just can't figure out why, or who.

[Beth]

This was complete trash, which I say with surprise as I love Prom Date. Just endless paragraphs of the MC speculating over who could be playing stupid tricks on her, and overlooking the most obvious person. Awful. Very little funhouse.

[Courtney Gruenholz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally getting to own these books that I read back in middle school from our library is always a blast.

I only remember this one having to do with a rollercoaster accident and that's probably why I was never big on them before even Final Destination 3.

The story is so much more than that and even better than I remember.

Tess Landers is at the Boardwalk, bread and butter of her coastal California town, and she watches in horror as the Devil's Elbow rollercoaster goes off its tracks. People are maimed and killed in the terrible tragedy, a horrible accident...or is it?

Tess sees a figure shrouded in black running away from the accident but none of her friends believe her...no one could have done this deliberately. Later, Tess returns home and finds a note saying that three of the teens involved in the tragedy were just the first ones...and more will be hurt.

We also get chapters from the perspective of our person responsible. There is reason behind this madness as we are shared entries from an old journal that tell a story so chilling and tragic it warrants revenge.

Who could be behind the accidents and threats against the teenagers of Santa Luisa? Will Tess discover the truth or be the next victim?

We get a nice roster of suspects and the backstory we are provided paints our protagonist as a real person who had their life turned upside down and completely lost all sense of compassion for anyone. True it doesn't feel right taking out other people with such a heinous act at the beginning but the lengths that can drive the humanity from someone...are palpable.

The reveal comes so fast and out of nowhere but it is a good one and the ending? Marvelous.

Haven't read Funhouse? You should it is peak Diane Hoh and peak Point Horror.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been re-reading a lot of the Point Horror books lately and enjoying them, but this one was hard to read. To be honest, they're all a bit cheesy and/or full of plot holes, but it usually doesn't bother me too much since they're still fun to read. This one, not so much.

First off, the names were ridiculous - Doss, Beak and Guy-Joe? That's just a travesty. I mean come on - Guy-Joe??? Really?

Every chapter that was written through the killer's point of view was laughably bad. The killer's motivation also made zero sense, as did their overly complicated and not-well-thought-out-at-all plan. If you wanted to kill someone, this would be the slowest and stupidest way to go about it, leaving the most room for error possible.

I know I'm tearing this book apart but it wasn't THAT awful, it's just that it was such a letdown after the other ones I've been reading. As a kid, I think I liked this. As an adult, it was really hard to take. Nostalgia can only take me so far, and the other ones I've read lately were legitimately good. This one just didn't measure up.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable reread.
The whole concept and plot of this book is complete nonsense of course (I mean, if you were planning on murdering people you would do so in a not so over-the-top fashion that would result in your capture and/or possible escape of the intended victims) but still very fun to read if you decide to gloss over the nonsensical storyline (like I've chosen to do).
One thing that really annoyed me however was the attitude of the police force and the men in this book. They were so belittling and demeaning to any female character that it totally incensed me.

[Jason Harlow · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so good in the beginning but dragged in the middle. Diane Hoh did an amazing job of tying everything together at the end, though everything about the ending seemed a little too soap opera-y. I would give this 4/5 stars but I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I wanted to, and besides the creepy first-person accounts from the killer and the fact that this is a "whodunit," there isn't really any horror. Recommended for fans of Point Horror and other stuff like this, but don't expect too much.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable YA novel from the 90's, the main character Tess is convinced that there's more to the supposed 'accident' at the fairground and takes it upon herself to investigate further.

[Austin Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book opens up with a rollercoaster getting derailed, injuring several people. From there, bad things continue to happen to a group of teenagers in connection with the board of directors of the carnival/boardwalk. Our main character, Tess, suspects one of her friends is the culprit... can she figure out what's going on before it's too late?

This book was okay. It has sort of a "Scooby-Doo" type mystery and also some elements of a slasher, although a very tame one. It held my interest well enough but it did become a bit predictable as the story progressed.

I can't say I'm a fan of Hoh's writing... it's competent enough for what this is, I suppose, but there's some clunky sentences and even clunkier dialogue. The characterization is weak, almost to the point of them being indistinguishable from one another. There's also a serious lack of description and atmosphere. The "Funhouse" in question plays a minimal role in the story.
Again, can't be too harsh on this book considering its subject and target audience, but there are certainly better examples of more well-developed stories and lifelike characters within the Point Horror series. I don't think Diane Hoh, from what I've read by her so far, is one of the strongest writers by any means.

Overall this was a quick and fun read, but not exactly anything memorable.
2.5⭐ rounded down to 2⭐

[Alura Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic.

[Dana Decker · Rating 4 out of 5]

First let me start off by saying I love the Point Horror books. It is easy to read, nostalgic and just alot of fun. Reading them as an adult takes me back to a time where I read Goosebumps, stayed up late watching Are you afraid of the dark and read all my creepy books under a blanket with a flashlight so nothing would jump out and get me. I rate all of the point horror novels higher than some might due to those factors. It's just such a good time.
Written in 1990 this story follows our main character Tess, her on again off again boyfriend Sam and close friends. Of course set in a small town there isn't much to do except go to the local boardwalk and ride the fair rides which run all year long and eat to much junk food. Which is amazing.I love the small town fair/carnival setting. When "Accidents" start happening at the boardwalk that cause Tess's friends to be in serious danger, she starts noticing a pattern in the people who are injured. The victims of these "accidents" all have something in common. No one believes her theory and worse makes Tess out to be crazy. She endures fear, lonliness ,stalking, threats, danger and worse she questions her relationship with everyone around her. Who could be doing this? You will have many guesses as the book goes on.
**If you loved Goosebumps as a child or enjoy the Fear Street Series then please give the point horror books a try. There is something for everyone with a ton of authors to choose from in the series.

[Chelley Toy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my book club that I run on Instagram where we revisit Point Horror and other books from our childhood - @talespointhorrorbookclub

Tagline - You can die laughing

Memorable For – Rollercoaster Crash and Meow!

Blurb -

When the Devil's Elbow roller coaster goes off track, killing one teenager and maiming two others, everyone thinks it's just an accident . . . except Tess. She saw someone tampering with the track. Then another "accident" occurs in the Funhouse and Tess may have been the intended victim.

Some Thoughts -

Amusement park The Boardwalk is open all year round. Its the hip place to be for all teenagers and closing it would send the teenagers stark raving mad! Well nothing bad has happened at The Boardwalk for 100 years! But there maybe some history with the infamous Funhouse. One of the most popular atractions is the Devils Elbow rollercoaster until one fateful day it became unpopular when it CAME OFF THE TRACKS!

Tess sees a figure with a lead pipe running away from the crash scene instead of running for help!

Other highlights include some of the best most hilarious character names in Point Horror, a threatening note written in purple magic marker, creepy phonecalls with endings you don’t expect (meow), someone following our main character, slashing her tyres and leaving her fake dead cats!

[Trisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm, weird. I could have sworn I'd put this on "currently reading" again, since I just re-read it!

This was one of the very first Point books my brother owned and so one of the first either of us read. Possibly the very first, though THE ACCIDENT also by Diane Hoh is up there as a candidate too. I just re-read it now, at the age of 31, and...I've got to say it was pretty cheesy. Some of the other Point books I've read are definitely much higher quality writing. This one had a good plot (or so I thought), but sometimes the chapters that were from the POV of the bad guy were almost too cheesy to bear.

Inauthentic dialogue tends to irritate me, too, and this book had a lot of that. Anyway, this WAS rated 5 stars but I've lessened it to 3 (and one of those stars is for pure nostalgia's sake).

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even better the second time around! When I first read it I thought it was just ok but after my reread I realized that this was a very well crafted mystery! Diane Hoh is really great at that and we get the villain pov which was craaazy and … hilariously entertaining! That epilogue really teases a sequel though…

[Kirsty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-read this for Episode 8 of the Teenage Scream podcast (lovingly dissecting the best and worst of 90s teen horror). Listen here, or subscribe on your podcast app:

https://soundcloud.com/teenagescream

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read when I was really a young teen! Now re reading with my daughter! She is enjoying my old teen horror books and I’m enjoying the time spent with her through nostalgia. ❤️📚❤️