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The Door to 1998: A Liminal Space Horror Story
What if you found a door that led back to your childhood… but everyone else was gone?
Daniel moves into a quiet suburban home and discovers something strange in the shed behind the house.
A locked door.
When he finally opens it, he steps into something impossible.
His childhood neighborhood.
The year 1998.
Everything is exactly the way he remembers it—the same houses, the same streets, even his old home.
But something is terribly wrong.
The neighborhood is completely empty.
No neighbors.
No cars moving.
No voices.
Just endless silence and the unsettling feeling that he isn’t actually alone.
At first, Daniel believes he’s been given a miracle—a doorway back to the past.
But the longer he stays, the more the world begins to feel like a trap.
Because nostalgia can be dangerous.
And some doors should never be opened.
THE DOOR TO 1998 is a dreamlike liminal space horror story perfect for fans of backrooms horror, eerie nostalgia, and quiet suburban nightmares.
Daniel moves into a quiet suburban home and discovers something strange in the shed behind the house.
A locked door.
When he finally opens it, he steps into something impossible.
His childhood neighborhood.
The year 1998.
Everything is exactly the way he remembers it—the same houses, the same streets, even his old home.
But something is terribly wrong.
The neighborhood is completely empty.
No neighbors.
No cars moving.
No voices.
Just endless silence and the unsettling feeling that he isn’t actually alone.
At first, Daniel believes he’s been given a miracle—a doorway back to the past.
But the longer he stays, the more the world begins to feel like a trap.
Because nostalgia can be dangerous.
And some doors should never be opened.
THE DOOR TO 1998 is a dreamlike liminal space horror story perfect for fans of backrooms horror, eerie nostalgia, and quiet suburban nightmares.
184 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 17, 2026
About the author
E. Reyes
54 books165 followersE. Reyes is a writer, a horror fanatic, and the author of the novel The House on Moon Creek Avenue. Overloading on books and movies and working retail, Reyes brings terror and the unimaginable to everyday life with his experiences and transcends them into a different range of characters and situations. When not watching scary movies and reading books, E. Reyes is busy being a father and a husband and putting in time playing Xbox. He resides in Arizona.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 21, 2026
As a millennial who really misses the 90s, I was so excited for this book. It made me feel such nostalgia for things I hadn’t thought of in years, while also being super creepy. I loved the element of it being a liminal space or almost like the back rooms. It was a super quick read that packs a big punch.
“This can all be an elaborate trap. This time, this nostalgia is one that all of us millennials long for. It’s all we think about—the simpler times. Nowadays, back across that hallway, everything has gone to complete shit, and technological advancement has done more harm than good.” This line felt so real for me. I think we all long to go through the green door that would bring us back to those times. Hopefully with less monsters though.
The Door to 1998 was everything I was looking for, and then some.
“This can all be an elaborate trap. This time, this nostalgia is one that all of us millennials long for. It’s all we think about—the simpler times. Nowadays, back across that hallway, everything has gone to complete shit, and technological advancement has done more harm than good.” This line felt so real for me. I think we all long to go through the green door that would bring us back to those times. Hopefully with less monsters though.
The Door to 1998 was everything I was looking for, and then some.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 26, 2026
This is a fun, freaky nostalgic trip back to the 90's. Overall it's a quick, entertaining read with some damn creepy monsters 3.5⭐️
May 4, 2026
Do You Dare Enter?
It was like I returned to '98 & reminisced of all the things from my past. A great read!
Now, open the green door...
It was like I returned to '98 & reminisced of all the things from my past. A great read!
Now, open the green door...
April 29, 2026
Loved the 90’s nostalgia!
May 15, 2026
The Door to 1998 was a quick read that will transport you to years past. Daniel has a shaky marriage and teenage daughter who no longer wants to have anything to do with her father. When they move to a new house in a safer neighborhood, Daniel is hopeful this will be the fresh start his family needs. But the discovery of a mysterious door, one that shouldn’t be able to exit, in the backyard shed, will change everything. Curious, Daniel goes through the doorway and finds himself in his old childhood home and neighborhood from 1998. At first, he’s thrilled to explore, eat his favorite snacks, and just get away from the stress of his current life. But he quickly notices that something is wrong, and he finds himself fighting to escape the nostalgia of days gone by.
I loved the concept of this story, as longing for simpler times seems to become a common part of growing up and aging. Daniel had real struggles experienced by many people, and his wanting to get away from it all, even temporarily, is relatable. The 1998 time period was unsettling and rather creepy. A few parts got a bit redundant for me, and the ending, while fitting, was a bit predictable. Overall, this is a fun story that I recommend.
I loved the concept of this story, as longing for simpler times seems to become a common part of growing up and aging. Daniel had real struggles experienced by many people, and his wanting to get away from it all, even temporarily, is relatable. The 1998 time period was unsettling and rather creepy. A few parts got a bit redundant for me, and the ending, while fitting, was a bit predictable. Overall, this is a fun story that I recommend.
May 4, 2026
A creepy, tense, and nostalgia-filled trip! I heard about this book from TikTok, and immediately purchased it because the premise sounded intriguing, and I'm happy to support independent authors. I thoroughly enjoyed the many references to the late 90's era. I also genuinely found the premise to be quite tense and creepy, and breaking out into goosebumps a few times throughout. However, this book has quite a few flaws, including quite a few grammar mistakes (which is forgivable considering it's independently published - even major publishing companies have a handful of mistakes that I will note along the way), and some cheesy or poorly placed dialogue. I also did not care for the book being written in present tense - it gives it a tone that I don't particularly enjoy. The plot towards the end lost me a little bit - it would have been nice to spend some more time in the added areas in the last 20 or so pages. Regardless of these criticisms, I did enjoy the book, particularly the ending, and I liked the added aspects of the main characters' family dynamic playing into the setting, as well as the little hint of the true nature of the setting revealed at the end. 3 / 5
April 24, 2026
We all think of nostalgia as a sweet, wonderful time and catch ourselves reminiscing on the good ole' days, when everything was much simpler, days seemed longer, food tasted better and we didn't have to pay taxes.
Many of us ofter ponder, what if we could go back to that time? Well, this does that, literally gives you a door to the past... would you open it and go through it? What if someone or something is waiting in the other side?
"...It was always great to catch a horror movie on TV- and they'd pop up at random. Nowadays, you can just YouTube it all. There's no anticipation. And that, I think, really killed the magic."
Literally sat down to read, and I couldn't stop. Just kept going until it was over and let me tell you.... H O L Y S H I T! What a ride! This is my first book by Reyes and I'm already ready for my next one!
Many of us ofter ponder, what if we could go back to that time? Well, this does that, literally gives you a door to the past... would you open it and go through it? What if someone or something is waiting in the other side?
"...It was always great to catch a horror movie on TV- and they'd pop up at random. Nowadays, you can just YouTube it all. There's no anticipation. And that, I think, really killed the magic."
Literally sat down to read, and I couldn't stop. Just kept going until it was over and let me tell you.... H O L Y S H I T! What a ride! This is my first book by Reyes and I'm already ready for my next one!
May 17, 2026
Just finished The Door To 1998. This was a fast paced book that kept me engaged and intrigued. Wanting that nostalgia and reading about things I had forgot about placed me back in that time. I loved how it slightly had a stranger things vibe without trying to have a stranger things vibe. The chapters were nice and short so made reading a breeze. Reyes writing just kinda flows and takes you on the journey. I definitely recommend giving this a read. The love song of Nathan Crane is still my favorite by Reyes followed by After the pink moon.
May 13, 2026
Holy smokes this was so good and absolutely terrifying! Why I chose to read this at night is beyond me but it was the perfect setting for this stress inducing nostalgic nightmare of a read!
The idea of being trapped like that is straight outta my own fears.. but thankfully it’s only a story.. right?
The idea of being trapped like that is straight outta my own fears.. but thankfully it’s only a story.. right?
May 9, 2026
A quick read that completely hooked me from the start.
May 13, 2026
I devoured this book!!! It is so good. As a 90s kid I wont view certain things the same way. The ending was intense! Highly highly recommend!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews