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99 Fear Street: The House of Evil #3
The Third Horror
Lights…camera…murder…
Kody Frasier always swore she’d come back to 99 Fear Street. She knows the spirit of her dead sister, Cally, is trapped there, waiting to be set free. Now Kody is starring in a movie about the evil that murdered Cally, set in the very house that destroyed their family. If she can just find Cally, can help her…
But Cally doesn’t want to be saved. She’s been waiting all this time for revenge. And once the movie camera is rolling, Cally is going to give Kody the surprise ending of a lifetime!
Kody Frasier always swore she’d come back to 99 Fear Street. She knows the spirit of her dead sister, Cally, is trapped there, waiting to be set free. Now Kody is starring in a movie about the evil that murdered Cally, set in the very house that destroyed their family. If she can just find Cally, can help her…
But Cally doesn’t want to be saved. She’s been waiting all this time for revenge. And once the movie camera is rolling, Cally is going to give Kody the surprise ending of a lifetime!
163 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1994
44 people are currently reading
1666 people want to read
About the author
R.L. Stine
1,679 books18.6k followersRobert Lawrence Stine known as R. L. Stine and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children's literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room and Fear Street series.
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
April 19, 2018
I wish that the second book had never existed and this third one had been a direct sequel. I actually really liked the idea here with them filming a movie based on the tragedy of Kody’s family. It seemed a little farfetched and unrealistic in the beginning, but once I decided to look past the little things that bothered me, it was pretty entertaining.
The ending was the only part that I found to be a bit lacking. While it wasn’t horrible, I was fairly indifferent to how it all played out. The part where was dumb. There was this random revelation and then the book was over right away. I guess I just wanted more from that situation or maybe something else entirely.
The ending was the only part that I found to be a bit lacking. While it wasn’t horrible, I was fairly indifferent to how it all played out. The part where was dumb. There was this random revelation and then the book was over right away. I guess I just wanted more from that situation or maybe something else entirely.
September 6, 2016
Kody Frasier, makes a return. She always swore she would come back. And this time she brings a whole Hollywood film team with her! In my personal opinion not as good as they other two, but still a very good read.
January 10, 2017
I didn't like Kody from Book 1 of this series - she's as flat and boring in Book 3. The entire story was laughable, and the mystery that was built in the previous books turned out to be comical. Was this a parody?
July 4, 2021
Please note this has spoilers for The First Horror.
Well this didn't work at all. Following Kody (from book #1) was interesting, but the girl we met in that book and the young woman we meet in this one don't even sound the same. I also have to say, someone coming to Shadyside to film a movie about a murderous house seems like a bad stretch. The whole book felt flat. It didn't help that Kody and her I am going to free my sister seemed to forget about her for long stretches of time and was mad at her fellow actress a lot more. It just turned really odd there in the end.
"The Third Horror" takes place 2 years after the events in the first book. Kody Fraser now an actress, has returned to Shadyside to film a movie based on what happened to her and her family (yeah I don't know). Kody though also wants to free her sister who she thinks is still trapped within 99 Fear Street's walls.
Kody is just bland. I didn't think too much of her in the first book, but the Kody in book one was interested in working with her hands, renovations, etc. She also felt passed over and she didn't even sound like the type of person who decides, yes I will be an actress. Also it's weird it's not mentioned how her parents felt about this whole thing especially since you know they lost two other kids because of what went on. The whole thing felt bizarre.
The other characters are just non-descript. I didn't care about them. We get to see Cally again, but then once again that whole thing is just quickly dealt with by Kody showing her something. It was very anticlimactic.
Considering the other two books, I just thought it could have ended a lot better than what we got here.
Well this didn't work at all. Following Kody (from book #1) was interesting, but the girl we met in that book and the young woman we meet in this one don't even sound the same. I also have to say, someone coming to Shadyside to film a movie about a murderous house seems like a bad stretch. The whole book felt flat. It didn't help that Kody and her I am going to free my sister seemed to forget about her for long stretches of time and was mad at her fellow actress a lot more. It just turned really odd there in the end.
"The Third Horror" takes place 2 years after the events in the first book. Kody Fraser now an actress, has returned to Shadyside to film a movie based on what happened to her and her family (yeah I don't know). Kody though also wants to free her sister who she thinks is still trapped within 99 Fear Street's walls.
Kody is just bland. I didn't think too much of her in the first book, but the Kody in book one was interested in working with her hands, renovations, etc. She also felt passed over and she didn't even sound like the type of person who decides, yes I will be an actress. Also it's weird it's not mentioned how her parents felt about this whole thing especially since you know they lost two other kids because of what went on. The whole thing felt bizarre.
The other characters are just non-descript. I didn't care about them. We get to see Cally again, but then once again that whole thing is just quickly dealt with by Kody showing her something. It was very anticlimactic.
Considering the other two books, I just thought it could have ended a lot better than what we got here.
July 17, 2017
Ugh. Again, this was bad. I've never read anything as gross or ridiculous as this one. A suitable ending to a creepy trilogy.
As promised, Kody Frasier returns to the house at 99, Fear Street nearly two years after the tragic death of her sister Cally and brother James. But this time, there is a whole movie crew with her. Bo intends to boost his slumping film career by filming the story of the Frasier's at the very house it all happened. And for publicity (and also lack of availability of other actress) Kody is playing the role of Cally Frasier. Kody is sure she would find her sister's ghost in the house and she wants to. But Cally's ghost is not so generous anymore. She's evil. She wants to destroy her sister, who gets to live, when she is all alone in that evil house. What will Cally do? What happens to Kody? And the evil house?
I actually loved the idea of this book. Kody returning to the old house to fulfil a promise made to her dead sister. That was cool. But all that happened here, that I guess was meant to be scary, was just, gross. Really, 5 pages of swimming in vomit? AAARGH!! I almost vomited myself.
I haven't read of any characer as stupid as Kody Frasier. All the supporting characters weren't any better. But the ending was slightly better than the rest of the story. Actual rating - 1.5/5
As promised, Kody Frasier returns to the house at 99, Fear Street nearly two years after the tragic death of her sister Cally and brother James. But this time, there is a whole movie crew with her. Bo intends to boost his slumping film career by filming the story of the Frasier's at the very house it all happened. And for publicity (and also lack of availability of other actress) Kody is playing the role of Cally Frasier. Kody is sure she would find her sister's ghost in the house and she wants to. But Cally's ghost is not so generous anymore. She's evil. She wants to destroy her sister, who gets to live, when she is all alone in that evil house. What will Cally do? What happens to Kody? And the evil house?
I actually loved the idea of this book. Kody returning to the old house to fulfil a promise made to her dead sister. That was cool. But all that happened here, that I guess was meant to be scary, was just, gross. Really, 5 pages of swimming in vomit? AAARGH!! I almost vomited myself.
I haven't read of any characer as stupid as Kody Frasier. All the supporting characters weren't any better. But the ending was slightly better than the rest of the story. Actual rating - 1.5/5
December 8, 2024
A disappointing and lackluster conclusion to what is already arguably the weakest of the Fear Street trilogies; in my opinion at least.
This isn't the worst thing I've read from the franchise hence the 2 stars... but it's not one I would recommend either.
This one has all the sins of being illogical, having dumb characters, things being too convoluted/not making sense, and overall just kind of bad.
The first book in the trilogy, while I thought it was just okay/decent, is definitely the best of the three and far better than this disappointing finale.
This isn't the worst thing I've read from the franchise hence the 2 stars... but it's not one I would recommend either.
This one has all the sins of being illogical, having dumb characters, things being too convoluted/not making sense, and overall just kind of bad.
The first book in the trilogy, while I thought it was just okay/decent, is definitely the best of the three and far better than this disappointing finale.
January 9, 2022
Callie is back and no less menacing in the third horror. I think this series is probably best read in order but you'll get the story even if you haven't.
I always forget how much darker R.L Stine is. The horrible accidents that happen are brutal, but not graphic.
Towards the end the pace really stepped up, seemingly out of nowhere. I would have liked more dialouge between Kody and Callie but what we get gives off that bittersweet ending.
I always forget how much darker R.L Stine is. The horrible accidents that happen are brutal, but not graphic.
Towards the end the pace really stepped up, seemingly out of nowhere. I would have liked more dialouge between Kody and Callie but what we get gives off that bittersweet ending.
November 10, 2018
And so it ends. This last book in the series is actually pretty sad. Basically, Kody is starring as her sister, Cally, in a Hollywood production about 99 Fear Street. But every time they get ready to film a scene that happened in real life, the props go from being fake to real with the help of Cally. See, Cally doesn’t believe Kody has come back to rescue her. So she wants revenge.
Then, when Cally traps Kody in the basement while pretending to be her, Kody overhears Mr. Lurie, Mr. Hankers, and Mrs. Nordstrom talking about controlling Cally and making her evil. Kody shows Cally the truth, and Cally brings Kody outside... into the arms of the three traitors! Kody believes she has been betrayed, but Cally assures her this is not the case. The trio turn into rats and Cally tells Kody to run. Kody makes it out of the house as Cally ignites the home with the TNT set up in the basement for the final scene of the movie.
Three weeks later, Kody is with her boyfriend, Rob, and they receive a package with a video. When they put it in they see the house exploding. Kody sees a white figure waving at the camera slowly, and she realizes it was her sister saying goodbye.
Then, when Cally traps Kody in the basement while pretending to be her, Kody overhears Mr. Lurie, Mr. Hankers, and Mrs. Nordstrom talking about controlling Cally and making her evil. Kody shows Cally the truth, and Cally brings Kody outside... into the arms of the three traitors! Kody believes she has been betrayed, but Cally assures her this is not the case. The trio turn into rats and Cally tells Kody to run. Kody makes it out of the house as Cally ignites the home with the TNT set up in the basement for the final scene of the movie.
Three weeks later, Kody is with her boyfriend, Rob, and they receive a package with a video. When they put it in they see the house exploding. Kody sees a white figure waving at the camera slowly, and she realizes it was her sister saying goodbye.
October 12, 2022
Much better than the second one! It was able to conclude the trilogy pretty well with Cally finally finding peace and her sister Kody finally stopping the evil. My only criticisms are first who was Mr. Harkers and Mrs. Nordstorm? They told us about Mr. Lurie in the first volume, but the last volume and even the second volume gave us nothing about those two. Who were they and why were they so hell-bent on spending the evil of the house? That was never explained. Also, how did Kody not get arrested for what Cally did? I wish Stine had given better answers on that. Oh well, for a trilogy it was decent. In the end vol. 1 got an A, vol. 2 got a C and vol. 3 got a B.
May 17, 2011
Kody has gone back to Fear Street but only to make a movie about her sister's life and she is playing her sister. The house is the same as she remembers and just as creepy. As the movie goes things start to happen like it did before. Soon she finds out something she's not supposed to and then things get worse. To find out how you must read.
December 10, 2019
TW: Fire
July 16, 2024
Best of the trilogy, all three of these were fun little books
October 10, 2021
After two years, Koby finally returns to 99 Fear Street in hopes of making contact with her dead sister.
Cally however isn't pleased that Koby came back with a film crew who plans to make a movie about what happened to the sisters at the house.
Not only does Koby struggle to contact her dead sister, yet another series of accidents take place at the house, picking off the cast and crew one by one.
Like with the second book in this series, this one felt a bit redundant and not too much different from the first one. I did like the movie being filmed approach this book took. But I do think a few new or unexpected twists could have really made this a great final book to the series.
Cally however isn't pleased that Koby came back with a film crew who plans to make a movie about what happened to the sisters at the house.
Not only does Koby struggle to contact her dead sister, yet another series of accidents take place at the house, picking off the cast and crew one by one.
Like with the second book in this series, this one felt a bit redundant and not too much different from the first one. I did like the movie being filmed approach this book took. But I do think a few new or unexpected twists could have really made this a great final book to the series.
November 16, 2022
This book was ridiculous and it could have been so good! "They still have trouble believing that it was Cally" - because she's dead!! "I still have to go for therapy" omg 🙄
I think I'm most disappointed in the wasted potential.
I think I'm most disappointed in the wasted potential.
June 19, 2017
used to love this one as a kid. Would recommend for anyone into horror or who likes R.L.Stine.
April 13, 2025
I was super disappointed by this rushed, sloppy ending
September 5, 2021
As a whole series, I really enjoyed. This one clears up some questions i had from the first book, but did forget to answer some smaller ones and that’s ok. Still a lot of fun and gruesome after all these years.
August 4, 2019
Not the best book in the trilogy but still really interesting.
October 26, 2019
Reviewed on Lili Lost in a Book
This is the final book in the trilogy! At the end of the first book, Kody promised she would come back for her sister, and she did.... Along with a whole film crew. Yup. they’re filming Cally and Kody’s story where it actually happened. And Kody is the lead actress playing her sister. This was very weird. Why not just play herself?
But I guess she finally got what she wanted? In book one she was incredibly jealous of her sister to the point where it made me dislike her. But in this book I actually didn’t hate her. But anyway, I don’t know who thought it was a good idea to film in this house after everything that happened. Why would you do that? Why?! Also, the fact that when Kody experiences weird things in the house and none of the crew believe her, why? You’re there for a reason, aren’t you? She told you what happened in the house and know your making a movie about it? Why is it so hard to believe that these things are happening again? That was very frustrating.
There were some pretty cool scenes where the filming and the FX stuff would be mixed with real horror stuff... and you just never knew what you were gonna get, so that was fun. Lol.
Things about the house aren’t explicitly explained. We do get some hints here and there and we do, I guess, finally find out why Cally suddenly turned evil when she died. There was also a really weird revelation about the people who helped out around the house in all three books and I’m really confused? Just- why? It was kind of dumb. Overall, I thought this was a pretty average series with some pretty average characters.
Fear Street connection: Kody’s come back to her old house on 99 Fear Street 😬
This is the final book in the trilogy! At the end of the first book, Kody promised she would come back for her sister, and she did.... Along with a whole film crew. Yup. they’re filming Cally and Kody’s story where it actually happened. And Kody is the lead actress playing her sister. This was very weird. Why not just play herself?
‘Kody Frasier Returns to the House of Horrors to Play Her Own Dead Sister’
But I guess she finally got what she wanted? In book one she was incredibly jealous of her sister to the point where it made me dislike her. But in this book I actually didn’t hate her. But anyway, I don’t know who thought it was a good idea to film in this house after everything that happened. Why would you do that? Why?! Also, the fact that when Kody experiences weird things in the house and none of the crew believe her, why? You’re there for a reason, aren’t you? She told you what happened in the house and know your making a movie about it? Why is it so hard to believe that these things are happening again? That was very frustrating.
There were some pretty cool scenes where the filming and the FX stuff would be mixed with real horror stuff... and you just never knew what you were gonna get, so that was fun. Lol.
Things about the house aren’t explicitly explained. We do get some hints here and there and we do, I guess, finally find out why Cally suddenly turned evil when she died. There was also a really weird revelation about the people who helped out around the house in all three books and I’m really confused? Just- why? It was kind of dumb. Overall, I thought this was a pretty average series with some pretty average characters.
Fear Street connection: Kody’s come back to her old house on 99 Fear Street 😬
October 30, 2021
The Third Horror was a really interesting way to close out the 99 Fear Street trilogy. The main character this time is Kody, Cally’s twin sister from The First Horror. Kody has returned to 99 Fear Street in order to play her sister in a movie adaptation of what happened to their family. This seems like a really traumatic thing to put herself through, but she made a promise to return for her sister and this seems like the best way to keep it. I appreciated that this wasn’t a tired rehash of the first two books, even when its plausibility was a stretch and the execution got messy. There were some truly brutal kills and some great scares, which is something that The Second Horror was lacking. The ending was alright, but it could have been better. I really wish it had gone darker. It relied a bit too much on some characters making incredibly stupid decisions and ignoring the consequences. I was never sold on the characterization of Cally as an evil ghost. I keep wanting a more nuanced version of evil to show up in these books and I think it’s just too much to expect. The Third Horror was almost great; the elements were all there but it needed significant tweaking. I could say the same thing about the trilogy as a whole. Overall, the 99 Fear Street trilogy falls somewhere in between its predecessors. It couldn’t live up to The Fear Street Saga, but it was way more consistent than The Fear Street Cheerleaders. It’s messy but memorable, and it would be excellent source material for future Fear Street movies.
Score: 3
For a deep-dive review with memes, spoilers, and snark, check out my blog!
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Score: 3
For a deep-dive review with memes, spoilers, and snark, check out my blog!
Blog Review I Instagram I Twitter
August 4, 2014
What did I think? I don't think I thought about anything other than me being happy for not getting into these series of "books". Why do I say that? Teenage pulp fiction is splattered like blood across the book. This book is like... I can't seem to think of what to say. The word that keeps coming into mind is Generic. Its like the imitation cheerios in the supermarket but book wise. It has a normal plot, a regular ending, and basic names for the characters. Interestingly enough, I couldn't help but stop reading it for some reason. I guess that's maybe why I gave my rating a 2-star instead of a 1. I guess. Just read the book. You'll see.
March 22, 2019
5 ⭐
Finally finished this series after six years. Glad to see how the story ended. Happy to see Kody go back to 99 Fear Street and save her sister. Sad that she had to go through the horror again. Really glad that 99 Fear Street is gone. Hope Kody and her parents are finally free from that house.
Finally finished this series after six years. Glad to see how the story ended. Happy to see Kody go back to 99 Fear Street and save her sister. Sad that she had to go through the horror again. Really glad that 99 Fear Street is gone. Hope Kody and her parents are finally free from that house.
Read
September 21, 2009you have to read the first 2 to get it but its good it grabs the readers attention alot through out the story:)
May 7, 2011
I enjoyed this series by R.L. Stine. It was unique with good plot lines and decent characters. I pretty much read anything by him.
August 9, 2022
The Second Horror may as well have not even happened, for all the impact it had on the overall story.
These books read a lot more like Goosebumps than Fear Street, except with gore. I think it's because the characters all read like preteens. Kody is supposed to be 18 in this book but talks and acts like she's twelve. She's returning to 99 Fear Street, the house where her brother and sister were killed (though again nobody cares about James, he may as well have never existed), to film a movie based on her family's story. For reasons that are never adequately explained, she's playing Cally instead of herself. The role of Kody is being essayed by a relentlessly cruel actress named Persia, whose only function is to be nasty.
If you've read through the entire trilogy hoping that the last book will provide any answers, you'll be disappointed. It turns out that Cally's ghost is being "possessed", somehow, by the housekeepers we've seen in the two previous books. If that seems like a spoiler, I guess it is, technically, but it isn't explained further and makes no sense. We never find out who these people are, where they came from, what powers they have, why they're terrorizing the people who live in this house, or, well, anything really. Then they turn into rats.
Come on, R.L. You had 450 pages to develop this plot and THIS IS WHAT WE GET???
This book features my least favorite Fear Street trope: innocent main character gets blamed for everything for no reason. It doesn't go anywhere, of course; the idea just gets dropped 100 pages in. I've never been on a film set, but I'm pretty sure most of these "accidents" plaguing the production were preventable. A producer gets his fingers severed in the garbage disposal because nobody bothered to disconnect it, even though they were planning a scene where an actor has to stick his hand down the sink. A stand-in gets her face smashed in by the camera because they put it on a zipline to get a close-up rather than just, you know, using a zoom lens. Then after all these catastrophes, people continue to just wander away from the crew so they can give the evil entity a chance to pick them off one by one.
The main reason I didn't enjoy this as much as the first two (which are only marginal recommendations to begin with) is because the characters are so boring and flat. Kody seems like she ought to be prowling around and solving mysteries, as a protagonist might, but instead she just stands around and lets things happen to her. It really does seem like she came back to the house to become a movie star, as the embittered ghost of Cally keeps thinking, rather than trying to make contact with her dead sister one last time. I mean, Kody claims that her ulterior motive is to help her sister find peace, but she doesn't really do anything to that end except wander around the house at night saying, "Cally, are you here?" Great plan.
Rob is the love interest and there's absolutely nothing to say about him except that Rob backwards is boR and in my head that sounds like BORE which is what this guy is.
Apart from the face-smashing camera and a bit at the end with a light burning someone's face off (which happens offpage), there's no reason for the film production to exist in this story at all. It doesn't add anything. Most of the scares--people getting pushed by invisible forces, ghosts, possessions, household accidents, green slime, spikes bursting out of doors--are just repeats of what happened in the earlier books. It would have been a lot more fun if Stine had come up with creative ways to integrate the filmmaking aspect into the horror instead of just using it as an excuse to get Kody back to the house.
If you cut out all the extraneous stuff where the plot goes in circles and the characters engage in interpersonal drama that doesn't go anywhere, this could have all just been one book. Or, even better, book two could have just been a standalone, since it barely ties into the overall mythology as is.
These books read a lot more like Goosebumps than Fear Street, except with gore. I think it's because the characters all read like preteens. Kody is supposed to be 18 in this book but talks and acts like she's twelve. She's returning to 99 Fear Street, the house where her brother and sister were killed (though again nobody cares about James, he may as well have never existed), to film a movie based on her family's story. For reasons that are never adequately explained, she's playing Cally instead of herself. The role of Kody is being essayed by a relentlessly cruel actress named Persia, whose only function is to be nasty.
If you've read through the entire trilogy hoping that the last book will provide any answers, you'll be disappointed. It turns out that Cally's ghost is being "possessed", somehow, by the housekeepers we've seen in the two previous books. If that seems like a spoiler, I guess it is, technically, but it isn't explained further and makes no sense. We never find out who these people are, where they came from, what powers they have, why they're terrorizing the people who live in this house, or, well, anything really. Then they turn into rats.
Come on, R.L. You had 450 pages to develop this plot and THIS IS WHAT WE GET???
This book features my least favorite Fear Street trope: innocent main character gets blamed for everything for no reason. It doesn't go anywhere, of course; the idea just gets dropped 100 pages in. I've never been on a film set, but I'm pretty sure most of these "accidents" plaguing the production were preventable. A producer gets his fingers severed in the garbage disposal because nobody bothered to disconnect it, even though they were planning a scene where an actor has to stick his hand down the sink. A stand-in gets her face smashed in by the camera because they put it on a zipline to get a close-up rather than just, you know, using a zoom lens. Then after all these catastrophes, people continue to just wander away from the crew so they can give the evil entity a chance to pick them off one by one.
The main reason I didn't enjoy this as much as the first two (which are only marginal recommendations to begin with) is because the characters are so boring and flat. Kody seems like she ought to be prowling around and solving mysteries, as a protagonist might, but instead she just stands around and lets things happen to her. It really does seem like she came back to the house to become a movie star, as the embittered ghost of Cally keeps thinking, rather than trying to make contact with her dead sister one last time. I mean, Kody claims that her ulterior motive is to help her sister find peace, but she doesn't really do anything to that end except wander around the house at night saying, "Cally, are you here?" Great plan.
Rob is the love interest and there's absolutely nothing to say about him except that Rob backwards is boR and in my head that sounds like BORE which is what this guy is.
Apart from the face-smashing camera and a bit at the end with a light burning someone's face off (which happens offpage), there's no reason for the film production to exist in this story at all. It doesn't add anything. Most of the scares--people getting pushed by invisible forces, ghosts, possessions, household accidents, green slime, spikes bursting out of doors--are just repeats of what happened in the earlier books. It would have been a lot more fun if Stine had come up with creative ways to integrate the filmmaking aspect into the horror instead of just using it as an excuse to get Kody back to the house.
If you cut out all the extraneous stuff where the plot goes in circles and the characters engage in interpersonal drama that doesn't go anywhere, this could have all just been one book. Or, even better, book two could have just been a standalone, since it barely ties into the overall mythology as is.
March 25, 2024
Well, this reads like an attempt to write a YA version of a “Scream” movie, taking a page from that series’ meta idea of the “Stab” series within the “Scream” series. With a character from the first book in the trilogy returning two years after the events of that first book (for a pretty ridiculous reason - the plot catalyst is amazingly contrived, as is a lot of this book), it quickly became difficult to accept this characters’ new job and the motivation for filing inside of the actual house instead of on a recreated set. Holy cow, characters are idiots in this book - and, a lot of the plot beats are purposely recreated scenes from the previous two books in the trilogy, attempting to be meta, but as a 40 year old reading this, so many moments just don’t make any real sense. There is a box of explosives on the movie “set” that is one of the most absurd deus ex machina moments eve- and the end ending really owes a lot “The Shining”. And, it feels like the last chapter and how a character basically is automatically forgiven for events front the previous chapter (including by police and mutilated individual(s) stretches believability beyond the breaking point (even for a YA novel). Yet, as the rest of the trilogy, I would bet that my daughter is going to like it, and as a gateway to better, more adult horror, Stine does what he set out to do - entertain, perhaps gross out, and give YA readers a few more mature goosebumps (sorry - couldn’t help myself). I am going to speed-read the stack of Fear Street books that I picked up at a library sale, just to make sure that they are all relatively appropriate for my 10 year old daughter, but I didn’t regret this walk down my own nostalgic lane. Not necessarily the most dynamic writer out there, but I love the idea that Stine can continue to ignite a passion for reading in my own child, as he did for me when I was her age.
August 31, 2018
The Third Horror is the final book in the House of Evil trilogy. In traditional R.L Stine fashion, the book is filled with gruesome stomach-turning horrors. After the failure of book 2, I was a bit skeptical about this book. In The First Horror, I didn't like Kody, I thought she was rather whiny. However, it's been 2 years since the events of book 1 and Kody has grown up and matured.
I rather enjoyed this book. I found it much more excited then the previous novel. However, it still didn't match the terror that the first book posessed. Being a hug R.L Stine and Fear Street fan, I've read a good number of his books. I recognized the traditional R.L Stine characters. The stuck-up girl, the cute fliratious boy, and the heroine that is basically likeable. I felt that this book was the perfect ending for the trilogy.
Although the book is rather short, I found myself cringing in terror at a few scenes, gasping aloud when R.L Stine produced his usual twists and turns. I felt the ending was a bit rushed and unexpected. I love R.L Stine's endings, usually the most twisted part of his books. This one didn't disappoint. Although Cally did a complete 180 on her characterization, it was the perfect ending to this trilogy.
I would reccomend this book to horror fans out there. I would advise people interested in this book to be warned...it's written for teens. Adults will not enjoy it half as much as teens. I am 20 years old myself and became hooked to the Fear Street books way back in middle school. Quite graphic in the description of the terrors, this book is fast-paced and addictive. You must start with the First Horror.
I rather enjoyed this book. I found it much more excited then the previous novel. However, it still didn't match the terror that the first book posessed. Being a hug R.L Stine and Fear Street fan, I've read a good number of his books. I recognized the traditional R.L Stine characters. The stuck-up girl, the cute fliratious boy, and the heroine that is basically likeable. I felt that this book was the perfect ending for the trilogy.
Although the book is rather short, I found myself cringing in terror at a few scenes, gasping aloud when R.L Stine produced his usual twists and turns. I felt the ending was a bit rushed and unexpected. I love R.L Stine's endings, usually the most twisted part of his books. This one didn't disappoint. Although Cally did a complete 180 on her characterization, it was the perfect ending to this trilogy.
I would reccomend this book to horror fans out there. I would advise people interested in this book to be warned...it's written for teens. Adults will not enjoy it half as much as teens. I am 20 years old myself and became hooked to the Fear Street books way back in middle school. Quite graphic in the description of the terrors, this book is fast-paced and addictive. You must start with the First Horror.
October 24, 2023
The end to the 99 Fear Street trilogy, or is it?...Yes, it is.
This one was a quick enjoyable read that had major Scream vibes a whole 3 years before Scream.
It bothered me that we never find out why the sister died, she just did and that's that.
It even sucks that they mention Brandt casually in passing and that's all, if he wasn't that important of a character then why was the second boook ALL ABOUT HIM AND HIS ORDEAL?
Seems to me that he was only good for padding this story out so it could be 3 books since his ordeal had no bearing on the story as a whole.
And if the entire ordeal Kodi went through was so earth shattering, why in the hell would she even think of accepting a role in a MOVIE BASED ON THE ORDEAL much less one FILMED AT THE PLACE WHERE THE ORDEAL HAPPENED all the while playing HER SISTER?
So Kodi sees people that she knew from when she lived there at random and didn't find that strange in the slightest that they were there at that exact place at that exact time?
Everyone was getting kiss fever in this one. Is this how all teens back in the day were, just kissing at random, because if so I missed out on that fad.
Do real movie productions take THAT many breaks? It seemed like every time they were trying to film something it was break time again. There were more breaks in this book than tense moments.
Oh, we're keeping the fake prostetic head in the fridge so it can cool off. If that's true, then why was the door half opened? If they wern't taking so many damn breaks they could do their job correctly.
This one was a quick enjoyable read that had major Scream vibes a whole 3 years before Scream.
It bothered me that we never find out why the sister died, she just did and that's that.
It even sucks that they mention Brandt casually in passing and that's all, if he wasn't that important of a character then why was the second boook ALL ABOUT HIM AND HIS ORDEAL?
Seems to me that he was only good for padding this story out so it could be 3 books since his ordeal had no bearing on the story as a whole.
And if the entire ordeal Kodi went through was so earth shattering, why in the hell would she even think of accepting a role in a MOVIE BASED ON THE ORDEAL much less one FILMED AT THE PLACE WHERE THE ORDEAL HAPPENED all the while playing HER SISTER?
So Kodi sees people that she knew from when she lived there at random and didn't find that strange in the slightest that they were there at that exact place at that exact time?
Everyone was getting kiss fever in this one. Is this how all teens back in the day were, just kissing at random, because if so I missed out on that fad.
Do real movie productions take THAT many breaks? It seemed like every time they were trying to film something it was break time again. There were more breaks in this book than tense moments.
Oh, we're keeping the fake prostetic head in the fridge so it can cool off. If that's true, then why was the door half opened? If they wern't taking so many damn breaks they could do their job correctly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2020
I didn't even know where this whole story was going to go from the moment I started it. I put it off for a long time because I felt like it was going to be a little silly, I mean I feel like I've read this sort of story before from R.L. Stine...It was a Midsummer Night's Scream. In that story there was actual footage of something horrible happening on the set of a movie, and then that movie being claimed as "cursed" and yeah, this one is slightly different because Kody lived this life and it's her story although she's set to play her dead sister Cally in it. It has pretty much the same vibe, without the magic and love potions and such.
It was still a little disappointing, I thought there'd be something cooler than the people who come to take care of the house controlling Cally. If they controlled Cally, then why didn't Brandt's ghost make an appearance? Mrs. Nordstrom (if that's her name, I can't really remember) mentioned that he died...but like, why were they rats? What exactly made the whole house evil? I just don't think I understood the motive?
And after "Cally" seriously hurt a bunch of people, and her exploding the house no one really questioned her? I thought she would at least end up in the psych ward for saying, "it wasn't me! It was my dead sister who looks exactly like me!"
Although I did like the ending, it was kind of touching, I'll admit that.
But with this little saga, R.L. Stine could have definitely done better.
It was still a little disappointing, I thought there'd be something cooler than the people who come to take care of the house controlling Cally. If they controlled Cally, then why didn't Brandt's ghost make an appearance? Mrs. Nordstrom (if that's her name, I can't really remember) mentioned that he died...but like, why were they rats? What exactly made the whole house evil? I just don't think I understood the motive?
And after "Cally" seriously hurt a bunch of people, and her exploding the house no one really questioned her? I thought she would at least end up in the psych ward for saying, "it wasn't me! It was my dead sister who looks exactly like me!"
Although I did like the ending, it was kind of touching, I'll admit that.
But with this little saga, R.L. Stine could have definitely done better.
November 1, 2022
The final entry in this nostalgia trip for me!
I was a little worried that loose ends from throughout the series wouldn't be followed up on, but Stine actually ends the whole story. I'm not sure it was the best ending, in fact it was quite a bit cheesy...but, hey, a lot of modern authors don't really ever wrap up their novels currently with three times the page count, so kudos!
This one was definitely the most eye-roll-inducing of the three and a bit more goofy than even a Fear Street would be. However, it was still a fun Halloween horror to read.
So, in the end, was this nostalgia trip worth it? Was hunting down these lost books from my youth worth risking the fond memories I had of this little trilogy? Yeah, it was. They still hold up, they're fun, and they have some great 90s YA thriller beats. This is never going to win a book award, and this would never pass the muster of expectation of even a YA novel written in 2022. But, it didn't need to. If you read them back in the day, too, I'd love to hear your thoughts on these classic Stine books!
I was a little worried that loose ends from throughout the series wouldn't be followed up on, but Stine actually ends the whole story. I'm not sure it was the best ending, in fact it was quite a bit cheesy...but, hey, a lot of modern authors don't really ever wrap up their novels currently with three times the page count, so kudos!
This one was definitely the most eye-roll-inducing of the three and a bit more goofy than even a Fear Street would be. However, it was still a fun Halloween horror to read.
So, in the end, was this nostalgia trip worth it? Was hunting down these lost books from my youth worth risking the fond memories I had of this little trilogy? Yeah, it was. They still hold up, they're fun, and they have some great 90s YA thriller beats. This is never going to win a book award, and this would never pass the muster of expectation of even a YA novel written in 2022. But, it didn't need to. If you read them back in the day, too, I'd love to hear your thoughts on these classic Stine books!
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