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Hippo Hauntings #4
The Nightmare Man
Young Alex finds himself walking a tightrope above insanity when he begins to see an elusive figure that looks just like the one in his nightmares
- GenresHorrorYoung AdultFantasy
102 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 4, 2023
Alex is sure he knows the man at Stackfield Pond. He's the shadowy figure who haunts his darkest dreams - the nightmare man. Not long afterwards, the family move into End House, and the mysterious man becomes more than just a dream . . .In spite of it being quite predictable, I found this one fairly well-crafted and better than another in this series (The Devil's Cauldron by David Wiseman).
Alex Mackay and his friend Jay Nimrod are sharing stories about their worst fears, and we discover that Alex has a recurrent dream about the titular character.
The other reviews cover this quite well, so I'll keep mine short: this is a cops and robbers and con men story with some strange supernatural component at the fringes (the spirit of a villian haunting either the son of the cop who caught him or his greatest adversary, another criminal who goes by a remarkably similar name, or both, or just End House). The supernatural isn't really explained or explored, and much of the story deals with stage magic. Misdirection is brought up again and again, and I swear Krailing was doing it tongue in cheek: this is marketed as a ghost story, but it's really just a con... The conclusion sees the two boys standing up to their fears and winning through.
I liked Jay, I liked Alex's lacking-imagination younger sister Emily, and I liked virtually all the dialogue in this book. It was terribly predictable, but maybe for a 10 year old it strikes just the right balance of familiar and mysterious. I'm still smirking about this Hauntings story being released with Point Horror books - this seems much too young for that particular series (though I'm no expert here).
The supernatural aspect was disappointing and inadequately explored, though. 2.5 and rounding up for an enjoyable diversion, but not the creepy paranormal content I expected from it.
(MC Alex Mackay's birthday is on the 29th of January. I mention this because I'm compiling a master list of fictional birthdays. If you spot another, in any work of fiction, please send it my way!)
March 19, 2014
Oh, so sadly predictable. Misdirects you with talk of misdirection. If you like to read books targeted at a younger audience (the main characters are ten years old), there's better characterizations in a Goosebumps novel.
If this book were a movie, it would be like The Messengers or Cold Creek Manor. The bird connections were pretty creepy, because let's face it, birds are creepy and dirty. At least I think so. However, I didn't understand why an allegedly wealthy man would decide to be a burglar. Or why a burglar would be a town's most dastardly villain of all time. The nightmare man could have been way more nightmarish.
This book needed more development in every area, but I'm not surprised, given the year of publication. I read this in like, half an hour.
If this book were a movie, it would be like The Messengers or Cold Creek Manor. The bird connections were pretty creepy, because let's face it, birds are creepy and dirty. At least I think so. However, I didn't understand why an allegedly wealthy man would decide to be a burglar. Or why a burglar would be a town's most dastardly villain of all time. The nightmare man could have been way more nightmarish.
This book needed more development in every area, but I'm not surprised, given the year of publication. I read this in like, half an hour.
August 27, 2022
This is a Point Horror story from 1988. The main character is 10 years old, it’s predictable, it’s short, and I enjoyed it for what it was. Alex and his family move in to a creepy house willed to his family by a man who was once put behind bars by his father. Only the mother and Alex realize it’s a bad idea, but they move in and creepy things start to happen. Alex has always been haunted by a shadowy figure, but now that they have moved into the End House his dreams start coming true. Can’t say too much more than that. It’s only 102 pages.
March 17, 2018
After doing some digging, I’m almost 100% that this was released in a different series in the UK. It would make sense - the characters are much younger and the themes aren’t really in-keeping with Point Horror.
However, it was on a few lists so I had to read it.
I was very glad it was so short; it was really obvious, had some enormous plot holes and the end didn’t actually make any sense.
However, it was on a few lists so I had to read it.
I was very glad it was so short; it was really obvious, had some enormous plot holes and the end didn’t actually make any sense.
April 28, 2023
Birds are scary
A birdman is even scarier
(But this book isn’t scary at all)
A birdman is even scarier
(But this book isn’t scary at all)
January 18, 2017
I am 100% done with the Nightmare Man and the book is so good. My favorite part is one of the scary parts which is when he was in his room and it was dark outside and in the garden in the back yard was the Nightmare Man looking into his room. I also liked when he would be in his room and it's late and he would here noises outside his door like scratches, movement, and doors opening and closing. In conclusion the book is good i rate it 4 out of 5.
November 18, 2021
One of the shorter Point Horror novels, being only slightly over 100 pages, it's a bit too short for its own good, as it does try to stuff a bit too much story into the space it has to tell it, making it feel a bit rushed by the end of it.
There's loads going on here, a dead serial killer who might be haunting his former house which he left in his will to the cop that arrested him, who's the father of the main character, but this serial killer had a cellmate who he might have told secrets to, and might be coming after the house. Also he was into Ravens and has loads of stuffed animals in the house, Norman Bates' style. Then the family moves into the house of the serial killer, because he was a rich serial killer, and take in a lodger.
As you can tell, just explaining the basic plot would take almost the whole of the book itself, little is left for character development really. That's the main problem with the book, there are intriguing plotlines here but they are never given room to breathe. Still and entertaining read though, as are most Point Horrors.
There's loads going on here, a dead serial killer who might be haunting his former house which he left in his will to the cop that arrested him, who's the father of the main character, but this serial killer had a cellmate who he might have told secrets to, and might be coming after the house. Also he was into Ravens and has loads of stuffed animals in the house, Norman Bates' style. Then the family moves into the house of the serial killer, because he was a rich serial killer, and take in a lodger.
As you can tell, just explaining the basic plot would take almost the whole of the book itself, little is left for character development really. That's the main problem with the book, there are intriguing plotlines here but they are never given room to breathe. Still and entertaining read though, as are most Point Horrors.
June 28, 2026
This was on the Wiki list of Point Horror books, but I don't think it was ever released under that series. It might have been under the Point series in the US, however.
This one was disappointing, the character is 10 but reads quite a bit older than that. However, I didn't mind that as child narrators tend to annoy me.
The plot could have been avoided by the parents making sensible, rational decisions instead of what they ended up doing. It's mostly a crime thriller with a supernatural element that isn't well realised.
Has potential, but probably a skipper for most.
This one was disappointing, the character is 10 but reads quite a bit older than that. However, I didn't mind that as child narrators tend to annoy me.
The plot could have been avoided by the parents making sensible, rational decisions instead of what they ended up doing. It's mostly a crime thriller with a supernatural element that isn't well realised.
Has potential, but probably a skipper for most.
April 19, 2022
This was marked down as a Point Horror on my list that I'm working from (from wiki) but it's aimed at a younger audience than the usual PH lot.
I would have absolutely loved this as a child, but as an adult it's rather tame and incredibly obvious
I would have absolutely loved this as a child, but as an adult it's rather tame and incredibly obvious
October 3, 2017
Pretty good, a bit obvious in spots, but overall a fun book for younger readers.
May 12, 2025
Nothing special, a quick fun read if you are used to these types of books you'll know what to expect gives off Scooby-Doo.
February 25, 2017
- Review for, "The Nightmare Man," by Tessa Krailing.
A simple, easy, interesting, quite unique piece of writing! For a children's book, it packed quite a punch, with a thought provoking story line, with some not so usual words. From the setting, and some of the wording and spelling, I suppose the author was British, although I'm not certain.
This is a book about overcoming fears, whether real or imagined; it's about overcoming fears whether they may be seering fire, high window ledges, or fiendish nightmares. You overcome fears to do what you need to do, save others, and sometimes, find a burglar; it's all worth it in the end, after all, you're really only scared of being scared.
Although some of material here proves odd, and a bit weird, it's a short piece for a fun reading break.
Do remember, however, that God is the only one you must fear, for He controls it all! Jesus loves you! †
~M.K.
A simple, easy, interesting, quite unique piece of writing! For a children's book, it packed quite a punch, with a thought provoking story line, with some not so usual words. From the setting, and some of the wording and spelling, I suppose the author was British, although I'm not certain.
This is a book about overcoming fears, whether real or imagined; it's about overcoming fears whether they may be seering fire, high window ledges, or fiendish nightmares. You overcome fears to do what you need to do, save others, and sometimes, find a burglar; it's all worth it in the end, after all, you're really only scared of being scared.
Although some of material here proves odd, and a bit weird, it's a short piece for a fun reading break.
Do remember, however, that God is the only one you must fear, for He controls it all! Jesus loves you! †
~M.K.
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November 3, 2016 The title of my book “the nightmare man” was Tessa Krailing. The main characters in my book were Jay, Alex, Emilia, Alex and amelia's mom and dad, and Leo. I liked this book because it is just the type of book I like; it is a mystery book with suspense. It also has some scary parts to it. The way this book connects to the unit theme is that the kids have to work to get the nightmare man away. I would recommend this book to readers like me, kids who like suspense mystery and scariness in a book. The plot is the kids get a new house and are moving into the kids fathers enemies house since he died. Then the first night they started seeing a shadowy figure called the nightmare man. So the kids friend stays the night to find out the mystery then they found out that it was the magicians guy Leo was staying outside practicing magic tricks.
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October 15, 2014The Nightmare Man
the book is called The Nightmare Man. The author’s name is Tessa Krailing. I liked this book because it was scary and i love anything thats scary especially scary movies. The setting is at a pond named stock field pond, the main character’s are Jay Nimrod and Alex. The main conflict is that there is a mystery man that was in alex’s dream and now he has seen him in real life and he is now being haunted.I would recommend this book to those people who love scary books and movies.
the book is called The Nightmare Man. The author’s name is Tessa Krailing. I liked this book because it was scary and i love anything thats scary especially scary movies. The setting is at a pond named stock field pond, the main character’s are Jay Nimrod and Alex. The main conflict is that there is a mystery man that was in alex’s dream and now he has seen him in real life and he is now being haunted.I would recommend this book to those people who love scary books and movies.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews