The Carnival

Friday The 13th, Camp Crystal Lake #3

by Eric Morse

Four teenagers looking for fun and thrills to break up the boredom of summer school get more than they had bargained for when they visit a traveling carnival that has pitched its tents at the old Crystal Lake campgrounds.

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, Thriller, Media Tie In

184 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1994

Reviews

[Schizanthus Nerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been waiting and waiting

and Friday the 13th is finally here again! You know what that means! It’s time to spend some quality time with Jason.

Except Jason’s a no show. Apparently he’s still enjoying his slaycation in hell because he doesn’t even make a cameo in this book. His mask is still at Camp Crystal Lake though, ready for the next set of victims to arrive.

During the first two books we got to know the Boone family. Billy and his friends participated in Camp Crystal Lake’s Mother’s Day massacre. Then Kelly, Billy’s sister, decided it was her turn to experience all of the bloody fun she missed out on the year before. No Boone’s were harmed in the making of this book, although that may just be because there aren’t any left.

Vince Fantana’s Travelling Fun House and Carnival has come to Crystal Lake for the weekend of “the July Fourth blowout”. That probably should have been my first clue that I wasn’t going to enjoy this book as much as the first two in the series. A Crystal Lake massacre that occurs on a day other than Friday the 13th? Sacrilege!

I’m not sure what bright spark thought it was a good idea to set up a carnival on the grounds of Camp Crystal Lake, where the land is most likely still squishy with the blood of the most recent massacre. It’s a good thing sleazeball Vince surrounds his carnival with an electric fence, because that’s not a recipe for disaster or anything.

Some of the carnies who may not live to tell the tale are:

Mitch Deevers - Mitch is in his late 20’s and is the creepy chief mechanic for the carnival. He has tattoos of snakes and the names of all of his conquests on his arms.

Stump - Mitch’s rottweiler. Mitch chopped off his dog’s tail for some reason; hence the name.

Helen, AKA, Madame Xaviera - the carnival’s fortune teller.

Selena Tokar - Helen’s 17 year old daughter.

Molly Meecham - the carnival nurse and the freak show’s “Fat Lady”.

I also wouldn’t place bets on Stu, Karl, Big Joe, Peg O’Neill or Moe the clown living long enough to enjoy the midnight fireworks. I definitely wasn’t a fan of one of the carnies being referred to as a ”midget”.

Attending the carnival on this fateful night are a small group from Holloway, Massachusetts, which is only 30 miles from Crystal Lake. I mention its proximity as it’s close enough for them to have heard all about Camp Crystal Lake on the grapevine. They should know better than to tempt fate.

Our main character, who you will definitely not want to be a final girl, is Maxi (Maxine, but don’t call her that) Wagner. An only child with a troubled home life, Maxi is a shoplifter, hitchhiker and was caught smoking dope at school, which is why she’s a year older than the rest of her class. She’s angry and mean, and I’m not entirely sure why she still has any friends, given the way she treats them. She’s not a virgin so, if Horror 101 has taught us anything, she probably won’t survive.

Maxi is 17, tall, thin and beautiful, with “long legs that seemed to go all the way up to her head.” Of course, every time I imagine this potential victim running away from the killer I see this in my head:

Wendy (Wens) Denberg is 16, short and not pretty. That’s almost all that I know about her.

KC (Katherine Carter) is 16 and is sweet and polite. She’s a virgin and considers ‘sleazeball’ a swear word so you’d think she’d be safe, but going to the carnival was initially her idea so her virginity may not save her.

Greg Dillon is a senior from Hawthorn. His parents died in a car accident the day after his 13th birthday so in theory it would be cruel to kill him off. However, he has a huge crush on Maxi so his judgement is not the best. That may be his downfall.

All of these potential corpses have been attending summer school. Graham Newton, who’s 26 and British, goes to the carnival with the three girls. He’s their summer school English teacher. And that’s all I have to say about that.

Also ripe for the picking are Bernard LeBlatt (12), Nick Harris (13) and the Barfield family - James, Mrs (the poor woman doesn’t have a first name) and their three year old son, Bobby.

Liberties really are being taken with this series now. It’s Friday the 13th adjacent at best. While it was still an okay read I was disappointed overall. It takes a while for the action to begin. Early on we have our first casualty, a bug, but then we have to wait until 45% before the human carnage commences. RIP, little bug. Oh, and a rodent dies as well.

The most detailed death scenes seemed to be reserved for minor characters and I only learned of the demise of some of the main characters after the fact. The mask has retained its magical powers from the first two books; tattoos are also magic in this book.

The killer was a huge letdown for me. They couldn’t even take credit for a good portion of the kills. Instead the rides, which are essentially possessed by the invisible evil vapour that’s supposedly wafting up from the ground, and the electric fence are responsible for the most interesting ones.

From the a woman most likely wouldn’t have written this about a 17 year old schoolgirl files: “Naked, she was sitting on the edge of her bed, pressing a cold can of beer against her forehead.” When said 17 year old schoolgirl is in a bad mood it automatically means she must be getting her period. Naturally! There couldn’t be any other reason.

I’m rounding up from 2.5 stars and hoping my next Friday the 13th read will be worth the wait.

[Paula Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feeling a bit romanced out (and tiring heavily of "too-scared-to-love" heroes), I dipped into my 90s YA horror collection for this third entry in the short-lived Friday The 13th spin-off! The books are only loosely connected to the movies - basically, Jason's hockey mask is cursed and whoever puts it on becomes a vicious killing machine!

Our main character is Maxi Wagner, and author Morse gives us a surprisingly complex character, who isn't totally likeable. She and her friends K.C. and Wendy eventually decide to head to the carnival that has been set up on Camp Crystal Lake, after their other plans fall through. Unknown to them, a carnival worker has donned the mask, setting Jason's evil free! Tagging along with them is their teacher (!) Graham, and at the carnival itself, they run into Greg, who has the hots for Maxi. Unfortunately, lots of guys like Maxi, but she just likes stringing them along.

This is by no means well-written by the standards of any genre, but it is fun! As said before, Maxi actually has some depth to her character! I was annoyed by the fact Morse seems to skim past details of the deaths of the main characters, instead focusing on describing the deaths of minor characters! What's with that? The finale is definitely the high point here, as Maxi and Selena, a teen fortune teller, flee through the carnival trying to escape the killer. Felt just like watching a movie! The Haunted House/Chamber Of Horrors sequence is intense and fun.

As far as slasher-movie-inspired quick reads go, this delivers some mindless entertainment!

[Josiah · Rating 1 out of 5]

For all its efforts to replicate the feel and tone of the Friday the 13th films, this book series ignores a few cardinal rules of the era's horror movie establishment. Foremost among those broken rules is that children aren't fair game for the murderer; the maniac wearing Jason's mask in these books does kill children, even infants. And while the three kids massacred by Big Red in the book before this, Jason's Curse, were done away with safely outside the narrative stream, a few children in The Carnival are killed with the same bold descriptive flair accompanying the deaths of teenagers and adults. This was taboo when Friday the 13th, Halloween, and other similar horror franchises first ascended to peak popularity in the 1970s, '80s, '90s, and '00s, so I didn't expect to encounter it in a set of novels initially published in 1994. The coldblooded slaying of kids by the newest incarnation of Jason might make some readers uncomfortable, but Eric Morse's surprising strength as a storyteller allows the series to rise above most of that, and Friday the 13th fans should find something to like in The Carnival. Diverging from the Boone siblings narrative that linked the first two books, we return to Camp Crystal Lake to find a seedy carnival setting up near the site of Jason's manifold slaughter sprees, and there's little doubt nothing good can come of it. This presumption is validated when head carnival mechanic Mitch Deever stumbles onto Jason's cursed mask where Kelly Boone buried it at the end of the previous book, and is possessed by the mask's malevolent spirit as soon as he puts it on. There's a new psychopath stalking Crystal Lake, and he's raring to cause as much mayhem as the real Jason Voorhees ever did.

As the sadistic spirit of the mask spreads its influence around the carnival, making rides break down, whipping up the employees into irrational anger against one another and the customers, and intensifying the electrical current of the perimeter fence to fatal levels, seventeen-year-old Maxi Wagner and her sixteen-year-old friends KC and Wendy are trying to stave off boredom in a Massachusetts suburb thirty miles away. Maxi is in command of this group, just as she commands the attention of any boy she wishes to see trail after her like a sad puppy in need of affection. But Maxi's home life is a disaster, her self-image worryingly negative, and her sudden desire to drive out to a carnival in the hometown of legendary serial murderer Jason Voorhees may be yet another in a long line of self-destructive impulses. Maxi coaxes KC and Wendy into joining her at the carnival, along with her wannabe boyfriend Greg and dashing young Graham Newton, a teacher from England who, despite the improprieties involved, appears to fancy a chance at romancing Maxi. The group is a boiling pot of emotions before setting foot in Crystal Lake, but that's nothing compared to the chaos a run-in with a crazed killer could set off.

With the electrified perimeter fence amped so high it could fry a grown man or set the entire forest ablaze, and Mitch Deever frenziedly adding to the body count as carnival patrons enter at the gate but never leave, Maxi must heed the veiled warning from Selena, the teenage carny psychic, if she hopes to reconcile her own warring emotions in time to internally unite against the most ominous external threat she's ever going to face: the new Crystal Lake killer, a rampaging slasher who would run her and her friends through with his knife just as soon as glance at them. Maxi has at least half a dozen serious psychological issues to work through, but that will only ever happen if she survives this carnival nightmare to come together with alienated friends and family on the other side of the bloody tragedy. The specter of Jason Voorhees has haunted Crystal Lake so long, and even when he dies it's never truly the end. Will the camp ever be free of his curse?

The Carnival doesn't quite measure up to Mother's Day or Jason's Curse, its predecessors in this book series, but it retains the 1980s-'90s slasher spirit of the movies, and that's what's going to matter to the majority of diehard Friday the 13th fanatics. In each successive book Jason's mask seems to strengthen in power and influence not only over the individual it possesses, but over inanimate objects, using them to help the latest embodiment of Jason's rage messily cut down as many people as possible. The real Jason may have been dragged down to Hell by Freddy Krueger before Eric Morse's book series began, but his spirit roams Crystal Lake as surely as when he lived, and no one nearby is safe as long as his mask can resurface to terrorize another unsuspecting group of innocents. I would give The Carnival a rating that's very familiar to Friday the 13th cognoscenti—one and a half stars—but I enjoyed it for what it was. If you like engaging in the world of Jason Voorhees even peripherally, you'll have fun with this novel. And isn't that what the series is all about?

[vk chompooming · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are really good. I have been pleasantly surprised by the writing quality if Eric Morse despite these books being YA novels. The plot and setting would have made any slasher fan happy. I have questions about the "powers" of Jason Vorhees. Did he inhabit ppl whom put on his mask? Can the "spirit" of Jason inhabit inanimate objects or show up as ghosts of dead loved ones? I guess I gotta rewatch those movies. The end of The Carnival was quite brutal. For a movie of this book, I was imagining the girl Maxi being played by Mia Goth.

[Jeff Sica · Rating 1 out of 5]

An absolute mess of a story. Plot holes, characters disappear with no closure, the “Jason” barely has a role in the story and his dog kills the main character with no climax to follow. A complete downgrade in the series and waste of a read. No wonder the series didn’t last much longer…

[Ed Dexter · Rating 2 out of 5]

If this were a stand alone book about a haunted serial killer mask and Camp Crystal Lake was an Indian burial ground, it would be a lot better. As a tangential tie-in to Friday the 13th, it doesn't really work that well. Aside from Jason's mask and the campground, it doesn't feel like it part of the F13 universe.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I say the last book was nihilistic? Just wait until you see this one: a carnival on its last legs decides to try Crystal Lake and a bunch of mean girls led by an emotionally damaged girl from a broken home decide to crash it after their plans fail. What follows is nothing but death and destruction that strips everything to the bone.

But the part that really makes this an interesting read (especially for a YA novel) is how the lead character is demolished: she finds her father cheating, she goes to confront him, only to watch him die. And when she teams up with the lead from another subplot (a psychic daughter whose mother is put in the hospital thanks to the corruption around Crystal Lake), the original lead comes to terms with her issues..and then is immediately slaughtered by a rabid dog. It's an ugly, brutal scene that steps up the nihilism from the second book and places this into a context where one does not know where this series is going to end but sure as hell wants you know you should take nothing for granted. It's a beautifully done book that, in all honesty, makes it worth finding the rest of the series. The word is masterful. The only reason it doesn't get higher than the second book is because there are survivors and the carnival itself slaughtering people its a bit too on the nose for the series itself.

[Danell DeBacker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great way to pass a snow day!

[Eamon McArdle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was should have been a simple premise but there are some real weird details in this one. The rides malfunction and actually come alive at a point because of the spirit of crystal lake. Why? Why does every character (including the guy Jason had possessed) comment on how attractive Maxi is? It’s just odd.

The book sets up a guillotine (cool) but then it makes a point to mention a mysterious hand jams the guillotine. This comes up later when a character almost gets killed by it. Okay set up and pay off BUT IT NEVER EXPLAINS THE MYSTERIOUS HAND. WHO DID THAT???

Out of the three I’ve read so far, this one is the most humorous. Lots of funny moments in this one, Wendy being attracted to the killer made me smile, as did several other bits.

Some cool kills in this one though. Sad two major characters die almost “off screen” with little to no details on what happened, while minor characters get more extensive deaths. Was there a page limit? What gives.

Needless to say. I read this for the explicit purpose of a simple read of a slasher. I got it. It’s not deep. On to the next one.

[Kasey Loftis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably my favorite of the 4 books so far. I loved the carnival setting in this one. A carnival on it's last leg, with a greedy owner who cares more about money than safety, a mean girl and her friends, as well as a creepy teacher following along, and Jason's mask...and we have a massive bloody mess. In this book, it's not just the mask that is cursed, it is very much the camp, as well. As time goes on, the more people are at the camp, the meaner and nastier they get. And the carnival seems to come alive, with the rides having a life of their own and taking off, doing a majority of the kills. One major complaint, which is the same as the last book, is that Jason doesn't even really appear in the books. It is always someone who finds his mask and puts it on and they become the killer. I would have preferred to have Jason be the real killer.

[Mathew Bonta · Rating 3 out of 5]

The carnival has arrived at Crystal Lake and they set up shop either on or near the infamous camp grounds.

Eventually the mask is found where it was left in the previous entry, the carny mechanic puts it on and becomes possessed by Jason Voorhees, who also happens to possess the rides as well.

As these stories tend to do, a group of young college kids, with a pathetic professor in tow, go to the carnival and are unceremoniously removed from the playing field one by one.

Less violence then tha previous entry, a bit more character development, but not much. Serves well for the series. Don't expect what the best of the movies offer, but better than the worst of the bunch.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some REAL creepy descriptions of teens in this book and I was really shocked this was considered 'YA' back in the day.

Luckily that thankfully is set aside after the first act and we get a really weird series of vignettes where Jason as a Carny kills everyone.

There are scenes that really don't make a lot of sense but they take advantage of the atmosphere so you just shrug your shoulders and say it 'f it sure why not'.

Commits to the setting and delivers what one would expect.

[~Cyanide Latte~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one went kind of all over the place but I still enjoyed it! Once again, I couldn't have enjoyed this book if it weren't for the efforts of The 80s Slasher Librarian on YouTube to make a fan audiobook so this and many other out of print slasher books could be freely accessible to fans and archived! Check out his channel, for real.

[E. D. Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one may be my favourite in the series thus far.
The carnival setting was different and broke the mold a little and it mixed with the character antics make it kind of funny; I especially enjoyed the funhouse.
There were some surprises and a psychic, not to mention a few characters I felt bad for.

[Russell Holbrook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent book in the series by Eric Morse! This was kind of like Funhouse meets Final Destination 3. Lots of chaos and carnage candy! The carnival folk were weird and fun, the atmosphere and setting were both creepy and effective. A really great book overall!

[Jeremy Schmitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series. Found them back in middle school and finally got them as a gift a few years ago. If you like mindless Jason possessed mask fun, then pick up these books!

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lot of fun. Loved all the descriptions of the different rides and atmosphere. Not as scary as Mother’s Day.

[Zackman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was probably the first violent YA I ever read. It's very much an 80s horror movie in book form.

[Soledad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maxi is a lesbian, I’m claiming her. I will not elaborate further.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I'm a huge Friday the 13th nerd. I was at a thrift store a couple years ago and stumbled upon this deep in a box of old dusty books and thought it was pretty cool, plus it was like 50 cents. I just figured it'd be kind of a stupid little "hey look at this weird teen book series they made about Jason Voorhees back in the 90's? Ain't that fucked up?"

I have a job that gives me a ton of free time to read (or watch videos of cute cats on Youtube) so as I was running out the door for work I just randomely grabbed this stupid little Goosebumps book off the shelf and figured "why not?"

I'm 26, so I was prime era kid age when Goosebumps was awesome. I read a ton of the books back in the day although I don't think I could tell you anything about any of them (except for the one about the girl with the mask. That's a classic.) So it's been about 18 years since I've read one of these books so I'm kind of confused on what to expect. The basic premise is teen girl named Maxi (who's like totally a thrill seeker and doesn't give a f) goes to this Carnival with here two friends. One of the carnies working there finds Jason's old mask, puts it on and conjures up the spirit of Jason Voorhees(?) and starts murdering everyone in the park in fun ways. Will Maxi and her bitching girlfriends make it out alive? I'll never tell.

What I didn't get was who the target audience was. I'm assuming young teens? There's zero swearing in the book - like actively avoiding it - but at the same time there's some brutal murders (blowtorch to the face/beheadings). I don't know. Me being a Jason Voorhees nerd bumped it up because it include some of the lure of the Friday the 13th series. I would kind of be interested in maybe reading another one of these Camp Crystal Lake books if I could find one super cheap. It was fun.

[Paul Lê · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wild ride. The best entry so far in the series. From the messy but rootable protagonist to the Final Destination-ish gut punch of an ending, this book is a lot of fun. Gruesome with a high body count. I've read it twice, and it still holds up.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy carnival plus Jason Voorhees. Awesomeness. I liked the characters in this book a lot. I didn't like seeing them all go.

[Jacob Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!!! Eric morse did something that has never been done with the movies he has brought a carnival to the camp site! This book is pricey online but worth it!!!