Fear Hall: The Beginning

Fear Street: Fear Hall #1

by R.L. Stine

Dear Readers:

Come with me to Fear Hall. That’s the creepy college dorm built years ago by the cursed Fear family.

Hope and her roommates live in Fear Hall. Hope’s boyfriend lives there, too. They’re all good students and best friends. Everything is going great…until one of them becomes a murderer!

Now Hope is about to find out that life at Fear Hall can be a real scream!

I hope you’ll join me for Fear Hall. This story has so many scares, it took me two books to tell it all!

P.S. You’ll never believe what I came up with for the next book…

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

176 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1997

About the author

Robert 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...

Reviews

[Justin Tate · Rating 5 out of 5]

If it weren’t for R.L. Stine it’s unlikely I would be a reader or a writer. As a child I devoured hundreds of his books. When I finally met him in 2018, this is the one I wanted signed. Plot-wise, the story is unremarkable and reminiscent to other Fear Street books—girl receives frightening warnings from an unknown stalker. People die -- will she be next?

But then, the twist.

I vividly remember my open-mouthed shock when the culprit was revealed. My head spun for days. How did I not see that coming? The clues were all there. I told my older brother about it and he added further intrigue. He said the psychology of the culprit sounded like a disorder he learned about in college. I couldn’t believe it. There were even psychological clues I missed! In this youthful moment of limited literary scope, I hailed Stine a genius capable of anything.

Now that I’m a writer, I think way back to this book and realize there's a lot to learn from it. For one, the power of research. Adding a touch of reality—the psychological explanation—made the twist that much more delightful. Pacing, too, as a literary device. Leading up to the shocking reveal, the story was intriguing but a touch on the boring side. In the end, that turned out to be completely okay. Stine’s technique reveals how to craft a payoff that can sustain several less-thrilling chapters.

It's not easy. I often yearn to write the surprise right away. It is the most exciting part! It would be an injustice to hide it from the reader. Mean, even! But no, I must remind myself, and pick up Fear Hall to remember that half the fun is the mystery. Not knowing is better than knowing, 90% of time, in almost every genre. Then, when the time is right, all may be revealed. If it goes well, the reader will be like me, circa 1997, stunned and breathless, feeling as if he's just had a close encounter with true genius.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fear Hall: The Beginning begins with four friends inside a dorm called Fear Hall.They are in room 13B.these four friends are Angel Jasmine Hope and Eden.They immediately get a visit from Hopes boyfriend.This guy named Daryll comes in.He says that he has accidentally done something bad.He didn't accidentally step on somebody's flowers.He actually killed a guy.This is literally like page three.His excuse was he thought that Eden was hope and she was out seeing another guy.The description of the death is very gory the guy gets stabbed multiple times and he's spread over some bushes.So now this dorm is on high alert And the characters have plenty of time to go to the police,but everytime somebody mentions it,Hope brings up the fact that Darryll is the only person to ever love her.Her mom treated her bad and she constantly brings this up.So they go out and do their own thing anyway.This book switches perspectives from the four girls. Eden and Hope end up going out to get something to drink at a coffee shop, I think.They run into two guys and Eden invites them over to their table.Hope dosnt like this idea though and worried Darryl will find out.As the two guys approach Eden tries to introduce them to Hope,but she's gone.When we cut to Jasmine's point of view she is at a coffee shop she works at and she sees the "3Ms", which is the people across the hall from her named Mary, Maggie and Melanie. I think. I could be wrong about those names.Basically Jasmine mentions something about her other friends and they keep looking at her weird and that's mostly what Jasmine's story perspective is.We know something's up.One of the best scenes in this book is where Eden goes out with the guy from the coffee shop.They go play golf ,only for Daryl to pop up and something happens that you just got to read.It is one of the most graphic kill in this series.I know this review is going to be kind of vague, but you kind of have to because this ending is insane. I really enjoyed The first Fear Hall.R.L.Stine did a really great job at making everything seem just slightly off.Even though it's pretty normal ish. I'd give it a four out of five stars.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been having so much fun reading my old "horror" series, and this is unfortunately the last Fear Street book my library has. What happened to all of them!? I wasn't ready to stop taking this trip down memory lane yet, dang it!

I've only read this book once, but I remembered the big twist at the end. It made it a lot more fun to read this time around since I was looking for the clues to support that ending. I don't remember the second book at all, which sucks since my library doesn't have it. I might not have actually ever read it, so I don't know how this ultimately ends.

This was an even quicker read than usual for these books, but because of that twist I have to give it 3 stars.

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was difficult to find, and I can't find the second book at all. I guess I will never find out the truth. Yes, even though stuff is revealed (things I already suspected from the beginning and around chapter 15 started seeing more clearly), there is still a chance that R.L. Stine will make something up, will get a nice twist and do something. Bleh, bleh bleh. Hopefully one day I will find the second book. And yes, I knew there is a second book, I just didn't think it was this necessary to read them in one go. Quite often you can read one and then calmly read the next book later.

The book also wasn't what I was expecting. I expected a horror story with the Fear Hall as main stage. While stuff does happen on there, and while the book was exciting, it still felt a bit empty. It was mostly about Hope/Angel/Eden/Jasmine and Darryl and what is up with them. There are also murders. But again, I was hoping for a really spooky tale about the Fear Hall. Like ghosts, or monsters.

I won't chat much about the characters due to the huge amount of spoilers that might give. I can just say they were all interesting and intriguing.

But, as I said, the book was exciting, it was great fun to try and figure out what happened, and what will happen. I loved the mystery surrounding the girls and Darryl. Though, again, I saw it coming. The ending brought everything together and made sure we really knew what was going on.

The murders were truly gruesome and bit overkill. I guess it fits with R.L. Stine, he likes to kill of his characters is gruesome fashion.

I also was a bit confused at first. There is also a series named Nightmare Hall, and I was thinking this was just a companion story or some other story that had to do with that series. It turns out it doesn't, even though the similarities are abundant.

All in all, I wouldn't recommend this one, well... unless you can find the second book immediately and read it quickly after finishing this one. Otherwise, I would suggest you stay away. Since this book has no ending, it just gives us a (seen-it-coming)twist and an open ending. :( It is still a terrific book, good story, good characters, but if you can't find the second book, then you will just be frustrated (like me).

Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Alexa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this. I was hooked pretty quickly and I loved the ride it took me through. I knew what the ending was pretty early on, but there were still twists that I did not see coming. Stine always has such great twists and this sure did not disappoint. Can’t wait to read the next part!

[Amber "Epp" · Rating 5 out of 5]

in 2013 my local library was getting ride of all paperback books and they had all the R.L. Stine / Christopher Pike books so I bought all of them and read them with a massive teen book marathon .. I really hope that a whole new generation of teens gets to fall in love with these books !!! as they are simply the best I loved all of these books in my teens .. :) and I really enjoyed going down memory lane re reading them as an adult ... :)

[Courtney Gruenholz · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I am dubbing this my Summer of Stine as I have a lot of books by the author that I haven't read yet or in a very long time. This two parter is very high on a list of Fear Street favorites and I put it off until I could find a copy of both books.

Some people haven't read this even now and I try not to let spoilers ruin that experience for me or anyone else so I'll try my best to give my opinion on the story.

We switch perspective between four girls who are roommates at Ivy State College. Freshmen girls living in Fear Hall...even being far from Shadyside can't keep the horrors away.

Hope Mathis - slightly overweight with the most terrible mother issues.
Eden Leary - 90s grunge/emo girl running on sarcasm
Angel - sexy and alluring
Jasmine - shy and quiet

There's also Hope's boyfriend, Darryl Hoode. One minute he's the greatest guy in the world and the next a possessive and violent jerk. Hope can't seem to let him go and move on now that she's at college but when the bodies start appearing on campus lives won't ever be the same after that...

The twist is slightly jarring but in all honesty not hard to spot and the ending to this first part is very promising for what is to come enough to make up for that fact you can tell the reveal pretty early on.

Once I finish it as a whole, the entire plot may even out to where my rating will be higher but we'll just have to wait and see...

[Tom Garback · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫
Critical Score: B
Personal Score: B+
Reading Experience: 📘

My reading slump obliterated my enjoyment of the first half of this book, but reading the rest today was fun. The twist was absolutely shocking. The pacing was great, as was the setting (the reason I bought the book). The horror/mystery (up to the end, at least) was a little generic. This book is basically a dumb Scream 2, but a satisfying Fear Street installment. Really wish the second book was available for a reasonable price somewhere, lol.

[Julian Dombey]

Throwing corpses out of windows. Oh, Bob, you never fail to crack me up.

[Annika · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's good. Not fabulous, but good.

[Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐

Hope is going to college with Angel, Eden, and Jasmine. She is living at Fear Hall on campus. She has a possessive, jealous, crazy boyfriend named Daryl who won't allow her to be in the company of other men or he will kill them. Then some college guys start getting murdered. Hope and her friends want Daryl to turn him self in. Daryl doesn't want to and kills Eden. The police come and Hope and her friends flee. One of the girls living across the hall says that Hope lives by herself. So Hope talks to herself and her friends are imaginary.

I thought this book was very weird. Does Hope has multiple personalities? Did her mom's teasing turn Hope into a psycho when she got older? Did the building turn her crazy? Hope Hope finds out that she's been doing all of this stuff and gets treatment.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-Read.
Ughhhh. Fear Hall is a two-parter that RL Stine apparently was so pumped about according to like the 4 authors notes in here about it. All I remembered about this particular title was the twist ending. It was cool knowing the surprise and rereading to try and pick up the clues. It's fairly cleverly hidden in plain sight with one really stupid obvious instance that almost gives it away. I would definitely have given this higher stars as it's a really intriguing story given that shocker ending! However...the writing is awful and clunky. It didn't flow, having awkward transitions and jumpy plot points. If memory serves the conclusion isn't as satisfying as this entry was but...we'll see. Definitely worth a try for Fear Street readers but not worth the re-read.

[Drucilla · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book really deserves 2.5 stars. I couldn't give it 3 because this book is so frustrating. All the way through, the reader is thinking that these girls are SO STUPID! Just turn in the murderer! No, don't vote on it, just do it! *sigh* The only reason I gave the book 2 stars instead of 1 was the ending. It's really good. It makes you want to re-read it again (to see what you missed) despite the craziness of the girls.

[David Popovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best Fear Street book I've read. Not just the first part, but both books together. This story feels the most fleshed out. With a good cast and storyline that leads to a tragic ending. While most Fear Street books can be forgettable, this one will not leave my mind soon. More details here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib81c...

[Alyssa Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, where do I begin? This was just an amazing book. It was so good I finished it in like 3 days after I got it. I just could not put this book down. It had me locked in its grip from page 4 and on. It started out normal, then BOOM, someone got murdered. It really intrigued me and I intently continued to read on. Oh boy, was this such a thriller! This was my first fear street book I had ever read. And all I have to say is... WHAT TOOK ME SO LONG! This was such an amazing book by one of my favorite authors. The only thing I guess I would warn people about is that in the book it did give a description of two different people getting killed. They weren't too bad, but I would recommend some viewer discretion on those parts in you don't like that sort of thing. Otherwise, it was great! The only sad part is that it had to end in a CLIFFHANGER and I am now desperately trying to find Fear Hall: The Conclusion. Yah, so all I basically have to say is this is an AMAZING book and can't wait to read the second part. A good book filled with thrills and chills until the very end. Written by the master of fear and horror stories himself! You'll never even see the end coming until you read it for yourself.

[Marissa Munoz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Fear Hall: The Beginning by R.L. Stine is an interesting book that I am currently reading. Although I have not read the entire book it has for sure captivated me. It tells the story of 4 college girls living in a dorm while there is a murderer on the loose. Surprisingly the murderer happens to be one of the girl's(Hope) boyfriend(Darryl). Darryl admits to killing the girls because he thought Hope was on a date with another man but it turns out it was just her roommate borrowing her clothes. This happens yet again and at this point all of the roommates are scared and Hope is starting to hallucinate due to the stress and trying to keep Darryl from getting caught by the police. Some of the most important aspects of this book are the characters, especially Hope, she is a very well and complex written figure with her twisted plans and hidden past. Yet again I have not finished the book but for what I have read it for sure has captured my attention.

[Sandra Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fear Hall was just a dorm at a university campus…wasn’t it? Not if you believe all the rumors about ghosts and hauntings. Well, this particular case involved murder.

It all started one night when Hope’s boyfriend comes in ranting about killing a guy. Suddenly, there was a chopped-up body and a murder on campus. A group of college girls were then too afraid to turn in Holly’s boyfriend to the police. How could they protect a murderer? The girls were living in fear.

What happens next is a series of violence and hallucinations. You’re not sure what’s real and what’s not. It’s the curiosity about it that keeps you reading. The details were definitely grittier than what I’m used to in an R.L. Stine book.

I did not expect the surprise revelation of what was really going on in the end. Now, I gotta check out the conclusion. Good read!

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

I could be wrong but i think by the time this book released, Fear Street had hit it’s peak and would be ending soon. They tried to update the cover art for a few books before they abandoned it in favor of the previous art style.
The book was odd for me, not because it was bad, but because there is nothing familiar about Stine’s usual writing style. A couple of times i stopped and thought, is this even Stine writing? The style was..dare i say, pretty sophisticated for the normal style of writing.
I think Stine was trying some new things including the college setting, which i liked. I think this was near the time when the first Scream came out and i got some vibes from that also.

[Jack Reacts · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full review at: https://www.jackreacts.com.au/post/fe...
Snippet: Wow. This was wild, lol. The death scenes were pretty entertaining, but the mystery just wasn't there because it was so obvious what the twist was from the start. At least they're not dragging out the same twist over to the next book, though, so maybe that'll be more fun!

Check out my full review linked up top for an in-depth recap :)

[Tabitha · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars - While it's unclear if this is part of the original Fear Street series or a 2-part Fear Hall standalone, I decided I will read these Fear Hall books before calling my quest complete. No regrets. Fear Hall: The Beginning starts out with an introduction to Hope's boyfriend's dark side, but before the end of the first book, the twist is slowly revealed and it's made clear why she can't shake his presence.

[✿ℎazℯℓ - thℯ ℛock Cℎick ℱairy✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been waiting this book for a really long time. I've had the second book for almost ten years and I just couldn't find the first one. Anyway, I jumped into this as soon as I got the copy. I couldn't be more surprised by the plot. It still intrigued me even when it's talking about high school students.

I will definitely read the second book quickly!

[Devon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I spent 90% of this book thinking it was the worst book in the world. What sort of idiots would not immediately go to the police to report a murderer?! I was completely prepared to give it half a star and trash it. But then that twist at the end... I did NOT see that coming. That brings everything else into a whole new light. That was great.

[Aly Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book in 2 hours. Mf Hope and Daryll made me get so mad at them. Especially Hope, bitch really made so much excuse to protect her murderer boyfriend like girl I wish she got yeeted off the window instead of Eden smh. Anyways, damn the plot twist too at the end. Also damn, the way I be imagining everything as a movie and the killing scenes shocked me fr. Love this.

[Khurshid Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to another Fear Street series Fear Hall. The story is weird things happen at Fear Hall.

Imagine having a boyfriend who is possessive.
Imagine that possessiveness turns dark.


And

Why do people look at you weirdly.
Why do people mistake you for someone else.

There is something that you need to know
The bodies are real
The murder is savage

The plot twist is great.

[SpookyxSpice · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is very different from other Fear Street and R L Stine (point horror) books. It almost feels and seems as if it wasn't written by him at all.

The twist you can unfortunately figure out and see coming. So I'm not sure that the second book will offer much after the reveal at the end of this one.

OSA 2025 read.

[Amii · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love both this and the second book.
This book started off a bit mundane for me, but as the story got more interesting I really got into it. I predicted when it was going, because I love reading these kinds of plots, but it was still an enjoyable ride.

[Tehnehn Kaijaah Edwards · Rating 2 out of 5]

i love love love RL STine but i gotta admit that this was not one of my faves. It was super predictable and I really thought that the whole story was just not that enjoyable. Also the depiction of teenage mental illness is a yikes. Skip this one..though i do hope the conclusion will be better.

[Chandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I really enjoyed this book. Besides the "girl complaining about her looks" deal that happens in almost every FS book, the storyline was actually very entertaining and I didn't see that plot twist coming.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

For what this book was it was a good twist on a normal R.L. Stine teen book. While I knew the twist it was taking it was interesting to read it and see all the small hints and clues as they appeared.

[Krystin Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoying re reading my RL Stine books from when I was a teen. Brings back memories and helps me out of my reading slump. :) Of I don’t know what to read, pick up Fear Street and read for the nostalgia.