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Nightmare Inn #1
Nightmare Inn
Sarah, Matt, Adam, and Julie are going camping for the weekend. Without parents. Without grown-ups. Without supervision.
When their car breaks down on the way to Adam’s country house, the four friends are forced to stay overnight at the old, spooky Arcadia Inn. Completely dark. Completely deserted. Completely horrifying.
Soon, Sarah has a nightmare about a gruesome murder. The scene is so vivid, the murderer so familiar. Sarah is terrified. Is her dream a warning to leave the Arcadia—or else?
Nightmare Inn—if you could check in, you may never check out!
When their car breaks down on the way to Adam’s country house, the four friends are forced to stay overnight at the old, spooky Arcadia Inn. Completely dark. Completely deserted. Completely horrifying.
Soon, Sarah has a nightmare about a gruesome murder. The scene is so vivid, the murderer so familiar. Sarah is terrified. Is her dream a warning to leave the Arcadia—or else?
Nightmare Inn—if you could check in, you may never check out!
202 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1993
6 people are currently reading
187 people want to read
About the author
T.S. Rue
6 books18 followersT.S Rue is an American author of more than 130 young-adult and middle grade novels and novelizations, some written under the pen names Morton Rue and Todd Strasser
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
April 9, 2022
My review in a nutshell: The Arcadia Inn aka Nightmare Inn is basically The Overlook Hotel. The end.
A totally wack book in the best way possible. We have everything from 60's hippie ghosts who accessorize with LOVE BEADS and mood rings, vengeful murders, reincarnations, deja vu and weird ghostly shit, and some pretty gnar-gnar deaths that feel a little shocking for YA standards.
No spoilers, but I will say that was a chilling ending 💀💀
4 out of 5 color changes of your mood ring, settling on the color black. Screw that peace and love BS. This jealous hippie is out for blood and revenge 💀💀
A totally wack book in the best way possible. We have everything from 60's hippie ghosts who accessorize with LOVE BEADS and mood rings, vengeful murders, reincarnations, deja vu and weird ghostly shit, and some pretty gnar-gnar deaths that feel a little shocking for YA standards.
No spoilers, but I will say that was a chilling ending 💀💀
4 out of 5 color changes of your mood ring, settling on the color black. Screw that peace and love BS. This jealous hippie is out for blood and revenge 💀💀
June 23, 2017
The nightmare ISN'T those pants, in case you were wondering.
Oddly open-ended. Ghost? Reincarnation? But haunting and atmospheric, and definitely worth reading. One of the more interesting "like Point Horror" titles.
Oddly open-ended. Ghost? Reincarnation? But haunting and atmospheric, and definitely worth reading. One of the more interesting "like Point Horror" titles.
November 23, 2021
Several grisly deaths and a vengeful, jealous HIPPIE GHOST
September 6, 2021
4 pulpy stars, such fun!
October 6, 2021
This book brings back so many great memories. I first read this as a teen in the 90s on holiday, and it was so much fun reading it again as an adult. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
October 10, 2023
I first read this book when I was in high school and automatically fell in love with all of T.S. Rue's stories. For some reason, I remember Nightmare Inn a little differently as a teenager. However, it was a really enjoyable read.
**edit** I'm about to read this again. Check back for an updated review soon.
**edit: 2023.**
I tried to take my time reading this, but it was refreshing that it didn't last me long at all.
There were so many things that I picked up while reading Nightmare Inn for the 5th time.
This is a teen / young adult thriller and horror book by T.S. Rue. The first time I read this, I was 14, and I was really into everything and anything I could get my hands on. But I loved the Nightmares books.
I was unable to put this down to read my ARCs, and I would just pick this up and carry on reading.
I found the end a little disappointing. It felt a bit rushed, and I was kinda sad about everything.
All in all, it was a good, nostalgic read.
**edit** I'm about to read this again. Check back for an updated review soon.
**edit: 2023.**
I tried to take my time reading this, but it was refreshing that it didn't last me long at all.
There were so many things that I picked up while reading Nightmare Inn for the 5th time.
This is a teen / young adult thriller and horror book by T.S. Rue. The first time I read this, I was 14, and I was really into everything and anything I could get my hands on. But I loved the Nightmares books.
I was unable to put this down to read my ARCs, and I would just pick this up and carry on reading.
I found the end a little disappointing. It felt a bit rushed, and I was kinda sad about everything.
All in all, it was a good, nostalgic read.
Read
June 29, 2021My latest read (in another fine, pre-crayon scribbled Especially for Girls hardcover edition) is the first entry in the Nightmare Inn quadrilogy. A murderous ghost hippie, reincarnation, TVs that play mysterious flashback sequences for the befuddled characters, freeze-dried scrambled eggs, love quadrangles, jet ski mayhem, and hot tub bubble tomfoolery... there's much to keep you entertained for a night or two at this dead & breakfast.
December 3, 2022
Fantastic example of 90s pulp horror. Tore through this in one day. I remember reading this in high school and it left such an impression (in particular, those scenes with the hippies in the clearing) that I searched for it for years not knowing the title and only going off the memory of that one scene (and a vague recollection about an inn with a hot tub spa area). This novel was my white whale for about, oh, ten years… I had to find it. I posted on several forums and eventually found the title on a Goodreads forum.
I do remember in high school I hated the Twilight Zone-esque ending, but now I find it perfectly suited to this wacky little story. Funny how tastes change!
I do remember in high school I hated the Twilight Zone-esque ending, but now I find it perfectly suited to this wacky little story. Funny how tastes change!
March 14, 2021
I used to love these books growing up so rereading it brought back childhood memories =) not the best book I've read the main characters annoyed me a bit.
September 11, 2021
My least favorite of the Nightmare Inn books. I just didn’t get it especially the ending. And I wasn’t here for all that teen drama.
February 13, 2015
So this book is actually written by Todd Strasser and he seems to written a lot of books for kids and teenagers.
This is the first book of the series Nightmare Inn, another series created to capture the success of Fear Street by having all books take place in the same place and have scary stuff happen in them. It only lasted four books, perhaps people stick to Fear Street more.
The book's really simplistic in writing so it's easy to follow. In terms of its structure, it's more about the mystery about the connection between the Arcadia Inn and the main character Sarah in which she seems to be familiar with the place or experience strange dreams or happenings that involved with the inn. Overall, I think it's good because the mystery was interesting enough to keep me reading to see how it ends. I do wish the book tries to be scary so it can provide some action because while the mystery was interesting, there are still parts I wish there were a bit more action. It's in the other half of the book that the action starts but I wish some scares occur more because the setting seems to have potential for scares.
In addition, there were some events that weren't explained well and doesn't fit with the plot but I assume the main reason is that the hotel is just cursed or something so stuff like that happens because of it.
Main character, Sarah, is likeable. She did cheat on her boyfriend without telling him but the way she expresses guilt at least makes her likeable enough to show that she has moral standard. Also it's revealed her parents treat her as if she's absent but I'm really not sure the point of the detail other than to get the plot moving.
All other characters are all right. Nothing spectacular but not annoying.
For first book of series, it does make me want to read other books. This book is interesting for its plot but I wish the author make more attempts to give it more scares to replace the lack of action. Recommended if you're into slasher like books.
This is the first book of the series Nightmare Inn, another series created to capture the success of Fear Street by having all books take place in the same place and have scary stuff happen in them. It only lasted four books, perhaps people stick to Fear Street more.
The book's really simplistic in writing so it's easy to follow. In terms of its structure, it's more about the mystery about the connection between the Arcadia Inn and the main character Sarah in which she seems to be familiar with the place or experience strange dreams or happenings that involved with the inn. Overall, I think it's good because the mystery was interesting enough to keep me reading to see how it ends. I do wish the book tries to be scary so it can provide some action because while the mystery was interesting, there are still parts I wish there were a bit more action. It's in the other half of the book that the action starts but I wish some scares occur more because the setting seems to have potential for scares.
In addition, there were some events that weren't explained well and doesn't fit with the plot but I assume the main reason is that the hotel is just cursed or something so stuff like that happens because of it.
Main character, Sarah, is likeable. She did cheat on her boyfriend without telling him but the way she expresses guilt at least makes her likeable enough to show that she has moral standard. Also it's revealed her parents treat her as if she's absent but I'm really not sure the point of the detail other than to get the plot moving.
All other characters are all right. Nothing spectacular but not annoying.
For first book of series, it does make me want to read other books. This book is interesting for its plot but I wish the author make more attempts to give it more scares to replace the lack of action. Recommended if you're into slasher like books.
September 10, 2014
I liked this book. It was fun and creepy and reminded me of an Are You Afraid of the Dark episode.
August 22, 2020
I really enjoyed reading this book; but I feel like the end was abrupt. It seemed to take its time ending; well, that is, until it actually ended. Left some unanswered questions.
May 18, 2025
Another series where I had to buy it off of Amazon in reprint form because not all of the books were reasonably priced on Thriftbooks.
I have to have all of the books in a series in order to give it a fair shot. Since there are only four and not a dozen or more, I went ahead and bought them all.
T.S. Rue is the pen name of Todd Strasser who has done a ton of novelizations for movies.
A quartet of teens are going on a trip to a cabin in the woods to do some fishing and the like, but plans get derailed when their car veers off the road.
Sarah, newest girl in town, has been having some strange things happening to her since the other night she kissed Adam. Sarah is dating Adam's best friend Matt and Adam has a girlfriend named Jodie...who use to date Matt.
Sarah has called Jodie Ellen and Adam Doug since then and the reason Matt's car goes off-road is that Sarah believes they are about to be hit by a bus. A pink bus all painted up like the hippies use to do back in the late 1960s which none of the others see.
A downpour has them seeking shelter at a place called The New Arcadia Inn and the caretaker Sebastian allows them to stay for free. The hotel is not open yet for the summer, so they are the only people present, and all of this feels eerily familiar to Sarah.
She begins having strange dreams about teens back in the late 1960s where Sarah can see a girl with curly, red hair like her own killing a young woman and two young men. Soon, it becomes clear that the past is meeting the present...
Nightmare Inn sets off the series with a pretty standard ghost story in a haunted hotel. Throw in some teen drama with this little love square going on and everything is fairly tame until we get to the reveal and a twist ending.
The characters aren't any different than any of the other teens in similar YA thrillers and the only one I'm really interested in is the caretaker, Sebastian. He's an older man but he still talks like a teenager from the hippie years, and he takes quite the interest in Sarah.
Hoping there might be some continuity as I read the rest of the books and check in to checking out the Nightmare Inn series.
I have to have all of the books in a series in order to give it a fair shot. Since there are only four and not a dozen or more, I went ahead and bought them all.
T.S. Rue is the pen name of Todd Strasser who has done a ton of novelizations for movies.
A quartet of teens are going on a trip to a cabin in the woods to do some fishing and the like, but plans get derailed when their car veers off the road.
Sarah, newest girl in town, has been having some strange things happening to her since the other night she kissed Adam. Sarah is dating Adam's best friend Matt and Adam has a girlfriend named Jodie...who use to date Matt.
Sarah has called Jodie Ellen and Adam Doug since then and the reason Matt's car goes off-road is that Sarah believes they are about to be hit by a bus. A pink bus all painted up like the hippies use to do back in the late 1960s which none of the others see.
A downpour has them seeking shelter at a place called The New Arcadia Inn and the caretaker Sebastian allows them to stay for free. The hotel is not open yet for the summer, so they are the only people present, and all of this feels eerily familiar to Sarah.
She begins having strange dreams about teens back in the late 1960s where Sarah can see a girl with curly, red hair like her own killing a young woman and two young men. Soon, it becomes clear that the past is meeting the present...
Nightmare Inn sets off the series with a pretty standard ghost story in a haunted hotel. Throw in some teen drama with this little love square going on and everything is fairly tame until we get to the reveal and a twist ending.
The characters aren't any different than any of the other teens in similar YA thrillers and the only one I'm really interested in is the caretaker, Sebastian. He's an older man but he still talks like a teenager from the hippie years, and he takes quite the interest in Sarah.
Hoping there might be some continuity as I read the rest of the books and check in to checking out the Nightmare Inn series.
June 13, 2024
That depends on your perspective. You might call it the middle of nowhere, but someone else might think it the center of everything."
Every once in a while, I like to revisit the books I read as a thirteen year old. I devoured these "early 90's YA/horror" novels back in the day. Now, three decades later, they still amuse me, but in a different way.
We have two friends going to a secluded cabin with their boyfriends for a week. Because, yes, every parent would agree to send their teenagers off with their boyfriends, unchaperoned, for a week. Sarah appears to be dreading the trip...a foreboding. The kids get lost, never make it to the cabin, and end up at an old inn called The Arcadia Inn.
I remember being genuinely horrified reading this. Their car is stuck in a ditch, it's raining, a big vacant old hotel. Weird man with hippie vibes who is the caretaker. Their car has vanished. No phones. Sarah feels alienated from her friends and is acting "strangely."
Case in point: "She imagined stabbing him in the neck, or sliding the knife down and chopping his wrist. It would be so easy. So tempting."
This is pretty much like the Overlook Hotel. Sarah is kinda of like Jack Torrance but T.S. Rue is no Stephen King. Still, it's a quick and creepy read. One of the better ones from the early 90s.
Every once in a while, I like to revisit the books I read as a thirteen year old. I devoured these "early 90's YA/horror" novels back in the day. Now, three decades later, they still amuse me, but in a different way.
We have two friends going to a secluded cabin with their boyfriends for a week. Because, yes, every parent would agree to send their teenagers off with their boyfriends, unchaperoned, for a week. Sarah appears to be dreading the trip...a foreboding. The kids get lost, never make it to the cabin, and end up at an old inn called The Arcadia Inn.
I remember being genuinely horrified reading this. Their car is stuck in a ditch, it's raining, a big vacant old hotel. Weird man with hippie vibes who is the caretaker. Their car has vanished. No phones. Sarah feels alienated from her friends and is acting "strangely."
Case in point: "She imagined stabbing him in the neck, or sliding the knife down and chopping his wrist. It would be so easy. So tempting."
This is pretty much like the Overlook Hotel. Sarah is kinda of like Jack Torrance but T.S. Rue is no Stephen King. Still, it's a quick and creepy read. One of the better ones from the early 90s.
April 30, 2021
Another very predictable but super fun vintage YA horror.
I love stories where a group of people wind up somewhere unexpected when they get lost in a storm or the car breaks down or both (which happened here!). And though the characters were all idiots who couldn’t put two and two together, I found the plot a bit creepy at times and I enjoyed that T S Rue didn’t hold back on the character deaths.
I just really enjoyed this! I love the idea of an old building being refurbished but retaining elements of its old facade hidden away, like the stained glass ceiling, and I loved creepy Sebastian and I just enjoyed the setting. I’d deffo love to be trapped at a spooky inn in the middle of nowhere.
I love stories where a group of people wind up somewhere unexpected when they get lost in a storm or the car breaks down or both (which happened here!). And though the characters were all idiots who couldn’t put two and two together, I found the plot a bit creepy at times and I enjoyed that T S Rue didn’t hold back on the character deaths.
I just really enjoyed this! I love the idea of an old building being refurbished but retaining elements of its old facade hidden away, like the stained glass ceiling, and I loved creepy Sebastian and I just enjoyed the setting. I’d deffo love to be trapped at a spooky inn in the middle of nowhere.
October 25, 2020
When two couples go away for a weekend things take a dangerous turn...
Sarah, Matt, Jodie and Adam are going to Adam's uncle's cabin for a fishing trip.
Sarah doesn't really fancy going as she and Adam shared a kiss and now there is tension between them but goes along anyway.
When the kids take a wrong turn and swerve to avoid a ghostly bus only Sarah sees they end up in a ditch in the wilderness, that is until they find the Arcadia inn...
Sinister things from the past are haunting Sarah, she sees things that happened years ago and the ghosts are coming back to interfere with the present.
Am inventive spooky tale perfect for Halloween.
Sarah, Matt, Jodie and Adam are going to Adam's uncle's cabin for a fishing trip.
Sarah doesn't really fancy going as she and Adam shared a kiss and now there is tension between them but goes along anyway.
When the kids take a wrong turn and swerve to avoid a ghostly bus only Sarah sees they end up in a ditch in the wilderness, that is until they find the Arcadia inn...
Sinister things from the past are haunting Sarah, she sees things that happened years ago and the ghosts are coming back to interfere with the present.
Am inventive spooky tale perfect for Halloween.
June 22, 2025
Reader beware, you may get bored before you get scared.
The book is very long-winded when leading up to major exciting moments despite attempting cliffhangers at the end of most chapters. I have to admit I am curious how this book leads into what becomes a trilogy based on its ending, but will not go out of my way to find the others. I need to re-read a Goosebumps book or two to compare the atmospheres created since this book appeared to be attempting to capture that same imagery. That in mind, I don't recall any murders happening in Goosebumps books (granted it has been decades since I have read one), so Nightmare Inn may be more intense than Goosebumps books in that regard.
The book is very long-winded when leading up to major exciting moments despite attempting cliffhangers at the end of most chapters. I have to admit I am curious how this book leads into what becomes a trilogy based on its ending, but will not go out of my way to find the others. I need to re-read a Goosebumps book or two to compare the atmospheres created since this book appeared to be attempting to capture that same imagery. That in mind, I don't recall any murders happening in Goosebumps books (granted it has been decades since I have read one), so Nightmare Inn may be more intense than Goosebumps books in that regard.
August 22, 2018
I remember being obsessed with these books as a kid. So, when I decided to revisit some 90's YA horror, Nightmare Inn was right at the top of my list. The book is cheesy and fairly fun, although it manages to jam all of the action into the last 40 or so pages. The characters are the typical 90's YA fodder, and the horror of the Arcadia Inn is barely defined, but I honestly was never bored, and the whole book felt like a wonderful flashback to my childhood. Not a classic of the genre, but a very nice way to pass the time.
January 4, 2025
Lots of teen drama, some stuff wasn’t explained all the way, and the ending was left pretty open. Things didn’t pick up until around page 100. On a positive note- there’s some gruesome deaths and hippies. Also found out that T. S. Rue is a pen name for Todd Strasser! 🤯 This one was fun but I enjoyed The Attic from this series more.
July 11, 2022
A supernatural slasher with a time slip? Wasn't expecting that.
May 24, 2024
The perfect 90’s horror books to keep you going and bring back memories.
December 24, 2024
Wow! This is a true horror novel—dark, frightening, and starkly written.
March 10, 2025
Picking up this book felt like stepping into a time machine back to my teenage years. The cover alone unlocked memories I didn’t even know I still had! Re-reading it as an adult was a blast—just as gripping as I remembered. The stories hold up so well, especially Nightmare Inn—such a great read. I only wish these books had been adapted for an older audience now because I’d absolutely devour them all over again!
November 30, 2025
I read this one because after years of trying to remember the title of a teen horror story involving a pool, I rediscovered book three in this series (The Pool) and decided to read books one and two before rereading that one.
This was alright. It kind of reminded me of Class Trip by Bebe Faas Rice, with a group of teens going on a trip on their own.
I didn't love the fact that the whole book basically revolved around infidelity, and it's one of the few types of books where I could look past it for the entire story.
The hippie part was cool.
Bit of a weird coincidence how this story had the same plot device as another recent book I read, but maybe it's not that uncommon in horror stories.
The ending kind of annoyed me, but I can respect that the author did something unexpected. I'm interested to see how some loose ends play out in the next book if/when I read it.
Props to the author for writing a couple legitimately spooky/disturbing scenes.
I'll give it ⭐⭐⭐ for what it is. Overall, it held my attention. I probably would have liked it more as a teen.
Content (minor spoilers): closed door, separate rooms; I don't remember language, but if there was any, it was very little; multiple deaths; infidelity; reincarnation.
This was alright. It kind of reminded me of Class Trip by Bebe Faas Rice, with a group of teens going on a trip on their own.
I didn't love the fact that the whole book basically revolved around infidelity, and it's one of the few types of books where I could look past it for the entire story.
The hippie part was cool.
Bit of a weird coincidence how this story had the same plot device as another recent book I read, but maybe it's not that uncommon in horror stories.
The ending kind of annoyed me, but I can respect that the author did something unexpected. I'm interested to see how some loose ends play out in the next book if/when I read it.
Props to the author for writing a couple legitimately spooky/disturbing scenes.
I'll give it ⭐⭐⭐ for what it is. Overall, it held my attention. I probably would have liked it more as a teen.
Content (minor spoilers): closed door, separate rooms; I don't remember language, but if there was any, it was very little; multiple deaths; infidelity; reincarnation.
April 19, 2012
This is my first mature book that I've read, now I am 19 I read this when I was 13 and I loved it a lot.
Want to read
April 27, 2016its fantastics
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews