13 Days of Halloween - Halloween Night Review

It’s late at night and I’m attempting to get this new Halloween post written as I have almost completely forgotten about it. Today’s post will be a short review on the 1993 Point Horror Classic by R.L. Stine, one of the most best-selling writers of children books. I first read the book back in middle school, but somehow, somewhere, I have misplaced the book. Over the years, thanks to thrift stores, I have obtained not only one copy, but two. The cover features a creepy jack-o-lantern, which is completely different than the cover I found online to use with this post, with a butcher knife sticking out of it, reminding me of the beginning credits of the horror movie, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Meyers. 

With Halloween several days away, teenager Brenda Morgan is planning a Halloween party with her friends, Traci and Dina, but they are also planning on something much deadlier - murdering Brenda’s cousin, Halley! Her cousin moved in with Brenda's family because her parents are going through a nasty divorce, but she keeps interfering in Brenda’s life, stealing away Brenda's boyfriend, Ted, and she keeps borrowing the car without asking first. Of course, the girls aren’t really planning a murdering Halley. Their just using her name for a character in a murder mystery short story for class, at least that is what they originally planned.

Strange things begin to happen to Brenda as Halloween nears, blood is smeared on her bedroom wall, a headless bird is left in a pumpkin, and chunks of rotten meat are left in her bed. Is Halley responsible for all this?

Halloween Night is a sweet, quick read. The plot is well written and the bitterness Brenda has for Halley is believable, reminding me of how I felt about a few relatives at the age. There are several twist and turns throughout the book, including a stabbing at the party. It’s a great read to get you into the Halloween mood.