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Twistaplot #9
Horrors of the Haunted Museum
A fun-filled adventure in a creepy museum filled with mummies and plenty of spooky rumors results in a sleepover with a best friend, offering readers choices for twenty possible endings. Reissue.
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
148 people want to read
About the author
R.L. Stine
1,734 books18.8k followersRobert 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...
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...
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 18, 2026
I’ve had this book sitting on my bookshelf for years just collecting dust. I decided I’d get to Stine’s Twist-A-Plot entires (and maybe other ones) after completing Give Yourself Goosebumps, and it seems that time has come. It is within my firm belief that R.L. Stine didn’t write the GYG series, at most past book five. This book doesn’t exactly prove or disprove my case, as it has similarities to Give Yourself Goosebumps books (tone, some writing instances, and pace) alongside some deviations (abundance of retcon endings, somewhat different writing style, less humor). But without looking through that lens… is this any good? It’s fine. There’s some good moments; my preferred portion of the book is the mummy half, plus the fossil bit in there. The writing is okay, and the book way just easy enjoyment. It’s quite derivative, however, and doesn’t do anything too interesting or now. It’s seriously just another haunted museum story as the title suggests. Also, there’s a weird recurrence of “it was all a hallucination!” endings, or things of the sort, which was not only only annoying as it was over half of the endings here, but it’s just a shit ending trope in game books unless there’s some special thematic element and context that makes them work. There wasn’t; it was just cheap ass “what you just read didn’t happen—maybe!” endings that sucked, with the off decent ending here or there. Pirate arc was a bit dry as well (haha). Overall, 6/10. Nothing special, so don’t go out of your way for it outside of collecting purposes perchance. Weird that this is one of Stine’s first kids horror books lol.
January 14, 2015
Being trapped overnight in a museum rumored to be haunted makes for exciting gamebook possibilities, and R.L. Stine's Horrors of the Haunted Museum is good for a moment or two of paranormal intrigue. Ghosts, mummies, and other phantoms of the supernatural have been said for years to haunt the City Historical Museum, and you want to test the veracity of those stories. All it takes is a well-chosen hiding spot in the American Indian Room for you and your friend Mike, where the night watchman will pass you over without registering your presence when he closes the museum for the night, and you've got your free pass to an adventure you won't soon forget. The creepiness of an unlit museum filled with ancient artifacts of dark magic can't dampen your enthusiasm for the exploration that's about to come...but what happens when you hear heavy, dragging footsteps in this supposedly empty museum? Is there reason to worry now?
Fleeing your unseen pursuer, you can choose to duck into a few different areas of the museum, one of which is the Caribbean Pirates Room. Investigating a pirate ship that actually plundered all over the world's oceans seems a lot better than confronting whatever living thing you left behind in the other part of the museum, but this exhibit isn't as static as you initially perceive. Bad old Captain Johnny Poison himself, a heartless buccaneer given to waving long blades in others' faces to get what he wants, is as alive as ever, and he isn't happy with you. Whether you obey his orders or not makes a big difference in how far you enter this ghostly pirate fantasy, but either way your life is in danger, for pirates are greedy and not overflowing with pity for young ones, and an English navy tired of chasing pirates across the seven seas won't be disposed to believe you aren't one of Johnny Poison's lawless crew. You can hope to survive your battle with the swashbuckling enemy, but not much more than that; just escaping the terrifying fantasy back to reality has to be counted a win, even if you end up in trouble with the night watchman as prelude to him sending you home. At least you're alive, and it's all too easy not to end up that way when you reach an ending in this book.
Choosing the Egyptian Mummy Room proves no less harrowing than your pirate adventure. Now you have to worry about Ancient Egyptian curses and the mummies they have the power to resurrect, and your odds of survival are less than favorable. Getting lost in the pyramid exhibit can leave you wandering its musty tunnels forever, and if you enter the wrong room, be prepared to tangle with the bandaged behemoth pictured on the book's cover. The mummy has powers you aren't prepared for and haven't anywhere near the knowledge to ward off, and he won't easily let you and Mike leave with your brains intact. The rumors of this museum being haunted are true, all right, and even if you find a chest of priceless Egyptian gold, the curse will keep you from capitalizing on it. As with your escapades in the Caribbean Pirates Room, just focus on getting out of the Egyptian Mummy Room alive, and you'll have made out better than most. The secrets behind the City Historical Museum's hauntedness remain a mystery no matter what you do, but if you encounter some of the facility's terrors and are lucky enough to make it back to your regular life afterward, then you've done a good job. Count your blessings and maybe—just maybe—consider going back in for another read, though you definitely aren't guaranteed to come out alive a second time.
The Twistaplot series is written by an assortment of authors, so one shouldn't come to ironclad conclusions about its style and merit from just one book. Horrors of the Haunted Museum was penned by legendary kid-lit horror writer R.L. Stine, and feels a lot like his later interactive series, Give Yourself Goosebumps. There are some twist endings, including a theme in the Caribbean Pirates Room of things happening to noticeably change the makeup of the exhibit. When you and Mike return to reality and agree your adventure must have been a dream, you're surprised to see that the pirate exhibit has changed in accordance with the "fantasy" you just experienced. I kind of like one ending you can get to from the Egyptian Mummy Room, where your mother finds you and scolds you to never "pull a stunt like this again!" The narrative goes on to say, "You'll never pull a stunt like this again—will you? At least, not until the next time you open this book!", reminiscent of some Give Yourself Goosebumps endings. When you're wandering in the pyramid, you really can get lost forever in a three-page loop; once you realize the trap you've fallen into, it's up to you how long you want to keep circling through the neverending maze before giving up and turning back to a previous decision. Probably my favorite ending is when your actions reveal Captain Johnny Poison to be a ghost. The ribald pirate is ashamed to have anyone know the truth, but you think of a way to placate him that leaves everyone with a relatively satisfactory ending.
Gameplay is only slightly more complex than a typical Choose Your Own Adventure entry, with one or two luck-based choice junctures added to make things interesting. Internal plot consistency is virtually nonexistent in Horrors of the Haunted Museum, so don't rely much on what you've learned from following other story paths to guide your next decision. The City Historical Museum is a nutty, ever-changing place, and you're a little nutty for deciding to spend the night there. You probably wouldn't have agreed to your friends' dare if you knew there was not a single totally positive ending to be found, no matter how intelligently you navigate the gamebook. I had some fun with Horrors of the Haunted Museum, however, and I think R.L. Stine fans will want to take a look. I might consider giving it one and a half stars.
Fleeing your unseen pursuer, you can choose to duck into a few different areas of the museum, one of which is the Caribbean Pirates Room. Investigating a pirate ship that actually plundered all over the world's oceans seems a lot better than confronting whatever living thing you left behind in the other part of the museum, but this exhibit isn't as static as you initially perceive. Bad old Captain Johnny Poison himself, a heartless buccaneer given to waving long blades in others' faces to get what he wants, is as alive as ever, and he isn't happy with you. Whether you obey his orders or not makes a big difference in how far you enter this ghostly pirate fantasy, but either way your life is in danger, for pirates are greedy and not overflowing with pity for young ones, and an English navy tired of chasing pirates across the seven seas won't be disposed to believe you aren't one of Johnny Poison's lawless crew. You can hope to survive your battle with the swashbuckling enemy, but not much more than that; just escaping the terrifying fantasy back to reality has to be counted a win, even if you end up in trouble with the night watchman as prelude to him sending you home. At least you're alive, and it's all too easy not to end up that way when you reach an ending in this book.
Choosing the Egyptian Mummy Room proves no less harrowing than your pirate adventure. Now you have to worry about Ancient Egyptian curses and the mummies they have the power to resurrect, and your odds of survival are less than favorable. Getting lost in the pyramid exhibit can leave you wandering its musty tunnels forever, and if you enter the wrong room, be prepared to tangle with the bandaged behemoth pictured on the book's cover. The mummy has powers you aren't prepared for and haven't anywhere near the knowledge to ward off, and he won't easily let you and Mike leave with your brains intact. The rumors of this museum being haunted are true, all right, and even if you find a chest of priceless Egyptian gold, the curse will keep you from capitalizing on it. As with your escapades in the Caribbean Pirates Room, just focus on getting out of the Egyptian Mummy Room alive, and you'll have made out better than most. The secrets behind the City Historical Museum's hauntedness remain a mystery no matter what you do, but if you encounter some of the facility's terrors and are lucky enough to make it back to your regular life afterward, then you've done a good job. Count your blessings and maybe—just maybe—consider going back in for another read, though you definitely aren't guaranteed to come out alive a second time.
The Twistaplot series is written by an assortment of authors, so one shouldn't come to ironclad conclusions about its style and merit from just one book. Horrors of the Haunted Museum was penned by legendary kid-lit horror writer R.L. Stine, and feels a lot like his later interactive series, Give Yourself Goosebumps. There are some twist endings, including a theme in the Caribbean Pirates Room of things happening to noticeably change the makeup of the exhibit. When you and Mike return to reality and agree your adventure must have been a dream, you're surprised to see that the pirate exhibit has changed in accordance with the "fantasy" you just experienced. I kind of like one ending you can get to from the Egyptian Mummy Room, where your mother finds you and scolds you to never "pull a stunt like this again!" The narrative goes on to say, "You'll never pull a stunt like this again—will you? At least, not until the next time you open this book!", reminiscent of some Give Yourself Goosebumps endings. When you're wandering in the pyramid, you really can get lost forever in a three-page loop; once you realize the trap you've fallen into, it's up to you how long you want to keep circling through the neverending maze before giving up and turning back to a previous decision. Probably my favorite ending is when your actions reveal Captain Johnny Poison to be a ghost. The ribald pirate is ashamed to have anyone know the truth, but you think of a way to placate him that leaves everyone with a relatively satisfactory ending.
Gameplay is only slightly more complex than a typical Choose Your Own Adventure entry, with one or two luck-based choice junctures added to make things interesting. Internal plot consistency is virtually nonexistent in Horrors of the Haunted Museum, so don't rely much on what you've learned from following other story paths to guide your next decision. The City Historical Museum is a nutty, ever-changing place, and you're a little nutty for deciding to spend the night there. You probably wouldn't have agreed to your friends' dare if you knew there was not a single totally positive ending to be found, no matter how intelligently you navigate the gamebook. I had some fun with Horrors of the Haunted Museum, however, and I think R.L. Stine fans will want to take a look. I might consider giving it one and a half stars.
May 24, 2017
It's pretty stupid that Mike and his friend did all that for a stupid dare that Derek did.
Everything else, was spooky I guess. Especially all the twist and turns even though I only read like 10 pages that I chose.
Everything else, was spooky I guess. Especially all the twist and turns even though I only read like 10 pages that I chose.
May 30, 2024
These twist-a-plot books can be surprisingly adept at keeping a reader thrilled at what's coming next! I certainly like the tone of the book and think younger readers will highly enjoy it as well. Be it mummies or pirates, many horrors await in the haunted museum!
February 26, 2019
Pretty entertaining, so many possibilities make this a great book to read over and over again!
August 22, 2020
I must say, a fun little morning read this weekend.
Try listening to the ‘night at the museum’ soundtracks while flipping through this one - adds to the drama!
Try listening to the ‘night at the museum’ soundtracks while flipping through this one - adds to the drama!
September 26, 2025
The choose your own adventure was fun, but we read a few of them and they are pretty quick and simple.
January 25, 2016
Some open endings, but I must say I quite enjoyed getting through this book! I completed all the possible paths and conclusions, and found them all satisfactory. I've never read an R.L. Stine book before, but I still had fun, and I'm nearly 40 years old! There is a real sense of adventure, suspense and mystery to be had. This was better than lots of the Choose Your Own Adventure books I read as a child!
If you are an old-school adventure gamer (think classics such as King's Quest, Gabriel Knight, Space Quest, Monkey Island), reading this book was like playing one of those games - ah, the nostalgia!
If you are an old-school adventure gamer (think classics such as King's Quest, Gabriel Knight, Space Quest, Monkey Island), reading this book was like playing one of those games - ah, the nostalgia!
September 17, 2017
You and your sissy friend Mike go on an adventure through a haunted museum that makes it sound like you are going to run into a mummy but really, there are two sub stories with different endings that you can choose from. You can either hang out with the mummy or a pirate. Sadly, the stories with the pirate were much more action packed. I think I would have chosen the pirate vs the mummy on the cover.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews