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Fright Time #6
Fright Time #6
THREE COMPLETE STORIES OF HAUNTING AND HORROR!
NIGHT CREATURES - Shannon Donnelly
Warren hates moving. He hates new neighborhoods. But when he sees what's in the yard next door, hate turns to fear, deadly fear. As an elderly neighbor is taken to the hospital, the creature-like plants in the old man's yard come alive, attacking everything and everyone. Can Warren destroy them or will he be the next victim of the night creatures?
WHO AM I? - Roy Nemerson
It's not your everyday nightmare. You get up, get ready for school, go downstairs for breakfast. Only your parents don't know who you are, and neither do your friends, or your teachers. Or anyone. The hospital has no record of your birth, and the police believe everybody - except you! How do you get out of this one?
CEMETERY SCHOOL - Grace Williams
Randy's school is falling apart. The strange thing is, it's brand new! But as each day something else goes wrong, horribly wrong, Randy and his pal Eric become convinced the causes are not natural, they're supernatural. But nobody's going to believe them until they themselves stop the horror... unless something horrible happens to them first!
NIGHT CREATURES - Shannon Donnelly
Warren hates moving. He hates new neighborhoods. But when he sees what's in the yard next door, hate turns to fear, deadly fear. As an elderly neighbor is taken to the hospital, the creature-like plants in the old man's yard come alive, attacking everything and everyone. Can Warren destroy them or will he be the next victim of the night creatures?
WHO AM I? - Roy Nemerson
It's not your everyday nightmare. You get up, get ready for school, go downstairs for breakfast. Only your parents don't know who you are, and neither do your friends, or your teachers. Or anyone. The hospital has no record of your birth, and the police believe everybody - except you! How do you get out of this one?
CEMETERY SCHOOL - Grace Williams
Randy's school is falling apart. The strange thing is, it's brand new! But as each day something else goes wrong, horribly wrong, Randy and his pal Eric become convinced the causes are not natural, they're supernatural. But nobody's going to believe them until they themselves stop the horror... unless something horrible happens to them first!
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
3 people are currently reading
102 people want to read
About the author
Rochelle Larkin
114 books13 followersRochelle Larkin, who has written more than two dozen books, lives with her children in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 25, 2020
Of the eighteen books in the Fright Time series, this is the one I remember best. "Night Creatures" and "Cemetery School" aren't remarkable, but "Who Am I?" rivals some of the best stories from R.L. Stine's original Goosebumps series, and it stood out in my mind years after I first read Fright Time. For this review, though, let's begin with "Night Creatures" by Shannon Donnelly. Warren's family moves so often that he doesn't want to put down roots in any town they live in, but the emergency hospitalization of an elderly neighbor catches his attention. Locals call him Zooman, as a girl Warren's age named Carrie informs him at the bus stop. Zooman mutters something about his pets needing to be fed as the stretcher takes him away, but Warren is confused; Zooman doesn't seem to own any pets, just huge topiary bushes in his yard trimmed to resemble exotic animals. The bushes are hidden behind a stone wall around the house, and Warren can see why: there's something eerie about Zooman's topiary, as though they are living, breathing creatures. But if Zooman has real pets in his house that need to be fed while he's hospitalized, Warren wants to make sure they're taken care of. He refuses to think of Carrie as a friend, but soon they're exploring Zooman's property together in search of pets that may be hiding. When it becomes clear that the topiary animals are a clear and present danger, can Warren and Carrie help each other survive their neighbor's bizarre menagerie?
The second story is "Who Am I?" by Roy Nemerson, a tale that demonstrates Fright Time's potential as a series. Other than an ugly, unexplainable bruise on his left shoulder, it seems at first like a normal morning for Larry Nicks. Then he heads downstairs, and his parents and younger sister Margie stare at him like he's a stranger. His parents angrily insist they don't know who he is, and are ready to dial the police if he won't leave. Irritated but willing to indulge their joke for the time being, Larry walks to school, but receives the same treatment from friends and his football teammates. Kids in Larry's class show no recognition of him and neither does the teacher, who checks the roll and declares she has no record of a new transfer student. The "joke" is wearing thin, but the school principal, secretary, and counselor all seem to be in on it. Starting to panic, Larry runs away from school when the counselor begins treating him as a risk to the other students, but the outside world is just as hostile. Sergeant Collins, a policeman Larry has long been friends with, is now a menacing presence, subtly threatening him whenever they cross paths. The situation is far too elaborate to be a joke, but how can Larry prove his identity when his history has been scrubbed from the school records and even the hospital has no documentation of his birth? The nightmare shows no hint of letting up, but perhaps there's a clue with Miss Lee, an Asian woman who shows up all over town asking Larry the same enigmatic question. If he doesn't unravel the mystery soon, Larry's future will be dead on arrival.
What should you do when the people you know best don't recognize the "new person" you've become, when changes that to you seem natural are regarded with revulsion by others, who now see you as a frightening stranger? All Larry wants is to go back to being liked and accepted by his family, friends, teachers, and community. Did he do something to deserve whatever cruel trick of fate landed him in this position? Larry considers leaving town forever, but that's not what he wants. He wants a normal life again. "I wanted my family back. I wanted my parents to know me and love me again. I wanted my little sister to laugh with me and not be afraid of me. I wanted my friends to welcome me back and let me be part of their lives again. I wanted to sit in biology class and see Mr. Hulbert again. I wanted to be friends with Sergeant Collins again. I wanted to walk into the candy store and have old man Jessup know what my favorite candy was again." It feels like the world has turned inside out when everyone suddenly views you as bad, but for Larry, the solution may be simpler than he thinks. The conclusion of "Who Am I?" is a clever surprise.
"That's the problem with the world today. Everybody wants to know the future. If people always knew what they were getting into, nobody would ever do anything!"
—Lucille, "Cemetery School", P. 121
Third of the three stories in this collection is "Cemetery School" by Grace Williams. Randy is about to start seventh grade at a newly built school, and his father is the architect who designed it. A monument to innovation and technology, Ivy Street Middle School promises to be an interesting learning environment. Before the first day, however, Randy and his friend Eric have the exact same nightmare about the school, and the place turns out to have serious problems. Some of them endanger the students, and this has Randy's father worried. Someone is sabotaging Ivy Street Middle School, causing thousands of dollars of damage, but why isn't the administration able to catch the student or students responsible? Randy has a gut feeling that something more is at play than kids dabbling in criminal mischief, and his feeling seems to be confirmed when his grandmother Lucille calls him on the phone. A professional psychic, Lucille has always told Randy he possesses the same gift, and she claims it's up to him to rid Ivy Street Middle School of its problem. Randy and Eric are ready to try, but first they must solve a mystery: if Lucille is right that restless ghosts are behind the vandalism, what will it take to make them go away?
"(I)f a person starts believing only in what they can see, it isn't very long before they start to see only what they believe."
—"Cemetery School", P. 122
"Night Creatures" is forgettable, "Cemetery School" is pretty good, but "Who Am I?" is the reason this Fright Time book is noteworthy. It's easy to feel Larry's nervous paranoia as the nightmare surrounding him worsens, and there's even a bit of philosophical depth to the narrative. I'm rating this book two and a half stars primarily on the strength of "Who Am I?"; I'd consider rounding up to three if it were just a longer version of that story without the other two. Fright Time is usually forgotten in conversations about juvenile horror series of the 1990s, but this book makes the case that perhaps it shouldn't be. I definitely enjoyed it.
The second story is "Who Am I?" by Roy Nemerson, a tale that demonstrates Fright Time's potential as a series. Other than an ugly, unexplainable bruise on his left shoulder, it seems at first like a normal morning for Larry Nicks. Then he heads downstairs, and his parents and younger sister Margie stare at him like he's a stranger. His parents angrily insist they don't know who he is, and are ready to dial the police if he won't leave. Irritated but willing to indulge their joke for the time being, Larry walks to school, but receives the same treatment from friends and his football teammates. Kids in Larry's class show no recognition of him and neither does the teacher, who checks the roll and declares she has no record of a new transfer student. The "joke" is wearing thin, but the school principal, secretary, and counselor all seem to be in on it. Starting to panic, Larry runs away from school when the counselor begins treating him as a risk to the other students, but the outside world is just as hostile. Sergeant Collins, a policeman Larry has long been friends with, is now a menacing presence, subtly threatening him whenever they cross paths. The situation is far too elaborate to be a joke, but how can Larry prove his identity when his history has been scrubbed from the school records and even the hospital has no documentation of his birth? The nightmare shows no hint of letting up, but perhaps there's a clue with Miss Lee, an Asian woman who shows up all over town asking Larry the same enigmatic question. If he doesn't unravel the mystery soon, Larry's future will be dead on arrival.
What should you do when the people you know best don't recognize the "new person" you've become, when changes that to you seem natural are regarded with revulsion by others, who now see you as a frightening stranger? All Larry wants is to go back to being liked and accepted by his family, friends, teachers, and community. Did he do something to deserve whatever cruel trick of fate landed him in this position? Larry considers leaving town forever, but that's not what he wants. He wants a normal life again. "I wanted my family back. I wanted my parents to know me and love me again. I wanted my little sister to laugh with me and not be afraid of me. I wanted my friends to welcome me back and let me be part of their lives again. I wanted to sit in biology class and see Mr. Hulbert again. I wanted to be friends with Sergeant Collins again. I wanted to walk into the candy store and have old man Jessup know what my favorite candy was again." It feels like the world has turned inside out when everyone suddenly views you as bad, but for Larry, the solution may be simpler than he thinks. The conclusion of "Who Am I?" is a clever surprise.
"That's the problem with the world today. Everybody wants to know the future. If people always knew what they were getting into, nobody would ever do anything!"
—Lucille, "Cemetery School", P. 121
Third of the three stories in this collection is "Cemetery School" by Grace Williams. Randy is about to start seventh grade at a newly built school, and his father is the architect who designed it. A monument to innovation and technology, Ivy Street Middle School promises to be an interesting learning environment. Before the first day, however, Randy and his friend Eric have the exact same nightmare about the school, and the place turns out to have serious problems. Some of them endanger the students, and this has Randy's father worried. Someone is sabotaging Ivy Street Middle School, causing thousands of dollars of damage, but why isn't the administration able to catch the student or students responsible? Randy has a gut feeling that something more is at play than kids dabbling in criminal mischief, and his feeling seems to be confirmed when his grandmother Lucille calls him on the phone. A professional psychic, Lucille has always told Randy he possesses the same gift, and she claims it's up to him to rid Ivy Street Middle School of its problem. Randy and Eric are ready to try, but first they must solve a mystery: if Lucille is right that restless ghosts are behind the vandalism, what will it take to make them go away?
"(I)f a person starts believing only in what they can see, it isn't very long before they start to see only what they believe."
—"Cemetery School", P. 122
"Night Creatures" is forgettable, "Cemetery School" is pretty good, but "Who Am I?" is the reason this Fright Time book is noteworthy. It's easy to feel Larry's nervous paranoia as the nightmare surrounding him worsens, and there's even a bit of philosophical depth to the narrative. I'm rating this book two and a half stars primarily on the strength of "Who Am I?"; I'd consider rounding up to three if it were just a longer version of that story without the other two. Fright Time is usually forgotten in conversations about juvenile horror series of the 1990s, but this book makes the case that perhaps it shouldn't be. I definitely enjoyed it.
October 9, 2025
This was a super fun read! It definitely kept my attention more than I thought it would and the stories were good!
August 5, 2022
Reading the Fright Time series is like reading three middle grade horror novels with all the filler cut out. They’re wildly fun, but the stories always end abruptly (and without the kind of macabre twists that their Tales from the Crypt-ish covers imply).
In this first issue, there are evil topiary monsters, school ghosts, and a boy who becomes a stranger to everyone around him. The topiary one is the most action-packed, but it’s a bit slow to start. The ghost one is creepy throughout, but it would’ve been nice to actually see the ghosts at some point in the story. And the paranoid one is by far the best, but its fart of an ending brings the whole thing down a bit. Still, all three stories are fun and fast, and their different brands of horror work in combination to make a satisfying anthology.
In this first issue, there are evil topiary monsters, school ghosts, and a boy who becomes a stranger to everyone around him. The topiary one is the most action-packed, but it’s a bit slow to start. The ghost one is creepy throughout, but it would’ve been nice to actually see the ghosts at some point in the story. And the paranoid one is by far the best, but its fart of an ending brings the whole thing down a bit. Still, all three stories are fun and fast, and their different brands of horror work in combination to make a satisfying anthology.
May 24, 2019
I remember liking the books, and reading them them but not most of the stories themselves. I must've liked them a fair bit, given how beaten up my copies are though.
The first story in this trio is one of the few I kind of remember. The topiary monsters must have made an impression on me. Now I'm wondering if the author was a Stephen King fan (The Shining).
The first story in this trio is one of the few I kind of remember. The topiary monsters must have made an impression on me. Now I'm wondering if the author was a Stephen King fan (The Shining).
October 31, 2017
This was okay and I liked the first and 3rd stories but the second one I hated.
August 6, 2014
This book contains three short stories, all of which are good quality and read quickly.
The first story, "Night Creatures" focuses on Warren, who's just moved next door to a strange house with a yard full of topiary (plants shaped like animals). Pretty soon, its clear that these plants are more alive than they should be. Some very good scenes here, especially the early chapters involving a gang of kids trying to vandalize the yard and get more than they bargained for. (4)
The second story is fairly engaging as it involves a case of reverse amnesia. The protagonist remembers who he is - but nobody else does. This makes for some good scenes with his parents, friends, and teachers, and the prose captures how desperate his situation is. The ending isn't very surprising, but this is still a quick, fun read. (5)
The last story, "Cemetery School" is about a brand new school building that becomes haunted by spirits. Randy's attempts to solve the mystery of why the school is being haunted is clever, if a little predictable. And the opening chapter ends with an intriguing dream that I won't spoil here. (5)
Altogether, this a solid collection and one of the better ones of the series right up there with #1. The stories all have good plots that never lapse into goofiness and the writing is quality. Recommended.
The first story, "Night Creatures" focuses on Warren, who's just moved next door to a strange house with a yard full of topiary (plants shaped like animals). Pretty soon, its clear that these plants are more alive than they should be. Some very good scenes here, especially the early chapters involving a gang of kids trying to vandalize the yard and get more than they bargained for. (4)
The second story is fairly engaging as it involves a case of reverse amnesia. The protagonist remembers who he is - but nobody else does. This makes for some good scenes with his parents, friends, and teachers, and the prose captures how desperate his situation is. The ending isn't very surprising, but this is still a quick, fun read. (5)
The last story, "Cemetery School" is about a brand new school building that becomes haunted by spirits. Randy's attempts to solve the mystery of why the school is being haunted is clever, if a little predictable. And the opening chapter ends with an intriguing dream that I won't spoil here. (5)
Altogether, this a solid collection and one of the better ones of the series right up there with #1. The stories all have good plots that never lapse into goofiness and the writing is quality. Recommended.
July 5, 2010
I have to admit, I'm a bit of a horror story nut. The stories here were great when I was younger playing off of near nonexistent worries about things the go bloom in the night and disappearing identities. Even now they're kind of fun to read, but more in a "bad eighties comedy/horror movie" way.
October 20, 2011
the third story alone was worth sitting through the rest of these stories again. While they are all good, the last story "Cemetery School" is about as cool as middle-school-age-audience-based writing comes.
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October 4, 2007Donnelly, Shannon
October 29, 2007
Scared the hell out of me...
Read
January 21, 2009JM-Lar
November 17, 2016
Definitely for younger readers but still fun nonetheless
November 3, 2016
Pretty good writing, intertaining and a quick read.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews