SOLVED. 1990s era YA Scary Story anthology. [s]

[Juan]

Hi everyone. I’m looking for a book, a US published English language paperback collection of scary stories for children from maybe the 90s or very early 2000s. Alas, I just can’t remember the name. Maybe you can all help I’ll say what I do remember.

Let’s start with what its not. I know it wasn’t Goosebumps or any other Stine book. I'm pretty sure it wasn’t a Christopher pike book. It wasn’t "Scary Stories to tell in the dark" and it wasn’t "Scary stories for sleepovers". It wasn’t "tales from the midnight hour" either. I know it wasn’t a "Bruce Coville book of Monsters" (or ghosts or nightmares etc). I admit its not any of the big guys, just a follow the leader, trying to cash in on the 90s craze

First things first, the cover. I remember the title was in an exaggerated "spooky" font. The picture on the cover showed a night scene. It showed a boy in a sweater tearing off his face revealing that it wasn’t his face. He was in fact a monster wearing a human mask. It’s a low angled shot tilting up and I believe it was on a street.

The picture references one of the stories. We see a nerdy outcast boy who goes trick or treating as an ordinary boy. (He wears his normal everyday clothes.) His parents are unsure but he convinces them to let him go, they mention being in on the joke. The joke is revealed when the local bully catches him and makes fun of him for his going as an ordinary boy costume. The boy snaps and says he’s an alien pretending to be human and this is the double blind masquerade. He even reveals his father’s true name and that he is scientist from planet something or other. The bully just laughs more, saying if you’re going to say you’re from another planet at least pick a real one. That of course is when the alien boy tears off his face and… We then see him run home panicked and telling his parents what happened. Another… “incident”? They are going to have to move again!

Another story is a boy with an imaginary friend. The boy is a well written and interesting character even if the imaginary friend is two dimensional. The twist ending is that when the shadowy ill defined imaginary friend is revealed to be real and the boy whom he dreamed of and was so interesting was just an illusion. The imaginary friend was more real than the real boy. Ouch! A key detail is when the real (as in the REAL real boy) is confronted by his brother who dresses him down for being that old and still doing something so childish.

Another tells the story of Salem. Some kids got lost in the forest and come across a hidden village wherein the people dress as if it were colonial times. The people tell the story of their ancestors and say that the Salem witches were not only real but were in fact aliens. They hid themselves on earth generations ago and tried to keep the secret but when the people of Salem saw their strange abilities, they panicked. The aliens tried to explain but the townsfolk interpreted the only way they could. The kids eventually make it back to civilization

Another is a tale of endless war. A boy tells his soldier father not to go to war. He says but you’re dad never came back same as his dad! The man says he has to fulfill his duty and so he goes. When the dad goes, some strange things start happening and he sees a downed plane from the time period when his father served. He starts wondering if all war is really just one pointless war. He dies in the end but later in the future of laser guns and hover cars, the boy now grown up has enlisted and it’s his son who tells him not to go.

Other possible stories include the following. (I'm reasonably sure they are in the same book but not as sure as the first story.)

This really creepy one follows a girl who returns home only to find her parents have rearranged the furniture. Strange but she’s glad to be home as she’s heard there’s violent lunatic who's escaped from an insane asylum. Weird but even stranger is when she turns on the TV she sees her parents there but so old! They say, “Sweetie, if you’re hearing this we love you! We know you might have returned to the old house. Turn yourself in before you get hurt.” Our girl knows it’s a trick and when she learns that a baby is in the house, she picks up a knife because she knows she has to protect it from the lunatic…

Another is maybe a boy who goes to a puppet show. He has such a crush on the ventriloquist. He doesn’t understand why she has such an ugly doll as her prop though—always picking at its scabs. He works up the courage to go speak with her backstage but to his horror, “she” is the doll. It is a robot manipulated by a deformed woman who controls it by a panel on her sleeve. The deformed woman laughs at him as he runs out crying.

Another one that may or may not be part of it was a boy who got into an argument with his family and wished they could leave him alone. He goes to sleep and wakes up a forty year old man. He learned that his parents went looking for him when he disappeared but never found him. The people in the park look at him worried unsure of why he weeps.

That’s all I can think of. I can't think of any specific phrases or gotcha quotes. Sorry. :-( Guys, does this have any connection for you? Does any of this ring proverbial bells? Guys, if anyone can give me the name of the book, I can honestly give you my sincerest thanks.

Till next time.

[Rainbowheart]

Could this be the same book Emma is looking for here?

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Kris]

Juan, please note you must add plot details to the header/ topic title "1990s era...". Just copy from what you've already written in the first comment. Requests with vague headers are closed because this group is so large. If you would like help with this, let us know in a new comment.

[Mai]

Maybe this one that came up searching Worldcat? The cover seems to match!
The Fright Mask and Other Stories to Twist Your Mind by Don L. Wulffson

[Simi]

There's a story about children finding a village and talking about the Salem Witch Trials so the stories seem to match too. Well done Mai. It can be borrowed and read for free on archive.org
There's also a story about a boy in a space bus so it looks like the other thread was solved too!
The author Don L Wulffson also did the series 'Scary Stories for Sleepovers' which Juan mentioned so almost found it themselves! I had never heard of this book myself so I'll give it a read now. Thanks to all in this thread.

[Juan]

Mai wrote: "Maybe this one that came up searching Worldcat? The cover seems to match!
The Fright Mask and Other Stories to Twist Your Mind by Don L. Wulffson
[bookcover:The Frigh..."

YES!!! That's the one. :-) Thank you Mai!

And for that tidbit from the good sir Simi... I did not know that about Wulffson. I take off my hat for both of you. Good day to you two and yes, "thanks to all in this thread"!