The Haunted Mask
Encyclopedia
The Haunted Mask is the eleventh book in R. L. Stine
's Goosebumps
series. The book follows Carly Beth, a girl who buys a Halloween
mask from a store. After putting on the mask, she starts acting differently and discovers that the mask has become her face; she is unable to physically pull the mask off. R. L. Stine says he got the idea for the book from his son who had on a mask that he had trouble getting off.
The Haunted Mask was featured on the USA Today
and Publishers Weekly
bestseller list, and cited by one reviewer as "ideal for reluctant readers and Halloween-themed sleepovers." In the mid-1990s, the book was adapted for television
and released on VHS
in March 1996. The Haunted Mask has two published sequels: The Haunted Mask II and The Scream of the Haunted Mask.
ed by R. L. Stine and originally illustrated by Tim Jacobus
. The author says the idea for the book came from his son Matthew Stine, who had on a Halloween mask that he had trouble getting off. Stine also says that he used a duck costume his parents got him for trick-or-treating
in the book.
The book was first published in September 1993 by Scholastic, and reissued on September 1, 2008.
after the two boys trick her into eating a sandwich that contains a living worm. Disgusted, she flees home and discovers her mother has made a plaster of Paris model of Carly Beth's head.
On Halloween day, after frowning at the duck costume her mother gave to her, she goes to a party store and discovers a room filled with hideous masks. The store owner unwillingly sells her one of the masks and Carly Beth goes home. Later that day, after she takes the mold of her head that her mother made, she puts on the mask and goes in search of Chuck and Steve, determined to avenge herself against them. She starts acting differently: she choke
s her best friend, Sabrina Mason, throws apples at a house and steals a bag of candy
from a boy.
While at Sabrina's house, Carly Beth is shocked to find she is physically unable to remove the mask and that the mask has, in fact, become her face. She returns to the store and finds the owner waiting for her. The store owner tells her that the mask is a real face and it can only be removed by a "symbol of love", but if it attaches itself to her or another person again, it will be forever. Carly Beth screams in horror, and the other masks begin to pursue her. While running away from the masks, she realizes that the mold her mother made is a symbol of love. Carly Beth finds the mold and uses it to deter the masks and remove the mask from her face. She returns home to her mother, tossing the mask away. Noah, Carly Beth's kid brother, later bursts in and asks her, "How do I look in your mask?"
Terreece Clarke from Common Sense Media
commented that the book "is ideal for reluctant readers and Halloween-themed sleepovers" and "is one of the better books in the Goosebumps series". Herbert N. Foerstel stated it was "perhaps the most famous Goosebumps book".
. The special first aired on October 27, 1995 on the Fox Network
as the series premiere of the Goosebumps TV series
. It starred Kathryn Long as Carly Beth, Kathryn Short as Sabrina, and was directed by Timothy Bond. The special was produced by Protocol Entertainment
in association with Scholastic Productions.
It was subsequently released on VHS in March 1996. The video was very popular; it was listed 75th in Billboard
s list of Top Video Sales in their 1996 Year-In-Video charts, higher than any other Goosebumps video. Scott Blakey from the Chicago Tribune
stated that, properly presented, it is "a cautionary tale
that will thrill viewers 10 and older," but "it has the power to spook younger children."
series).
R. L. Stine
Robert Lawrence Stine , known as R. L. Stine, and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American writer. Stine, who is called the "Stephen King of children's literature," is the author of hundreds of horror fiction novels, including the books in the Fear Street, Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, and The...
's Goosebumps
Goosebumps (original series)
Goosebumps is a series of children's horror fiction novellas created and authored by R. L. Stine. Sixty-two books were published under the Goosebumps umbrella title from 1992 to 1997, the first being Welcome to Dead House, and the last being Monster Blood IV...
series. The book follows Carly Beth, a girl who buys a Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
mask from a store. After putting on the mask, she starts acting differently and discovers that the mask has become her face; she is unable to physically pull the mask off. R. L. Stine says he got the idea for the book from his son who had on a mask that he had trouble getting off.
The Haunted Mask was featured on the USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
and Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
bestseller list, and cited by one reviewer as "ideal for reluctant readers and Halloween-themed sleepovers." In the mid-1990s, the book was adapted for television
The Haunted Mask (TV special)
The Haunted Mask is a two-part horror television special that first aired on October 27, 1995, based on R. L. Stine's book of the same name. It follows Carly Beth, a timid girl who buys a Halloween mask that would not come off. José Rivera wrote the TV special, and Timothy Bond served as director...
and released on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
in March 1996. The Haunted Mask has two published sequels: The Haunted Mask II and The Scream of the Haunted Mask.
Background
The Haunted Mask was authorAuthor
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
ed by R. L. Stine and originally illustrated by Tim Jacobus
Tim Jacobus
-Biography:Tim Jacobus was born April 21, 1959 in the state of New Jersey. Jacobus began drawing in High School andJacobus is best known for creating the covers to R. L...
. The author says the idea for the book came from his son Matthew Stine, who had on a Halloween mask that he had trouble getting off. Stine also says that he used a duck costume his parents got him for trick-or-treating
Trick-or-treating
Trick-or-treating or "Guising", is a customary practice for children on Halloween in many countries. Children in costumes travel from house to house in order to ask for treats such as candy with the question "Trick or treat?"...
in the book.
The book was first published in September 1993 by Scholastic, and reissued on September 1, 2008.
Plot
Carly Beth Caldwell is an 11-year-old girl who is a target for pranks and practical jokes, some of which are played by Chuck Greene and Steve Boswell, two of her friends at Walnut Avenue Middle School. Before Halloween, she is humiliatedHumiliation
Humiliation is the abasement of pride, which creates mortification or leads to a state of being humbled or reduced to lowliness or submission. It can be brought about through bullying, intimidation, physical or mental mistreatment or trickery, or by embarrassment if a person is revealed to have...
after the two boys trick her into eating a sandwich that contains a living worm. Disgusted, she flees home and discovers her mother has made a plaster of Paris model of Carly Beth's head.
On Halloween day, after frowning at the duck costume her mother gave to her, she goes to a party store and discovers a room filled with hideous masks. The store owner unwillingly sells her one of the masks and Carly Beth goes home. Later that day, after she takes the mold of her head that her mother made, she puts on the mask and goes in search of Chuck and Steve, determined to avenge herself against them. She starts acting differently: she choke
Choking
Choking is the mechanical obstruction of the flow of air from the environment into the lungs. Choking prevents breathing, and can be partial or complete, with partial choking allowing some, although inadequate, flow of air into the lungs. Prolonged or complete choking results in asphyxia which...
s her best friend, Sabrina Mason, throws apples at a house and steals a bag of candy
Candy
Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added...
from a boy.
While at Sabrina's house, Carly Beth is shocked to find she is physically unable to remove the mask and that the mask has, in fact, become her face. She returns to the store and finds the owner waiting for her. The store owner tells her that the mask is a real face and it can only be removed by a "symbol of love", but if it attaches itself to her or another person again, it will be forever. Carly Beth screams in horror, and the other masks begin to pursue her. While running away from the masks, she realizes that the mold her mother made is a symbol of love. Carly Beth finds the mold and uses it to deter the masks and remove the mask from her face. She returns home to her mother, tossing the mask away. Noah, Carly Beth's kid brother, later bursts in and asks her, "How do I look in your mask?"
Reception
The Haunted Mask was featured on USA Todays Top 150 Best-Selling Books database for 43 weeks, attaining a peak position of 107. In 2000, it had sold over 1.42 million copies and was listed as the 249th bestselling children's paperback book of all time by Publishers Weekly.Terreece Clarke from Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media , commonly known as CSM, is a San Francisco-based non-profit organization which serves as a guide for parents that has reviews for most media types, including books, movies, video games, music, and websites, and rates them in terms of violence, sex, and profanity. The website...
commented that the book "is ideal for reluctant readers and Halloween-themed sleepovers" and "is one of the better books in the Goosebumps series". Herbert N. Foerstel stated it was "perhaps the most famous Goosebumps book".
Television adaptation and VHS release
In the 1990s, The Haunted Mask was adapted into a television specialTelevision special
A television special is a television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Sometimes, however, the term is given to a telecast of a theatrical film, such as The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments, which is not part of a regular...
. The special first aired on October 27, 1995 on the Fox Network
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
as the series premiere of the Goosebumps TV series
Goosebumps (TV series)
Goosebumps is a Canadian children's horror anthology television series based on R. L. Stine's Goosebumps books.-Networks:...
. It starred Kathryn Long as Carly Beth, Kathryn Short as Sabrina, and was directed by Timothy Bond. The special was produced by Protocol Entertainment
Protocol Entertainment
Protocol Entertainment is a Canadian television production company, originally founded in 1993. It is based in Toronto, Ontario.- Films and series :* Code Name: Eternity* Dinner Along the Amazon* Goosebumps* Mama's Boy* Metropia...
in association with Scholastic Productions.
It was subsequently released on VHS in March 1996. The video was very popular; it was listed 75th in Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s list of Top Video Sales in their 1996 Year-In-Video charts, higher than any other Goosebumps video. Scott Blakey from the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
stated that, properly presented, it is "a cautionary tale
Cautionary tale
A cautionary tale is a tale told in folklore, to warn its hearer of a danger. There are three essential parts to a cautionary tale, though they can be introduced in a large variety of ways. First, a taboo or prohibition is stated: some act, location, or thing is said to be dangerous. Then, the...
that will thrill viewers 10 and older," but "it has the power to spook younger children."
Sequels
Two sequels of the book were published, The Haunted Mask II in October 1995 (the thirty-sixth book in the Goosebumps series) and The Scream of the Haunted Mask on August 1, 2008 (the fourth book in the Goosebumps HorrorLandGoosebumps Horrorland
Goosebumps HorrorLand is a horror novella series by R.L. Stine, a spin-off of his popular Goosebumps books.- Overview :R.L. Stine is currently writing what was originally announced as a twelve-book series titled Goosebumps HorrorLand...
series).
External links
- R. L. Stine's Official Website
- Official Goosebumps Website at Scholastic