Avid younger readers who grew up in the late 80s and 90s were spoiled with spooky stories. R. L Stine’s Goosebumps was the most famous series of books, providing easy-to-read scary tales for young kids. For those children who were slightly older or more advanced readers, there was the Point Horror collection, a series of books aimed at teenagers that provided slightly watered-down versions of stories straight out of a horror movie. Whilst many Point Horror stories were riffing on the popular slasher genre, others were not afraid to get wild. The diversity of terrifying tales helped shape a legion of readers across the globe and fully prepared them for a lifetime of genre viewing.
Sadly, whereas Goosebumps was turned into a popular kid’s series on Nickelodeon and (more recently) two family-friendly horror movies, nothing has become of the Point Horror franchise. In 2019 there were rumours and whispers of some kind of adaptation, but frustratingly, nothing came to pass. Given that Point Horror formed the gateway into horror for an entire generation, it seems downright disrespectful that these works of literature have been overlooked for so long. That ends today, as we are here to announce which titles A24, Neon, Blumhouse et. al., should be rushing to adapt.
The Vampire Trilogy by Caroline B. Cooney
If there is one ‘monster’ that Hollywood loves bringing to the screen over others, it’s the vampire. Ever since Nosferatu in 1922, audiences have loved watching tales about the immortal bloodsuckers. Given the love for the creature, it seems sheer madness that at no point has anyone tackled Caroline B. Cooney’s Point Horror vampire trilogy.
The three books—The Cheerleader, The Return of the Vampire, and The Vampire’s Promise—would make an excellent foundation for a series of films or television. Whilst the third book veers off in a very different direction, the first two are pure gold. Mixing vampires with Faustian elements, the first two books follow two teenage outsiders, Althea and Devnee. Both yearn to be better known within their peer group. In The Cheerleader, Althea wants to be a cheerleader, and in The Return of the Vampire, Devnee is desperate to be beautiful. Set years apart within the same creepy house, both girls discover a vampire dwelling inside the shutters of the attic room. This vampire offers them gifts of popularity, beauty, brains, and boys—all their dreams come true. In exchange, all he asks is that the girls select one of their classmates who exudes the trait they desire
Faustian stories are always fascinating to delve into and here the moral quandary of stealing a skill or attribute from someone else is devilish. Rather than kill its victims, the vampire merely renders the target as tired, lifeless husks of their former selves. With so many layers to dig into, we’d love to see this series explored on screen. We’d especially like to see a version of this vampire as it is far from the beautiful vampires of Interview with the Vampire and True Blood. Instead, the being is described as a suffocating slimy shadow, an entity that grows stronger and more corporeal with every victim. With his less-than-desirable appearance, it’s easy to see why these books weren’t snapped up during the Twilight era of vampire movies. However, with Nosferatu getting back to grim and ghastly, now could be the perfect time.
The Accident by Diane Hoh
Caroline B. Cooney wasn’t the only Point Horror writer who explored the concept of wish fulfillment; fellow author Diane Hoh also had a go. The wish found within The Accident, however, is not that of the lead character Megan, but rather the ghost of teenager Juliet.
Megan is on the cusp of turning 16. Shy but popular, the kind-hearted girl finds herself agreeing to let the ghost of Juliet inhabit her body for a week. Initially appearing as a timid sweetheart, once in control of Megan’s body, Juliet reveals her inner vamp. She changes Megan’s clothing and hairstyle, is mean to her friends, and begins to flirt with any boy who crosses her path. Megan then realizes that Juliet has no intention of honoring the deal and must do everything she can to return to the land of the living.
Taking elements of the possession movie, The Accident has one of the stranger Point Horror premises. It’s also one of the more dynamic, presenting both a devious ghost story and a twisting mystery for young cinema-goers to sink their teeth into.
The Dead Girlfriend by R. L. Stine
R. L. Stine is often referred to as the Stephen King of children’s fiction, and he certainly has the work ethic to match. In addition to writing the entirety of the Goosebumps series, Stine wrote the Fear Street books and several Point Horror stories. Of all of R. L. Stine’s contributions to Point Horror, one of the most vicious is The Dead Girlfriend.
As with so many Point Horror books, the story begins with a new kid moving house. In this case, it is a young girl called Annie. Upon arrival at Shocklin Falls, she forms a connection with the dashingly handsome Jonathan. Jonathan however, comes with baggage. His last girlfriend died falling from a cliff, and someone, or something will do everything in their power to stop Annie and Jonathan from growing closer. Filled with spooky phone calls and letters, The Dead Girlfriend follows a lot of typical genre tropes that may prove tiresome for adults. However, for young and uninitiated horror lovers, The Dead Girlfriend could make for a fine gateway horror film. Stine’s work here gets bonus points for not being afraid to get dark, with a beloved pet meeting a devastating end, courtesy of some clear Fatal Attraction inspiration.
The Perfume by Caroline B Cooney
Way before Malignant tackled the phenomenon of vanishing twin syndrome, Caroline B. Cooney wrote The Perfume. Although nowhere near as zany or gory as James Wan’s feature film, The Perfume explored the condition in a very interesting way, which could form the bones for an exceptional psychological horror.
Shy and timid, Dove is a meek teenage girl whose life is forever changed after sampling a new designer perfume, Venom. After using the scent, she discovers another inner voice rattling around inside her head. This one purports her name to be Wing and claims to be Dove’s long-lost sister who perished in utero. Awakened by the perfume, Wing resents Dove and wishes to take her turn in the spotlight, shifting Dove’s personality from introvert to extrovert. But after so many years in the shadows, Wing is not prepared to share her body and a battle of wills between the sisters begins.
If handled correctly, The Perfume has the potential to become a similar film to that of Adam Egypt Mortimer’s Daniel Isn’t Real. The film’s final act is close to Dove’s ordeal and weird psychological horrors are always popular. An added bonus of an adaptation would be the tie-in merchandise. Those who grew up reading the story coveted the Egyptian snake-inspired perfume bottle seen on the book cover, and the chance to own some Venom is surely worth an adaptation alone.
The Doll by Carol Ellis
Carol Ellis’ The Doll is actually a short story found within 13 Tales of Horror, one of two anthology books from Point Horror. While only a few pages long, the terror Ellis manages to generate is incredible. As many horror movies have demonstrated over the years, dolls are terrifying. There’s something about their empty eyes that makes them appear far more sinister than their innocent appearance and they’ve been frightening audiences forever.
Last year, doll horror got an upgrade with M3GAN, but an adaptation of Ellis’s short would take the scares back to basics. The story begins with a man finding a box on the beach. Inside rests a beautiful China doll. Ellis then rewinds three months and chronicles the ordeal of Abby as she discovers the doll hiding in the attic. Bewitched by the doll, she proudly displays it in her room, but then terrible accidents start happening. Creepier still, Abby starts to have dreams connected to the incidents, and present in each of them are a pair of small porcelain hands.
Whereas other Point Horror adaptations would be targeted directly to teens, The Doll has the potential for cross-generational appeal. The description in the text of these dreams is enough to cause chills.
Dedicated to the One I Love by Diane Hoh
Another short from the 13 Tales of Horror anthology that would make for the perfect adaptation material is Diane Hoh’s Dedicated to the One I Love. As with many of the entries in the anthology, the story presented in Dedicated to the One I Love feels more potent and dangerous than many of the full novels. This works in the story’s favor, especially when assessing its adaptation appeal.
The story follows best friends Lee, Carrie, and Marla during the aftermath of a deadly accident. Jumping back and forth in time, Dedicated to the One I Love sees the three besties realize that they are all being courted in secret by lothario Richie. Angered by his behavior, they drive him to the local swamp and ditch him. Except his tie becomes caught in the car, strangling him. The friends, frantic with fear, dump the body. A few months later the three start to die. Their deaths occur in quick succession after hearing their special song shared with Richie play on the local radio station.
These deaths are fairly on the nose, in a way not too dissimilar to those seen in this year’s Tarot. Whereas those deaths were tied to the card reading, here they are directly tied to the song title. For example, one of the girls’ songs is ‘You Turn Me On,’ and she perishes by electrocution. Dedicated to the One I Love has some great ingredients ready to harvest for an adaptation, one that would make for perfect slumber party viewing.
Dream Date by Sinclair Smith
Despite the huge success of the A Nightmare on Elm Street series, few horrors have explored dream demons. It seems strange that studios are content to let Freddy Krueger rule the land of nod, especially when Point Horror has Sinclair Smith’s Dream Date in its arsenal.
Deeply shy, Katie is a hopeless romantic and wants nothing more than to be swept up into the arms of a handsome stranger. But while her peers are all hooking up and going on dates, Katie remains alone. Then one night as she slumbers, she meets the literal guy of her dreams, Heath. At first, Heath seems exactly the boy Katie has yearned for. But, he quickly becomes a twisted nightmare. Housing all the traits of toxic masculinity, Heath is jealous and possessive and will do anything to maintain his hold on Katie. As Katie spends more and more time asleep, her grasp on reality falters and paves the way for Heath to escape.
Not only would dream demon Heath give Freddy a run for his money, but an adaptation of Dream Date could act as a cautionary dating story. Often the coveted relationships presented on screen for teens are toxic—Gossip Girl being a prime example—and Dream Date could provide a nice counter perspective.
The Stranger by Caroline B Cooney
If the description of The Perfume didn’t make it clear, author Caroline B Cooney was never afraid to get weird with her Point Horror stories. Of all of her tales, The Stranger is by far her most bizarre. Tapping into a rich vein of Gothic romance, The Stranger is a dark love story about teenage girl Nicoletta and mysterious stranger Jethro.
Whereas other Point Horror stories worthy of adaptation focus on frights and fun, a reworking of The Stranger would be full of yearning and melancholy. There’s little a teenager enjoys less than a tale of doomed lovers, and the couple in The Stranger is very different. After being kicked out of her school’s choir, Nicoletta starts an art class where she meets new student Jethro. She’s immediately drawn to him, despite his attempts to dismiss her. Ultimately the two fall head over heels for one another. There’s just one catch: Jethro is actually a rock monster. The victim of a tragic curse, Jethro appears human during the day but must return to his family cave before nightfall.
With Jethro and Nicoletta from different worlds, they fit into the same mold as Belle and Beast, Bella and Edward, and The Shape of Water’s Elisa and Amphibian Man. These love stories continue to be popular and The Stranger has just enough points of difference from the others to make for a new compelling on-screen couple. If handled correctly, The Stranger has the potential to be a haunting dose of heartache ripe for emo kids of all generations.
Categorized:Editorials
