What I Liked
- I recalled R.L. Stine having a tendency to play with my mind; working myself up to know what was behind the door at the end of chapter three only to find it was a cat. I did not find that to be so in this first book in the series and appreciated the absence as it made the story flow better.
- Amanda and Josh were fun characters and a great sibling team. I liked how they played off each other.
- R.L. Stine is actually very clever with his words and never used a noun, adjective verb if it wasn't needed
- There is a scene near the end that reminded me of Micheal Jackson's Thriller video and I kept waiting for the undead to skip out and dance.
What I Didn't Like
- This is what made me feel my age. There is a scene where Amanda and Josh visit a neighboring graveyard. Several Date of Deaths were mentioned ranging from 1960 to 2004. Seeing as how this book was originally published in 1992 and having first read it that year as well, my retro-90s self had an issue with the update.
Thoughts on Audio
I thought Tara Sands did a fine job and is particularly engaging for younger readers. However, to go back to my earlier Thriller reference, I would have loved to hear Vincent Price narrate this.
Final Thoughts
As an adult this is not a series I would actively set out to read if this had not been a part of my childhood. Having said that, I can see why I liked it in elementary school.
"For no mere mortal can resist the evil of The Dead House!"
This review was originally posted on First Impressions Reviews