Point horror - What do you think?

I got into quite a long conversation with a gentleman the other day about the Point Horror books.  If you are not familiar with these then they were a series of teenage horror books released mainly in the 1990s by various authors.  According to the article by Will Davis (granted this was in 2008), Point Horror have lost their edge, become cringe-worthy reads. However, I disagree. Having partaken in this lengthy conversation with a man in his 30s about our favourite Point Horror stories (he liked ‘Call Waiting’ by R L Stine whereas I favoured ‘The Snowman’ by R L Stine and ‘The Unseen’ by Richie Tankersley Cusick), I got thinking about why I didn’t read these anymore.

It’s not that I’ve grown out of them, I read young adult and children’s books all the time (I promise a review of the Black Cat Detectives will come soon!). You just don’t really see them around anymore. So I hunted the charity shops and found a well thumbed, truly exhausted copy of Point Horror collection number 8 which includes ‘The Dead Game’ by A Bates, ‘The Stranger’ by Caroline B Cooney and ‘Call Waiting’ by R L Stine. I’m part way through it and reviews will appear soon. But what interested me is how difficult some of these titles are to get hold of from the library. They are obviously popular, as I’ve seen quite a few orders for Point Horror titles recently and yet, because they are so old (some are now available on Kindle- although I am still not a fan of ebooks) not many copies remain. The reason they are still talked about and read is because they were and are readable! I agree with Will Davis that many of them followed a set plot, with an American teenager with issues being stalked or haunted (or both) but it is this familiarity that makes them enjoyable. What many people actually enjoy about a book, whether snuggling in bed with one or reading while sunbathing, is the escapism that books offer. I am by no means suggesting that a book with complex characters or engaging plot is not highly enjoyable, far from it – I enjoy a Dickens as much as the next person, I just don’t think Point Horror should be easily dismissed.

There are a few titles released this year that are advertised as ‘Point Horror’ and I’d love anyone who has read any of these to leave a comment... I’m looking forward to comparing the classics to the new releases. I’m really enjoying re-living my childhood through these books and although I haven’t seen them as a stepping stone to ‘harder’ horror such as Stephen King and Christopher Pike, I like to think that many people saw Point Horror as a starting point to enjoying the horror genre and the great writers it has to offer. Will Davis sums up his argument by suggesting that ‘Perhaps if they'd tackled weightier issues the fear factor would have crumbled, since after all, real life is a lot more terrifying than being threatened by some unhinged cheerleader with a chip on her shoulder’ – it is this lack of the weightier issues that I hope to explore in my re-reading of these titles from my childhood.

Check out Will Davis’ article from the guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2008/may/07/whendidpointhorrorloseits

Full list of Point Horror titles (including the 2013 ones):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_Horror