I lied when I said Night of the Living Dummy was my favorite GB book. The Haunted Mask is. I forgot how freaky this one was. You could really get the feeling that the mask was changing poor Carly Beth. What a great Halloween read.

There's an old adage that Halloween allows you to be your true self for one night a year, and all of the other 364 days you're wearing society's costume. This year Carly Beth decides to show who she is inside, or at least the person her tormenters have turned her into: a monster. It is this mask that calls out to her essence, and she craves to put her victim persona aside for once.The mask bonds with her skin, but is it really the mask or Carly Beth who won't let go of her new identity?

Constantly tormented by bullies, Carly Beth seeks out a spine-tingling, blood-curdling mask. She eventually finds one. The mask, however, changes her voice and sticks to her face! I found the mask interesting, insofar as it symbolises fear and terror. People exploited Carly Beths tendency towards being easily frightened, which led to her wanting to embody fright and horror through a frightening mask. The mask took on a life of itself, however, and Carly Beths personality transformed. I think this change was Carly Beths way of dealing with being bullied.This was one of my favourite books in the Goosebumps series as a child. I recall reading most of Stines books late at night and all alone in my room! (I also really enjoyed watching this specific TV episode, in the Goosebumps series, when it was released.) Its not as frightening any more, but it wouldnt be a childrens horror story if it were. This is definitely one of Stines better books. I would highly recommend it!

I'm going to review my experience with the entire Goosebumps universe within this book because I have such strong memories of "The Haunted Mask" TV episode (which you can, of course, now watch on YouTube).R.L. Stine is a master of children's horror and most likely responsible for popularizing the genre. My family owned at least a hundred of his books, all lined up in a rainbow of horror. Some of the Goosebumps staples that stick out in my mind:+ Monster Blood+ Be Careful What You Wish For+ Don't Go To Sleep+ The Blob That Ate Everything+ Night of the Living Dummy + Say Cheese and DieMoreover, I was a freakin' Choose Your Own Adventure fanatic. I loved those things. I probably read every single one in the gamebook series. I'd hunker down in my dark, chilly basement and discover all the ways I could die (as well as fates worse than death). The computer games scared the shit out of little-kid me, but I cherish my memories of them, namely Escape from Horrorland and Attack of the Mutant (someone posted videos) of the game walk-throughs). Goosebumps is a universe that shaped not only my childhood reading experience, but also my storytelling interests and writing style in subconscious ways. Thank you, R.L. Stine, for your work.

Unlike other reviewers I have not seen a movie or read a book like this. So for the first of its kind for me it was really good. I got through it in about two hours. I just got done reading a book and started reading this one while I waited for Myspace to load and wouldnt you know it, I finished the book before Myspace finished loading! I can not wait to read The Haunted Mask 2. This book grabbed me from the start. I've always liked Halloween but could never celebrate it the American way due to my religion. Not complaining merely pointing out that since I missed it growing up the story was very intriguing (there I go again using words I don't know)Correction. Jim Carrey in The Mask was the first of this type that I saw, but this book was still entertaining.