The Haunted Mask
 | |
| Author | R. L. Stine |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Tim Jacobus |
| Language | English/Spanish/French |
| Series | Goosebumps |
| Genre | Horror fiction, Children's literature |
| Publisher | Scholastic |
Publication date | September 1993 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 121 |
| ISBN | 0-590-49446-5 |
| OCLC | 28659535 |
| LC Class | MLC R CP01287 |
| Preceded by | The Ghost Next Door |
| Followed by | Be Careful What You Wish For... |
The Haunted Mask is the eleventh (and arguably the most famous) book in R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series.
Plot Synopsis
The story begins a few days before Halloween in a canteen at the fictional Walnut Avenue Middle School. The story's protagonist, eleven-year-old Carly Beth Caldwell, is sitting talking about her trick or treating costume with her best friend Sabrina Mason. Carly Beth is a quiet, shy, and overly trusting girl. She is easily scared of almost everything, and repeatedly humiliated by her friends, Chuck Green and Steve Boswell, at school who call her a "scaredy cat", and delight in making her life a misery. After being tricked by Steve into eating a sandwich that contained a live worm, Carly Beth flees home in shame and vows revenge.
At home, Carly Beth discovers her mother has made a perfect likeness of Carly Beth's face from plaster of paris as a symbol of her love for her. Carly Beth is also annoyed to discover her mother has made her a silly duck costume. Carly Beth goes to her room, where her little brother, Noah, has dressed up in her costume and frightens her. After Carly Beth sends Noah away, she phones Sabrina and they talk about the cruel prank Steve played on her. Carly Beth swears she will never fall for one of their stunts again, and muses about buying a horrible mask from a new shop that has just opened.
The day before Halloween at a science fair, Carly Beth is once again made a fool of after Steve pretends his tarantula has escaped, knowing full well Carly Beth is terrified of spiders. Steve sneaks up behind Carly Beth and pinches her leg, making it seem as though the tarantula is biting her. Carly Beth runs off in tears, after everyone laughs at her. On Halloween day she collects her money and sets off for the costume shop, distraught that it is closed. However the mysterious owner of the shop allows her entry and she unwillingly stumbles upon a back room filled with the most hideous, deformed masks she has ever seen. The owner refuses to sell her the one she wants, but she is insistent and takes off with the mask while throwing the money to him. Thrilled, she goes home, puts on the mask and scares her brother. However the mask won't come off, and when it finally does, Carly Beth and Noah are unsure as to how she unintentionally changed her voice to a hoarse growl.
After putting on the mask, Carly Beth steals the Plaster of Paris mould of her head that her mother made for her and goes in search of Chuck and Steve, determined to make them pay. Yet strange things happen to her. She acts like a totally different person: she attacks Sabrina, frightens young children and vandalises the neighbourhood. After finding Chuck and Steve and scaring them, Carly Beth is horrified to notice that the mold of her face spoke, imploring Steve and Chuck to "help" her. Steven and Chucky run off in fear and Carly Beth gleefully abandons the plaster face. Back at Sabrina's house, Carly Beth cannot remove the mask. To her horror Sabrina discovers that there is no space between the mask and her skin. The mask has become Carly Beth's own face. Rather than seeing her own normal eyes staring back at her in the mirror, Carly Beth sees evil, animalistic, orange eyes leering back at her. Sobbing, she returns to the shop where she bought the mask and finds the owner waiting for her. He knew she'd come back.
Despite her pleas, the shopkeeper tells Carly Beth that the mask cannot be removed as it is not a mask: it is a real, living face. He created them and they were once beautiful, but they decayed and became hideous, repulsive monsters. They are known as "The Unloved". Every so often a person, like Carly Beth, finds one, thinking it to be a mask, puts it on and the face finds a body to fuse with and to take over their mind. The shopkeeper tells Carly Beth the only way to remove the mask is to find a "symbol of love". But if it ever attaches itself to her or another, it will be forever. Carly Beth's hysterical screams awaken the evil masks who pursue her down the street, and she finally realizes that the mould her mother gave her is a symbol of love. Carly Beth uses it to deter the masks and remove the monstrous face that has attached itself to her. She abandons the mask and returns home to her mother. However, Noah apparently puts on the mask.
Impact and Treatments
The book was reprinted in 1995 after its initial success; the spine declaring the Goosebumps name was changed to its familiar font. It was then reprinted in 2003, along with most of the original books, with an altered cover. In 2008, it was reissued as a "Special Edition" with new artwork by another artist. Some of the features included an interview with Stine and a sneak peek at the newest sequel. This edition was released as "Classic Goosebumps" to promote the sequel.
Adaptation
The book was also the basis for the series premiere of the Goosebumps television series, which starred Kathryn Long as Carly Beth and Kathryn Short as Carly Beth's best friend, Sabrina. The episode starts with an introduction by R.L. Stine, who is in the mask shop that appears in this episode. Stine also hosts the conclusion, in which his parents are seen.
Differences to the Plot
- In the book the story starts off with Carly Beth and Sabrina eating lunch in the cafeteria at school. In the TV Version it starts off with Carly Beth and Sabrina walking in the graveyard to get a pumpkin for Carly Beth.
- The worm incident does not occur until Halloween day at school.
- Carly Beth destroys the silly duck costume when she gets home in a rage after the worm incident.
- There is no mention of a science fair.
- The party store is referred to as a "Novelty Shop."
- Carly Beth visits the store during the daytime instead of evening, and "purchases" it by running off with it and tossing the money to the shopkeeper as she does.
- Sabrina dresses up as a cat instead of Cat Woman (at one house, a boy thinking Sabrina is a cat was changed to the boy thinking Sabrina is a giant hamster).
- In the book, Chuck and Steve don't bother with real costumes; Chuck wears a bandanna and black eye mask, and Steve dresses as a hobo. In the TV version, both boys dress up as pirates.
- The scare Carly Beth performs to the boys takes place in a graveyard, and not in the neighborhood like in the book. In addition, Carly Beth buries the head instead of simply losing it.
- The episode closes with R.L. Stine back at the mask shop, asking his parents if the story was scary. They don't respond, as their eyes are bugged out in fear and their hair has turned white, which Stine replies to as "I think they liked it."
- The mask here is white here not green like the book.
The Haunted Mask II
In The Haunted Mask II, Steve, one of the pranksters from the first book, visits the mask store that Carly Beth frequented in the first book and finds an old man mask. Steve puts on the old man mask for Halloween and finds himself in the same predicament as Carly Beth was in the first book, only the old man mask ages Steve rapidly instead of turning him into a monster. Instead of going to the store for help, he finds Carly Beth. It turns out that the "symbol of love" idea does not work for him, so they find the body that goes along with the mask and then it detaches itself. However, they learn that Chuck went back to the store and took a mask himself, and now he cannot get his off.
Other Sequels
In 2000, R.L. Stine planned a third installment of the series, entitled The Haunted Mask Lives! for Goosebumps Gold. However, the book (as well as the other two books written for the series) was not published. The specifics of the plot are unknown, but it continues to follow the character of Carly Beth.[1]
A third book, entitled The Scream of the Haunted Mask was released in August 2008 as the fourth part of the Goosebumps HorrorLand series. It retcons The Haunted Mask II. Menaced by the scream of the Haunted Mask, Carly Beth starts to delve into its past - searching for a way to escape it. She uncovers a terrifying tale about an old stable she works near, but the mask isn't the only threat. At HorrorLand, she and her friend Sabrina team up with the other very special guests, and overhear a disturbing plot to dispose of them all.
See also
References
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (June 2008) |
External links
- Official Goosebumps Website
- Official Goosebumps DVD Website
- http://www.protocolent.com/goosebumps/ Web Site Featuring Video Clips