The Bookworm: Haunted
Haunted, by R.L. Stine. 164 pages. Pocket Books. July 1990.
Where did the ghost go when he wasn’t there? Did he just fade into nothingness? Or was he always around, always watching her? Did he watch her undress? The idea was sort of exciting. (Haunted, p. 150.)
After spending three months on No Logo, I thought I would feature each upcoming Fear Street novella on its own. Plus, its October and I think I picked out a number of fitting thrillers for the season.
First in the queue was Haunted. As far as Fear Street books go, this one was pretty awkward and far-fetched. It was also very sexually charged, as the intro quote should indicate. (Honestly, I was shocked when I read it.)
Strange things begin to happen to Melissa Dryden, a Shadyside High student who lives on Fear Street. The steering goes haywire in her new car, she is always chilly despite the late-summer warmth, she finds her birthday presents unwrapped, and a mysterious force almost pushes her out of her bedroom window. Eventually, a ghost named Paul reveals himself. Melissa, he insists, killed him and he plans to avenge his death by killing her. Melissa has never seen Paul in her life and swears she could not have killed him. Maybe he made a mistake and is haunting the wrong person. Nope. Despite not remembering anything else about his life except his name, Paul knows Melissa killed him.
After some awkward back and forth over the course of a couple nights (you would think he would have just killed her), Paul decides to let Melissa help him learn more about who he was and his death. Meanwhile, a prowler has been burglarizing homes along Fear Street and everyone on the block is on edge. Melissa’s dad has bought a pistol and keeps it loaded in a night stand. Melissa keeps trying to convince everyone she is being haunted, but no one believes her. Instead, they think she is “overtired” and hallucinating about the Fear Street Prowler.
Hmm. Should I play spoiler? Should I reveal the secret of this little mystery? Nah — I better not. I will say this, though: Paul the ghost is from the future. Seriously. Let that sink in for a moment… After a certain point the foreshadowing is laid on mighty thick, the pieces fall into place long before they do for Melissa, and the last twenty or thirty pages are a foregone conclusion. I knew exactly what was happening next; all I needed to do was read it. The ending, though, was interesting. Stine did keep me guessing how the story would resolve itself.
More so than any of the other Fear Street books I have reread, Haunted was out there. The premise was pretty far-fetched. I mean, a time traveling ghost? Really?
Though the series generally acknowledges teen sexuality, intimate scenes usually stop at long, lingering kisses. However, Haunted seemed to be stretching a single into a double. Melissa’s boyfriend slips a hand under her blouse at one point. He and his friends always seem to be alluding to sex. At one point during Melissa’s birthday party, a friend says “Bet I know what you’re giving Melissa for her birthday.” It was playful and amusing, but I found myself surprised by how forward it was compared to other Fear Street novels. There were also tense situations when Melissa was in danger; and though the word was never used, it was clear that she was afraid of being raped.
Haunted also offered a light commentary of socio-economic divisions and tensions. Paul the ghost, it is eventually revealed, was from the “Old Village” section of Shadyside. It is the rundown, working class part of town with sketchy neighborhoods of row houses and corner liquor stores. He grew up angry and that shaped him into the person he became at his death. Melissa’s family, though, is very wealthy. However, she does not flaunt her wealth and is understanding of others who are not as financially fortunate — a character trait Stine obviously wanted young adults to use as a model.
Though the events in Haunted take place in the late-summer, sometime before school starts, it is fitting for October in another way. When I opened the book to start reading on Sunday, I found this written on the back of the cover: “To [The Quiet Man] from [B.O.] Happy Birthday 1994.” Needless to say, it was a very pleasant surprise.
