One Day at HorrorLand
{{short description|1994 book by R.L. Stine}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox book|
| name = One Day at Horrorland
| image = One Day at Horrorland.jpg
| alt = A green monster with red eyes, long horns, and claws mostly behind a sign with words that welcome people to the theme park HorrorLand with that theme park to the left of the monster in the far background.
| caption = First edition cover
| author = R. L. Stine
| cover_artist = Tim Jacobus
| country = United States
| language = English
| series = Goosebumps
| genre = Horror fiction, Children's literature
| published = Scholastic
| pub_date = February 1994
| media_type = Print
| pages = 123
| isbn = 0-590-47738-2
| preceded_by = You Can't Scare Me!
| followed_by = Why I'm Afraid of Bees
}}
One Day at HorrorLand is the sixteenth children's horror novel in R. L. Stine's Goosebumps series, originally published in February 1994. It was adapted into a two-part episode for the television series, which was later released on VHS and DVD. A comic adaptation of the book was included in the graphic novel compilation Terror Trips, part of the Goosebumps Graphix series. There were two video games, an audiobook, and an adult-aimed interactive show based on the book. A sequel in the spin-off series Goosebumps Series 2000 titled Return to HorrorLand was published in 1999. The HorrorLand theme park was expanded upon in the book series Goosebumps HorrorLand. The two-part episode was released on VHS and DVD. The book and episodes received positive reception.
Plot
The Morris family and their friend Clay become lost, accidentally finding the HorrorLand theme park. Shortly after parking, their car explodes, but the ticket-taker reassures them that it will be taken care of. The children, Lizzy, Luke and Clay, explore the theme park and get on the rides. After a ride in which Lizzy is locked in a casket traveling down a river, the three of them attempt to convince the Morris parents, Carl and Peggy, that they all should leave. The two reveal that they experienced similar problems, so they all decide to confront the Horrors, the park's green-suited employees, who resemble green humans with demonic horns.
After the Morris family and Clay discover that the gates have been locked to prevent their escape, the monsters surround them. In anger, Lizzy tries to remove a mask from one of the monsters, which she discovers is actually the Horror's face. The Horrors explain that they are real monsters, and the visitors' experiences were part of a television show airing worldwide on the monster-exclusive Monster Channel. As an apology, the monsters say that they will lead them towards a new car, but they are led to carnivorous animals, still part of the show.
After the family survives the animals' attack, the monsters attempt to murder them. Lizzy then remembers signs within the park that said "No pinching". The visitors proceed to pinch all of the monsters, resulting in them deflating like balloons. The Morris family and Clay escape HorrorLand in a different car, but in a twist ending, find out that a Horror held onto the back of the vehicle until they reached their home. Impressed by their escape, the monster offers them free passes for their next visit.
Publications and adaptations
The book was originally published in February 1994. The cover artist Tim Jacobus sketched 2 covers with pencil before the final sketching and then completed a color mockup. A sketch cover depicts Lizzy, Luke and Clay riding on a roller coaster. The author of The Art of Goosebumps, Sarah Rodriguez, wrote that "Jacobus used blues and muted greens to suggest loneliness and abandonment with the amusement park lit slightly with orange to hint that night is falling". Rodriguez said, "The overall effect is creepy without being overtly so."{{sfn|Rodriguez|2021|pp=44–45}} It was a USA Today bestseller in March 1994.{{cite news |date=March 3, 1994|title=USA Today best-selling books |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/55230200.html?dids=55230200:55230200&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Mar+03%2C+1994&author=&pub=USA+TODAY+%28pre-1997+Fulltext%29&desc=USA+TODAY+BEST-SELLING+BOOKS&pqatl=google |work=USA Today |access-date=January 29, 2022 |archive-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307082140/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/doc/306658872.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Mar%2003,%201994&author=&pub=USA%20TODAY%20(pre-1997%20Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=&desc=USA%20TODAY%20BEST-SELLING%20BOOKS |url-status=dead }} It was released again in 2011, under the Classic Goosebumps rename.{{cite book |last=Stine |first=R. L. Stine |title=Classic Goosebumps #5: One Day at Horrorland |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nlr9A9R9htUC |access-date=August 5, 2013 |year=2011 |publisher=Scholastic Corporation|isbn=978-0-545-40580-5}} Return to HorrorLand, a sequel to the book and the thirteenth book of the series Goosebumps Series 2000, was released in 1999. Lizzy, Luke, and Clay revisit HorrorLand, so that they can attempt to close the theme park.{{cite web |url=http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/return-horrorland |title=Return to Horrorland |website=Scholastic Corporation|access-date=January 28, 2022 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304050240/http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/return-horrorland#cart/cleanup |url-status=dead }}
A video game titled Goosebumps: Escape from Horrorland was released in 1996, by DreamWorks, for Microsoft Windows. Players encounter film monsters such as Dracula (played by Jeff Goldblum). In a 2008 video game titled Goosebumps HorrorLand, released for the Wii, Nintendo DS and PlayStation 2, the players attempt to escape from the theme park.{{cite book |authorlink1=John Edgar Browning |authorlink2=Caroline Joan S. Picart |last1=Edgar Browning |first1=John |last2=Joan S Picart |first2=Caroline |title=Dracula in Visual Media |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=32-FBgZ1Ct4C&pg=PA229 |year=2010 |publisher=McFarland & Company |isbn=978-0-7864-6201-8 |page=229}} The book was adapted into a board game titled Goosebumps One Day at HorrorLand Game, which was released by Milton Bradley Company in 1996.{{cite web |url=https://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/goosebumpsonedayathorrorland.pdf |title=Goosebumps One Day at HorrorLand Game instructions |date=1996 |website=Hasbro |access-date=January 16, 2022}}
Terror Trips, the second volume of the graphic novel trilogy Goosebumps Graphix, includes an adaptation that was illustrated by Jill Thompson. R. J. Carter, of The Trades, wrote that some panels of the comic were influenced by manga.{{cite web |url=http://www.the-trades.com/article.php?id=5246 |title=Book review: Goosebumps Graphix: Terror Trips |last=Carter |first=R. J. |date=March 13, 2007 |website=The Trades |access-date=August 3, 2013 |archive-date=May 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525175042/http://www.the-trades.com/article.php?id=5246 |url-status=dead }} Jennifer Feigelman, of Kliatt wrote that the comic adaptation within Terror Trips has "frenetic lines and mismatched panel sizing" and is "destined to be a hit with the "tween" crowd".{{cite web |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-164594760.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309131710/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-164594760.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 9, 2016 |title=Stine, R.L. Goosebumps graphix; terror trips, vol. 2. |last=Feigelman |first=Jennifer |date=May 1, 2007 |website=Kliatt |access-date=August 11, 2013}}
An audiobook read by Tara Sands was released in 2017.{{cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/986801663 |title=One Day at HorrorLand |via=WorldCat |oclc=986801663 |access-date=January 16, 2022}} It was one of the books featured in a 2015 interactive show aimed at an adult audience which was beneath London's Waterloo Station in abandoned railway tunnels.{{cite news |last=Flood |first=Alison |date=November 23, 2015 |title=Goosebumps stories adapted into 'spine-tingling' immersive performance |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/23/goosebumps-stories-adapted-rl-stine-performance |work=The Guardian |access-date=January 15, 2022}} Goosebumps HorrorLand is a book series that takes place in HorrorLand.{{cite web |url=http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3752884 |title=Goosebumps is back! |last=Scarafile |first=Andrew |date=October 21, 2009 |website=Scholastic Corporation |access-date=August 3, 2013 |archive-date=April 24, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140424131811/http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3752884 |url-status=dead }}
=Episodes=
The book was adapted into a two-part episode for the Goosebumps television series. Airing as episodes eight and nine of the third season, the first episode aired on October 25, 1997, and the second episode aired on November 1, 1997.{{sfn|Prendes|2020|p=116}}{{sfn|Prendes|2020|pp=118–119}} Both episodes initially aired on Fox Kids.{{cite news |last1=Hamilton |first1=Doug |last2=Bookman |first2=Julie |date=October 20, 1997 |title=Our picks |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93323191/the-atlanta-constitution/ |work=The Atlanta Constitution |via=Newspapers.com}} The character Clay was not included in the episodes.{{cite episode |title=One Day at HorrorLand, Part 1 |series=Goosebumps |series-link=Goosebumps (1995 TV series) |airdate=October 25, 1997 |season=3 |number=8}}{{cite episode |title=One Day at HorrorLand, Part 2 |series=Goosebumps |series-link=Goosebumps (1995 TV series) |airdate=November 1, 1997 |season=3 |number=9}} A reviewer on DVD Talk wrote, "This two-part episode is largely enjoyable, with some pretty scary moments, though it has a disturbing subtext and an ending that may leave younger children especially feeling squeamish".{{cite web |url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/34673/goosebumps-one-day-at-horrorland/ |title=Goosebumps: One Day at Horrorland |last=Kauffman |first=Jeffrey |date=September 16, 2008 |website=DVD Talk |access-date=August 3, 2013}} Jose Prendes, who wrote Viewer Beware! The Goosebumps TV Companion said that the first part has a low budget, but that the episode is "a fun setup for what's to come."{{sfn|Prendes|2020|p=116}} Prendes wrote that the first part "is replaced" in the second episode "with a fast-paced, super-cheesy and energetic storyline that manages to turn the whole thing into a comedy."{{sfn|Prendes|2020|pp=118–119}} Catherine Mallette of Fort Worth Star-Telegram said, "The "Horrors", who run the park, have cheesy costumes, and the sets are low-budget. But the storyline is extremely compelling."{{cite news |last=Mallette |first=Catherine |date=September 8, 2018 |title=Watch it |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93321979/fort-worth-star-telegram/ |work=Fort Worth Star-Telegram |via=Newspapers.com}} Doug Hamilton and Julie Bookman of The Atlanta Constitution listed the adaptation as one of their picks for television alongside Disney's Tower of Terror.
==Cast==
- Heather Brown as Lizzy Morris
- Michael Caloz as Luke Morris
- Jonathan Whittaker as Carl Morris
- Kirsten Bishopric as Peggy Morris
- Neil Crone as Retch Sniff (the host), Blek, and Makeup Artist{{sfn|Prendes|2020|pp=118–119}}
Home media
The VHS release of the television episodes was reported as the fourteenth best-selling children's video in the November 14, 1998, issue of Billboard.{{cite magazine |date=November 14, 1998 |title=Top kid video |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HwoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA77 |magazine=Billboard |page=77 |access-date=January 29, 2022 |via=Google Books}} The VHS, along with two other Goosebumps releases, were advertised on millions of products by General Mills, with coupons and a sweepstakes for a Goosebumps stage production.{{cite magazine |last=McCormick |first=Moira |date=August 8, 1998 |title=Casper reappears in new fox title |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8AkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA62 |magazine=Billboard |page=62|access-date=January 29, 2022 |via=Google Books}}
The DVD was released in 2008, with no special features. Jeffrey Kauffman, writing for DVD Talk, said that the DVD release is "a completely average television presentation all around" with "typical" sound. The DVD includes a bonus two-part episode titled Welcome to Camp Nightmare, and a limited edition release the following year additionally features a sex scene between Lizzy and Luke that was edited out of the original.
Reception
Kevin Pires from Flavorwire listed the book as one of his ten favorite Goosebumps books,{{cite magazine |last=Pires |first=Kevin |date=October 8, 2013 |title=Celebrate R.L. Stine's 70th birthday with his 10 Best 'Goosebumps' books |url=http://flavorwire.com/419028/celebrate-r-l-stines-70th-birthday-with-his-10-best-goosebumps-books/view-all |magazine=Flavorwire |access-date=January 29, 2022 |archive-date=June 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621135546/http://flavorwire.com/419028/celebrate-r-l-stines-70th-birthday-with-his-10-best-goosebumps-books/view-all |url-status=dead}} and Nathan Reese from Complex.com rated One Day at HorrorLand as his ninth favorite book from the series. Reese compared the book's reality television subplot to the film The Truman Show and stated that the idea was "ahead of its time". He also thought that the ending was more dark and humorous than most other books.{{cite web | url=http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2014/10/ranking-of-all-61-goosebumps-books/one-day-at-horrorland | title=The definitive ranking of all 62 original "Goosebumps" books | publisher=Complex.com | date=October 27, 2014 | access-date=December 22, 2014 | author=Reese, Nathan}} De Elizabeth of Teen Vogue added the book among the list "20 R.L. Stine Books You Need to Read Again" and said that it "is the best Goosebumps book – and R.L. Stine book in general – of all time, hands down". Elizabeth stated, "The park, called HorrorLand, contains rides like The Werewolf Village and The Doom Slide, and each ride is described in such detail that we all felt like we were actually there."{{cite news |last=Elizabeth |first=De |date=October 8, 2016 |title=20 R. L. Stine books that you need to read again |url=https://www.teenvogue.com/gallery/best-r-l-stine-books-you-need-to-read |magazine=Teen Vogue |access-date=January 15, 2022}} Hank Benjamin of the journal Language Arts Journal of Michigan wrote that he begins every school year by handing a copy of One Day at HorrorLand to read it out-loud with them and holds a discussion with them about the novel and whether there should be a continuation.{{cite journal |last=Benjamin |first=Hank |date=1997 |title=Return to HorrorLand |url=https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1465&context=lajm |journal=Language Arts Journal of Michigan |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=31–32 |doi=10.9707/2168-149X.1465 |access-date=January 30, 2022|doi-access=free }}
See also
{{Portal bar |Children's literature}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
Books cited
- {{cite book | last=Prendes | first=Jose | title=Viewer Beware! The Goosebumps TV Companion | publisher=BearManor Media | year=2020 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ueP7DwAAQBAJ |isbn=978-1629336121 |via=Google Books}}
- {{cite book | last=Rodriguez | first=Sarah | title=The Art of Goosebumps | publisher=Dynamite Entertainment | year=2021 | isbn=978-1-5241-0692-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oMdOEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA44 | page=44 |via=Google Books}}
{{R. L. Stine}}
{{good article}}
Category:1994 children's books
Category:American horror novels
Category:American novels adapted into television shows
Category:Novels set in amusement parks