90s TFTC Novels

(credit and thanks to DemonDogstar of Reddit for this image and allowing me to share it)


Saw this on the TFTC Reddit page. I was reminded of how there were TFTC novels aimed at kids written around the early-to-mid 90s, probably trying to capitalize on the popularity of kid Horror with stuff like Goosebumps, Are You Afraid Of The Dark?, etc. I remember living in New York City in the late 90s and we lived not far from a library that had the Camp Crypt and Crypt Carnival novels. I remember reading through some of them and they were actually pretty graphic and gruesome with their violence, despite being aimed at kids. I seem to recall Crypt Carnival describes in rather gruesome detail one character's demise from being dunked in a tank of hydrochloric acid It's safe to say kids' books with such content would probably never be written today, at least not aimed at a young audience.

They go for a lot of money on the secondary market these days, so I'm trying to see if I can find all four of them from places like Saver's, Goodwill, etc. where they can be much cheaper and in decent condition. I find it surprising they didn't use the image of the live-action Yagher puppet for the cover arts, but seeing as so many kids were terrified of the Crypt Keeper puppet I guess the publisher opted for the original EC Comics version of Crypty. I wonder if anyone here owns these and has read them.