In the 1990's, teenagers who read horror fiction had limited choices. Outside of big names like Stephen King and Dean Koontz, there were a number of adult writers in the genre, but few in the YA section. The big names were RL Stine and Christopher Pike. However, in 1991, a new imprint emerged: Point Horror. The focus was nothing other than horror and titles by RL Stine as well as lesser known authors such as Diane Hoh, A. Bates, and Lael Littke found their way onto shelves and into the hands of teen readers who loved horror. About a decade later, the imprint faded into obscurity as those readers became an adult and the market seemed to disappear.
Now, with the increase in interest in YA publishing, Point Horror is back! Scholastic will be releasing three titles between May and September: Defriended, Identity Theft, and Wickedpedia. Will these titles engage young readers the way that their counterparts did twenty years ago? Only time will tell. The YA market has changed a great deal since the early 1990's; however, horror is still a genre that does not see a ton of variety for teen readers. The current crop includes Lisa McMann, Brenna Yovanoff, and a few crossover writers, outside of zombie and paranormal fiction. What Point Horror can do is bridge the gap.
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