CURSE OF THE DEAD-EYED DOLL

Alejandro and his eighth grade classmates take a field trip to visit the Fort East Martello Museum in Key West, Florida, where they encounter the titular doll.

The museum hosts a glass-encased exhibit of a “haunted” toy by the name of Robert the Doll. The tour guide shares the story of the doll’s history and his weirdly devoted adult owner. The guide explains that taking Robert the Doll’s photo without permission brings bad luck that will lift only with a written apology. Naturally, Al breaks the rule. Not even a few minutes into the bus ride from the museum begins a string of bad luck for Alejandro. Al ultimately takes his apology letter to the museum to rid himself of this curse. The plot is predictable and, despite its content, lacks real suspense, as the author relies on horror tropes that demand a completely credulous audience for success. In the era of Stranger Things, which amps kid-horror to a captivating level of scary, all but the very newest to the genre will find this story lacking in tension, imagination, and originality. Continuing the series’ tour of actual, supposedly haunted U.S. locales, three other entries publish simultaneously: Phantom of the Tracks (New Jersey), A Starlet’s Shadow (California), and Swamp of Lost Souls (Louisiana).

Though based on a real-life exhibit, this outing lacks the fear factor.