During the ‘90s, teen horror fiction was huge. Authors like R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike already had major hits, and Scholastic’s Point Horror was thriving. Recently I’ve made it my personal mission to collect and read as many of the titles from the decade as possible. This month, for Horror Bound’s “Resurrection” week, I’m taking a look at The Accident by Diane Hoh.

Throughout the ‘90s, Diane Hoh was one of the go-to teen horror authors. Today, many of Hoh’s books are fan favorites among collectors and nostalgia seekers, including The Funhouse, The Fever, and The Train. Like those, Scholastic published The Accident under the Point Horror banner. The Accident, released in 1991, features a bright neon cover that is arguably among the most iconic of the ‘90s teen horror cycle.

Per the back description of The Accident, the plot is simple—lead character Megan Logan trades places with the ghost of a girl who appears in her bedroom mirror. A pair of taglines—“She has returned. From the dead.” and “All she wanted was one week. Of Megan’s life.”—promise a spooky, ghostly tale.

But there is more going on in this story. A lot more. It’s surprising that The Accident was published in the early days of Point Horror because the book pulls a lot of the plot elements that have since become recognized as expected tropes within the catalog. From the car crash opening to the eerie lake where the story takes place and a final reveal on who is responsible for a separate story-line involving dangerous attacks on Megan’s friends and family (not to mention the crayon drawings that serve as clues), at first glance The Accident appears to have too much going on.

However, by the time the water soaked finale rolls around it is obvious that Hoh has carefully thought out and planned the plot of the book. By intelligently weaving various elements together, the author manages to keep readers turning the pages. Even if it is an overall sense of confusion that piques interest, most die-hard fans will not give up on the story before seeing it through. Instead, they will want to see how the author brings everything together by the story’s end.

The titular phrase, “the accident”, serves multiple purposes throughout the narrative, most notably as to how the plot unfolds after the opening chapter’s inciting incident and the ghost’s own tragedy from decades earlier. The mirror ghost, Juliet, might be the key to solving the multiple mysteries of what is going on, why it is happening, and how all of the pieces are connected. Megan makes the decision to sacrifice a week of her life by trading places with Juliet in order to give the ghost total control of her body. By doing so, Megan is unable to communicate or interact with family and friends, but she follows Juliet and observes.

The subject matter is ripe for a lot of introspection on the main character’s part—“mirror moments” writers call them—but the story never takes full advantage of this opportunity. Instead, the book leaves readers with a somewhat murky message about inner self vs. outward appearance. From the story’s opening to the conclusion, Megan’s character drastically changes. To those around her, it’s as if she is becoming a different person. Little do they know, the idea is literal. Inside, Megan is not the girl they know. Most confounding is Megan’s ultimate reaction and takeaway (or lack thereof) of all of this.

The Accident is a fun and entertaining book that gives fans almost everything we’ve come to expect from Point Horror, but the story misses a big opportunity by failing to deliver a clearer message on inner self vs. outward appearance. It might be an out of sort gripe for a book of its ilk, but a slightly different ending and a tweaked character arc for Megan, particularly within the final few pages, would have delivered a stellar outcome.