Point Horror - Literary Criticism

Literary Criticism

Critics of the series noted that while the Point Horror series did not attract much serious attention, Gillian Avery noted that the series was "invariably structured around oppositions" in that teen horror novels "does not 'put an end to the opposition between the real and the imaginary' but, instead, affirms the distinction". Roy Fisher wrote that the series embodied and represented "the fears and anxieties of young people about their lives in general and about school in particular". Others noted the series' similarity to Stephen King, saying that there "was little difference between the approach and design... other than length".

Will Davis of The Guardian attributed the decline of the series to higher standards from teen readers and the series' lack of real-life issues.

The series has received negative criticism for its portrayal of female characters. Mary Hilton wrote in her book Potent fictions that many young readers viewed the female characters as the ones who get "upset, killed, or dumped".