''The Secret of Terror Castle'' is an American juvenile detective novel written by
Robert Arthur, Jr.
Robert Arthur Jr. (November 10, 1909 – May 2, 1969) was a writer and editor of crime fiction and speculative fiction known for his work with ''The Mysterious Traveler'' radio series and for writing ''The Three Investigators'', a series of yo ...
It is the first book in the "
Three Investigators
The Three Investigators is an American juvenile detective book series first published as "''Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators''". It was created by Robert Arthur Jr., who believed involving a famous person such as movie director Alfr ...
" series.
Plot
Three boys are investigating a known
haunted house
A haunted house, spook house or ghost house in ghostlore is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were otherwise connected with the prope ...
, Terror Castle, in hopes that perhaps the film director Alfred Hitchcock would use it in his upcoming movie. Having just launched their investigation firm, the Three Investigators are hoping for a triumphant success to gain publicity and build their credibility. They briefly gain an audience with the skeptical Hitchcock, who is dismissive but agrees to introduce their case if they are able to demonstrate that the castle is truly haunted.
Terror Castle is the former home of movie actor Stephen Terrill, who died in a possibly suicidal car accident that occurred as his career was on the verge of collapse. Terrill had pledged to haunt his former home to keep anyone else from living there. During their investigations, the boys find very scary and seemingly real activities going on in the abandoned structure, such as the Fog of Fear and the Blue Phantom.
Movie
A movie based on this book aired on
Disney XD
Disney XD is an American pay television channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven yea ...
on March 19, 2010, and then aired another one in April 2010. It was rebroadcast on October 2, 2010, and again on March 3, 2011, and aired again on July 25, 2012.
The plot of the movie differs significantly from that of the book. In the movie, Stephen Terrill is an inventor rather than a silent film actor; and many of the apparently supernatural occurrences are actually Terrill's inventions which continue to operate in the house. The 'haunting' is also partly the work of art thief Victor Hugenay.
Other adaptations
In 1984, an audio adaptation based on the book was released on cassette (BOW-100) by Rainbow Communications Limited of England. It was adapted by Edward Kelsey and directed by Tony Bilbow.
External links
Book editions, publishing dates, other info
References
1964 American novels
Novels by Robert Arthur Jr.
Three Investigators
Fictional fortifications
Random House books
American novels adapted into films
1964 children's books
Works set in castles
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