It is composed of 10 different short stories, ranging from "Pumpkinhead" to "The Ghostly Stare", and was a New York Times bestseller from the year 1999 to 2000.

[1] All but "Make Me a Witch" were made into episodes of R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour TV series.

[2] Sofrina Hinton from Kidsreads said "with its lavish illustrations and clever, direct storytelling and themes that speak to every one of us, NIGHTMARE HOUR is a worthy read for horror fans of any age".

[3] Maria Dolan from Amazon commented that "these are tales you'll be too scared to put down".

[4] Molly S. Kinney from the Library Journal stated "it's guaranteed to produce goosebumps".