Camp Nightmoon is a location on an unknown alien planet in the ninth Goosebumps book, Welcome to Camp Nightmare, and its accompanying television adaptation.
History[]
Camp Nightmoon, a summer camp, split up into two parts: a boys' camp and a girls' camp. The camp is surrounded by sloping hills and is next to a river.
When Billy arrives at camp, he notices that it's very strange. As soon as the campers arrive, they are almost attacked by wolf-like creatures. Uncle Al, the camp director scares the creatures off, and tells them that many dangerous creatures lurk in the forests of Camp Nightmoon. He says that a few campers have even been attacked by bears over the past few years. Because of this, there is a rule against sneaking out of your cabin at night. He also forbids any campers from entering a cabin known as The Forbidden Bunk, where a monster named Sabre is said to dwell.
Later, Mike, one of the campers, is bitten by a snake and is told that there is no nurse at the camp. Larry, Billy's bunk counselor, seriously injures one of the campers during a game of scratchball. Over time, many campers start disappearing. When Billy tries to get to the bottom of what's going on, the counselors and staff are dismissive, and even begin telling Billy that the missing campers never existed.
One night, Billy is awoken by Larry unexpectedly. Larry guides Billy into the woods, and they find a group of boys and Uncle Al.
Uncle Al provides the boys with tranquilizer rifles and says that they will need to hunt escaped campers. Billy refuses to hunt, and Uncle Al leaps at him. Billy fires his rifle at him. However, Uncle Al laughs and says that Billy passed. All of the missing campers and Billy's parents emerge from the woods. Uncle Al explains that he has been the subject of a government test. Billy's parents, two scientists, will be going on an important trip, and they want to take Billy with them. Because of his age, Billy needed to pass certain tests in order to gain clearance to go. Because of his bravery and logic, Billy passed all of the tests. Billy's parents will be venturing to a far away planet to investigate the creatures that live there. The planet is called Earth.
Locations[]
| Location | Reference image |
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Campfire A campfire where the campers learn the rules and camp songs.
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Bunk 4 The bunk Billy, Jay, Mike and Colin are sleeping in. Billy describes it as really small, with a low ceiling and two windows on each side.
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The Forbidden Bunk A larger cabin that Uncle Al says the campers are restricted from entering. Billy's counselor, Larry, says whomever breaks this rule will be eaten by Sabre, a red-eyed monster that dwells near the Forbidden Bunk.
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Mess Hall A large building where the campers eat.
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Ball Field A field where the campers play a game of scratchball.
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Lake The Camp Nightmoon lake. Billy goes canoeing here with Larry, and his bunkmates, Tommy and Chris.
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Pay Phone Area When Billy attempts to call his parents to tell them of the strange happenings at camp, he goes to use a pay phone. However, he is told by Uncle Al that all the phones in the camp were put as a joke.
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Office Building where campers drop off mail.
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The girls' camp likely also has a campfire area because Billy thinks he sees it at one point in the story.
Staff and campers[]
While Camp Nightmoon features many counselors and staff members, only a few are named.
| Character | Description |
|---|---|
Uncle Al  |
Uncle Al is the camp director of Camp Nightmoon. He insists the campers write home to their parents every day, and to stay away from the Forbidden Bunk. |
Larry  |
Larry is one of the Camp Nightmoon counselors. He is in charge of Bunk 4, the cabin Billy and his bunkmates are in. |
Frank |
Frank is another counselor at Camp Nightmoon. He's assigned to take Jay and Colin on a hike. |
Kurt |
Kurt is another counselor that is briefly mentioned by Uncle Al. |
Martha  |
Martha is a counselor for the girl's camp. She only appears in the TV episode. |
George  |
George works the electronics for Camp Nightmoon. He only appears in the TV episode. |
| Character | Description |
|---|---|
Billy  |
Billy is the protagonist and narrator of Welcome to Camp Nightmare. He is nervous to be away from his parents at Camp Nightmoon, and quickly discovers something strange is going on. As his fellow campers start to go missing, Billy has to face the camp's many dangers on his own. |
Mike  |
Mike is one of Billy's bunkmates. He is described as resembling a Bulldog, with a round face, pudgy arms, and short, spiky black hair. Mike ends up getting bit by a snake, and goes missing a few days later. |
Jay  |
Jay is another bunkmate of Billy's. He is described as loud and muscular. Jay decides to investigate the Forbidden Bunk one night, and when he comes back to the cabin he's terrified, saying that Roger, another camper, was torn to pieces by Sabre. Jay, along with Colin, are taken on a hike by a counselor named Frank. Though Frank returns, Jay never does. |
Colin  |
Colin is another bunkmate of Billy's. He is described as having long, brown hair, and wears a red bandanna and a pair of silver sunglasses. During a game of scratchball, Colin suffers an injury after Larry throws the ball at his head in a fit of rage. He, along with Jay, end up going missing after a hike with Frank. |
Dawn  |
Dawn is another camper that Billy meets while on the bus to Camp Nightmoon, she attends the female camp. She is described as having blonde hair and green eyes. During her stay at camp, many strange events happen that mirror what happens to Billy. She, along with her friend, Dori, manage to escape their camp and find Billy. Dawn warns him that something is going on, and makes a plan for the three of them to escape. |
Dori  |
Dori is a friend of Dawn's that attends the female camp. She is described as having red hair. Dori and Dawn manage to escape their camp and make plans to leave with Billy. In the TV episode, only Dawn escapes and it is revealed that Dori was mauled by a bear. |
Roger  |
Roger is a camper that Billy meets later in the book. He and Jay sneak off to the Forbidden Bunk one night, and only Jay returns. Jay tells Billy and Colin that Roger was torn to pieces by Sabre. When Billy tries to get information from Larry and Uncle Al, he is untruthfully told that no camper named Roger was at the camp. |
Tommy and Chris  |
Tommy and Chris are Billy's bunkmates that appear shortly after Jay and Colin go missing. While going canoeing with Larry, the two boys end up getting knocked into the water and seemingly drown. |
Rules[]
- Lights out at nine sharp.
- Campers must stay in their cabins.
- The girl's camp is off limits.
- Stay away from the Forbidden Bunk.
- Campers must write home to their parents every day.
Sports[]
- Scratchball
- Baseball
- Swimming
- Canoeing
- Tennis
- Hiking
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The location used for the camp in the TV episode is Camp Samac, located in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.