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Cris Johnson's Spooky Library Programs
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YA / Teen Library Program · Ages 11–17 · 50–60 Minutes
For the teens who think they’ve seen it all.
- Ages 11–17
- 50–60 minutes
- No live animals
A dozen real phobias, taken apart one at a time — what causes them, how they grow, and how people get rid of them. Told with magic strange enough that some of your teens won’t watch all of it.
Check my October dates How FEAR differs from Horror
Or call me directly — (716) 940-8963
The hook
The hardest room in your building
Reaching YAs and teens in a library is tough. They’re too old for most children’s programming. They usually aren’t mature enough for most adult programs. So they fall through the middle of your calendar, and they stay there.
But with the right show, YAs and teens will gobble up library content faster than you can say phobia.
And that’s what this show is about. Phobias. Fears. Those things that remind us of our mortality. Those things that make us want to run away as fast as we can.
Teenagers are the single most fear-obsessed audience on earth — they’re at exactly the age where being frightened on purpose is the entertainment. This program takes that seriously instead of tiptoeing around it.
Two teen shows, one season
FEAR, or Horror in the Library?
I run two teen programs in the same season. Librarians ask me this every year, so here’s the straight answer.
FEAR is the phobia program, and it’s the harder-edged of the two. It’s built on the psychology of what frightens us, and it sends teens to your non-fiction shelves. Book this one if your teens want the scarier show — or if you ran Horror last year.
Horror in the Library is the reading program. It’s built on YA horror novels, and every teen leaves with a list of fifty titles to check out from you. Book that one if circulation is the number you’re being measured on.
Both run 50–60 minutes. Both are built for ages 11–17. A lot of libraries alternate them year to year.
What students experience
What happens in the room
“FEAR” tackles over a DOZEN common and well-known fears and phobias. I cover what causes phobias, how they get worse over time, and even how to get rid of them.
Some of the fears covered include spiders, snakes, needles, death, ghosts, and clowns — and those are just a few of the deepest, darkest ones in the show.
But this is not a psychological lecture. To captivate YAs and teens, this show uses strange, bizarre, eerie, and downright frightening magic and mind reading.
- A simple card trick unleashes an unexpected visitor… on a volunteer’s hand
- A bucket filled with muddy water hides a secret terror
- An old comic book believed to drive children mad gives one volunteer an amazing power
- A secretly-chosen fear is suddenly broadcast to every cell phone in the room
- Needles, thread, water… and the performer’s mouth. What could possibly go wrong?
- A malevolent spirit inside a Hand of Glory reveals the hidden location of a selected object
- A video of a clown, recorded days before, has a disturbing message for one volunteer
There are no live animals in this show, and no one is ever put in harm’s way.
A dozen phobias. One hour. Some of them are going to be theirs.
Ages 11–17 · 50–60 minutes · no live animals, and nobody is ever in harm’s way
The part your director cares about
It sends them to the shelves you can never get them to.
“FEAR” encourages guests to explore these and other phobias further in the non-fiction sections of your library.
That’s the part worth knowing: your teen fiction moves on its own. Teen non-fiction is the harder sell, and this show hands them a reason to go looking — psychology, folklore, medicine, the history of the circus, entomology. All of it sitting on shelves they walked past on the way in.
The result: more reading, more checked-out books, and more engaged YAs and teens in your library.
Why this one goes further
The only program I’d call genuinely unsettling.
I’ve built about a dozen library programs over the years, and this is the only one I’d describe that way.
That’s deliberate. Every other program I run has a ceiling I keep it under, because the audience is mixed or the room is family-wide. FEAR doesn’t have that ceiling — it’s for a teen audience that came specifically to be scared, and it delivers on what it says on the poster.
It’s still safe, and it’s still nothing you’d have to explain to a parent. Nobody touches an animal. Nobody gets hurt. But it doesn’t pull back at the last second the way most “spooky” teen programming does — and your teens will notice that inside the first five minutes.
That’s the whole reason they stay in their seats.
Proof
What librarians and media specialists say about Cris Johnson’s library programs
“Fantastic program! One of the BEST young adult programs we have ever had. ALL of the teens were extremely engaged and fascinated with Cris’ combination of storytelling and historical knowledge. Every teen who attended wants Cris to come back as soon as possible!”
Tim RyanYoung Adult Services Librarian
Sully Branch Library, Rochester, NY
“The tweens and teens definitely thought the act was creepy and cool! This show featured a lot of historical mysteries that a lot of kids did not already know, so they got a LOT out of it!”
Merrie HaumannAhira Hall Memorial Library
Brocton, NY
“Our show was AWESOME! My group had such a great time listening to and participating with all the different stories. A guaranteed awesome, spooky time! Highly recommended!”
Katie SmithTeen Services Librarian
Wood Library, Canandaigua, NY
“Teens and adults loved the program. They leaned forward in their chairs during the stories and demonstrations. Cris is great to work with — he helped arrange tables, talked at length with the teens afterward, and was very engaging.”
Doris Jean MetzgerTeen Librarian
Steele Memorial Library, Elmira, NY
“The teens enjoyed the weaving of historic accounts in with the illusions! Very entertaining and good visual program use of the artifacts!”
Lynda PageWest Elmira Library
Elmira, NY
“The guests really enjoyed the whole show — the stories, the presentation, and the presenter! Cris was great to work with, very professional and personable. I liked that he plugged librarians and books!”
Tina DaltonYouth Services Librarian
Cuba Circulating Library, Cuba, NY
“WOW! Totally awesome show — our audience was blown away! Also learned quite a bit about some historical facts. I recommend for libraries to have Cris Johnson come and present a show.”
Kate PuehnLibrarian
Elma Library, Elma, NY
“This was one of our most popular programs of the year! Our patrons enjoyed the audience participation and were very happy with the program. Highly entertaining and educational. Thank you so much!”
Carol Ellen Kowalik-HappyLibrarian
Olean Public Library, Olean, NY
“It was mind-boggling — I don’t know how you did what you did! It was awesome, I loved it!”
Stacy WicksallLibrary Director
Macedon Public Library, Macedon, NY
“Fascinating history of sites, regardless of whether you believe in ghosts or not! Great thrills and scares!”
Theresa StrebLibrary Director
Lyons Public Library, Lyons, NY
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Easy to host
I make this the easiest thing on your calendar.
- I bring everything. State-of-the-art sound system included for larger groups at no additional fee.
- Fast set-up, and I work around your schedule.
- Poster and a customized press release to publicize the event.
- Unusual props, creepy decorations. The room gets dressed, not just the stage.
- Gross, surprising, and scary magic built for modern teens — not warmed-over kids’ material.
- Highly interactive. Your teens are in it, not watching it.
- No deposits. Ever.
The no-risk part
If your patrons aren’t amazed, you don’t pay — and I donate $500 to your library.
In over 20 years of full-time performing, not one client has ever taken me up on it.
Book it
October always sells out.
That’s when nearly every library wants this show, and there are only so many October evenings. The libraries that get their first-choice date are the ones that call in the summer.
Call me at (716) 940-8963 — that’s my cell phone — or email [email protected] to lock in your preferred date.