According to The Nightmare Hour, R.L. Stine wrote "The Most Evil Sorcerer" on a bet with another author to create a story in a different time and world. He suffered writer's block near the end before finding himself writing the ending (not featured here) feeling a lack of control while doing so, and claimed that the sorcerer had possessed him. Its sequel, "The Dragon's Bargain", was actually one of the short stories from The Haunting Hour compilation.