Recap: 40 Goosebumps Books Later
Wowza—talk about progress.
Now that I’m two thirds of the way finished reading and reviewing all 62 original Goosebumps stories, let’s talk about my latest milestone: books 21–40. (For a recap of my experience with books 1–20, click here.)
In this stretch of the series, we encounter an angry masked mutant, spend an unnerving night in a medieval tower, venture across the icy plains of Alaska, and bear the burden of an ancient, evil sponge. We see the return of a peculiar, mischievous dummy and take an all-to-real movie-studio tour. We set foot in the strangest summer camp on earth. And through it all, R.L. Stine keep us hungry for more—but not always to his benefit.
Unlike the first 20 Goosebumps books, nine of which I ranked a perfect score, only three entries from books 21–40 wowed me: “Phantom of the Auditorium,” “The Horror at Camp Jellyjam,” and “The Haunted Mask II.” The rest, with a few exceptions — “A Night in Terror Tower” and “The Cuckoo Clock of Doom,” namely — were either decent or disappointing.
Let’s look at the trends.
A noticeable shift in tone.
Goosebumps books have always presented a calculated balance of horror and playfulness. And that’s what makes them fun. But whereas the first 20 books lean more toward scares, books 21–40 favour silliness: a kid can’t stop growing hair; a lawn-gnome duo has a vendetta for melons. It’s not a drastic shift, nor a downfall, but it’s there—an indicator, perhaps, of Stine finding a more appropriate rhythm with the series. (He once said the first Goosebumps book, “Welcome to Dead House,” was too scary for kids — which is exactly why it’s great.) That said, nearly all of the books are told in first-person perspective, which at least bolsters the protagonists’ fears by making them more intimate.
The rise of the sequel.
“Return of the Mummy,” “Monster Blood III,” “The Haunted Mask II,” two more Slappy books — Stine revives all the fan favourites, but not all of them hit the mark. In particular, neither of the “Night of the Living Dummy” sequels lives up to the original tale; in fact, each is a near copy of its predecessor. The others, thankfully, are mostly enjoyable, with Stine doing a good job of recapping the previous books so kids can enjoy the new material on its own.
A tiresome formula.
When it comes to character motivation, we’ve got a two-trick pony on our hands:
- Siblings or friends tease kid because kid is easily scared. Kid wants revenge.
- Kid sees something scary, but no one believes her. Kid needs to prove she’s telling the truth.
Cliffhangers for days. (You have no idea.)
Open a Goosebumps book and you’ll find a suspenseful kicker at the end of every chapter (and I mean every chapter). In this round of books, however, the same line appears in nearly every opening. It’s a tease of what’s to come—a hook to keep readers interested—but a it’s tired cop-out from a writer who’s capable of better.
“I had no way of knowing that it was the last picture I would ever take of Eddie.” (A Night in Terror Tower)
“We had no idea we were about to start the most horrifying adventure of our lives.” (Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes)
“We had no idea just how scary it would turn out to be.” (A Shocker on Shock Street)
“I thought all the scary stuff with the dummies was over. I had no way of knowing that it was just beginning.” (Night of the Living Dummy III)
You get the idea.
A sign of the times.
One thing I love about these books is their timeless nature and resonate themes. What I love more, though—me being a ’90s kid—is their dated details. From Walkmans to one-hour-photo shops, Stine’s legacy is a blast from the past.
“The next evening, Mindy and I were watching MTV in the den when Dad came home.” (Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes)
“‘They probably have masks like that at K-Mart,’ Chuck said.” (The Haunted Mask II)
“‘…I’m saving my allowance to get the new thirty-two-bit system.’” (Night of the Living Dummy III)
Everyone is such a jerk.
“They would just start yelling at me and telling me what a jerk I was.” (My Hairiest Adventure)
“Serves him right, I thought. Howie is such a jerk.” (My Hairiest Adventure)
“Maybe she feels bad for me because I keep acting like such a jerk.” (My Hairiest Adventure)
“We were total jerks! Evan thought sadly.” (Monster Blood III)
And that’s just the tip of the jerk-berg.
Oh, and everything is a riot.
“‘We’re all cracking up,’ I muttered bitterly, gulping down a second glass of milk. ‘You’re a real riot.’” (The Barking Ghost)
“‘He told me the two of you always played all kinds of jokes on each other,’ Fergie replied. ‘He said you would think it was a riot.’” (The Barking Ghost)
“‘BOOOOOOM!’ Elliot shouted. The kid is a riot, isn’t he?” (The Horror at Camp Jellyjam)
“I can be pretty funny. My friends think I’m a riot.” (Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes)
“Everyone calls him Duck because he quacks all the time. He and Andrew thought that was a riot.” (The Haunted Mask II)
Eclectic environments.
An Asian jungle island, a Shirley Jackson-inspired mansion, a moss-draped cemetery beside the beach—the settings in this chunk of the series are both interesting and immersive. Yes, we still have our stories set in suburbia, if only to ground us before the next adventure sweeps us away—to London in the Dark Ages, a cavernous tunnel beneath an elementary school, a mysterious antiques store. You’ve gotta hand it to Stine for crafting some fascinating backdrops (let’s hope we get more before the series’ end), with no shortage of details to bring them to life.
The takeaway?
Ultimately, books 21–40 of the original Goosebumps series feel more formulaic than the first batch, frequently employing familiar language and typical tricks. If you can read beyond this stuff, however, you’ll find some imaginative stories immersed in wholly realized settings.
Now, for the burning question: are they as scary as they could be? Probably not—but who am I to say? It’s been a minute since I’ve been 10 years old. And besides, they’re fun (albeit predictable), and that’s why I’m re-reading them in the first place.
22 more to go.
