As horror fans, it would be fair to say that we all feel a strong connection to Halloween and that connection probably started for most of us when we were kids. The innocence of youth and the curiosity of reading or watching something forbidden was a huge draw for us all. However there was plenty of "kid friendly" horror that we were all exposed to; classic TV shows like 'The Addams Family' or 'The Munsters' come to mind. The gothic. The macabre. We probably weren't quite sure what it all meant or why it had such a strange pull on us. These particularly television shows showed us that monsters can be scary looking but funny at the same time. One such show that was thin on the laughs and terrified us all was R.L. Stine's 'Goosebumps'.
Since it's spooky season the Fright Club team have decided to pick some of our favourite episodes from the original 'Goosebumps' television series which aired from 1995-1998. We may be adults now but these horrors have stuck with us for many years. Thanks R.L
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DUMMY III - Gary
Dinner time in Ireland was often headlined by 'Goosebumps' on RTE 2’s kids programming block ‘Den 2’ For some reason, the intro to the show and the theme song always genuinely unsettled me. Specifically, the faceless man in the mac trench coat and his suitcase carrying the spooky tales of R.L Stine across the weary world.
There are a few episodes that still give me the creeps. I remember after seeing ‘The Haunted Mask’, being in a costume shop and being afraid to try on a Darth Maul mask in case it wouldn’t come off. I think this fear was also amplified by 'The Mask' starring Jim Carrey. There is a particularly strange feeling about the show almost too Uncanny Valley like. It frightened me so much as a kid because of the surreal, almost dream-like nature and that feeling that no adult would listen to you or believe for a second, any kind of strange circumstances or incidents that may have happened. You’re just a dumb kid imagining things, making things up.
This is apparent throughout the entire show run, though it appears again and again with the child/parent relationships in the 'Night of the Living Dummy' episode series. They’re all about an evil dummy that comes to life. According to IMDB it was the first episode (2 parter) to receive a VHS home video release. A massive hit at the video rental store for sure. This release was accompanied with a special introduction from R.L Stine himself, featuring his own ventriloquist dummy. Slappy makes yet another appearance here, this time with a chunk out of his head, like the T-1000. Worse for wear, still a dummy with class. He was picked up at an antique store and taken home to a new family. Everything was going okay but cousin Zane was unsure about from the get-go. After the spell is read, Slappy comes to life. He even kicks Zane. Carrying around the book ‘Conquering Your Fears’ at all times making for an iconic accessory. I love Slappy’s Film Noir verbiage, sense of style and his bodyguard, Rocky. “Eyy sure, whatever you say boss!”
After several pranks and goofs, everything seemed to have worked out. Then all of a sudden Slappy makes unexplained appearances, sitting on the kitchen table cross legged arms folded with a scowl. The kids are terrorised and chased around their home by the menacing dummy before seemingly putting it to rest and impressively getting over things relatively quickly, still in time for the monster movie marathon though they already had their fill for the evening. Of course, Slappy appears yet again and he’s not alone. Potentially the greatest ensemble cast, a dummy collective of sorts. Trina and Daniel continue on fighting, taking Slappy to the well and back.
THE HAUNTED MASK - Danny
Do you mind sitting down in front of the TV, popping BBC or Fox Kids on and waiting for the iconic opening title sequence with the gooey G shadow lurking over some small town America and the glowing eyed Labrador on the porch, all to the memorable theme song by Jack Lenz? I bet you’re humming it now.
I loved watching the TV show growing up and also had a fine collection of R.L. Stine’s books. The episode that sticks with me the most after all these years is 'The Haunted Mask'. It’s the first episode of the first season (a two-parter) and opens with Stine giving a brief description of what we’re in for, stating, “viewer beware, you’re in for a scare.”
The episode is about Carly Beth, an easily scared girl who wishes to get revenge on those who keep scaring her, especially her two bullies, Chuck and Steve. She heads to a mysterious mask shop that has just opened in the town and finds the perfect mask to scare everyone, but despite being warned that the masks are evil and not for sale, she grabs it and runs. What ensues is a tale of identity and frightening faces.
I really wanted to own the haunted mask from this episode and to pay a visit to the mask store. Looking back now, the special effects in the series have not aged well but the masks are fantastic. The masks coming to life in the store is still one of the better effects in the series. This episode also has some of the better acting too with fantastic performances from Kathryn Long who plays Carly and the shop owner played by Colin Fox. Each of the Goosebumps tales tends to finish on a lesson learned and sometimes a twist or cliff-hanger. Some of the Goosebumps parables can be on the nose, but I feel that The Haunted Mask handles its story of identity well. Now, I reckon, I’m going to pop on Attack of the Mutant or A Night in Terror Tower, as they were also bangers!
STAY OUT OF THE BASEMENT - Adam
When you’re a kid, many things are terrifying; Monsters under the bed, getting lost at the supermarket, getting dropped off at your lonely Uncle Steve’s. But nothing is more terrifying than VEGETABLES!!! 'Goosebumps' for me was always a random find after school on the channel Fox Kids. I’d sometimes only see the first part of the story, or vice versa, and that would often make the stories scarier. Sometimes the stories would end with the kids in great peril and I’d never see the next episode, so in my head, those kids just straight up died.
'Stay Out of the Basement' always felt like the kid's version of 'The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill' (from Creepshow) to me, and possibly taps into my fear of another being taking me or my family over. Watching it now as an adult, it’s crazy how much the main character Margaret, is gas-lit throughout the entire story. The Dad, the son and the mother basically all tell Margaret to mind her own business, even when the Dad is caught eating plant food from under the sink. The bed of worms always freaked me out, even though it doesn’t really make any sense apart from it being a cool visual.
In the finale, when we see a clone of the father being birthed from a plant, the episode becomes truly creepy. The mad scientist aspect reaches its peak as the kids have to come face to face with their real father and their evil clone father. It raps up nicely, and leaves it on an interesting enough twist. 'Stay Out of the Basement' honestly fells like it could be expanded into a full feature but works well enough as a two-part episode.
THE HEADLESS GHOST - Joseph
Growing up in the 90s, 'Goosebumps' alongside the likes of 'Are You Afraid of the Dark?' was must watch television for any child. A perfect gateway to horror as it could creep, thrill and scare you in the funnest way possible. Out of all the episodes I watched, the one that stuck out mostly for me was 'The Headless Ghost'. It follows two kids (Duane and Stephanie) who love exploring the local tourist attraction of Hill House in search of the truth behind the story of a young boy (Andrew Craw) that was decapitated over 100 years ago.
The thing that made this episode stand out to me more than anything was the setting. There was just something very creepy in how dimly lit the hallways of Hill House were lit next to the old portraits of the likes of Andrew Craw and his relatives. The way Otto and Seth would talk about the deaths that took place in the house really drew you in making the scares more impactful. Of course it wasn’t all spooky as there was a lot of fun in watching Andrew trying to find his head and even now part of me wishes Stephanie was fully transformed into a ghost but that might have been too extreme for younger viewers. As it stands the main reason why this particular story stands out for me today is in how effectively it tells a chilling yet entertaining ghost story in a short run time.
THE GIRL WHO CRIED MONSTER - Victoria
The TV adaptation of the eighth book in the Goosebumps series, The Girl Who Cried Monster, remains one of my favourites after all these years. The protagonist, Lucy (Deborah Scorsone), is a pretty mean-spirited young girl who enjoys tormenting her little brother with stories of monsters, but she does it so often that when she finally sees a real monster, no-one believes her. Hence the title, a play on the tale of the Girl Who Cried Wolf. Any weird girl in the late 90s/early 00s, like myself, resonated with Lucy’s fascination with the weird and spooky, and a desire to make the mundaneness of everyday life more interesting. She is one of the few 'Goosebumps' kids I don’t find irritating and I think it’s because I see myself in her.
The episode is well-paced, taking key dialogue and plot points from the books and emphasizing what R. L. Stine does exceedingly well, which is creating a real sense of danger. Our monster, the librarian Mr. Mortman (Eugene Lipinski), has a menacing presence, enhanced by the use of high and low camera angles throughout the episode, and the set design for the library, shrouded in darkness and low ceilings, feels oppressive and creepy. A perfect lair for a monster. His monstrous habit of feeding on spiders is spotted by Lucy when she goes to the library alone and she witnesses him transforming into a grotesque monster covered in slime, with bulging insect-like eyes. The idea of any random member of my childhood community secretly being a monster terrified me and my overactive imagination.
The cold, almost blue darkness of the library contrasts effectively with the warm lighting of Lucy’s home to really heighten the sense of danger. This is all the more rewarding for the viewer when the script is flipped and we discover that it’s Lucy and her family who are the real monsters, and the monstrous looking Mr. Mortman is actually an innocent victim. The episode does an excellent job of showcasing how outward appearances aren’t the full story, and that even the most boring, mundane people can be monsters.
SAY CHEESE AND DIE! - Gavin
Originally published in 1992 and debuting late into Season 1 of the television adaptation, 'Say Cheese and Die!' is probably now most famous because it stars a very young Ryan Gosling in the lead role of Greg, a young boy who along with a few close friends, breaks into a dilapidated warehouse out of boredom. While rifling through the basement of the building they come across a strange looking item which they soon discover is a polaroid camera. It’s bizarre in shape and Greg realises quite early that there’s no way to open the thing up to add film. But that’s not the weirdest thing about the camera. Somehow the developed photographs that print out are actually premonitions of what’s to come to the subjects in the pictures. And all of the premonitions are deadly.
Far from being the scariest episode of 'Goosebumps' ever produced, in terms of actual jump scares or terrifying imagery, 'Say Cheese And Die!' has a certain existential horror to it that in many ways is actually more horrific than any scary creature. It’s dread inducing and explores the disquieting idea of fate and the inevitability of death. This aired in February 1996 and was way ahead of its time. Certainly influenced by the “deadly machine” trend that was popular in the genre during the 70s and 80s, this perhaps was an influence itself on the likes of 'Final Destination' and some technology themed J-Horror that followed over the next decade or so.
Not sure we really needed the creepy Spidey character here and the overuse of dutch angles but Ryan Gosling is a stand out obviously, while the rest of the supporting cast aren’t particularly memorable. The final scene with the two bullies (who appear earlier in the episode) taking their own photograph is quite ominous.
Honourable mentions must go to 'Piano Lessons Can Be Murder', 'The Werewolf of Fever Swamp', 'One Day at Horrorland' and 'Shocker on Shock Street'. What's your favourite episodes of 'Goosebumps'?
The original 90s series can be streamed in the US on Tubi and Season 2 of the modern day adaptation arrives on Disney+ on January 10th.
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