The Both series of Goosebumps are instantly recognizable with its "viewer beware, you're in for a scare" tagline, and its original 1990s title sequence features one of the creepiest dogs that a series aimed at young people could imagine. However, it is the series' blend of horror and comedy that makes Goosebumps episodes fun as well as scary.
The Goosebumps series is self-aware, and some Goosebumps episodes are parodies of well-known horror stories, like Phantom of the Auditorium's take on Phantom of the Opera. Some feature classic Halloween monsters, like werewolves, zombies, and vampires, while others involve stranger creatures, like the tag-loving "Beast from the East." Two of the scariest Goosebumps episodes take place during Halloween, but many other episodes would also be perfect to watch on Halloween.
10 The Haunted Mask
The Terrifying Story Has A Frozen-Style Twist
"The Haunted Mask" still haunts viewers today, and is one of the scariest Goosebumps episodes of all time. The story, about an ugly shopkeeper who crafts himself a beautiful face out of human skin, which turns him into a monster, is so disturbing that a fan later made a gory R-rated version of "The Haunted Mask". While the shopkeeper is a tragic and self-hating figure, similar to Frankenstein's Monster, he is not a typical villain.
This is the same message that appears in the movie Frozen, and in Carly Beth's case, it is her mother's act of love that finally separates her from the mask.
When Carly Beth, the lead character, gets the mask stuck on her face, the shopkeeper tries to help her, explaining that the mask can be removed through an act of love. This is the same message that appears in the movie Frozen, and in Carly Beth's case, it is her mother's act of love that finally separates her from the mask. "The Haunted Mask" is a perfect choice for Halloween, as it is genuinely terrifying, but has a sweet message and a happy ending.
9 You Can't Scare Me
Halloween Takes That As A Challenge
Halloween is all about fun and fear, and the title of the Goosebumps episode, "You Can't Scare Me", takes that as a challenge. The seemingly fearless Courtney never falls for the pranks that the main characters, Eddie and Hat, try to play on her. This time, they have planned the best prank of all. Eddie and Hat lure Courtney to Muddy Creek to convince her that the legendary "mud monsters" are real, but they just might be after all.
Though "You Can't Scare Me" is not set at Halloween, the Goosebumps episode is all about daring people and playing pranks. These are so common at Halloween that "You Can't Scare Me" is a Goosebumps episode that feels like a Halloween story. This episode is a little unusual, as the two main characters are less likable than the fearless Courtney, and the hilarious twist ending gives them the scare that they deserve.
8 Night of the Living Dummy II
An Iconic Goosebumps Villain Appears For The First Time
Slappy the ventriloquist's dummy is one of the most iconic Goosebumps villains in both the book and TV series. The evil dummy first appeared in the book Night of the Living Dummy and was so creepy (and therefore, popular) that he appeared eight more times in the Goosebumps series. Creepy dolls are a common horror movie character, but Slappy does not become a villain until "Night of the Living Dummy II".
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Goosebumps author R.L. Stine has made numerous cameos in movies and TV shows that have adapted his horror novels, but which are the best?
Slappy gets jealous of another dummy in the original Night of the Living Dummy book, which was not adapted for TV. However, his villain turn in "Night of the Living Dummy II" was filmed for the Goosebumps series, and his first episode is just as scary as the book. Haunted objects are a Halloween movie staple, and watching "Night of the Living Dummy II" on Halloween might be especially creepy if there is a doll in the room.
7 Calling All Creeps
A Bullied Kid Becomes A Cult Leader
Ricky, the protagonist in the Goosebumps episode "Calling All Creeps", first assures viewers that he might be a nerd, but he isn't a creep, no matter what the school bullies call him. The practical effects are very unconvincing, which makes the episode unintentionally funny, but the story has some dark and cult-like undertones. Ricky's shift from hero to accomplice makes "Calling All Creeps" a disturbing but fun Goosebumps episode.
After a bully calls Ricky a creep one too many times, he pranks the entire school by posting a fake advert inviting all "creeps" to report to that bully.
However, he soon finds that the Creeps are real, and they want to know when the next stage of their plan to turn the entire school into Creeps will be fulfilled. As most people spend Halloween dressed as something creepy, "Calling All Creeps" is a perfect episode to watch (and a great opening line for a Halloween party invitation.)
6 One Day At Horrorland
A Family Competes On A Monster Prank Show
TV prank shows were a staple of the 1990s and the Goosebumps episode "One Day At Horrorland" is packed with nostalgia and more comedy than many other Goosebumps episodes. The Morris family discovers that they are on a game show, being watched by an audience of monsters after having a day out from hell in a strange theme park. The episode imagines the Halloween haunted house concept extending to an entire theme park, and ends with several horror movie staples.
While the family escapes in the book, the TV show ends with several meta twists: the family drives away in the car, but finds that the gameshow host is controlling the car, sending it to the edge of a cliff before the show reveals that the entire episode has been a "scary human show" for monsters to watch. The Goosebumps reboot bases an episode on Horrorland, but it bears little resemblance to the original 1990s episode.
5 Stay Out of the Basement
A Plant Villain Emerges In This Bio-Horror Episode
A parent becoming something monstrous is a common fear in horror and real life. In "Stay Out of the Basement", siblings Margaret and Casey are worried about their father, who only tells them to "stay out of the basement." In another horror movie, the father might be a serial killer. In the Goosebumps series, he is running a secret laboratory and mixing his DNA with a plant, which is growing more dangerous by the day. The next Goosebumps series has confirmed that it will feature "Stay Out of the Basement".
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The Goosebumps books that will be adapted for the show's second season, Goosebumps: The Vanishing, are finally revealed at this year's NYCC.
There are very few horror staples that the Goosebumps series has not covered. Goosebumps has addressed body horror, classic monsters, parodies, and even aliens. "Stay Out of the Basement" references horror movies where plants are the villains, and this episode gives audiences double the scares, making it a perfect Halloween choice, because if giant evil plant-human hybrids don't scare the audience, then its monstrous parent aspect might.
4 The Werewolf of Fever Swamp
A Suspicious New Dog Could Be Something Monstrous
This Goosebumps episode was based on a classic Halloween movie monster: the werewolf. R. L. Stine appears in the introduction to "The Werewolf of Fever Swamp", to remind viewers about how scary werewolves are. This sets the scene for the episode, beginning the story like the Halloween game, where people take turns telling scary stories, and making "The Werewolf of Fever Swamp" a good fit for a Halloween Goosebumps playlist.
In "The Werewolf of Fever Swamp", Grady and his family have moved to the spooky Fever Swamp, where Grady starts to hear strange noises at night. Grady befriends Will, the only other kid in town, who tells him that it's a werewolf, but there are several possible candidates for the identity of the werewolf: a hermit living in the swamp, Grady's new German shepherd dog, and Will himself. This mystery enhances the episode's more overtly scary elements.
3 Say Cheese and Die
A Haunted Camera Is Even Scarier These Days
There are some familiar faces in the Goosebumps episode "Say Cheese and Die", as Ryan Gosling appears in a very early role as the protagonist Greg Banks, and Underworld's Scott Speedman plays a police officer. Greg starts taking photographs using a Polaroid camera he finds in a creepy old house but finds that the photographs show horrible disasters. Greg's camera shows his dad's car being wrecked and his entire family as skeletons, and though the visual effects don't hold up as well today, the plot remains intensely creepy.
Unlike Goosebumps' 1990s setting, where most kids didn't have cameras, virtually everybody has a camera now, making "Say Cheese and Die"'s doom-prophecy camera even scarier to watch during a celebration like Halloween, where everyone is taking pictures of each other. Polaroid cameras have made a comeback, as the 1990s have become a popular setting for a show, though the Goosebumps revival is set in the present.
2 Monster Blood
A 1950s B-movie Meets Dark Magic
"Monster Blood" is one of the most popular Goosebumps books, with five book sequels and two TV episodes dedicated to the "Monster Blood" story. The original TV episode had its protagonist, Evan, visiting his spooky aunt and discovering jars of a bright green slimy substance, which he opened and started to examine. The substance began to grow, and Evan discovered it absorbs people unless it is put back in its jar quickly. This is very similar to a 1950s B-movie horror called The Blob.
However, while The Blob was sensitive to cold, the monster blood could be defeated in a variety of ways, including stamping on it and giving it airline food.
The Blob was not monster blood but a substance from space, but it also absorbed people, growing larger over time. However, while The Blob was sensitive to cold, the monster blood could be defeated in a variety of ways, including stamping on it and giving it airline food. Honoring the 1950s movie monster without copying the original film's uneven plot, "Monster Blood" is a perfect Goosebumps episode for Halloween.
1 Attack of the Jack-O-Lanterns
They Want Halloween To Last Forever
"Attack of the Jack-O-Lanterns" is a tale of revenge set during Halloween. Drew and her friend Walker are sick of having their Halloweens ruined by the local kids, who always pull a mean-spirited prank. This Halloween will be different though, as Drew has friends visiting, and they have promised to help Drew and Walker to prank the mean kids back. However, Drew's friends have a secret: they're pumpkin-headed aliens.
This Goosebumps episode is all about trick or treating, with plenty of Halloween images, like costumes, candy, and the Jack-O-Lantern aliens, who want to go trick or treating forever. As the episode ends happily (and creepily,) it's a great choice to watch on Halloween, as the Jack-O-Lantern Goosebumps characters are still scary to adults. The episode is a reminder that Halloween is great fun for a night, but would be terrifying if it lasted forever.
Goosebumps
- Release Date
- 1995 - 1998-00-00
- Network
- FOX
- Writers
- R.L. Stine, Billy Brown, Dan Angel
Cast
WHERE TO WATCH
- Seasons
- 4
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