A Case of the Bumps: The Slugly Truth

You ever think about finales? Like, how tricky it can be to perfectly stick a landing on a long running series? Like, how some did it great like M.A.S.H, and others do it in an okay yet underwhelming way like Seinfeld? The finale can be a tricky thing to master, even if in the end it's just ending one series and moving on to the other. Though when the first series is one of the most successful book series of all time, you'd hope the transition from one series to another would come off well. But, unfortunately, that's not the case when it comes to Goosebumps, because my god is Monster Blood IV a bad book.

But, I think about Monster Blood IV quite a bit. Both in just how spectacular a failure it was, and if it could have been a better book. Could the elements in the story itself work if certain things were changed? Like, if it was its own book divorced from Monster Blood? And was it always going to be the final book of the original Goosebumps series? So let's talk about this sluggish sequel and how bizarre it is that it even exists in the first place. Let's open up yet another Case of the Bumps and talk about the black sheep (or blue slug technically) of both Monster Blood and Goosebumps in general.

NNtG: Shivers #24: The Ghosts of Devil's Marsh

It's time to spin the chamber once again with the Russian Roulette of GB-likes. We've done a few Shivers books lately, and the last couple have been on the more tame side. Not a knock, but given the lengths this series can go, it's definitely a let down. We got ghosts in this one and secrets and marshes. Surely a surefire combination for some Shivers fun? Let's learn about The Ghosts of Devil's Marsh.

This cover is yet another really solid Shivers work. Complete with a lot of the standard items. Big bight moon, lots of trees and foliage, lots of shadows and glowing lights. No skulls though, at least from what I can see. But the selling point is the grisly hand rising from the grave. Or in front of the Bart Island sign. We've had plenty a rising hand and while it is stock, it still works for adding a creepy element to the story. Also we got crows. We don't get enough crows on covers.

NNtG: Ghosts of Fear Street #22: Field of Screams

You know, when you think about it, Field of Dreams might be one of the best titles for a movie ever. If only because it inspired a lot of people to just reuse the name and call something a field of SCREAMS. Stine did it with the tagline for The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight, Screammates used it for a title, and would you look at that, it also got used as a title for a book from kid-friendly Shadyside. Well, with baseball season underway, why not talk about another book about time travel? Will this book make the major leagues, or will I feel like I need Tommy John surgery? Let's once again enter the Field of Screams.

This cover is fine. Its perspective feels kinda wonky overall, but I do like the magic tornado rising from home plate on the baseball field. We also have a decent shocked kid reaction, but I don't know, maybe it's the cartoonishly long eyelashes or his eyes seeming to be really sunken in, but the end result looks sillier than I think was intended. But for a story involving baseball and magic, I guess you can't go too wrong. 

It's also worth noting that, given I've covered the three books ahead of this one previously, this is our last time on the blog with the classic spiky borders for Ghosts of Fear Street. We get two books later with the newer border similar to what Fear Street did, then a whole different look with a heavier focus on CGI to less than stellar results compared to what the original covers did. I've never cared too much for the borders to Ghosts. They were going for that Goosebumps aesthetic but don't have the cool factor that made those covers stand out. Jagged spikes don't land like dripping ooze. But I will say they feel better than what we ultimately get by the end of this series, so I'll definitely miss them.

The Stinal Countdown: Fear Street: The Prom Queen

 It's time for yet another visit to Shadyside. Well, judging by when I finally put this one up, prom season should be in effect. Which makes for a perfect time to finally get this one done for the blog. That, and it's always been a book I've intended to cover but constantly forget exists. Wild how that happens with a cover as cool as the one this book has, huh? Was I missing out? Let's check out The Prom Queen to see for ourselves.

Fear Street's covers are often lacking in solid supernatural horror. You'll get one every now and then, but the covers often don't go for the scare factor on, say, a Goosebumps level. So when you get a cover like this, it always stands out above the pack. This is an iconic cover for Fear Street. Our titular prom queen looking in a mirror, seeing her skeletal visage on the other end. Though I will say it's a bit wonky, mainly for the angle, making it hard to tell if this is a reflection or like a doppleganger. I guess when I get into the book itself that will answer itself better. But, for what it sets out to do, it does it very well. Top tier Fear Street cover.

NNtG: Spinetinglers #02: Billy Baker's Dog Won't Stay Buried

It's been a while since we covered a Spinetinglers for the blog, so let's amend that, shall we? We got ghost dogs this time. Now, we know that R.L. Stine is 50/50 when it comes to ghost dogs, so it'll be interesting to see how our M.T. Coffin handles the concept. This time being George Edward Stanley, who was a bit more of a prolific author in this case. Stanley was an author of a few series like Scaredy Cats, Third Grade Detectives, and even some Nancy Drew books. He also wrote several books for Spinetinglers. Will this be a good dog or a bad dog? Let's see why Billy Baker's Dog Won't Stay Buried. 

This cover doesn't really do much for scares, but it's still effective. Especially the transparency that we get from our titular unburied dog Howard. Something about ghosts with a blue hue to their transparent form just makes me love any work that uses that. Also, love the cute touch of a ghostly dog bone. Even in the afterlife good dogs get treats. Solid work.

The Stinal Countdown: The Haunting Hour: Chills in the Dead of Night

It's time for another good old fashioned Stine short story anthology. We really haven't gotten to cover any since the Tales to Give You Goosebumps series. And thankfully we have a couple more that came post-Goosebumps. In 1999, Stine released Nightmare Hour: Time for Terror, which we'll talk about in a later blog. In 2001, in the middle of his run with The Nightmare Room, Stine followed that up with The Haunting Hour: Chills in the Dead of Night. A short story compilation which also featured unique art by different artists. Each story is about 18-20 pages in length, so they're not as rushed as they could be, so hopefully that's a good sign of what we get here. So, given the importance of both the art and the story we'll be covering the artwork as well. Let's see what chills await us in the dead of night... or afternoon, morning, evening, whenever you read this.

Also yes, I did mistakenly do this one first thinking it was the first of the two books, so yeah. Wouldn't be this book series if I didn't do these out of order, eh?

This cover is really cool. I love the warped angle, the destroyed shape of the skull inside the hour glass. The nice touch of the spiderwebs. It sells the concept of this being the "Haunting Hour" alright. Interesting that I cover this after covering Grandpa's Monster Movies where I said that there was a lack of much in the background to keep the cover interesting. But here, I think the simple hardwood floor background works better since it takes up less space and doesn't take away from the focus of the really cool artwork. Which is something the entire book has to offer. So this is a great start.

NNtG: Deadtime Stories #10: Grandpa's Monster Movies

It's showtime as we sit back and observe yet another edition of Deadtime Stories. This time we have two true elements of horror: Old timey movies and the ravages of age. But also a monster that's more than ready to ravage as well. So will this book be two thumbs up or was it better to just leave it in the cannister? Let's roll film on Grandpa's Monster Movies.

Cover is very basic and simple. Not bad mind you, it sells the concept very well with the black and white footage and the old looking car to sell the fact that this is definitely an old home movie. Then you have the giant claw slashing through the screen which works to sell the idea that something's going to emerge from the world of the movie. Very "Magic Ticket my ass, McBain!" feel to it. I just feel like it's missing something to make a more memorable cover. A rug and a hardwood floor kind of just leave everything feeling too empty, you know? So it falls more in the "just okay" category of covers.