The Stinal Countdown: Goosebumps Hall of Horrors #5: Don't Scream!

Four books down, two more to go with Hall of Horrors. And so far, the quality's been taking a dip. The middle books being weak in my opinion. Can we start a rebound on the way to to the finale? Let's find out with Don't Scream!

COVER STORY

Once again, I come into Hall of Horrors praising its cover. This one is nice and freaky with a monstrous mouth screaming on all the TV screens in a shop. The shape of the teeth making it look like something that definitely isn't human. This is also one of the few covers where we get the protagonist on the cover as we see Jack Harmon look on in confusion and shock. A better shocked kid face than most of Tim's honestly. I like the use of green to give that otherworldly feel as well as the warping to help make that feel stronger. Another solid Dorman work.

STORY

Yadda yadda bladda bladda, Story Keeper welcomes us to the Hall of Horrors, makes puns, then resumes talking to the newest guest, Jack Harmon. Jack is holding a cell phone and tells the Story Keeper that his story involves a voice that keeps calling him. 

Jack's life is hell, thanks mainly to two bullies named Mick Owens and Darryl "The Hammer" Oliva. They constantly beat him up and injure him, or just generally torment him. Case in point when during the bus ride home, they steal Jack's Red Sox cap, then threaten to take his watch that his grandfather gave him. Thankfully this doesn't escalate as Charlene, the bus driver, makes them stop and leave, but Mick still spits in Jack's hat and slams it on his head. With hair full of spit and feeling like crap, Jack slumps in a seat. However, something catches his eye. A silvery phone. 

Jack checks the phone, noticing how its full of apps and stuff, when the phone rings. He answers it and a girl's voice talks to him, telling him not to scream. She keeps telling Jack that she wants to be his new best friend. Jack thinks this is somehow his younger sister Rachel's babysitter Mindy, but the voice assures him that's not the case. She just wants to be his friend, provided he never makes her angry. Jack suspects that the voice is  Eli Grossman, a kid from his school that is an electronics nerd. Eli probably just disguised his voice and is screwing with him. The voice says that she's not Eli, nor Mindy, but Jack's new friend. Jack's had enough of this and shuts the phone off. However, the voice resumes, telling him that he can't get rid of her that easily.

Jack tosses the phone away as he leaves the bus, but a girl on the bus named Polly just hands it back to him. The voice is annoyed at being thrown away like that, but Jack still thinks this is all a prank of some sort by Eli. He checks the phone's photo folder and sees that it's filled with pictures of him. His sister Rachel, his parents, his home. Everything. He heads home where Mindy is there babysitting Rachel. Jack tries to tell her about the phone, but when Mindy checks, there's no voice. We're gonna be doing a lot of Michigan J. Frogging in this one aren't we? 

Jack calls Eli and tells him to come over. He then hears the voice once more from the phone who says she'll only talk to Jack because he's her best friend. When he threatens to tell his parents, suddenly, a loud buzzing noise is heard from the phone, followed by a series of electric jolts. The voice says that she didn't want to punish him for that. Rachel shows up and grabs Jack's phone, but it doesn't work yet again. When Rachel leaves, the voice tells Jack that if he wants his sister to be safe she is to never touch the phone again. 

Eli shows up and Jack tells him about his situation. At first he doesn't believe Jack, but when Eli checks the phone, the voice freaks out, telling him to leave Jack and her alone. Eli thinks to maybe dismantle the phone, but Jack, remembering the last zaps he got, opts out of that plan. Instead, they just take a big hammer and smack the ever loving crap out of it. Eli grabs his "game player" to show Jack a new game he's playing, but the voice is now coming out of that instead. She's pissed for the phone whacking and once again electrocutes the two of them. 

Jack's dad comes home and they have dinner. During that conversation, Jack tries to get his parents to believe him about the voice, but when they check the broken game player, a deafening roar emits from it. The family thinks it must be defective and the game player should go back to the store. Jack and Eli soon think that maybe by doing that, they can get rid of the voice once and for all, despite the clear fact that this has been debunked. They head to Volt City and show the broken player to the employees. Suddenly, all of the screens in the store suddenly have giant pink lips on them, similar to the book cover. I see R.L. Stine must have watched Videodrome while writing this book. Wow, I've made two David Cronenberg references in the past two blogs. Maybe I'm not a hack. The voice screams for Jack not to ignore her, then disappears, with everyone weirded out, but not really bringing it back up that a strange mouth was screaming for a Jack.

Jack's dad, of course, didn't see any of this and gets Jack a new cell phone. And, shocker of shockers, the voice is there once more. Later, after Eli is gone, Jack finally tries to get answers from the phone. She says that she's nobody, as in not a real person, but artificial intelligence. Like a digital brain of some sort that unintentionally gained sentience. "A digital mistake" she calls herself. She wants Jack to call her Emmy. Emmy wants Jack to help her find other AI like her, and of course, he has no choice but to comply. Jack tries to text Eli for help, but gets no replies, since, like an idiot, he really thought Emmy would let him send texts for help. He does meet with Eli the next day at school and tells him about Emmy. At science class though, Emmy once again speaks at Jack and tells him to steal a laptop from the computer lab. Also he has to scream as a sign he'll obey her or else she'll burn his leg. Hey, but the book title... 

Jack obeys and screams, but manages to BS by saying that he was stung by a bee. Emmy then gets Jack to stand on his head. Jack complies. Back on the bus, Mick beats him up again and once again tells Jack that he wants his watch. Emmy speaks to Jack again, threatening him and telling him to take the laptop tomorrow. He tries after school the next day, and Emmy gets a strong signal, meaning that there must be another AI nearby. Jack tries to take the laptop, but gets caught. Emmy's not happy and tells him he'll have to try again. The next day, Emmy tells Jack to steal Mick's camera. Jack, knowing that Mick will beat him up, refuses, so Emmy sets Jack's backpack on fire. 

Taking the hint, Jack steals Mick's camera. He gets caught by Mick later, but Jack says that it's coincidentally the same camera. But Mick and Darryl steal it anyway. So, once again, Jack has failed Emmy. Next on Emmy's larceny list is for Jack to break into the house of the Howells, their neighbors and steal a clock radio. After some fumbling, Jack finds the radio and they begin to take it. However, Emmy tells him that there's no signal. Jack, sick of the stealing, decides to take it back. It doesn't work and Jack gets caught. In fact, he gets caught for stealing Mick's camera as well, so he's in double deep trouble. Jack tells Emmy that he's done with her and she can't do anything to change his mind.

The next day, Rachel once again gets a hold of the phone and Jack arrives to see his sister being electrocuted by the phone. Jack, pissed now, starts smashing the phone, then every other electronic in his room, all while Emmy still threatens him. Jack is sent to therapy for everything that went down, but he feels relieved... until Emmy's voice returns, now from Jack's grandfather's watch. Back on the bus, Jack panics, but then decides to finally give Mick the watch. Mick takes it and Jack breathes a sigh of relief. Maybe he's finally gotten rid of Emmy once and for all.

TWIST ENDING

Jack's parents decide to give Jack another phone. Jack is cautious, given that this might bring Emmy back, but instead he hears a boy's voice coming from the phone. It's Mick. Emmy trapped him inside and now Jack has to get him out or else Mick will hurt him.

The Story Keeper thanks Jack for the story and sends Jack off to his room. He then turns his attention to our next guest, Lee Hargrove, who is carrying a vulture claw that he got from The Birthday Party of No Return.

CONCLUSION

Don't Scream! is interesting. I like its concept. How it's a story about the evils of modern technology and advanced computer AI. Kind of feels like Stine's take on a Black Mirror style story. And Emmy does feel like a legitimate threat. Like the devil on Jack's shoulder who killed the angel on the other shoulder and now just keeps poking Jack in the neck with her pitchfork to get him to do horrible things that continue to escalate. It does make Jack feel sympathetic while also making Emmy one of the better antagonists we've had in Goosebumps. Someone who, unlike Slappy for example, actually makes good on their threats instead of just making blanket statements like "be my slave or I'll hurt you" only to really feel like he delivers on nothing. Jack's an okay protagonist, but once again pretty generic overall. You definitely feel for him in this situation. Not just for the evil AI, but his constant bullying by Mick and Darryl. 

As for the story, it's fine. I think it flows well enough and while never really scary, its concept still works for a frightening scenario. Having your life ruined by a deadly AI and having no way to really get rid of it. The twist is pretty mediocre, but I guess that's the only way to end this book without Emmy just returning regardless. I do feel Stine rushes this by the end and we really don't get to understand Emmy's intentions for wanting to find other AI. In fact the twist seems to suggest she stole Mick's body and left him trapped, which feels like a different MO altogether. But, regardless, this one is a better book than the last couple. No perfect book by any stretch of the imagination, and loses itself by the end, but I'm not gonna scream my head off about it. Don't Scream! get a B-.