The world can change so quickly in seven and a half years. In July of 1992, the United States were reaching the end of the first Bush administration. Audiences went to theatres to see Batman Returns, A League of Their Own and Honey, I Blew Up the Kid. The world was made privy to Sir Mix-A-Lot's love of big butts. The television audience would say goodbye to Hee Haw and Johnny Carson and soon say hello to Cartoon Network and Batman: The Animated Series. We would see the birth of Selena Gomez and the death of Marsha P. Johnson. It was a year of change. The last vestiges of the 1980s shaking off for the ironic and bleak 1990s. And in the midst of all that...
For, as much as pop culture was changing, so too was horror in media. The days of Freddy and Jason, once feared horror monsters turned cuddly caricatures, were now long gone. Horror in general felt a shift, shaking off the slasher genre until Wes Craven would eventually bring it back. But, in its wake, horror was now being absorbed by a new generation. And really for the first time in media, being offered a form of horror that would work for that genre. I think it's important for kids to be scared by media. To see the fun in the idea of horror. And some shmuck in Ohio who managed to capture lightning in a bottle and release a series of horror books at the right place in the right time.
Stine has gone on record saying that Goosebumps was never meant to succeed. It wasn't intended for more than six books. A quick detour in Stine's workload and nothing more. But the word of mouth and general interest in the books turned it into a multimillion dollar franchise. And to do that in an age without social media and without the ability to sell a book to a larger audience is impressive. Whether the covers or the actual stories are the reason can be up to interpretation. Regardless, Goosebumps proved to be the ultimate success story and will be Stine's defining product.
The world can change in five and a half years, let alone seven. Goosebumps had reached the zenith of its success in 1995-1996. The books were selling by the millions, the TV show began and proved a ratings hit. Goosebumps merchandise was everywhere. A time to be alive if you loved Goosebumps. But things weren't so rosy behind the scenes. In a previous Horrific Hindsight, I stated that 1997 was the year Goosebumps died. Again, in a hyperbolic sense, but it was where tensions between the Stines and Scholastic were starting to boil to the surface. Both sides feeling they were more deserving of the rights to the franchise. And in mid-1997 the Stines company Parachute Press had their logo on the book cover and spine.
Scholastic wasn't fond of Parachute Press making deals on the side, while Parachute accused Scholastic of hoarding money from them, with Parachute claiming Scholastic straight up were withholding payments due to breach of contract. Scholastic also took shots at Stine claiming that he had ghostwriters for the books from as far back as the seventeenth book, Why I'm Afraid of Bees. While we know ghostwriters exist in Goosebumps through the Tales to Give You series and that Ghostwriters wrote the entirety of Ghosts of Fear Street, Stine has never admitted to any ghostwriters for the mainline Goosebumps books. But he did admit to outside help with book outlines, which that I can understand and believe. It would explain why so many of his sequel books are disjointed and lacking in continuity. But Stine has stuck to his guns in saying that while outlines were given, he still wrote the books and didn't fully violate any agreement with Scholastic. And thus led to many legal issues and lawsuits between both parties.
Meanwhile, while the brand was still doing well, the high energy of 1995-1996 wasn't as high in 1997. And while the Stines and Scholastic were already at each other's throats, the decision was made to end the original book run come the end of 1997. But not the end of Goosebumps. Rather a relaunch of the brand with a new title. And what better inspiration than the looming new millennium? Thus came Goosebumps Series 2000. Stine initially brought on for forty more books, but would just make over half of that before leaving Scholastic in 2000.
So, how was this new millennium of fear? Did it revitalize Goosebumps, or did it the flaws show themselves far easier? Let's take one more look into Goosebumps with another Horrific Hindsight.
I'll start with the title first. I hate the title of this series. Series 2000. The only reason it's called that is simply based on the time the books were published. 1998. By then we had a whole lot of shows and products use the 2000 in their names, poised to instantly date themselves. Hell, South Park even mocked the concept my naming many episodes in their fourth season with 2000 at the end. So doing this with Goosebumps was an odd choice. My take? Well, first off I wouldn't have changed the series title, but if there was a need, then why not take a note from the TV show and call the series Ultimate Goosebumps? Might be more pressure to ensure these were the best books possible, but also a name that 22 years after its relevancy would still hold up.
I don't care for the presentation of the book covers. Gone are the slime borders and the brighter colors. More focus on muted, darker colors, which works for giving off the feel of this being the darker series, but also losing the key element that made the original book covers work. The feeling of fun. The feeling of a mixture of horror and entertainment (your mileage may vary on both) that defined Goosebumps. Thankfully though we still had Tim Jacobus nailing it on the cover art with more amazing work. His opus being the two-book spread for Invasion of the Body Squeezers. I also don't care for the neon sign logo, nor the font used for the titles, nor the lack of a synopsis in the back of the book. Just feels like trying to change too much to attract a new audience and I don't think it worked. Maybe initially, but the peter off was real.
So, normally I would give awards to these books, but I also feel that the better way to do this is to rank my favorite books from worst to best and then continue how I feel the series itself either evolved or didn't. Despite 25 books, for the sake of brevity we'll put both Body Squeezer books into one slot. Let's go with the obvious dead last book.
#24: REVENGE R US (07): The high-yield, ultimately deplorable work in all of Goosebumps, and that is saying a lot. I have blogged a lot about this book over the years and yet, I still can't believe this got through. Possible child molestation, taking pictures of a vulnerable twelve year old, constant abuse from a near-adult boy, it just feels like nobody even looked at the final product and nobody thought to tell Stine "maybe take out the girl who gets her pants pulled down by her brother who has another pair of her panties on his head". It makes the R.L. Stine uses ghostwriters theory hold water because this feels written by a pedophile. Add in a weaker Be Careful What You Wish For plot and absolutely nothing of value comes from this book. Stine's most shameful display.
#23: EARTH GEEKS MUST GO! (24): Look, I get it. I know people who like this book. Compared to our bottom this one is one more people find value in. But I just found it infuriating to read, due mostly in part with the first half being character idiot ball. How many times do Jacob and Arlene need to be shown they're not on Earth before they finally clue in? There are some bits of action and the finale is fine, but there is also this lack of being anything that Stine had passion in. And given it's the penultimate book of Series 2000, I can buy that. Earth geeks may or may not have to go, but Stine was sure ready to go. As far away from Scholastic as possible.
#22: BE AFRAID — BE VERY AFRAID! (20): This book is like witnessing a car wreck. You can't stop it. You don't want to see it happen, yet you can't look away at the destruction. That fits Be Afraid like a glove. Stine drives 90 miles an hour with a bizarre yet interesting story about a magical card game that brings monsters to life. It's going well, he's blazing down the road, but he then hits a swerve in the road when he changes the plot to having the protagonist and his friends end up in the magical world of the game. And then he crashes in a glorious spectacular wreck of twisted metal and crushed hubris. YOU FINISH THE STORY may be the most Stine thing to ever occur and he does it twice, trying to turn this into meta commentary about how kids don't appreciate these stories and find them boring. Dude, you're not making a salient point, you're stating the obvious. I'd have more to say, but YOU FINISH THE ASSESSMENT.
#21: RETURN TO HORRORLAND (13): So, maybe this is more my fault for reading the HorrorLand books first, but does this book just reek. I love the little connections to the other Goosebumps books. Evan Ross, Amaz-O and of course, Lizzy, Luke and Superfluous Clay. I like some of the ideas and there is definitely more focus on some of the attractions, but just like the original, we have no time to absorb any of it. The swerve of the investigative reporters being in league with the Horrors is at least something fine, if not a bit obvious. So far from the worst book. Though that twist ending just blows chunks.
#20: HEADLESS HALLOWEEN (10): I think there's some positives to this book, mainly in much of its horror. As well as the idea of a newly dead ghost trying to reclaim their life. Problem is that we're following a rotten bully named Brandon Plush who you have zero reason to root for. And for it to all be for naught is at least a decent twist, but leaves you feeling like you really just wasted your time with this one. Which is such a shame as I think there are ingredients here that could work and Stine is almost always good for a Halloween book. In the end though, this book is headless, but also without a leg to stand on.
#19: FULL MOON FEVER (22): And speaking of Halloween, the second Halloween book for Series 2000 is kind of crap as well. Again, a lot of cool ideas, but a mess in terms of narrative. Made no better by again having our focuses being unlikeable brats. Robbie and Alesha just stink as characters to follow, but their misadventures when they first turn into beasts is interesting. And then Stine hits fast forward when we get to Dr. Thorne. And here you can see in full detail that Stine had no idea what he wanted to do with this character. Mad doctor? Nah. Multiple personalities? Eh, maybe not. Suddenly a zoo owner? Stine lights a cigar and is like "perfection". And the whole plot being predicated on the fact that these kids have poor literacy is first endearing yet by the end eye rolling. Such a good cover used for this.
#18: RETURN TO GHOST CAMP (19): I feel, had Stine really tried with this one, that it could have been a classic. There are ideas here. The Snatcher is legitimately an interesting monster. A literal trickster demon who lures a camper to their death each year. It's such a great idea. I just really wish it came without the whole swapping identities gimmick because it feels tacked on. If it was always Dustin, nothing would be lost. And if the point is for Dustin to escape and cross the river, then why all the wait besides Stine being Stine? You can tell by that twist that even Stine was just done with this one. So it gives that feeling of him trying to make it work and just giving up to make quota.
#17: INVASION OF THE BODY SQUEEZERS (04 & 05): I think that Stine had high hopes for this one. The first (and only) two part Goosebumps story. And some of the elements are interesting. More so in the second part. The problem is that the first part could have been condensed and lost next to nothing. The whole concept of Jack Archer trying to get answers as to what's going on with his neighbor, Mr. Fleshman could have been at least the first quarter of the story. The second half with the invasion and practically everyone being taken over is a cool premise. Even the idea of the Squeezers themselves and their designs are cool. This just feels so padded and so lacking in the right places that I just feel that for all those high hopes Stine may have had, he lost them super quick, but realized that he was now boned and had to commit to a part two. The only thing being squeezed was the money from gullible kids.
#16: GHOST IN THE MIRROR (25): This was never meant to be the last book of Series 2000. The deal was for forty books, but Stine quit after twenty five. So it's not totally fair to rip on this book for not sticking the landing as the last book, but it is still the last book of the series, so it has that weight on its shoulders. Sadly, it just lacks the oomph. And you can tell this is Stine ready to go. The relationship with Scholastic is now toxic and Stine had to be the one to walk away from it all. At least for three years. Maybe not the best way to enter the 2000s and end Goosebumps, but not a total train wreck? That should be the epitaph for Goosebumps Series 2000: It's not a total train wreck?
#15: CRY OF THE CAT (01): Interestingly, this book was planned to be #63 in the original series before the Series 2000 changeover. As the first book, it should be the book that really sets in the new era, but aside from maybe some more gore and grosser scares, there's not much here that other books didn't do better. In fact, it feels like an expanded version of the More Tales to Give You Goosebumps story The Cat's Tale, but with more Allison turning into a cat. Far from a bad book but far from anything that makes it feel like the first foot forward. At least it had a dead cat tornado.
#14: I AM YOUR EVIL TWIN (06): It's a book about clones, so really you can't be too surprised by this book when you get to it. From the evil clones ruining Monty's life to the obvious ending where the original would end up losing at the end. It's pretty much part and parcel. It also feels like a book with a lot of ideas but Stine has no idea how to piece them together. It is a puzzle that Stine made and gave up on. But it still feels at least more interesting than some of the more banal books, so it also wins, I guess?
#13: FRIGHT CAMP (08): Fright Camp is the first of a few books in Series 2000 where there are no supernatural elements involved and all of the scares are man-made as pranks. In this case, the demented mind of R.B. Farraday. Of the books that use this concept, this is my least favorite, but I still think some things do work in its favor. Being in a way an alternate Ghost Camp where instead of everything being the work of ghosts, every scare is an attempt to scare the campers by real people. That, however, makes the mystery lack in the end, especially when it ultimately does get revealed that there's no foul play involved. I do like the double whammy twist at least where Farraday gets to both lose and win. A better screw the audience twist than most.
#12: THE HAUNTED CAR (21): While this one doesn't fully land every hit, it still has one of the more interesting plots for a Goosebumps book. A semi-Christine except that the car is possessed by the ghost of a girl who seems to enjoy trying to kill people, namely Todd. The only real sticking point is a rather obvious twist in the plot, because it's way to obvious that Marissa isn't the villain. But, as far as red herrings go, she's one of the better ones. With just enough exciting scenes, it ends up holding itself up better than most of Series 2000.
#11: HORRORS OF THE BLACK RING (18): The shortest book in Series 2000, we have a book that has a really cool idea, but not enough time to make it stand out. Though it does have some cool horror and the idea of this ring that can control the wearer into becoming a full on evil entity is not bad for a plot. Not to mention it leads to some really crazy moments like at the school carnival. Insanity without as much of a punch to put it in the A column. And yes, that twist stinks.
#10: THE WEREWOLF IN THE LIVING ROOM (17): Werewolf books are abundant in Goosebumps, but this one still holds its own as one of the more action packed and intense among them. With protagonist Aaron Friedus turning into a werewolf and possibly causing some mayhem after he returns home with easily the worst Goosebumps parent of them all. Though he might not be as bad as Mr. Grantley, the werewolf they decide to take back home with them, thereby pretty much dooming the town. It lacks enough of a hook to make it a top tier book, but all of the sum of its parts work really well to make for one of the better books.
#09: JEKYLL AND HEIDI (14): I like a lot of what this book has to offer. Its mystery is strong, its protagonist Heidi is likeable, the monster is a cool concept, as is the town being afraid of it, giving it that needed threat, and the weird choice to tie it with Jekyll and Hyde also really works. And the twist of who the monster really is, while obvious, still really works and feels like Stine had an idea for it. While it lacks in just a few elements to make it a true classic, it's definitely a hidden gem for the series worth giving a look at.
#08: ATTACK OF THE GRAVEYARD GHOULS (11): This book goes from zero to twenty thousand at the drop of a hat and for once it feels like Stine at least has ideas here. From the possession ability giving us some fun "living as an animal" moments to the pure insanity when Martin and Oswald possess Spenser and Audra and just run amok in some of the wildest chaos in any of these books. So plenty of action, excitement and an actually interesting twist. Though I'd say that's more moot given that everyone thinks they destroyed the town, but whatever. Clean up a bit of stuff and maybe have something better than the dance to remove the ghouls and this would be in the top five.
#07: CREATURE TEACHER (03): I like the idea of this book. How it's about trying to survive when the fate of being dead last at a school is being eaten by a monster teacher. Look, the educational system's borked as it is, so I could buy a kid being sacrificed to a giant monster teacher. Mrs. Maaargh is a great monster villain at that with how gross she is and how much of a threat she feels like. And while the twist could be a bit lacking, there is enough intensity, dread and betrayal that makes everything work better than most Goosebumps books with this exact same premise. So, easily worthy of not being dead last.
#06: BRAIN JUICE (12): Some of the books Stine is proud of are the ones I often find disappointing, but that's not the case with Brain Juice. And I think it works so well because it's not trying to be too dark or too action packed or even too meta. It works because Stine gets to write most of it as a comedy. From the bumbling aliens, to Nathan and Lindy going from super dumb to super genius to a funny solution and a fun twist ending. I think there's some elements that keep it out of the top five, but nothing that outright makes the book bad either. Definitely a book that feels more at home in the original series than the ramped up Series 2000.
#05: BRIDE OF THE LIVING DUMMY (02): For the mediocrity I felt from the trilogy in the OG series, I will say the ramping up worked for Slappy. Now he can have more violent antics, the stories can take weirder and darker takes, Slappy can have a child bride...wait what the hell? That issue aside, I think everything else works really well. Slappy is both a solid threat and a solid misdirect with Mary Ellen being the true villain of the book. Jillian is also a decent protagonist which really helps. Everything feels like it plays into the plot and there's hardly any wall hitting save for maybe the clown stuff. The twist is lame, but otherwise this book is in my favorites for a reason.
#04: SCREAM SCHOOL (15): I think the books I really liked with Series 2000 were the ones grounded in more reality. Another attempt by Stine for slice of life stories without any real supernatural flair. And I think Scream School really worked for me. I think a lot of that comes with our protagonist, Jake Banyon, actually being sympathetic. Sympathetic enough for the son of a rich movie director, but still, any kid who is put through the mind scarring crap that Emory puts him through is at least worth rooting for. And to see Emory, the king of horror, be outwitted by his son is a satisfying ending. Some might like Fright Camp more, but I think this one just succeeded in playing to my sensibilities. And speaking of slice of life stories about fear...
#03: ARE YOU TERRIFIED YET? (09): Goosebumps, at least to me, is really at its best when the situation is at least fun to follow. And when you can at least sympathize with the protagonist. And I do feel bad for Craig Morgenstern. A total coward who, through one of the most bizarre first acts, becomes looked at as brave, and becomes the tool for Amy and Brad to profit off of. So Craig ends up dealing with spiders and corpses, all while trying to hide his real fear. To the point you kind of realize that he really has no friends here. Heck, even Amy just seems to be using him. So the payoff honestly is the most satisfying payoff in all of Goosebumps. And the touch that Craig didn't even defeat his fears is a great bit. One of my faves.
#02: THE MUMMY WALKS (16): What's most interesting about Series 2000 is when Stine experiments. Sometimes it works. Other times it's... you know... YOU FINISH THE ENDING. But in the case of The Mummy Walks, it's easily one of my favorite books of all time just because this book is completely insane. Stine goes from Goosebumps to baby's first Tom Clancy. Brain chips, warring countries, a mummy that may or may not walk, scenes of actual gunfire just to name a few of the things in the book. Not sure what Stine was on when he came up with that one. I know he based the first part of the concept after seeing a kid board a plane by himself, but to turn this into one of the crazier books is surprising coming from R.L. Stine. I'd say the only limitations to this book are the obvious "possibly Libyan" stereotypes, but when I leave satisfied, that's more than enough for me.
#01: SLAPPY'S NIGHTMARE (23): So, like I said. The standouts for me with Series 2000 were ones that tried to do something fresh. Stine actually experimenting with something unique. So to get a book where the protagonist is a former villain is interesting enough, but to have it be Slappy is where it becomes very intriguing. Now it's Slappy's turn as the focus and not the foe. Having to literally fight for his life as he is forced to do the one thing against his nature to do: good deeds. And while the mystery as to who sabotages Slappy's attempts is a bit too obvious, there are still some great moments that feel like Slappy in a comedy of errors. The wheelchair scene in particular. Not to mention that Slappy gets so frustrated that he just thinks that he'd rather kill who he thinks is sabotaging him is probably the best use of the character up to this point. I love this book, which given I'm so lukewarm on Slappy most of the time is the biggest surprise of them all. Especially with me considering it my favorite Goosebumps Series 2000 book.
So now that we've covered my rankings, how do I feel about Series 2000 in general? I think there are enough signs of trying to shift Goosebumps to darker and more unique ideas that the original series didn't touch. More gore, a bit more intensity in places, a lot more vomit. Seriously there is way too much vomit in these books. While some of it works, much of it feels like it lacks the oomph it needs to feel memorable. And while there are shining stars, there's just a lot of really forgettable books that have an idea but no thought to make them feel classic. While it was prevalent in the original series, it's more apparent in Series 2000 that Stine was feeling burnout. I mean, the bad blood on both sides was a sign of that, but when there's over 100+ Goosebumps books made in seven and a half years, I can see how it starts to feel like there's this underlying sense of malaise to the series. That it needed a mercy kill.
But I do appreciate that it exists. That it was, for the most part, an attempt to do something different with Goosebumps. And save for a couple sequels, more focus was placed on new stories and newer concepts. Far less clutching to the established ideas. And aside from one Evan cameo, no Monster Blood books, which to me makes this stand out even better. Series 2000 feels just unique enough to feel like if things weren't so strained, or maybe Stine was given more breathing room to work on these books, a lot of the weaker or forgettable works could have been improved. Maybe he could have made Be Afraid — Be Very Afraid! work with its main plot and not give in to badly conceived meta writing. Maybe Full Moon Fever could breathe and let its story progress better. Maybe Stine could have actually looked at Revenge R Us and saw how this book was just not right to release as it was. Maybe there could have been more to Series 2000 if he had the chance to make it work, but alas, time makes fools of us all, even R.L. Stine.
A lot can change in seven and a half years. And when anything has to go full speed for that long a time, something's going to give. Month after month. Book after book. More books stacked on more books. Underlying tensions bubbling to the surface. It remains surprising that Series 2000 even made it that far. Stine probably would have powered through the remaining fifteen books in the deal, but at the expense of his own mental health and the concern that Scholastic were going to drag him through the mud more and more. Goosebumps needed to end. Maybe not forever, but it needed to end. So after twenty-five books, Stine left. He tried other series, tried to revive Goosebumps with Goosebumps Gold to no avail. But most importantly he allowed himself to breathe for a bit.
After all the turmoil and bad blood, the Stines and Scholastic eventually settled things in 2003, patching up the messy relationship. And five years after that, Goosebumps returned. No more monthly schedule. Eventually shrinking down to three books a year. And I think it's at least led to a far less aggressive mindset from all parties involved. Now, are the modern books better than the original? That's always up for debate. But do they come from a healthier Stine? Absolutely. Goosebumps needed to end. The way it was being handled needed to end. And there are examples within Series 2000 that prove that to be a fact.
The original era of Goosebumps was a series of dizzying highs, terrifying lows and creamy middles. An unexpected success story and an example of true groundswell hype in an age before social media. You can love it, hate it, be confused that these books were ever popular. But you can't deny that anything managing the success that it had wasn't incredible. It will be R.L. Stine's defining work and the fact that we're now thirty years deep since the days of Welcome to Dead House, and Goosebumps is still talked about and still read is a testament to its staying power. Kids like to be scared of the fantastical because it fuels their imaginations and can be a way to face their own fears. And maybe they could have been reading other books, but I think if Goosebumps had the power to fuel imaginations and a love for horror and reading, then I think that's a worthy accomplishment.
Goosebumps never died, even when it seemed like it did when Series 2000 ended. And even when Stine writes the final book, it still won't ever die. And I think that's pretty damn cool. So here's to you, Robert Lawrence Stine, you wonderful maniac. Thanks for making us beware and in for a scare!
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