The Stinal Countdown: The Nightmare Room #07: The Howler

R.L. Stine and ghost stories. Not always a winning combination, but one that he's usually had more wins than losses over. So, with this being The Nightmare Room, his attempt at darker horror, it leaves me curious to say the least. Will this book be a haunted hit or is it better left resting in peace? Find out with The Howler.

Oh I love this cover. This version of the image doesn't do it justice to just how eerie the ghostly faces are. How they seem to be coming out of the walls with beastly screams. Kind of reminds me of the VHS cover to The Frighteners. It's a case where the more saturated colors of the Nightmare Room art actually works in its favor for that otherworldly nightmare feeling. I will say the one on the right's rather goofy looking though, but not enough to deter the cover. The kid reaction is okay too. More taken aback than straight up freaked. Another excellent work.

Spencer Turner talks about how he wants to see a ghost. To actually communicate with one. And unlike other protagonists who usually just want to for shits and giggles, in the case of Spencer, it's a specific ghost he's trying to communicate with. His cousin Ian. We cut back to the previous December and Specer is skating at the lake with his friend Vanessa, a kid named Scott that they don't like but he's always hanging around them, making stupid bets. No, No we already did that character, Bob. And Spencer's cousin Ian. Ian had a lot of energy, often jumping off things. Like parkour a couple years before it was better known, I guess. 

Ian is borrowing the skates of Spencer's bully of an older brother Nick, so they don't fit too well. They all skate on an already breaking lake when Scott plays keep away with Ian's hat. After Ian recovers it, he doesn't get any time to put it back on as the ice underneath him breaks away, sending him into the water. Spencer tries to grab him and pull him up, but Ian slips down into the deep. Spencer tries to dive in after him, but blacks out, waking up later having been saved from drowning. Ian wasn't so lucky. And that's why Spencer wants to believe in ghosts. So that maybe there's a chance he can talk to Ian and apologize for not saving him. A protagonist with reason and pathos. Am I sure I'm not the dead one right now?

But Spencer thinks that he's found what will help. A device called a specter detector from a company called the Ghost Warehouse. Said to kind of be like a PKE Meter from Ghostbusters, which actually gets namedropped in this. Despite Vanessa saying that it won't work, he still connects it to his computer. But his brother Nick bullies him into making cereal for him at that exact time. After returning, the meter seems to detect something, but it's just Scott arriving, saying that Spencer should try his house since it's haunted. Since Scott's known to exaggerate, even Spencer doesn't buy it to be possible, but eventually they agree to a set time to visit. Scott leaves, and the detector shuts down. 

They arrive at Scott's house to see the ghost. After they hear some howling that's just Scott's cat, they head up the attic and find a ghostly old lady... dummy. Just a mannequin. But Spencer fell for it so Scott gets the laugh he wanted. That night, Nick mocks Spencer some more before threatening to hit him with a UFF (Unidentified Flying Fist) if he doesn't make Nick a sandwich. Doesn't matter what so long as it's good. If this were a grosser book there would certainly be things to put in that sandwich, but nah, no turdwiches here. Before he goes to bed, Spencer looks out the window to the lake where he swears he can see Ian skating on it. He heads to the lake and doesn't find a ghost, but skate tracks. He then feels a hand grip his leg and try to pull him into the ice, but he survives, only finding a black glove. I'm such an old shmuck that of course, the first thought in my mind was "Oh no, he's being attacked by OJ Simpson!" 

The next day, Spencer is a laughing stock for falling for the easiest prank in the book. He and Vanessa run off, and end up on a street they don't recognize near a store called "Little House of Spirits" which offers Ghost Supplies. Vanessa thinks this'll mean Spencer will waste his money again, but Spencer drags her in with him anyway. They soon see a short man with a gray ponytail and square glasses. The man mentions that there are ways to communicate with ghosts, though they normally howl their pains. He tricks Spencer into thinking a phone could communicate with the dead before scaring Spencer with his howl because again, Spencer's an easy mark. 

The man does give Spencer one item. The titular Howler. A small gray box with a yellow dial and red button, looking almost like a radio. It can detect the howls of ghosts and can be used to communicate with them. Vanessa thinks it's all bunk, but Spencer is still willing to try and contact Ian, so he pays the man thirty dollars for the Howler. Before he leaves however, the man adds that ghosts are no longer fully human, so this could become a case of buyer beware really quickly. He heads home to test it, not before Vanessa turns on him, saying Scott was right to make fun of him. Which, I mean, I get it, he's wasting his money on these pig in a pokes, and you can only humor that for so long, but like... dude's cousin died and his grief is part of why he's doing this. Cut the kid some fucking slack. He then gets mocked by Nick, who even calls him pitiful because, let's just keep kicking him when he's down why don't we?

Later that night, Spencer finally hears a howl coming from the Howler. The voice asks for Spencer's help and that it's buried somewhere. He tells Nick, who doesn't believe him because that's already established. He then tells Vanessa, who tells two kids named Justin and Ed who look like twins but aren't. They all arrive at Spencer's and after a bit, finally get another message from the Howler. The voice says that they can see all four of them. The ghost is buried in the closet, which I could make a metaphor out of but I'll abstain. It's just Nick anyway, who was also the voice the previous night. So that was another bust in a long series of busts. But it gives Vanessa an idea. Why not do the prank on Scott, seeing as they owe him for the dummy chicanery earlier? Spencer hesitates, but goes along with operation screw with Scott. 

The plan: Distract Scott while Justin goes up in the attic and pretends to be a ghost, thereby freaking Scott out and exacting the revenge. They get Scott up to the attic with the Howler getting a voice saying that they're trapped in the closet. Again, metaphors. They open up the closet, expecting Justin... but find nothing. Justin was late and shows up right after, but suddenly a putrid spell and the laughter of ghosts emerge saying they were trapped in the closet for over a hundred years but now they're free to exact revenge. The kids manage to shut the closet door then run out, thinking that surely that's all that needs to be done to get rid of these ghosts. 

A day passes and Spencer is working on a poster for a contest when Scott mentions that he told his parents but you know. Nick shows up and tries to get Spencer to get him ice cream, but Spencer actually stands up to Nick to get rid of him. However, he then sees that someone painted a line on his bedroom wall. He blames Nick for it, but at dinner Spencer hears the ghosts. And he's the only one who can hear them, so he comes off looking crazy. That night, a suit Spencer has to wear to a wedding starts to move on its own and try to attack him. His parents show up and the suit is stationary. He says it's ghosts, but they don't believe him because... Look, at this point Spencer was talking about ghosts all the damn time before this, so in this case I can see why nobody would buy it... also because Nightmare Room parents. 

Spencer then realizes that he left the Howler at Scott's and goes with Vanessa, Ed and Justin to get it back. However, when they make it to the attic, the ghosts finally show themselves. It's a family. A mother, father, grandmother, son and daughter. First looking like patches of flesh have decayed on them before then losing their flesh and clothes and become ghost skeletons. Scott grabs for the attic door, but his hand gets stuck on it. Spencer grabs him, but his hand gets stuck on Scott. The ghosts say that the attic was their prison, but now it'll be the kids'. Scott and Spencer's hands free, but the door is a no-go, so they try to break the window, only for Justin and Ed to be shot into the walls by the ghosts. 

Scott's parents arrive outside, but before Scott can contact them, he's raised up to the ceiling by the ghosts as the ceiling turns into white goo. He gets sucked into the goo and disappears. Spencer and Vanessa then try to get the attention of Scott's parents, but they end up sinking into the snow like a snowy quicksand. This just leaves Spencer and Vanessa left. Spencer thinks to use the Howler to contact Ian, but when he tries that, the machine explodes, causing the whole attic to go up in flames. The ghosts laugh on as the kids are about to succumb to the smoke, but another explosion breaks the window and sets the ghosts on fire. Spencer and Vanessa escape, but the ghosts still chase after them. 

Spencer and Vanessa make it to the frozen lake with the fiery ghosts following them, melting the ice. Before they're killed, Ian's ghost arrives. He tells Spencer that he knew that Spencer tried to save him, and that he waited at the lake the entire year to try and contact him, but since Spencer avoided the lake, that was the misunderstanding. He was also the ghost who painted Spencer's room and haunted the suit. He wanted to talk to Spencer but his voice was just a whisper. He then turns his attention to the ghost family, skating a circle around them until it creates a hole in the lake that the ghosts sink into. Ian and the ghosts vanish and Spencer and Vanessa make a run for it. They then see that Scott's house is normal again, and that everyone is safe. So is the Howler, back in one piece. As Spencer takes the Howler home, Nick steals it, planning to use it to scare some girls, but Spencer threatens to pound him, and Nick backs down. So, not really a twist ending, but a happy ending? Hey, take it when it comes.

The Howler is the most Goosebumps-ish book so far in The Nightmare Room and I think because of that, I may have liked it more? Mostly because it felt less like it was trying to be edgy and darker and just focus on a ghost adventure. And the book gives us that. More than enough time with the ghosts to not feel cheapened out by. I'd argue it's a perfect amount of padding to build up to the bonkers climax and gives us one of the more somber conclusions to any book. Probably the best emotional crux for any Stine book since The Ghost Next Door. Yes, Ian being involved in the climax was obvious, as was him not blaming Spencer for what happened. It's a bittersweet bit that Stine rarely goes for and even more rarely lands, so it was appreciated.

Spencer is a great protagonist and it's because, for once, the obsession has a bigger reason for it. His ghost obsession is because of Ian. Because he felt guilty for Ian's death and wanted that closure. To know that Ian was out there somewhere. It's the reason he'll buy whatever he can to find a sliver of hope. And, in turn, that obsession almost ostracizes him from everyone else yet in the end not only did he get that moment with Ian, but for going through the crap he went through, he also becomes more brave in the process, managing to finally shut Nick up. I'd argue he's up there with the Carly Beths and the Billys in terms of great Stine protagonists. It's a small club, but he's more than welcome aboard. As for the other characters, Vanessa works as the straight woman of the crew, Scott's annoying at first but comes around. Nick is a decent side foil as well. The "twins" feel like Superfluous Clays, mostly there for the body count.

I will say the only issue I really had is I wish there was an answer as to what was going on with the ghost family. Why they were trapped in the attic closet, what their past was, and why they're so willing to destroy the kids like that? I get it, not every villain needs a deep backstory, and it plays more into ghosts becoming more evil and less human over time. It's still a sticking point I wish we got more of an answer to. The only other notable issues I had was that it was a bit formulaic, and, as usual, way too dependent on bait and switch cliffhangers. But that's really a Stine-wide issue and not entirely this book's fault.

So, we're starting to see a quality uptick for Nightmare Room. Because this is the second book in a row that I come out really liking. More so than They Call Me Creature even. It's not the most perfect book, and it's again, formulaic. But when the formula can work, it can really work and this is no exception. And, as per usual, Stine knows how to do ghost stories really well and this is another for the list. Next up is superhero stuff and he can be mid on that, so we'll see if the good times continue to roll as we enter Nightmare Room's final five. But for now, The Howler gets an A.