He wanted to keep making kids horror books. Not hard to understand, it was his bread and butter by this point. His biggest success. The downside is this was 2000 and the kids horror market once dominant thanks to him was finally fizzling out. Fantasy and magic seemed to be more in vogue. But that wouldn't stop Stine from continuing with horror regardless. And after aligning with Harper Collins, Stine would bring Goosebumps back... sorta. If he can't use the name anymore, he'll just have to make a new series. One not as restrained as what Scholastic would do. The ramping up that Series 2000 was best known for. And thus Stine found the door to his newest creation. He was ready to enter The Nightmare Room. He was going to make this work and nothing was going to stop him. It's not like there's going to be a catastrophic event on its way that would screw everything up, right?
Starting September 30th, 2000 and ending in November of 2001, The Nightmare Room was a 15-book anthology series in the vein of Goosebumps prior. Stories revolved around a kid, sometimes a little older than the standard twelve from the original books, having to deal with some sort of supernatural evil. A house that steals your memories, a diary that predicts the future, a mirror dimension. All while being more violent and dark in some ways. Kids get hurt in this one, even bleed on occasion. Likely something Stine would have gone further in with Goosebumps had Scholastic not been quick to corral him in (on most occasions... *CoughREVENGERUSCough*).
Because of that, the books, at least the first several, feel like they're trying to court an older audience than Goosebumps. Ones who may have grown up with Goosebumps and wanted something more accustomed to their age. Curious if that worked in the long run. Because the latter end of the series for the most part feels back to basics. Back to a more geared to younger readers level Goosebumps. Less violence, less dark moments, more of Stine's infamous tropes creeping in. It feels like Stine trying to feed all his masters but getting less than favorable results. But he kept coming up with new concepts and even did a three-part book during the summer of 2001 called Thrillogy, which feels like one of the first books to parody the concept of the Survivor style reality show.
Not only was there hopes that Stine's books would prove successful, but there was hope the same would happen on the small screen. The Nightmare Room became its own television series and mostly did adaptations based on the books themselves. And unlike Goosebumps where you'll maybe spot a Ryan Gosling or Hayden Christensen, this one was loaded with famous kid faces of the era. Frankie Muniz, Amanda Bynes, the Sprouse twins, Kaley Cuoco, Shia LeBouf. Along with David Carradine, Tippi Hedren, Robert Englund. Sting is in this, freaking Sting! The absolute closest I can actually correlate a wrestling reference towards. Not to mention James Avery as "R.L. Stine". A big two-episode premiere on August 31st, 2001. Everything was on the line to make this a success along with the books. And if you're paying attention to the dates, you know what happens next.
On the morning of September 11th, 2001, two commercial airplanes crash into the World Trade Center towers and a third would crash into the pentagon. A coordinated terrorist attack that shook America and the world in general to its core. We're so far ahead in time now that there are generations now who weren't there or were too young to grasp how the 9/11 attacks broke America for some time. Everything slowed to a crawl and a constant fear of more to come permeated. And one of the things possibly affected by the terrorist attack was the production of The Nightmare Room. It's often believed that 9/11 and its ramifications were what ended production of the series. And with the series dead so too were the books with Stine's final three books releasing in the following months. And then, nothing.
That was it. Stine's back on the outside and even his one big chance to move forward following the end of Goosebumps just ended. Stine would keep writing and eventually mend his ties with Scholastic in 2003, given them the rights. And the rest has been chronicled by me at this point. The Nightmare Room, for whatever its intentions were, ultimately just ended up a footnote and in many ways a detour before Stine returned to Goosebumps in 2008.
So, what were my thoughts on The Nightmare Room? Well they took a while to warm up to me, but I ultimately enjoyed most of them. Some wound up suffering too much from the formula, but for the most part, I definitely think they feel the most inspired that Stine had been since really the early era of Goosebumps. Less focus on the boogeyman of the month and more dark horror that sometimes gave off some dark visuals. The increasing bad luck in Locker 13 for example. How Luke and Hannah's bodies just start to wither and die by the end before they stop the Fate Master. It doesn't always work, but when it does, it's some great stuff.
The protagonists are mostly a mixed bag. None really have any defining traits about them and most of them just blend in with all other Stine protagonists. Honestly, the only two I didn't like were Ross Arthur of Liar Liar and especially Alex Smith of Dear Diary, I'm Dead. As it feels like their characters were built to be morality tale characters. Don't constantly lie like Ross and don't constantly put yourself in stupid gambles like Alex. The rest are far less bothersome and more just bland in the grand scheme which is a shame. To the point that the aging up of some of them doesn't matter at all. Other than "hey 13 year old, look! Someone your age."
I like the ideas for most of the plots, but feel the execution on a lot of them lacking. Like, I know people who really like Shadow Girl, and I loved the idea that the chosen hero doesn't want to be the hero and doesn't get to be, but it also felt like all of that feels undercooked with a lot of padding in the middle. And oh lord do these books have padding in the middle. Some flow better than others while others have to prolong a mystery by having people be secretive to an annoying degree. Or scenes that just keep going and going with less of a poignant point to them by the end, like, again, Shadow Girl. Thankfully not all the books are that bad in terms of Stine's worst traits, but most of them do still have that stink, especially the latter end.
So, to give an example of the quality on display, let's get to the most fun part, the rankings. 15 books total, but given Thrillogy is a three-parter, I'll be putting them as one entrant. So technically a top 13. Nothing below C- this time. In fact, From 11 onwards, it's B- to A+. So a stronger batch than usual in these rankings, making more a case of sorting them more in which one I liked slightly more than the others. So with that out of the way, let's get ranking.
#13: Dear Diary, I'm Dead (#05): You know it's bad when I get to the twist and I think somehow the version I read had a printing error of some sort? That's what really kneecapped this book. That and Alex's shtick got old quick. This kid with a gambling problem who just can't stop himself, to the point he thinks of putting himself in danger if it means he'll win a bet. I like the concept of the diary itself and how it doesn't just predict bad luck, but the bad luck it does predict ramps up overtime. Such a cool idea that I wish was handled better and ended stronger.
#12: Liar Liar (#04): This one could have worked so well, but I just don't think Stine knew what he wanted. A book about a kid named Ross who is a pathological liar, so you think that his constant lies would play more into the story. Instead Stine decides to go for a parallel universe. And it almost works well if not for another really rushed conclusion and another lame twist. I love things like how Ross being in this alternate universe makes him literally corrosive to anything he touches (the dog scene is still a top tier "What the hell, Stine" moment) and I wish the concept of the parallel universe was more interesting when it really isn't. A true "missed it by THAT much" book.
#11: Shadow Girl (#08): I so badly wanted to like this one, especially its overall concept of the fated hero not wanting that fate for her. That Selena wants no part of it and ultimately does give Jada what she wants, to be Shadow Girl. I just wish the book wasn't so damn clunky in its execution. A lot of going around in circles mid-book with Jada treating Selena like crap, Selena not getting any answers about her mom and the frigging phonebook scene that takes a few chapters to get through. And for a book that put so much stock in fate and how this is Selena's destiny and the whole book of fate stuff. All of that ultimately feeling like it's unimportant and ultimately feels like Stine just plowed through to an ending even if it meant the final product would suffer. If you liked this one, cool, this was not for me clearly.
#10: My Name is Evil (#03): Another one I really wish I liked more but seriously the triplets might be in the conversation for worst characters in a Stine work, if at least just in Nightmare Room. I mean, they're no Winks or Reva Dalby. And while this book is surprisingly violent and dark, it is such a victim of wheel spinning in the middle with Maggie constantly being called Evil all the time until we get the not-so-shocking reveal that she was a pawn for Glen to get revenge on the triplets which, surprisingly, yeah, get revenge of them, they suck. Maybe don't use Maggie against her consent, but, like, you're still better than those three shitheads. Cool idea on paper, middling in execution. It's name should be EXHAUSTING.
#09: Locker 13 (#02): I mean it's a better version of The Birthday Party of No Return, a book Stine would make over a decade later, so there's that. The Fate Master is also a neat villain but woefully undercooked and surprisingly easy to beat. But, why was the title about the locker when the locker really doesn't matter at all? The skull charm is the good luck charm. It doesn't help that Luke ultimately sucks as a protagonist after he gets his good luck. And the book feels too long. So much so that it just feels like Stine is writing anything and everything to make page quota, thus making this feel like a book that Stine had an idea for but it needed to be padded to hell and back. Cool concept, middling results.
#08: Scare School (#11): I think this book is better than it has any right to be, yet still isn't that good. What a paradox. A riddle befitting of an imp, which this book gives us plenty of. I like the idea that there's multiple imps and that the mystery as to who they are is that they have "IMP" in their name. Although, Tim Poster for an alibi though, woof. I even like the idea of the school being scared to fight back and it has to be Sam who finally does it. Standing up to a group of bullies. I only wish the way the imps were beaten was more interesting and good lord that twist blows chunks. A solid "good for the sum of its parts" book if ever there was one.
#07: Visitors (#12): The best way to look at a lot of Nightmare Room is that a lot of it feels like Stine trying again on certain ideas. Not wholesale just remaking the book prior, but taking the concept and reworking to make for a better product. Visitors is just that, a better Invasion of the Body Squeezers. The book isn't split in two, and it makes the main character's obsession with space matter more once we learn that Ben was an alien the entire time. A bit of pacing issues and a real rush feeling by the end are what hurt this one overall, but when it still offers a solid experience, I can hardly complain. Shame it had to be the last one though.
#06: Full Moon Halloween (#10): What's most interesting about this book is that ultimately it could have just been a short story and lost very little that mattered. And yet being a normal length book doesn't hurt it one bit. Downside is that it's obvious who the werewolves really were and even that this was all just a prank by Mr. Moon and his wife Angela, only for them to actually have to encounter actual werewolves by the end. It's also the best awkward ending from Stine where it's funny how the cops and Michael don't think Tristan and Rosa are really werewolves as they take Michael's parents away, and in all of this Ray and Bella never thought to get the hell out of the house when they had the chance. A great twist ending in a fun and just tense in the right way story. Though Stone Cold Ray stone cold sucked.
#05: They Call Me Creature (#06): Another book that clearly takes from other Stine ideas, yet still does a lot right to make it interesting. What keeps the book strong is the mystery even if it's obvious. What is going on with Laura's father? Who is the strange pig creature in the woods? What's the army got to do with this? Also, if you thought the melting Dalmatian was upsetting, wait till you see what happens to Laura's dog Georgie. If you want an example of Stine trying his damnedest to "extreme" this series, that's the one. The ending is also just the right level of batshit to make it work in the grand scheme. Kind of the bright light after a few middling Nightmare Room books and definitely the start of a better second half.
#04: The Howler (#07): This book honestly feels like the "turn" of Nightmare Room. Less focus on gore and darker elements for books more closer to home with Goosebumps. Doesn't hurt that it's a pretty good book in its own right. A rare case of a book of this type ending on a sweet note instead of Stine having to throw in something dark to screw with the reader. It's also the rare occasion where the protagonist actually has a deeper reason for their obsession, in this case Spencer wanting to communicate with his cousin Ian from beyond the grave because he feels guilty for Ian's death. We also get a super crazy climax that also is fun to go through, even if Stine drops the ball on what was up with the ghost family. But that aside, yeah, this one was a fave.
#03: Don't Forget Me! (#01): Honestly, this might be the closest Stine's ever gotten to a Serling-esque style story. In this case peering into memories and the idea of what would happen if your memories just faded one day, beyond your control. In this case, the house Danielle and her family live in sucking away all of their memories, with those who have already forgotten themselves living in the basement. And it only takes one photo, one actual framed memory, to bring everything back. I even like the twist as, in the case of the events of the story, it works really well. And for a morality tale of sorts about not wanting to wish that a loved one would disappear forever, it does that fine enough. A near-perfect first start for Nightmare Room.
#02: Camp Nowhere (#09): What can I say? Camp books are catnip for me apparently. I know a few people who think this wasn't as great as I made it out to be, but I think the reason why I loved it is that it feels so much like what Return to Ghost Camp should have been. There's a lot of action, some decent mystery, we actually get a ghost camp of sorts, or a weird time limbo camp to be more specific. And for much as it does feel very Goosebumps-like in formula, it succeeds better in execution. And I like its protagonist in Russell who starts the book needing to prove his bravery and in the end kind of does just that by being a better leader for the group. Just a strong effort all around that played perfectly into my sensibilities.
#01: Thrillogy: Is it fair to put three books in the #1 slot? Maybe not, but I'm gonna do it anyway. As I really loved the Thrillogy for what it was. A decent horror mystery that does a decent enough job parodying reality shows like Survivor. It spins its wheels midway a bit, but surprisingly not to the degree that singular Stine books do. April is an okay protagonist, though how she treats Pam early on makes her less so, but she bounces back by the end. Katherine is a great villain in just how cold and evil she was. Completely willing to let Deborah be stranded on an island for her actions. Using her daughter as a patsy is top tier villainy in these parts. With enough action, mystery and just the right balance of dark and insane, this was a trilogy that worked for me. Hey, what do you know? Stine CAN make a decent long story when he tries. You know what they say about a stopped watch, it can be right twice a day.
I wish The Nightmare Room continued. I do think Stine was starting to find his mojo with the series by the time we reached the end. Even if that mojo was just "Goosebumps again", it was still going well. Though I wonder if any of these stories were initial concepts for the final fifteen Series 2000 books that never happened. Probably not, but some do feel like second drafts of the original books in Series 2000. And most of those second drafts work better than what we got with those Series 2000 books, albeit at times a bit too ramped up and dark for their own good. The scene with Georgie the dog being too disturbing even for these books, but feel so on brand for R.L. Stine. Dude's never written an animal he didn't want to kill in horrific fashion.
Although, now that I think about that, maybe it's also good Nightmare Room didn't continue. We were starting to see a lot more Goosebumps tropes pop up. And lord knows the bad tropes would have been there soon enough. I can only imagine Stine trying to make bad sequels out of some of these books. And yes, they all do feel like books that feel so self-contained that you couldn't do sequels, but that hasn't stopped him before. An inspired Stine can be an interesting Stine, but a Stine who sticks to his worst traits is hell incarnate for any book he writes. So by that token, maybe we were spared.
But also with The Nightmare Room's end comes an end of an era. The end of the children's horror boom of the 90s. It never really went away, but it also never felt like it ever got to those heights again. No children's horror author, or really author of that era had their books producing tons of merchandise. No children's horror author had seen success to the same level that their books were selling millions of copies and their TV show based on the books was a ratings hit on kids tv. You will really never see that mania for a kids horror book have that kind of boom again. Kids horror thrives in other media and means, and while Goosebumps came back and is still doing well, it never reached the heights of that era, and that's a shame.
I said at the top that I can't imagine the feeling of going from the king to being on the outside looking in. But I think for Stine, he can be proud regardless. He can be proud to have been a provider of children's horror and helped fuel imaginations, quality of the actual books be damned. And while this was a brief hiccup in the man's career, I think Nightmare Room should be something he's proud of. It may not have launched into the stratosphere like Goosebumps, and it may not have been the Goosebumps gold at the end of Stine's metaphorical rainbow, but for the end of an era, you couldn't ask for anything better to put that final note on...
At least until 2004. Because in 2004 Stine was ready to try again with another book series. This one being a connected series starring one character. It even got a few DVD movies. Stine wasn't out of the game yet, and before returning to Goosebumps proper, he would give kids horror books one more shot. Did it work, or was it MOSTLY a dud? Looks like it's almost time to see what was up with Mostly Ghostly.
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