Summary
R. L. Stine’sGoosebumpshorror books each had a colorful and memorable cover that still sticks in the minds of readers many years after. Campy, frightening, funny, goofy, and unnerving are all worlds that could describeR. L. Stine’s long series ofGoosebumpsbooks, and they are all meant as compliments. Many horrors can probably draw the origins of their love for the genre back to these children’s stories, plucked off the shelves of their middle school shelves during their library period. The last book in the original series came out in 1997 and yet the franchise lives on.
Goosebumpshas inspired TV shows, movies, video games, and more with its varied stories. Each book feels different despite Stine’s similar style and this extends to the memorable book covers, each a unique piece of art thanks to Stine’s long-time illustrator, Tim Jacobus. Jacobus' book covers were critical in making the series a success and his best ones feature detailed art that always gives a hint about what’s inside. When a fan uploaded all 67 covers in high-res imagery toImgur, ’90s kids were hit with a wave of nostalgia as they were reacquainted with their favorite covers.
All 10 Goosebumps Books That Were Inspired By Classic Horror Movies
R. L. Stine’s Goosebumps book series features several installments that were inspired by classic horror movies; here are each of them explained.
10The Haunted Mask II (October 1995)
“New Face. Old Nightmare.”
The Haunted Mask IIis a sequel to one of Stine’s most famous books,The Haunted Mask, which became so popular thanks to both stories being turned into verymemorableGoosebumpsTV show episodes. In the sequel, Steve Boswell goes to the same mask store from the first book and learns what Carly Beth did in the original; the magical and dangerous power of the creepy masks.
WhileThe Haunted Mask IIis not as good a book as the first one, mostly because it’s a bit repetitive,the second book’s art is just a bit more interesting. The mask itself is incredibly detailed and very menacing, the exact type that parents would not want their child to come back from the store with. The child approaching someone’s door holding a candy bag on Halloween also sets the scene for the book very well.
EveryGoosebumpsbook ends with an ironic or horrifying twist. InThe Haunted Mask II, Steve’s friend Chuck surprises his friends with another mask, one that he begins to have trouble taking off…
9How To Kill A Monster (August 1996)
“Step 1: Run. Step 2: Run Faster.”
InHow to Kill a Monster, Gretchen and her stepbrother Clark go to the swamps of Georgia to stay with Gretchen’s grandparents. For the most part, things are normal, and her grandparents do their best to make the kids stay as pleasant as possible. They only have one rule: stay out of a locked room upstairs. Of course, their curiosity gets the better of them, and the kids open the forbidden room, only to find a swamp creature that comes after them.
Monstrous hands reaching around a doorway is a classic image ofGoosebumpsbook covers, butHow to Kill a Monsteris the best version of it.
Monstrous hands reaching around a doorway is a classic image ofGoosebumpsbook covers, butHow to Kill a Monsteris the best version of it. The green, clawed paws of the creature are unique and expertly detailed, offering an interesting shock of color that catches the eye. Also, the use of the word “kill” in the title is somewhat shocking for a story aimed at children.
Twist Ending: The kids run into the swamp after killing the monster only to read an obscured part of a note their grandparents left for them that warns them to stay out of the swamp because even more creatures live there.
8Deep Trouble (May 1994)
“Just When You Thought It Was Safe…”
Deep Troubleis the first book in theDeep Troubleseries, withDeep Trouble IIcoming out over three years later. In the first book, Billy and Sheena Deep visit their Uncle, Dr. Deep, on a Caribbean island where Billy meets a mermaid, who were thought only to exist in legend. However, Dr. Deep’s “friends” reveal themselves to be poachers and attempt to violently abduct the mermaid, and the Deeps are roped into saving their new aquatic pal.
Despite the cover implying thatDeep Troubleisgoing to be a killer shark story,thisGoosebumpsstory is in the adventure lineage of books that Stine would occasionally write. That doesn’t stop the cover from being a fantastic-looking picture. Jacobus' idea of a giant hammerhead shark is terrifying, and he uses an unusual perspective to perfectly capture a deep-seated fear that a lot of people have when floating in the ocean.
Twist Ending: Billy is swimming, thinking about his adventure, when a giant sea monster rises out of the ocean and heads right for him.
7You Can’t Scare Me! (January 1994)
“They’re Coming For You…”
You Can’t Scare Me!follows Eddie, a middle school student, and his friends who want to scare their female classmates because of a prank pulled on them earlier in the year. After several failed attempts, the boys come up with the idea to dress as mud monsters, in reference to a local legend, and scare the girls in the woods. However, when it comes time for the prank, Eddie realizes that there are some real mud monsters mixed in with the fake ones, leading to a prank on everyone.
you’re able to’t Scare Me!doesn’t really get going until the last third of the book, but the terrifying cover makes some promises that the story does end up fulfilling. The use of the orange color and the dripping monsters creates a memorable and pulpy image that’s reminiscent of old-time comics. It’s a legitimately scary cover and one that reallyhelps the reader understand the final moments of the book.
Twist Ending: Not so much a twist as a funny moment of Eddie realizing he will never be able to prank the girls.
6One Day At HorrorLand (February 1994)
“Enter If You Dare…”
A family adventure that turns into a horror adventure,One Day at HorrorLandfollows the Morris family who, while driving on a family road trip, stumble across “HorrorLand”, a horror-themed amusement park. As they go through increasingly dangerous rides, they begin to realize that not only is the peril real, but the monster mascots are too. They end up fighting for their lives in a monster-themed television show that nearly traps them there forever.
One Day at HorrorLandis one of the most funGoosebumpsbooks, with engaging characters, thrilling rides, and legitimately scary moments where the family feels like they’re actually in danger. The cover is perfectly ominous and sinister, and it makes the reader wonder if the green monster is just part of the sign or is a real creature. It’s intricately designed and really drags the reader into the carnival-like atmosphere.
Twist Ending: After the Morrises escape home, they realize one of the monsters has hitched a ride. He offers them free entry to the park if they ever decide to return.
5The Scarecrow Walks At Midnight (June 1994)
“It’s A Field Of Screams!”
InThe Scarecrow Walks at Midnight, siblings Jodie and Mark go to their grandparents' farm for a month where they notice some strange goings-on, including the farm hand Stanley’s obsession with scarecrows. It turns out that Stanley has been using dark magic to control the scarecrows, and has now been trying to put them back to sleep after keeping them awake for too long.
Scarecrows have always been a very frightening image in horror. FromChildren of the Cornto Harold inthe terrifyingScary Stories to Tell in the Dark, there has always been something terrifying about the farmers' creations. ThisGoosebumpscover perfectly captures a moonlit night out on a cornfield andthe scarecrow is both frightening and normal enough looking that it’s not impossible that someone would put it out in their field. The yellow eyes glaring off the page only add to the scary effect.
Twist Ending: When a bear rug begins moving on its own, Jodie and Mark wonder what spell Stanley is saying now.
4The Haunted School (September 1997)
“They’re Watching You Learn… The Hard Way.”
The Haunted Schoolfollows 12-year-old student, Tommy, whose father just got remarried and who is now going to a different school. There he learns about the class of 1947, who disappeared mysteriously after having their class photo taken by one Mr. Chameleon. Tommy then stumbles into an alternate reality of the school, which is drained of all color, where the class of 1947 now lives, eternally young and fearful of leaving the confines of the school.
The cover ofThe Haunted Schooldoes some fantastic things with color, which is appropriate for a story about color. The bright hues of the locker and school walls contrast nicely with the detailed black and white pages and notes flying around.The eyes peering out of the darkness are almost a jump scarewhen they’re first noticed. The fact they don’t look angry or sinister makes the whole effect much more unnerving.
Twist Ending: Tommy returns to the real world only to realize too late that Mr. Chameleon is back and about to take his class picture.
3Night Of The Living Dummy III (February 1996)
“Every Dummy Has His Day- And His Night!”
Slappy the Dummy may be one of the most scary monsters to ever come out of aGoosebumpsbook. He appears in severalGoosebumpsnovels and TV shows and is the official mascot of the series. In the thirdNight of the Living Dummysaga, Slappy is once again found by an unfortunate family, this time by the O’Dells. Father Danny O’Dell is a collector of ventriloquist dummies and is glad to add Slappy to his collection.
Night of the Living Dummy IIIis a very sinister outing for Slappy and the cover of the book is an excellent addition to the already excellent lineup ofLiving Dummycovers. This one outshines them all, however, because of itsWhere’s Waldo-like composition.Each of the dolls is drawn with a different personality, and it’s fun to flip from the book to the cover to try and find which doll on the cover corresponds with which doll in the story.
Twist Ending: The O’Dell children give Slappy to their annoying cousin only to see the doll wink at them from the car’s window as Zane drives off.
2The Horror At Camp Jellyjam (July 1995)
“Tennis… PingPong… Monsters, Anyone?”
InThe Horror at Camp Jellyjam, one of R. L. Stines' many camp-themed stories, siblings Wendy and Elliot become lost on a long road trip and end up at the mysterious “Camp Jellyjam”, a summer camp where the counselors seem just a bit too happy and just a bit too concerned with winning. After a series of mysterious events, including the ground constantly rumbling at night, Wendy discovers thatJellyjam is home to a large gelatinous, putrid-smelling monsterwith evil plans for the children at camp.
Rarely doGoosebumpsbooks feature a human on their cover, so, of course, one of the few times it does, Jacobus draws an absolutely horrifying approximation of a human. The uncanny valley vibe of the camp counselor on the cover standing in front of a dark forest with orange, glowing light beyond is almost Hellish. It even feels like the counselor’s eyes are following the reader back and forth.
Twist Ending: Wendy and Elliot return home only to smell the awful stench that the Jellyjam monster was known for. However, in the second twist, the smell turns out to be their mother cooking Brussels sprouts.
1The Curse Of Camp Cold Lake (June 1997)
“Last One In Is A Rotten… Ghost!”
The Curse of Camp Cold Lakefollows Sarah Maas who is unwillingly sent to summer camp at Camp Cold Lake. After making a bad first impression, Sarah decides to fake drown to garner some sympathy. However, she ends up being targeted by the ghost of a camper who wants to kill Sarah so they will be “camp buddies” forever. It’s only with the help of another camper, Briana, that Sarah manages to escape the clutches of the deadly specter.
Twist Ending: Briana turns out to be a ghost and decides she also wants to make Sarah her “camp buddy” forever, as she approaches with a venomous snake.
This is the scariest and most well-drawn of all theGoosebumpsbook covers. It could be the cover of aGeorge A. Romero zombie movie. The bloodshot, sunken eyes of the ghost are nightmarish, as is the hollow of its nose. It’s also a beautifully composited cover, with the reflection of the ghost offering an unsettling image. The blue and green ripples, and sparse forest beyond add to the loneliness and frightening atmosphere.
Goosebumps
Created by author R. L. Stine, Goosebumps is a multimedia franchise that began as a series of young adult horror novels. The books were eventually adapted and expanded in the 1995 television series, with several video games arriving in the same window. After a long hiatus, the franchise returned to the big screen in 2015, with Jack Black playing the role of R. L. Stine himself.
