In 1995, R.L. Stine’s acclaimed Goosebumps books were adapted into a television series, providing young fans of his work with the best tales of horror in a new, terrifying medium. Some episodes changed the stories a bit, others missed the mark or tried to do too much, and a few simply didn’t translate well outside of the pages without the help of our imaginations, but that doesn’t mean these four seasons didn’t hold some real gems (or, the first two, at least). The 20th anniversary of the show felt like a great excuse to talk about some of the best Goosebumps episodes, for those who wanted to relive some of the haunting memories, or younger people who might be new to Stine’s incredible tales.
What are the best Goosebumps episodes?
“Stay Out of the Basement” – (Season 1, Episodes 12 & 13)
When mom is out of town visiting a sick aunt and dad starts acting weirder than usual, spending all his time in the basement with botany experiments, it’s hard not to think something is up. He’s been a little off since being fired from the University, but now things feel really strange. Many Goosebumps stories tackle the main characters not trusting adults, but it is worse when he’s the only guardian for the weekend and seems more aggravated than usual. Once dad starts eating plant food, growing leaves out of his scalp, and bleeding green, it’s time to disobey, especially when the secrets of these terrifying plants all lie in the basement.
As the title may imply, the locations for this episode are limited, but the sets and (cheap but fun) plant effects help elevate the story, matching the tone, and setting up for a slightly disturbing ending that ranks among the best Goosebumps episodes.
“Welcome to Dead House” – (Season 2, Episodes 20 & 21)
Adapted from the first book of the Goosebumps series, “Welcome to Dead House” teaches viewers that all HOAs are horrible, but some of them really are out for our blood. Many of these stories involve a family or character moving to a new town, which can be a bit scary; however, Dark Falls has less of a crime issue and more of a mortality problem, thanks to a chemical accident. As a town, Dark Falls lives up to its name, gray, gloomy, unwelcoming, but the neighbors seem nice at first, and they like the Benson family so much that they don’t want to let them leave.
Being the first story for the book series, Stine was still figuring out some of the quirks and their tone, which translates somewhat into this episode. It feels a little darker than most of the others, with fewer obvious jokes, making it a must-see for fans. Just keep an eye on that dog.
“The Werewolf of Fever Swamp – (Season 1, Episodes 18 & 19)
Swamps are scary already, but throwing a werewolf in the mix really makes them downright inhospitable. This story follows a kid named Grady who finds a new dog while trying to adjust to Florida and all of the interesting new people, like that old hermit, but no one believes him about the strange things going on. His parents are scientists who study deer adaptations in new environments, so they aren’t hearing this werewolf business, content with blaming the dog (more untrustworthy canines). This antagonist isn’t just a beast, having its own pain, garnering some sympathy, but all of that is Grady’s problem in the end, as this adventure changes his life forever.
This episode was a little rougher. The implied threats and animal violence caused it to receive a harsher viewer content rating in the UK, but it also made for an excellent, slightly grittier story to close out season one with.
“Night of the Living Dummy II” – (Season 1, Episode 10)
Anyone who has a passing familiarity with Goosebumps likely knows of Slappy, the evil dummy, who acts as a sort of mascot for the franchise. He’s voiced by the excellent Cal Dodd (Wolverine from X-Men ’92) and makes for a solid antagonist, even if his first real story is incredibly trope-heavy. It may seem confusing that this is “Night of the Living Dummy II,” but Slappy isn’t a big part of the first book, so I don’t blame them for starting here.
The scariest aspect of this story is that some people are forced to do ‘Family Nights’ and show off their talents in front of each other, but this is another tale where no one believes the main character, and things are escalating quickly. Amy is being framed by a real dummy, but it’s her fault for reading magic words she didn’t understand out loud. “Night of the Living Dummy III” is arguably better, but this is an excellent introduction with solid pacing and one of the best Goosebumps episodes.
“Say Cheese and Die” – (Season 1, Episode 15)
Most people want to watch this episode because it stars a young Ryan Gosling, but it’s also just a great concept: what if the pictures a strange, futuristic-looking camera took predicted a dark outcome, potentially changing reality to screw with the owner? This item is quite cursed and causes trouble with every flap of its shutters, but its previous owner, the creepy Spidey, is also a problem. Greg is trying to warn people, while everyone wants a picture and is barely avoiding serious disasters.
I love that the heroes decide to use the camera as a weapon when things get tense, and the fate of our villain is an enjoyable outcome. This story is toned down a little from the book, but it’s still worth watching for sure, just might want to skip the sequel. Instead, two of the actors in this also appeared in an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark?, coincidentally, one that told a story about an evil camera. Nice coincidence, or fate?
The Cuckoo Clock of Doom – (Season 1, Episode 3)
Siblings are the worst, especially when parents let them get away with everything. Doubly so when it’s important, like when they ruin your birthday party multiple times. Michael’s intentions were bad, sure, but I can’t blame him. He figured that breaking Dad’s new cuckoo clock and blaming it on his little sister, Tara, would be appropriate payback. That backfires, however, and now he’s gone and (sort of) Benjamin Button’d himself, falling back through time rapidly. If only Michael could set things right, but that’s going to be hard to accomplish when he’s a toddler.
“The Cuckoo Clock of Doom” feels somewhat bleak at points, and the ending is that perfect kind of dark for a kids’ program. The title is kind of dumb and may throw some people off, but this dumb clock story is an episode that stuck with me and is one of the best Goosebumps episodes.
“Calling All Creeps” – (Season 2, Episode 19)
Probably one of the more underrated episodes, Ricky Beamer’s story as the school loser who goes about sticking it to his bullies in the wrong way, gets pretty dark in the end. His tormentors run the school newspaper (really?), which he decides to use as a tool in his fight, but the ad backfires, and now the creeps are all calling him. These new admirers turn out to be scaly, yellow aliens who think Ricky is their leader, and now he has a new group of friends, and that’s about to be a problem for everyone else in the school. I swear this is worth watching, but man, they didn’t even try to make the mouths on these masks move.
“Calling All Creeps” takes a little time to build, culminating in something awesome that almost feels irresponsible in a kids’ show. This episode starts out like it’s trying to make a point against bullying before turning into a tragic tale about pushing that one quiet kid, the loner, too far. This is another one that had scenes removed for the U.K. audiences, perhaps proving how scary some people thought it was.
“Welcome to Camp Nightmare” – (Season 1, Episodes 5 & 6)
Camp can be scary, or at least campgrounds can, if the Friday the 13th films are to be believed. A beast is stalking Billy and his fellow campers. They’re dropping like flies, and the counselors don’t seem to care. It’s up to him to figure out what’s going on in this summer nightmare before things become more dire. I wouldn’t trust any ‘camp’ that seems okay with drowning and asks us to hunt down other campers with crossbows, but what do I know about going outside? With that said, the ‘double-twist’ ending of this story is quite clever and simple, while nailing the reveal.
This is a story that starts somewhat grounded and focuses on the scary aspects of being forced into a strange place outside of our comfort zone, away from everyone we trust, and then the tale starts adapting, shifting genres slightly, and doesn’t stop until the last second. It also may teach kids to question authority, fight back, and even shoot an adult under the right circumstances. Those are real camp leadership skills.
“The Haunted Mask” – (Season 1, Episodes 1 & 2)
The series started on a strong foot—er, face? “The Haunted Mask” is pretty iconic and probably one that most people have seen, so I’ll just assure everyone that it still holds up. This is another episode where the story had to be toned down somewhat, and the ending was completely reshot at the request of Fox, fearing it would scare younger viewers too much (I’d love to see that original footage). We can’t harp on the actors too much here, as Kathryn Long, who played Carly Beth, famously bit into a real worm during the sandwich prank scene to make sure her reaction was genuine. Rumor has it they filmed it twelve times—yikes.
This is a story about growing up, where the main character tries to learn to love herself while dealing with a bully who acts out because he likes her. Carly Beth is tired of that, though, determined to get one of the scariest masks she can find and show everyone she’s not afraid anymore, and is done with the pranks, too bad her new face is alive and taking over. Tensions run high in this episode, and there’s some blatant symbolism, like when she buries an effigy of herself, but it’s all handled well and reminds us not to go into creepy novelty shops. Nothing good comes of it.
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