History NightmareFuel / Goosebumps

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/slappy_the_dummy_3.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Even when he's ''not'' alive, Slappy ''still'' manages to be scary as hell!]]

* The opening to the show deserves a mention. It's somewhat minimalist, but its imagery, like the man in black (presumably R. L. Stine himself) with a briefcase's files being scattered by the wind and the "G" slithering around and making the billboard's face [[BodyHorror twist]] and making the dog's [[GlowingEyesOfDoom eyes glow]], has stuck with many people for a long time. Not to mention the incredibly sinister but awesome song.
* The television adaption of ''Literature/TheHauntedMask'' ''REALLY'' hammers home the horror of the book. When Carly Beth first sees the mask, we briefly see its eyes and when the store owner slams the door in anger, all the other masks turn in surprise.
** The scene where Carly Beth and Sabrina realize the mask is attached to her face. There's no awkward monster suits, no [[SpecialEffectsFailure Special Effects Failure]]. Just a twelve-year-old girl realizing something is very wrong with her body and no idea why.
** When they can't find the bottom to the mask, Carly Beth suggests cutting it off.
** The following scene where Carly is told straight up by the mask store owner that the "mask" is not a normal mask and that it is to be her new face, prompting a hysterical breakdown from Carly. [[FromBadToWorse And then the spirits of the other faces wearers come to life.]]

For [[{{Literature/Goosebumps}} a horror book series]], how do you not expect NightmareFuel to come a-creeping? This is considered one of the scariest children's book series around for a ''very good reason''.

Let's face it: ''all'' of ''Series 2000'' is NightmareFuel. Compared to [[Literature/GiveYourselfGoosebumps other]] ''{{Literature/Goosebumps}}'' [[Literature/TalesToGiveYouGoosebumps spin]]-[[Literature/GoosebumpsHorrorland offs]], it has a much, much ''much'' [[DarkerAndEdgier darker and somber tone]] and [[BloodierAndGorier there's a lot more bloody violence than the other books]] (with someone even running over a ''cat'' at one point). There's a very good reason why ''Series 2000'' only lasted for two-three years.

Let's face it: ''all'' of ''Series 2000'' is NightmareFuel. Compared to [[Literature/GiveYourselfGoosebumps other]] ''{{Literature/Goosebumps}}'' [[Literature/TalesToGiveYouGoosebumps spin]]-[[Literature/GoosebumpsHorrorland offs]], it's much, much, ''much'' DarkerAndEdgier than it sounds, has outlandish plots, more [[BloodierAndGorier extreme violence]] and [[GrossOutShow gross-out content]], etc, etc. Is it any wonder why the series got cancelled after just two years and twenty-five books (versus the original series' sixty-two installments in six years)?