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| 3 | %% |
| 4 | !!!This page is in the process of being split. [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16168737750A13425300 You can help!]] |
| 5 | |
| 6 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/it_came_from_ohio.png]] |
| 7 | |
| 8 | ->''"Reader beware -- you're in for a scare..."'' |
| 9 | |
| 10 | In TheNineties, Creator/RLStine had an idea: "Why not write scary books for children?" |
| 11 | |
| 12 | It was through this simple idea that one of the most successful and controversial pre-''Literature/HarryPotter''-era children's book series began. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | The original ''Goosebumps'' series lasted for all of 62 books, including such famous titles as ''The Haunted Mask'' (which was also the first episode of the TV adaptation, shown as an hour-long special episode), ''Welcome to Camp Nightmare'', the ''Night of the Living Dummy'' series (there were three in the original series, but the other {{spin off}}s and successor series have had at least one story with Slappy as the antagonist), and the ''Monster Blood'' series (the fourth and last of which is the final book in the original series). |
| 15 | |
| 16 | It was ''Franchise/TheTwilightZone'' for pre-adolescents, with a twist at the end of every book (sometimes {{cruel|TwistEnding}}, sometimes not, sometimes non-existent, [[MetaTwist which is a twist in and of itself given the series]]). Stine cites ''ComicBook/TalesFromTheCrypt'' (published by Creator/ECComics) as a source of inspiration, even though the series isn't nearly as gory and violent as the comics. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | The series also became somewhat infamous for the "[[CoversAlwaysLie You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover]]" idiom exemplified by the books' cover art from time to time. ''Deep Trouble'', for instance, had a picture of a giant shark going after a boy swimming in the ocean, which is only a minor point -- the story was really about a boy finding a mermaid who was being targeted by scientists who wanted to experiment on rare sea life. ''Egg Monsters from Mars'' featured the monsters as horrible threats on the cover, but the egg monsters are a ([[BlueAndOrangeMorality relatively]]) benevolent force captured by (you guessed it) a MadScientist. |
| 19 | |
| 20 | Later incarnations of the series included the more obscure ''Goosebumps Series 2000'' (a DarkerAndEdgier ''Goosebumps'' series that ran for 25 books), and {{Gamebook}} series ''Literature/GiveYourselfGoosebumps''. Both ended in early 2000, but the series was eventually revived in 2006 with the ''Goosebumps Graphix'' series (adapting classic books into comics), and further spinoffs were released in 2008-2012 (the twelve-book ''Literature/GoosebumpsHorrorLand'' series, a crossover between new and existing characters -- it also got a video game adaptation and was continued with a second, seven-book story arc and then the six-book ''Hall of Horrors'' mini-series), 2012-2016 (''Goosebumps Most Wanted'', featuring a mix of classic and new villains in standalone stories) 2017-2023 (''Goosebumps [=SlappyWorld=]'' with each book introduced by Slappy the Dummy), and 2023-ongoing (''Goosebumps House of Shivers''). There were also spinoff titles compiling various short stories, such as ''Tales to Give You Goosebumps'' and ''Goosebumps Triple Header''. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | There were also a pair of PC games in the 1990s: ''VideoGame/EscapeFromHorrorland'', a follow-up to the original ''Literature/OneDayAtHorrorLand'', and ''VideoGame/AttackOfTheMutant'', which had a different plot than the television episode or book with the same name. A phone game called ''VideoGame/GoosebumpsHorrorTown'' premiered in 2017. [[Creator/IDWPublishing IDW]] started publishing a [[ComicBook/{{Goosebumps}} comic series]] based on the franchise in 2017. |
| 23 | |
| 24 | Many of the books were adapted into a GenreAnthology TV series: ''Series/Goosebumps1995''. While most of the adaptations are fairly faithful, there are minor differences between the books and episodes, while some go into a largely different direction than their source material. A [[Series/Goosebumps2023 second live-action series]] was released in 2023. |
| 25 | |
| 26 | Creator/ColumbiaPictures released [[Film/Goosebumps2015 a film based on the series]] on October 16, 2015, starring Creator/JackBlack as R.L. Stine. View the trailer [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMJ-zaoq8y8 here.]] A [[Film/Goosebumps2HauntedHalloween sequel]] followed in 2018. |
| 27 | |
| 28 | In 2016, Danny Abosch and John Maclay wrote the music and the book respectively to [[TheMusical a musical based on the 24th book of the series]], ''Literature/PhantomOfTheAuditorium''. In 2021, an official cast recording was released, with the talents of Creator/KrystinaAlabado, Creator/NoahGalvin, Creator/WillRoland, Creator/AlexBrightman, Creator/SherylLeeRalph, Creator/StephanieStyles, and even cameos from the man himself, R.L. Stine. Info about the show, as well as the album, can be found [[https://goosebumpsthemusical.com/ here.]] |
| 29 | |
| 30 | There is also a bot that generates new ''Goosebumps'' covers daily; its creations can be found [[https://twitter.com/goosebots here]]. |
| 31 | |
| 32 | If you're interested in a full review of the series, check out Blog/BloggerBeware. |
| 33 | |
| 34 | !!Books in the series: |
| 35 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 36 | [[index]] |
| 37 | [[folder:Original series]] |
| 38 | #''Literature/WelcomeToDeadHouse'' |
| 39 | #''Literature/StayOutOfTheBasement'' |
| 40 | #''Literature/MonsterBlood'' |
| 41 | #''Literature/SayCheeseAndDie'' |
| 42 | #''Literature/TheCurseOfTheMummysTomb'' |
| 43 | #''Literature/LetsGetInvisible'' |
| 44 | #''Literature/NightOfTheLivingDummy'' |
| 45 | #''Literature/TheGirlWhoCriedMonster'' |
| 46 | #''Literature/WelcomeToCampNightmare'' |
| 47 | #''Literature/TheGhostNextDoor'' |
| 48 | #''Literature/TheHauntedMask'' |
| 49 | #''Literature/BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor'' |
| 50 | #''Literature/PianoLessonsCanBeMurder'' |
| 51 | #''Literature/TheWerewolfOfFeverSwamp'' |
| 52 | #''Literature/YouCantScareMe'' |
| 53 | #''Literature/OneDayAtHorrorLand'' |
| 54 | #''Literature/WhyImAfraidOfBees'' |
| 55 | #''Literature/MonsterBloodII'' |
| 56 | #''Literature/DeepTrouble'' |
| 57 | #''Literature/TheScarecrowWalksAtMidnight'' |
| 58 | #''Literature/GoEatWorms'' |
| 59 | #''Literature/GhostBeach'' |
| 60 | #''Literature/ReturnOfTheMummy'' |
| 61 | #''Literature/PhantomOfTheAuditorium'' |
| 62 | #''Literature/AttackOfTheMutant'' |
| 63 | #''Literature/MyHairiestAdventure'' |
| 64 | #''Literature/ANightInTerrorTower'' |
| 65 | #''Literature/TheCuckooClockOfDoom'' |
| 66 | #''Literature/MonsterBloodIII'' |
| 67 | #''Literature/ItCameFromBeneathTheSink'' |
| 68 | #''Literature/NightOfTheLivingDummyII'' |
| 69 | #''Literature/TheBarkingGhost'' |
| 70 | #''Literature/TheHorrorAtCampJellyjam'' |
| 71 | #''Literature/RevengeOfTheLawnGnomes'' |
| 72 | #''Literature/AShockerOnShockStreet'' |
| 73 | #''Literature/TheHauntedMaskII'' |
| 74 | #''Literature/TheHeadlessGhost'' |
| 75 | #''Literature/TheAbominableSnowmanOfPasadena'' |
| 76 | #''Literature/HowIGotMyShrunkenHead'' |
| 77 | #''Literature/NightOfTheLivingDummyIII'' |
| 78 | #''Literature/BadHareDay'' |
| 79 | #''Literature/EggMonstersFromMars'' |
| 80 | #''Literature/TheBeastFromTheEast'' |
| 81 | #''Literature/SayCheeseAndDieAgain'' |
| 82 | #''Literature/GhostCamp'' |
| 83 | #''Literature/HowToKillAMonster'' |
| 84 | #''Literature/LegendOfTheLostLegend'' |
| 85 | #''Literature/AttackOfTheJackOLanterns'' |
| 86 | #''Literature/VampireBreath'' |
| 87 | #''Literature/CallingAllCreeps'' |
| 88 | #''Literature/BewareTheSnowman'' |
| 89 | #''Literature/HowILearnedToFly'' |
| 90 | #''Literature/ChickenChicken'' |
| 91 | #''Literature/DontGoToSleep'' |
| 92 | #''Literature/TheBlobThatAteEveryone'' |
| 93 | #''Literature/TheCurseOfCampColdLake'' |
| 94 | #''Literature/MyBestFriendIsInvisible'' |
| 95 | #''Literature/DeepTroubleII'' |
| 96 | #''Literature/TheHauntedSchool'' |
| 97 | #''Literature/WerewolfSkin'' |
| 98 | #''Literature/ILiveInYourBasement'' |
| 99 | #''Literature/MonsterBloodIV'' |
| 100 | [[/folder]] |
| 101 | |
| 102 | [[folder:''Tales to Give You Goosebumps'']] |
| 103 | # ''Literature/TalesToGiveYouGoosebumps'' |
| 104 | # ''Literature/MoreTalesToGiveYouGoosebumps'' |
| 105 | # ''Literature/EvenMoreTalesToGiveYouGoosebumps'' |
| 106 | # ''Literature/StillMoreTalesToGiveYouGoosebumps'' |
| 107 | # ''Literature/MoreAndMoreTalesToGiveYouGoosebumps'' |
| 108 | # ''Literature/MoreAndMoreAndMoreTalesToGiveYouGoosebumps'' |
| 109 | [[/folder]] |
| 110 | |
| 111 | [[folder:''Give Yourself Goosebumps'']] |
| 112 | (See ''Literature/GiveYourselfGoosebumps'') |
| 113 | [[/folder]] |
| 114 | |
| 115 | [[folder:''Goosebumps Triple Header'']] |
| 116 | # ''Literature/GoosebumpsTripleHeaderBookOne'' |
| 117 | # ''Literature/GoosebumpsTripleHeaderBookTwo'' |
| 118 | [[/folder]] |
| 119 | |
| 120 | [[folder:''Goosebumps Series 2000'']] |
| 121 | #''Literature/CryOfTheCat'' |
| 122 | #''Literature/BrideOfTheLivingDummy'' |
| 123 | #''Literature/CreatureTeacher'' |
| 124 | #''Literature/InvasionOfTheBodySqueezers: Part 1'' |
| 125 | #''Invasion of the Body Squeezers: Part 2'' |
| 126 | #''Literature/IAmYourEvilTwin'' |
| 127 | #''Literature/RevengeRUs'' |
| 128 | #''Literature/FrightCamp'' |
| 129 | #''Literature/AreYouTerrifiedYet'' |
| 130 | #''Literature/HeadlessHalloween'' |
| 131 | #''Literature/AttackOfTheGraveyardGhouls'' |
| 132 | #''Literature/BrainJuice'' |
| 133 | #''Literature/ReturnToHorrorLand'' |
| 134 | #''Literature/JekyllAndHeidi'' |
| 135 | #''Literature/ScreamSchool'' |
| 136 | #''Literature/TheMummyWalks'' |
| 137 | #''Literature/TheWerewolfInTheLivingRoom'' |
| 138 | #''Literature/HorrorsOfTheBlackRing'' |
| 139 | #''Literature/ReturnToGhostCamp'' |
| 140 | #''Literature/BeAfraidBeVeryAfraid'' |
| 141 | #''Literature/TheHauntedCar'' |
| 142 | #''Literature/FullMoonFever'' |
| 143 | #''Literature/SlappysNightmare'' |
| 144 | #''Literature/EarthGeeksMustGo'' |
| 145 | #''Literature/GhostInTheMirror'' |
| 146 | [[/folder]] |
| 147 | |
| 148 | [[folder:''Goosebumps [=HorrorLand=]'']] |
| 149 | |
| 150 | (See ''Literature/GoosebumpsHorrorLand'') (Also includes tropes for Hall of Horrors) |
| 151 | |
| 152 | [[/folder]] |
| 153 | |
| 154 | [[folder:''Goosebumps Most Wanted'']] |
| 155 | [numlist:0] |
| 156 | # ''Literature/WantedTheHauntedMask'' |
| 157 | # ''Literature/PlanetOfTheLawnGnomes'' |
| 158 | # ''Literature/SonOfSlappy'' |
| 159 | # ''Literature/HowIMetMyMonster'' |
| 160 | # ''Literature/FrankensteinsDog'' |
| 161 | # ''Literature/DrManiacWillSeeYouNow'' |
| 162 | # ''Literature/CreatureTeacherTheFinalExam'' |
| 163 | # ''Literature/ANightmareOnClownStreet'' |
| 164 | # ''Literature/NightOfThePuppetPeople'' |
| 165 | # ''Literature/HereComesTheShaggedy'' |
| 166 | # ''Literature/TheLizardOfOz'' |
| 167 | [/numlist] |
| 168 | |
| 169 | !!!''Special Edition'' books |
| 170 | # ''Literature/ZombieHalloween'' |
| 171 | # ''Literature/The12ScreamsOfChristmas'' |
| 172 | # ''Literature/TrickOrTrap'' |
| 173 | # ''Literature/TheHaunter'' |
| 174 | [[/folder]] |
| 175 | |
| 176 | [[folder:''Goosebumps [=SlappyWorld=]'']] |
| 177 | # ''Literature/SlappyBirthdayToYou'' |
| 178 | # ''Literature/AttackOfTheJack'' |
| 179 | # ''Literature/IAmSlappysEvilTwin'' |
| 180 | # ''Literature/PleaseDoNotFeedTheWeirdo'' |
| 181 | # ''Literature/EscapeFromShudderMansion'' |
| 182 | # ''Literature/TheGhostOfSlappy'' |
| 183 | # ''Literature/ItsAliveItsAlive'' |
| 184 | # ''Literature/TheDummyMeetsTheMummy'' |
| 185 | # ''Literature/RevengeOfTheInvisibleBoy'' |
| 186 | # ''Literature/DiaryOfADummy'' |
| 187 | # ''Literature/TheyCallMeTheNightHowler'' |
| 188 | # ''Literature/MyFriendSlappy'' |
| 189 | # ''Literature/MonsterBloodIsBack'' |
| 190 | # ''Literature/FifthGradeZombies'' |
| 191 | # ''Literature/JudyAndTheBeast'' |
| 192 | # ''Literature/SlappyInDreamland'' |
| 193 | # ''Literature/HauntingWithTheStars'' |
| 194 | # ''Literature/SlappyBeware'' |
| 195 | # ''Literature/NightOfTheSquawker'' |
| 196 | # ''Literature/FriiightNight'' |
| 197 | [[/folder]] |
| 198 | |
| 199 | [[folder:''Goosebumps House of Shivers'']] |
| 200 | # ''Literature/ScariestBookEver'' |
| 201 | # ''Literature/GoblinMonday'' |
| 202 | # ''Literature/NightOfTheLivingMummy'' (announced for September 2024) |
| 203 | [[/folder]] |
| 204 | |
| 205 | [[folder:Other books]] |
| 206 | * ''Literature/GoosebumpsDeadDogsStillFetch'' |
| 207 | * ''Literature/GoosebumpsHauntedLibrary'' |
| 208 | * ''Literature/GoosebumpsNewspaperStories'' |
| 209 | * ''Literature/GoosebumpsTheSurpriseOnTheThirteenthFloor'' |
| 210 | [[/folder]] |
| 211 | [[/index]] |
| 212 | ---- |
| 213 | !! This series provides (usually multiple) examples of: |
| 214 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 215 | |
| 216 | [[folder:In general]] |
| 217 | |
| 218 | * AbusiveParents: Multiple cases, usually of the emotional variety. |
| 219 | * AdultsAreUseless: Either that (with the grandparents in ''Literature/HowToKillAMonster'' being arguably the best example of this), or in on the conspiracy (as seen in such stories as ''Literature/MyHairiestAdventure'', ''Literature/WelcomeToCampNightmare'' and ''Literature/TheHorrorAtCampJellyjam''). |
| 220 | * AffectionateParody: The ''Gooflumps'' books by [[PunnyName R.U. Slime]], two unauthorized and unofficial parody books that lampoon the vastness of the series (the covers read "Buy two, that's it!"), the cover art by Tim Jacobus, and the story structure of the ''Goosebumps'' books. |
| 221 | ** ''Stay Out Of The Bathroom'', which is labeled as Book 2 1/2, is a parody of ''Literature/StayOutOfTheBasement'' concerning aliens switching people through highly advanced toilet bowls. |
| 222 | ** ''Eat Cheese And Barf!'', which is labeled as Book 4 1/2, is a parody of both ''Literature/SayCheeseAndDie'' and ''Literature/MonsterBlood'', concerning a cottage cheese monster and vast amounts of ToiletHumour. |
| 223 | * AlwaysSomeoneBetter: A lot of the Goosebumps stories usually have the antagonist as someone who is better than the protagonist at almost everything. (ex: Judith in ''Literature/BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor'', Sari in ''Literature/TheCurseOfTheMummysTomb''/''Literature/ReturnOfTheMummy'', Courtney in ''Literature/YouCantScareMe'', Wilson in ''Literature/HowILearnedToFly''). |
| 224 | * AndIMustScream: Often the nasty implications of the {{Cruel Twist Ending}}s, but the biggest examples would have to be [[Literature/TalesToGiveYouGoosebumps Mike getting frozen in place and put in a museum]], [[Literature/LetsGetInvisible people getting phased into another dimension forever after using the invisibility mirror too much while their counterparts take over their life]] and [[Literature/TheHauntedSchool The Class of 1947 getting trapped in Greyworld, a place where you don't age and lose all your color]]. |
| 225 | * AnnoyingYoungerSibling: So many, that it has it's own [[AnnoyingYoungerSibling/{{Goosebumps}} page]]. Really, it would be easier to list the siblings who ''don't'' fall under this trope, but notable examples include Letty in ''Literature/LetsGetInvisible'', Luke in ''Literature/OneDayAtHorrorLand'', Ginny in ''Literature/BadHareDay'' and Ernie in ''Literature/DrManiacWillSeeYouNow'', with the most infamous example being [[TheSociopath Tara]] in ''Literature/TheCuckooClockOfDoom''. |
| 226 | * AntiVillain: Quite a few of the villains, such as [[Literature/WelcomeToDeadHouse the Dark Falls Residents]], [[Literature/StayOutOfTheBasement Dr. Brewer]], [[Literature/SayCheeseAndDie Spidey]] and [[Literature/TheCurseOfCampColdLake Della]] have relatively sympathetic motivations. |
| 227 | * ArtShift: The Goosebumps Graphix books (adaptations of several original series books into Comic Book form) all have varying art styles thanks to the different artists, including Literature/TheWerewolfOfFeverSwamp having a style similar to Creator/DCComics, Literature/TheScarecrowWalksAtMidnight having a far more detailed and realistic looking art style, Literature/TheAbominableSnowmanOfPasadena and Literature/TheHorrorAtCampJellyjam being far more cartoonish in style, etc. |
| 228 | * AssholeVictim: Quite a few jerks end up on the receiving end of the villains' actions, starting with the Beymer twins in ''Literature/MonsterBlood''. Also applies when the villains get their well-deserved comeuppance, such as the ManBehindTheMan in the same book. |
| 229 | * AttackOfTheKillerWhatever: Some of the monsters include [[Literature/RevengeOfTheLawnGnomes Lawn Gnomes]], a [[Literature/GoEatWorms giant worm]], and a [[Literature/ItCameFromBeneathTheSink sponge]]. |
| 230 | * BadassAdorable: Any protagonist who learns to fight back will be this to some degree, with Billy from ''Literature/WelcomeToCampNightmare'' being one of the first. |
| 231 | * BigBrotherBully: Repeatedly, with Micah Brill of ''Literature/RevengeRUs'' as one of the worst examples, though Matt's brother and sister in ''Literature/DontGoToSleep'' are also up there. |
| 232 | * BlessedWithSuck: A lot of the books start with the protagonist finding some kind of supremely powerful magical object that is awesome for about five minutes before terrible things start to happen, such as ''Literature/MonsterBlood'' and the invisibility mirror in ''Literature/LetsGetInvisible''. |
| 233 | * BlueAndOrangeMorality: Most of the monsters and creatures legitimately don't see anything wrong with their bizarre, horrifying antics. This makes the protagonists' situation even worse since it's nigh impossible to reason with them. |
| 234 | * {{Bowdlerise}}: Some of the reprints of the original series have removed elements that have not aged well, such as Slappy's more abusive moments. |
| 235 | * TheBully: There are quite a few of them, starting with the Beymer twins in ''Literature/MonsterBlood''; Conan Barber, who appears in the three sequels, is even worse. |
| 236 | * ButtMonkey: Many ''Goosebumps'' protagonists have lives miserable enough to qualify them as this. Special mentions go to Gary from ''Literature/WhyImAfraidOfBees'', Ricky from ''Literature/CallingAllCreeps'', Matt from ''Literature/DontGoToSleep'', Samantha from ''Literature/BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor'', Sarah from ''Literature/TheCurseOfCampColdLake'', Crystal and Cole from ''Literature/ChickenChicken'', Richard from ''Literature/DrManiacWillSeeYouNow'' and Evan from the ''Literature/MonsterBlood'' series. |
| 237 | * CaptainObvious: |
| 238 | ** A lot of chapters tend to end with a dramatic statement that is obvious to the reader. |
| 239 | ** The TagLine for ''Literature/AttackOfTheMutant'' is "He's not a superhero, He's a supervillain!" Well duh! A ''horror'' story about a super''hero'' wouldn't be very scary. |
| 240 | * CatScare: This happens at least once per book, though it's sometimes subverted. One of the most frequent examples has a character (usually the parents) claiming to believe the protagonist about what's happening, or even to be in on it themselves, only for the next chapter to immediately reveal that they were just joking, much to the protagonist's chagrin. |
| 241 | * CatsAreMean: Many books and stories, like "[[Literature/MoreTalesToGiveYouGoosebumps The Cat's Tale]]", ''Literature/CryOfTheCat'', ''[[Literature/GoosebumpsHorrorLand Claws]]'' and ''[[Literature/GiveYourselfGoosebumps Night of a Thousand Claws]]'' have supernatural, evil cats as the villains. Normal cats are usually depicted as lazy and mean towards the protagonists (Bonkers from ''Literature/PianoLessonsCanBeMurder'' being especially nasty). Stine himself said in an interview: "I've always been a dog person. You can tell I don't like cats -- because I've written so many books about evil cats. It's much harder to imagine an evil dog." |
| 242 | * ChekhovsGun: Used in some books, but oddly subverted in some others, with some seemingly important things being given a lot of detail, such as Lucy's friend in ''Literature/TheGirlWhoCriedMonster'' having some fictional Frisbee-like toy which is given several pages of description, leading the reader to believe it will be somehow important to fighting the monster, only for it to never be brought up again. Whether this is deliberate or just bad writing is anyone's guess. |
| 243 | * ChekhovsHobby: A common thing in some of the books is that a character will have some sort of quirk that becomes important later, such as Luke's pinching habit in ''Literature/OneDayAtHorrorLand''. |
| 244 | * TheChewToy: Fairly common in the series, which had several protagonists that get beaten up by bullies a lot and whose misery is at least partly treated as a source of amusement for the reader -- such as Gary in ''Literature/WhyImAfraidOfBees'' and Michael in ''Literature/TheCuckooClockOfDoom''. A later example is Ian in ''Literature/SlappyBirthdayToYou'', who's regularly subject to violence from his cousins and younger sister. |
| 245 | * ChildEater: Some of the villains try to outright devour the main character, as in ''Literature/TheGirlWhoCriedMonster''. Some succeed in eating other kids offscreen [[spoiler: as with [[Literature/TheHorrorAtCampJellyjam King Jellyjam]]]]. |
| 246 | * ChildHater: Several books have these, usually old and cranky neighbors. The postman in ''Literature/TheGhostNextDoor'' is a particularly vicious example, as he chases kids with a loaded shotgun in the original. |
| 247 | * CompetitionFreak: A recurring character trait and the people with it tend to be rivals of or annoyances to the main character. Sari from ''Literature/TheCurseOfTheMummysTomb'' is one of the earliest examples. |
| 248 | * CoversAlwaysLie: This could be a big problem, as noted above. |
| 249 | * CrapsackWorld: The series as a whole qualifies if you believe it's set in one universe. Apathetic adults, over-the-top bullies, murderous madmen, dangerous monsters... one wonders how these kids are going to grow up, ''if they survive their childhood''. |
| 250 | * CruelTwistEnding: Used every so often, with the hero seemingly having things turn out good for them and then things going ugly again. |
| 251 | * CryingWolf: Many books include protagonists who are pranksters and then encounter an actual threat that nobody believes them about. |
| 252 | * DarkerAndEdgier: ''Literature/WelcomeToDeadHouse'', ''Literature/StayOutOfTheBasement'', ''Literature/ANightInTerrorTower'', ''Literature/TheHeadlessGhost'' and ''Literature/ILiveInYourBasement'' are exceptionally [[LudicrousGibs scarier and gorier]] than the rest of the original series. |
| 253 | * DarkIsNotEvil: Often, the supposed "monster" of the story turns out to be rather benevolent, while the true villains are [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters just sick, amoral people]]. |
| 254 | * DefangedHorrors: The series can be scary, but is overall fine for children. |
| 255 | * DenserAndWackier: The later entries in the original series tended to take this tone more and more, with a few exceptions. |
| 256 | * DownerEnding: Used in more than one book, all the way back to ''Literature/WelcomeToDeadHouse'' with the implication that not all of the Dark Falls residents are gone. |
| 257 | * EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first 20 or so novels feel very subdued compared with later entries. There are scares and supernatural elements, but Stine typically spends a good amount of time establishing character and atmosphere before moving on to the horror. Because of this, some of the early books (notably ''Literature/TheCurseOfTheMummysTomb'' and ''Literature/WelcomeToCampNightmare'') are uncharacteristically long (130+ pages, as opposed to the average of 110-120). |
| 258 | ** Several of the early books were written in limited third-person narration, including books [[Literature/StayOutOfTheBasement 2]], [[Literature/MonsterBlood 3]], [[Literature/SayCheeseAndDie 4]], [[Literature/NightOfTheLivingDummy 7]], [[Literature/TheGhostNextDoor 10]] and [[Literature/TheHauntedMask 11]]. Most (though not all) books after this point were written in first-person narration, similar to the first book in the series. |
| 259 | * EarnYourHappyEnding: Some of the books do end with legitimate happy endings, such as ''Literature/ANightInTerrorTower'' and ''Literature/BewareTheSnowman''. |
| 260 | * EvilDetectingDog: More than a few canines are shown to sense evil, especially ghosts and other undead. It's a plot point as early as ''Literature/WelcomeToDeadHouse''. |
| 261 | * ExtrudedBookProduct: After a while, the series turned into this; it is possible that to keep up with the demand for more and more new ''Goosebumps'' books, R.L. Stine started working with ghostwriters to keep the new releases coming. Considering that a new title was published ''monthly'' and that Stine pumped out several other book series as well, this was almost inevitable. |
| 262 | ** However, in a [[https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1p32dl/im_rl_stine_and_its_my_job_to_terrify_kids_ask_me/ccy88rw Reddit Q&A]], R.L. Stine asserts that he wrote every single ''Goosebumps'' book. Although some of the spinoffs such as a couple of the ''Literature/TalesToGiveYouGoosebumps'' stories have been confirmed to be ghost-written. |
| 263 | * FateWorseThanDeath: Often the implication (overt or covert) of the TwistEnding. |
| 264 | * FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: Several sibling pairs fit this, going back to Josh and Amanda in ''Literature/WelcomeToDeadHouse''. |
| 265 | * ForegoneConclusion: Subverted. It seems clear that if the book is told in first-person, then the protagonist must make it out okay, but that's not always the case. |
| 266 | * GeorgeLucasAlteredVersion: The ''Classic Goosebumps'' reprints and later the e-books made changes to update/remove some of the technology and pop culture references, such as deleting a reference to a VCR in ''Literature/PhantomOfTheAuditorium''. |
| 267 | * GenderBlenderName: Far too many to count, perhaps to assist with the PurelyAestheticGender. |
| 268 | * GenreAnthology: The ''Literature/TalesToGiveYouGoosebumps'' short-story books, the ''[[Literature/GoosebumpsTripleHeaderBookOne Triple]] [[Literature/GoosebumpsTripleHeaderBookTwo Header]]'' novellas, and the [[Series/Goosebumps1995 original TV show]]. |
| 269 | * GhostlyGoals: Every ghost in the series has their mission, be it to find someone who can be their friend in death, or to carry out some unfinished business. |
| 270 | * GreyAndGrayMorality: Surprisingly. Quite a few of the protagonists ([[Literature/MonsterBlood Evan]], [[Literature/TheCurseOfCampColdLake Sarah]], [[Literature/SayCheeseAndDie Greg]], [[Literature/GoEatWorms Todd]], etc.) can be insufferably selfish assholes, while some of the monsters and antagonists have sympathetic motivations for their evil. |
| 271 | * HandWaved: ''Frequent'', usually because having preadolescent heroes means often ignoring basic common sense provisions so that they can get into the required dangerous situations. A great example is ''Literature/WhyImAfraidOfBees''; you'd think an 11-year-old kid would need parental consent to be the subject of a strange medical experiment like that. Also why there's no money involved. |
| 272 | * HateSink: More often than not, the human side characters prove to be ''far'' more despicable than any of the monsters or supernatural entities. You can't exactly hate lonely ghosts and inhuman creatures. Greedy and stupid adults or sadistic children, on the other hand... |
| 273 | * HereWeGoAgain: A great many of the twist endings and up with another monster or other threat turning up. |
| 274 | * HorrorComedy: The books are often a combination of scary and goofy at the same time. Although in some cases this is more due to {{Narm}} than a deliberate stylistic choice. However, Stine has mentioned his intention with the series for it to be usually both funny and scary at the same time. |
| 275 | * HorrorDoesntSettleForSimpleTuesday: There have been several stories set around various holidays, such as [[Literature/HowILearnedToFly Valentine's Day]], [[Literature/EggMonstersFromMars Easter]], Halloween (with ''Literature/TheHauntedMask'' as the first) and [[Literature/GoosebumpsHorrorLand Christmas]]. |
| 276 | * HumansAreTheRealMonsters: A surprisingly recurring theme, with ''Literature/SayCheeseAndDie'' and both ''Literature/DeepTrouble'' and ''Literature/DeepTroubleII'' as just a few examples of books where the human villain is either responsible for or a worse threat than the supernatural element. |
| 277 | * {{Jerkass}}: A good number of these types of characters can be found in pretty much all these books. Special mention goes to [[SadistTeacher Mr. Saur]] from ''Literature/SayCheeseAndDieAgain'', [[LackOfEmpathy Larry]] from ''Literature/WelcomeToCampNightmare'', [[AlphaBitch Judith]] from ''Literature/BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor'', [[JerkJock Conan]] and [[MadScientist Kermit]] from the ''Literature/MonsterBlood'' series, [[AssholeVictim Todd]] from ''Literature/GoEatWorms'', [[BigBrotherBully Mickey]] from ''Literature/TheBarkingGhost'', [[ThoseTwoGuys Chuck and Steve]] from ''Literature/TheHauntedMask'' series, and practically ''[[WorldOfJerkass everyone]]'' who isn't Ricky or Iris in ''Literature/CallingAllCreeps'', most notoriously [[GangOfBullies Wart, Jared, David, and Brenda]]. |
| 278 | * JerkassHasAPoint: Oftentimes, when the protagonist first discovers whatever paranormal thing is going on in the book, he tells someone, (usually a teacher) who just blows him off, and we are meant to see them as a jerk for doing this, even though in the vast majority of cases their only evidence is their unverifiable say so, meaning ''most'' people who aren't SuperGullible would be skeptical. |
| 279 | * KarmicTwistEnding: A recurring trope in the series. For instance, ''Literature/TheCuckooClockOfDoom'' ends with the book's most unpleasant character being [[RetGone wiped from existence]]. |
| 280 | * KidHero: Unfortunately, the protagonists don't always aspire to this. The closest examples are probably Hannah from ''Literature/TheGhostNextDoor'', Skipper from ''Literature/AttackOfTheMutant'', and both Billies from ''Literature/WelcomeToCampNightmare'' and ''Literature/DeepTrouble''. |
| 281 | * KidsAreCruel: Oh, so many. Several books contain bullies the same age as the main character (most of whom are 12 years of age) who display absolutely no redeeming qualities and are defined solely for their nasty, bullying ways. |
| 282 | * LackOfEmpathy: Many of the parents and adults, but special nods go towards [[Literature/TheCuckooClockOfDoom Tara Webster]], [[Literature/HeadlessHalloween Brandon Plush]], [[Literature/SayCheeseAndDieAgain Mr. Saur]], [[Literature/MonsterBloodII Conan]], [[Literature/RevengeRUs Micah]], [[Literature/BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor Judith]], the counselors at [[Literature/WelcomeToCampNightmare Camp Nightmoon]], and the [[Literature/OneDayAtHorrorLand HorrorLand Horrors]]. |
| 283 | * MadScientist: Almost too many to count. Often the mad scientist (or some sort of researcher who, if not specifically "Mad", is at least a jerk who does his job due to promises of money and prestige) will prove to be the ''real'' villain of the story instead of the comparably harmless "monster". |
| 284 | * MandatoryTwistEnding: The series does this to the point where the twist endings became played out after a while. Stine once said in an interview that he'd always write the ending first and then go back and think of twists later. |
| 285 | * NegativeContinuity: Most of the sequels ignore the twist endings of the previous books, and sometimes other plot elements. |
| 286 | * {{Nephewism}}: It's very common for the books to feature a visit to aunts/uncles with little or no mention of parents (with Evan Ross of ''Literature/MonsterBlood'' being the first), or an orphaned protagonist that lives with an aunt/uncle (such as Jaclyn from ''Literature/BewareTheSnowman''). |
| 287 | * NeverTrustATitle: Often, the eponymous ghost/monster/whatever isn't the real enemy. |
| 288 | * NewHouseNewProblems: A common setup for the books, all the way back to [[Literature/WelcomeToDeadHouse the very first one]], is the protagonist moving to a new house, only for it to contain some sort of evil. |
| 289 | * NiceGuy: Although there's a Jerkass in almost every book, the protagonists are surprisingly reallt nice and friendly for their ages. Special mentions go out to [[Literature/{{TheHauntedMask}} Carly Beth Caldwell]], [[Literature/{{WelcomeToCampNightmare}} Billy Harlan]], [[Literature/{{ANightInTerrorTower}} Eddie Morgan]] and ([[JerkWithAHeartOfGold debatably]]) [[Literature/{{TheCuckooClockOfDoom}} Michael Webster]] and [[Literature/{{SayCheeseAndDie}} Greg Banks]]. |
| 290 | * NonMaliciousMonster: Most of the various ghosts in the stories turn out to be this, but [[FriendlyGhost friendly]]. |
| 291 | * OurMonstersAreWeird: And ''how''. From [[Literature/TheGirlWhoCriedMonster shapeshifting creatures]] to [[Literature/TheBlobThatAteEveryone a giant man-eating blob monster]] to a [[Literature/ItCameFromBeneathTheSink sponge that causes bad luck]], many of the monsters are decidedly strange. |
| 292 | * ParanormalMundaneItem: The books contain ''lots'' of those, with the camera in ''Literature/SayCheeseAndDie'' being one of the first. |
| 293 | * ParentalFavoritism: Seen to sickening effect in some of the books, with ''Literature/TheCuckooClockOfDoom'' being one of the worst. |
| 294 | * ParentalNeglect: More than a few protagonists suffer from this; [[Literature/MonsterBlood Evan Ross]] is one of the worst cases, basically being abandoned to the care of other relatives in all but his second book. |
| 295 | * PlatonicBoyGirlHeroes: Even when the boy and girl heroes aren't best friends, a boy and girl are often grouped to enforce this trope. Sometimes the boy and girl don't get along that well. |
| 296 | * PlatonicLifePartners: The series features ''many'' storylines where the main characters are a boy and girl who are best friends who are inseparable but have absolutely no romantic interest in each other. A few of them even use ShesNotMyGirlfriend and ''mean'' it. As most of the characters are children who aren't thinking about romance in the first place, this is [[JustifiedTrope Justified]]. Completely averted in ''Literature/HowILearnedToFly''. |
| 297 | * ThePrankster: Many characters often venture towards this, more likely the [[AnnoyingYoungerSibling Annoying Younger Siblings]], [[BigBrotherBully the older siblings]], and [[VitriolicBestBuds even some of the protagonists' friends]]. |
| 298 | * ProsceniumReveal: It happens sometimes for an opening fake-out, such as in Series 2000s ''Literature/ScreamSchool''. |
| 299 | * PseudoCrisis: At the end of nearly every chapter. |
| 300 | * PuppyLove: The books almost always featured a [[PlatonicLifePartners strictly platonic Boy-Girl hero setup]] without any consideration of potential romance between the two, which makes sense given their age or that they were sometimes siblings. There are a few exceptions, though. |
| 301 | * RandomEventsPlot: Quite a few of the stories, such as ''Literature/LegendOfTheLostLegend'' and ''Literature/TheBeastFromTheEast'' largely consist of a bunch of weird set pieces loosely tied together. |
| 302 | * RedHerring: A frequent occurrence is the books' twist endings rendering what the characters had believed most of the time to be the cause of the strange events to be completely irrelevant. |
| 303 | * ReedRichardsIsUseless: This comes up quite a lot, given a lot of the stories about science gone wrong. |
| 304 | * ReligiousHorror: Largely avoided; while the series has more than its share of supernatural events, organized religion is typically not involved or even mentioned. Plenty of ghosts and vampires but no killer nuns or demons from H-e-double-toothpicks. Stories in the franchise that deal with Christmas likewise stick to its secular aspects. |
| 305 | ** Characters’ religious identities are usually not explicitly stated either, although for some characters, one could possibly hazard a guess based on their names. |
| 306 | * ShamSupernatural: In several books such as ''Literature/AttackOfTheJackOLanterns'', ''Literature/ScreamSchool'', and ''Literature/YouCantScareMe'' the supernatural creatures end up being fakes, or at least not the type of supernatural creatures that the protagonists ''thought'' they were. |
| 307 | * ShoutOut: Some of the titles are blatant movie and TV references, such as ''[[Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968 Night of the Living Dummy]]'', ''[[Franchise/ThePhantomOfTheOpera Phantom of the Auditorium]]'' and ''[[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet A Shocker on Shock Street]]''. The second ''[=HorrorLand=]'' arc contains ''[[Theatre/LittleShopOfHorrors Little Shop of Hamsters]]''. The "Most Wanted" series' third book is ''[[Series/HowIMetYourMother How I Met My Monster]]''. |
| 308 | * SlidingScaleOfComedyAndHorror: Varies a lot between books. Some are pretty far toward the comedy end (''Literature/AttackOfTheMutant'' being a good example) while others are rather dark and have few funny moments (''Literature/TheCurseOfTheMummysTomb'' probably being the darkest.) |
| 309 | * SlidingScaleofIdealismVsCynicism: Very much on the cynical side. Most of, if not all of the books end with {{Cruel Twist Ending}}s. Every book has at least one {{Jerkass}} character with almost no redeeming qualities at all. The protagonists themselves can be [[ButtMonkey miserable]] {{StrawLoser}}s on their best days and {{Designated Hero}}es on their worst. Whenever a protagonist has an [[BigBrotherBully older]] or [[AnnoyingYoungerSibling younger]] sibling, said sibling is often an obnoxious jerk or brat towards them. [[AdultsAreUseless The adults are idiots]] who often favor the older or younger siblings over [[TheUnfavorite the protagonist]]. If they aren't a villain, almost anyone who does something bad is always a KarmaHoudini. |
| 310 | * SummerCampy: Close to a dozen books and short stories are set at summer camps where things go rather strange, with ''Literature/WelcomeToCampNightmare'' being the first and ''Literature/CreatureTeacherTheFinalExam'' being the most recent as of 2021. |
| 311 | * SurprisinglyHappyEnding: This occasionally happens, with some twists rendering the entire story happier (or, in the case of ''Literature/TheGhostNextDoor'', [[BittersweetEnding bittersweet]]) in hindsight. There are also times where the ending is the result of a TomatoSurprise, resulting in an EsotericHappyEnding with intentional ProtagonistCenteredMorality in play. |
| 312 | * TakeOverTheWorld: Some of the series' villains, going back to the titular villain in ''Literature/AttackOfTheMutant'', have this as their goal. |
| 313 | * TeensAreMonsters: With a few exceptions, teenagers have usually been portrayed as completely condescending or just downright nasty KickTheDog bullies to the main characters and their friends (who are almost always 11-12 in the novels), which could make sense since they most often the older siblings of the protagonist and being portrayed through the younger kid's most likely somewhat biased point-of-view. |
| 314 | * ThisLoserIsYou: Goosebumps protagonists tended to be nonathletic, dorky, social outcast bully magnets. Very rarely, if ever, was the protagonist of a book tough or popular. Steve Boswell from ''Literature/TheHauntedMaskII'' is an exception as he was the main bully in the first book. |
| 315 | * TitleDrop: [[TitleDrop/{{Goosebumps}} Some happen]] in the individual books but Slappy does for the whole franchise in [[spoiler: the very end of ''[[Literature/GoosebumpsHorrorLand The Streets of Panic Park]]'']]. He also drops the name of ''Slappyworld'' in the first entry. |
| 316 | * TomatoInTheMirror: More than a few protagonists find out they aren't human in the climaxes. [[spoiler: ''Literature/MyHairiestAdventure'' is rather infamous for its reveal that the main character was originally a dog before being made human, and the whole plot was about the transformation wearing off.]] |
| 317 | * TomatoSurprise: Multiple works end with the reader finding out the main character was a monster or alien of some kind the whole time, such as [[spoiler: ''Literature/WelcomeToCampNightmare'' and ''Literature/MyBestFriendIsInvisible'']]. |
| 318 | * {{Troperiffic}}: Inevitable, considering how long it's run. |
| 319 | * TwistEnding: Usually on the last page, maybe even the last paragraph, of almost every book. Many variations, including TomatoInTheMirror, HereWeGoAgain, DeadAllAlong, TheBadGuyWins, FromBadToWorse, and the occasional KarmicTwistEnding. Many of them were also {{Cruel Twist Ending}}s. |
| 320 | * UndeadChild: Just about ''every single ghost story'' has these. |
| 321 | * TheUnfavorite: A number of the protagonists suffered from this when compared to their sibling or siblings, most of whom were pretty rotten. Notable examples include Wade from ''Literature/RevengeRUs'', Matt from ''Literature/DontGoToSleep'', Dana from ''Literature/EggMonstersFromMars'', Amy from ''Literature/NightOfTheLivingDummyII'' and most infamously, Michael Webster from ''Literature/TheCuckooClockOfDoom''. |
| 322 | * UntranslatedTitle: When four of the most popular books were re-released in Sweden in 2015, the series was called ''Goosebumps'', just like the movie released the same year. |
| 323 | * VillainBasedFranchise: With Slappy, especially with the ''[=SlappyWorld=]'' series. |
| 324 | * WerewolvesAreDogs: One of the early books has a wolf that turns out to be good in the end and plays fetch with the main characters. |
| 325 | * WhamLine: A lot of the twist endings are presented in this manner; doubly so if it's the last sentence of the book. |
| 326 | * WhatCliffhanger: Practically every other chapter. |
| 327 | * WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong: This verbatim quote, and numerous variations of it, is often uttered by characters who are about to do a task that usually will end in disastrous results later on. |
| 328 | * WithFriendsLikeThese: Given that a lot of the protagonists are {{Straw Loser}}s, often enough their friends turn out to be total dicks who will sell them out, turn on them, or abandon them in their time of need. |
| 329 | * WorldOfJerkass: Every book has at least one jerk. But the one that fits this trope the best out of all of them is easily ''Literature/CallingAllCreeps'', in which everyone, except Ricky and Iris, is an asshole. |
| 330 | * WouldHurtAChild: By the protagonists always being kids or preteens, nearly all the villains are perfectly willing to harm children -- some even make them their primary targets. |
| 331 | * YouHaveToBelieveMe: A ''very'' common staple of the series is the protagonist discovering the book's main villainous threat, telling people, and having them dismiss them. One of the short stories is even called "[[Literature/MoreTalesToGiveYouGoosebumps You Gotta Believe Me!]]" |
| 332 | |
| 333 | [[/folder]] |
| 334 | |
| 335 | [[folder:''Series 2000'' -- In general]] |
| 336 | |
| 337 | * BloodierAndGorier: The ''Series 2000'' books were a bit more brutal in terms of violence and horror. |
| 338 | * DarkerAndEdgier: The ''Series 2000'' books were marketed as having more scares than the original books, which basically amounted to more violence depicted, more grotesque imagery, and for some reason, a ''lot'' of vomit scenes. This was done to appeal to the 12-year-olds that stopped reading ''Goosebumps'' as they grew older. |
| 339 | * {{Mundanger}}: It's ''very'' rare to encounter a ''Goosebumps'' book that doesn't feature fantasy or supernatural elements. The ''Series 2000'' books ''Literature/AreYouTerrifiedYet'' and ''Literature/ScreamSchool'' are among the few that qualify. |
| 340 | * NonindicativeName: You'd expect ''Series 2000'' to start at the turn of the millennium, right? Well, it debuted at the start of 1998 and ironically ended at the start of 2000. |
| 341 | * QuestioningTitle: Series 2000's ''Literature/AreYouTerrifiedYet'' |
| 342 | * RevengeOfTheSequel: Nearly all of the sequels in this series use stock titles of this type -- ''Literature/BrideOfTheLivingDummy'', ''Literature/ReturnToHorrorLand'' and ''Literature/ReturnToGhostCamp'' -- rather than numbering them. |
| 343 | * VomitIndiscretionShot: The ''Series 2000'' series ''loved'' this trope. Almost every book had a graphic description of someone puking. ''Literature/IAmYourEvilTwin'' even had puking as a plot point. |
| 344 | |
| 345 | [[/folder]] |
| 346 | |
| 347 | [[folder:''Most Wanted'' -- In general]] |
| 348 | |
| 349 | * CoversAlwaysLie: The ''Most Wanted'' series falls victim to this a lot. It's hard to believe their claim of the series contains the "most wanted" monsters when they are often not the ones depicted on the cover. |
| 350 | |
| 351 | [[/folder]] |
| 352 |
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