The Second half of my Goosebumps official ranking, starting with the almost great and counting down to the best.

 

26. Egg Monsters From Mars

Egg Monsters from Mars had a really interesting thing going, but it never quite got all the way there. It also features one of the more disturbing endings in the Goosebumps canon. For this photo I got to buy a giant toy egg that I could then give to my friend’s kids. It was filled with dinosaurs and it worked out perfectly.

 

25. Ghost Camp

Ghost Camp had a pretty strong good thing going, but the ending was a cop out. That will be a recurring complaint at this point in the list. I tried to orchestrate a camping trip for this photo but I couldn’t make it happen and settled for a stock background. It came out pretty good, though.

 

24. Attack of the Jack-O’-Lanterns

Attack of the Jack-O’-Lanterns was a really fun premise, and it would have been hire if its twist ending didn’t rely on the main characters withholding key information. I think it’s one of my least favorite plotting tricks that Stine uses from time to time. The photo isn’t my best, but it came out fine. Any excuse to bust out the Halloween decorations early.

 

23. The Werewolf of Fever Swamp

The Werewolf of Fever Swamp had all of the right elements; great setting and compelling characters. It’s almost like it chose the wrong narrative to navigate through the story. I was left wanting more at the end. For this photo I biked to Prospect Park,  and in broad daylight I donned a wig and werewolf hands, and did the solo.

 

22. The Cuckoo Clock of Doom

The Cuckoo Clock of Doom was really fun. The only thing that held it back from it being great was the mechanics. It’s a book about time travel where there is no consistency or logic to how the time travel works. This could have been easily remedied by establishing a few ground rules, but that’s not what we got here. For the photo, I got to use my actual cuckoo clock. Our tiny bird barely shows up on camera though, and pales in comparison to the terrifying monstrosity that Tim Jacobus depicted on the cover.

 

21. Ghost Beach

Ghost Beach was a childhood favorite, and I was a little disappointed that it didn’t live up how I remembered. This was another one that had a ton of great elements but didn’t quite live up to its potential. Photo was shot in Vermont in the summer of 2020, shortly before I ruined my wig with worms.

 

20. I Live in Your Basement!

I Live in Your Basement was RL Stine’s attempt at emulating David Lynch. I’m not sure that’s what he was going for, but that’s what came across. I really liked this one, but the ending fell short. I had to use a stock photo for the background in this one, but I’ll take any excuse to photoshop glowing red eyes onto a picture of me in a wig.

 

19. The Curse of Camp Cold Lake

The Curse of Camp Cold Lake is probably my most frustrating book to rank on this list. Up until the final pages I was convinced it was going to be in my top 3, then it was all ruined by a lame twist that didn’t make any sense. This one was a real bummer for me. For the photo, I did a little homage to Camp Crystal Lake. Had my photoshop skills been up to it, I’d have loved to add ripples in the water.

 

18. Phantom of the Auditorium

Bad guys in Goosebumps books tend to make some really baffling decisions. Phantom of the Auditorium is no exception. Ultimately, it didn’t detract too much from the story. That’s because the book’s strength is in layered storytelling, with allowed it to succeed on some levels even as it falls flat on others. This photo was another collaboration with Lindsay Pacelli as the Phantom. I was still getting the hang of photoshop here.

 

17. Night of the Living Dummy III

Night of the Living Dummy III ended up being my favorite of the Living Dummy sub-franchise. Moving to a new family with each book really worked to it’s benefit, and I felt this one upped the stakes in a small but significant way. Fo the photo, I let Slappy wear the wig I ruined with worms. He was delighted.

 

16. Welcome to Dead House

Welcome to Dead House was the first Goosebumps published, and it was a strong opener. The ominous atmosphere that Stine carries throughout the book is probably the strongest feature, but I found myself wishing for a deeper sense of who the community of Dark Falls. For the photo, I din’t have a spooky house to utilize so we went for the graveyard, which is a significant setting in the book. The photo taken by my good friend Naomi Abney.

 

15. The Horror at Camp JellyJam

The Horror at Camp JellyJam is one of my favorite example of RL Stine leaning into the weird. The existence of the camp surpassed was too ridiculous to be believable in any reality, but it kept things fun. Part of me was wondering if the whole thing was just some kids fever dream from some hospital ICU. Lindsay did her best to emulate Buddy for this photo. I think she knocked it out of the park. She might just be allowed to walk the Winner’s Walk.

 

14. Let’s Get Invisible

Let’s Get Invisible was a slow burn, and one of the longest books of the series. That might be why it’s ranked fairly low on goodreads and other places. I really enjoyed the premise, and the ending was among the most disturbing that Stine has written. This was my very first photoshop job in my photo series. I wish I had a better background, but the image came out great considering my skills at the time,

 

13. The Headless Ghost

The Headless Ghost was a welcome change in format from the typical Goosebumps books, and made for a really enjoyable blend of comedy and horror. The whole terror twins bit was funny, and I thought it managed to have a good, creepy atmosphere as well. I was really proud of my photoshopping in this one, and I even made it my Facebook profile photo for a long time. I think it’s easily one of my best.

 

12. The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb

The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb was a top notch adventure story. It had some good scares and made good use of it’s setting. This book is also remarkable because its characters were all people of color. My original photo for this was just me in some gauze on my couch, so when it came time for the sequel I recruited Lindsay Pacelli to help me re-do it. I’m glad I did it.

 

11. Werewolf Skin

Werewolf Skin was a solid late entry in the Goosebumps series with a really fun premise. It was also notably longer than most books in the series, especially those that came in the latter half. I had my issues with the twist at the end, but I did not have too many complaints for this one. For this one I did not need any photoshop because I already had some werewolf skins and a suitcase full of Goosebumps books.

 

10. The Haunted Mask

The Haunted Mask is RL Stine’s favorite Goosebumps book, and it’s easy to see why. It had some great character growth and legitimate scares. I had a few issues with the climax that I wish had been stronger, but otherwise this was solid. This was another photo that I redid. My first one was uninspired, so I jumped at the chance to redo it when I reviewed The Haunted Mask II. Any excuse to photoshop my severed head, apparently.

 

9. Calling All Creeps!

Calling All Creeps really hit my sweet spot of being both incredibly dark and downright bizarre, which is what I crave in a Goosebumps book. It had a story rooted in the very real horror of bullying, and it gave us some great body horror that included four-way high-fives with lizard tongues. The only thing I found frustrating was the main characters lack of anything resembling common sense. It got irritating after awhile. The ending almost made up for it. For this photo I used an old picture I took in London, donned a lizard mask with a wig, and busted out the 1990s cell phone I haven’t been able to let go of.

 

8. How I Learned to Fly

How I Learned to Fly is Goosebumps was a unique entry in the Goosebumps series, and felt like a refreshing break from the expected. The magic was ridiculous but enjoyable, and there was a pretty strong message at the book’s core. For this photo I got to photoshop myself over a photo I took from a plane window overlooking New York City. It didn’t quite come out the way I envisioned, as I never figured out how to really capture movement.

 

7. A Night in Terror Tower

A Night in Terror Tower was the first Goosebumps book I ever read, and will always hold a special place in my heart. It was nice to see it live up to my memories. This had a good blend of adventure and terror, and I particularly loved the lost memory bit. It had it’s inconsistencies that held it back from the highest tier, but there was nothing so egregious that I was ever frustrated. This photo was also a lot of fun. I shot on location by myself in front of the actual Tower of London. I walked around with a wig in my pocket and got some strange looks. I justified having my beard by the fact that this book followed My Harriest Adventure.

 

6. Don’t Go to Sleep!

Don’t Go to Sleep! was a really fun read.  I laughed out loud at several parts of it. I appreciated the trippier elements and reality distortion. The twist at the end felt refreshing; it wasn’t so much a punchline as it was the perfect note to end on. It took me two attempts to shoot this photo because I couldn’t get the angle right on the first one. It doesn’t really fit the story, but I enjoyed giving myself glowing red eyes.

 

5. The Beast from the East

I prefer my Goosebumps to be unapologetically weird, and The Beast From The East more than delivered on that front. I enjoyed the way it was equal parts silly and scary at times. The kid characters were relatable, the beasts were quirky and unpredictable, and the magical forest setting gave the whole thing a nicely creepy and fantastical ambiance. For the photo, my husband used the same monster arms from How to Kill a Monster. That’s because we recycle, and also I was not about to pay for a whole monster suit.

 

4. The Ghost Next Door

The Ghost Next Door legit scared the shit out of me as a kid, for reasons I will not go into here because of spoilers. There were a few issues I had with some of the plot mechanics the kept me from giving it a perfect score, but it came pretty damn close. The photo was taken by Naomi Abney and was the first of my photo sub-series in which I’m haunted by my own ghost.

 

3. The Haunted School

The Haunted School might be one of the best constructed and most imaginative books in the series. I would definitely mark it among the scariest. Everything about it was unexpected. It also came right after two clunkers as I was binge reading to the end of the series, so reading a good one was a relief. As one of three books in the series to get a 5 star review, this was also a contender for the number one spot. My idea for the photo changed after I did all of the photography, with my original plan being to have a bunch of ghost versions of myself in the school hallway. After reading the book I decided to make some changes, and I’m glad I did.

 

2. One Day at Horrorland

Once Day at Horrorland was pure fun from the first chapter to the last sentence. It might not have been the scariest, but it was the best of the fantasy/adventure themed Goosebumps. It was a strong contender for the top spot and my reasons for putting it at number two are pretty arbitrary. This photo was the last one taken before the pandemic. Lindsay and I walked around Six Flags Fright Fest and struggled to get a good angled shot while trying to ignore the onlookers we attracted.

 

1. Welcome to Camp Nightmare

Welcome to Camp Nightmare is my pick for the number one spot. It was neck and neck with my other two five star ratings, but Camp Nightmare was probably the best blend of legit horror wild twists. I cannot name anything that I would change about it. For the photo I have to give special thanks to my friend Kevin for setting up the tent and Naomi for taking the picture.

 

 

 

Honorable Mention: The Beast.

The Beast could have easily been a contender for the top spot. For a book that was written as a one-off promotion for a roller coaster in Ohio, The Beast is way better than one might expect. I’ve come to think of The Beast and its sequel as the lost books of the original Goosebumps series. I mean, it certainly reads like a Goosebumps book, it was published at the height of Goosebumps fame in 1994, and it even features a cover by Tim Jacobus. It’s a real shame it’s been overlooked among Stine’s body of work because it would easily rank among the best.