It’s the Last Saturday of September!
Is everyone ready for a marathon of horror books in October?
Let’s get started with a popular book series that is sure to give you goosebumps (pun intended).
Readers beware! You’re in for a scare!
I’d be stunned to hear about a child who hasn’t heard about this series. The Goosebumps book covers you see above are the book covers I grew up seeing at libraries and bookstores. Book companies change the cover art on older book series to make them seem more current, but I prefer the originals. Goosebumps has many spin-off series, but I’m just going to talk about the original series. Which, in my opinion, are the best.
My favorite part about the Goosebumps stories is that the parents are never involved. They’re either not there, don’t believe the kid, are the problem, or are completely useless. The thing I loved most about these books is that they never had an ending. They always left you hanging.
I watched an interview with R.L. Stine, or as he’s been referred to as the “Stephen King of children’s literature,” on a Goosebumps DVD. It had a lot of great information about the author and the whole series. Apparently, he wrote all of the Goosebumps books on an old typewriter using just one finger. If you want to learn more about R.L. Stine, check out his biography.
That’s right, people! The great R.L. Stine originates from Ohio! This proves that the greatest people come from Ohio. Yay Ohio!
The terror doesn’t end with the books. When I was a kid, every October on Cartoon Network, they would have marathons of the TV show based on the books. I looked forward to it every year. I was scared of most stuff as a kid, but this show was just the right amount of spooky that I was able to handle it. It was mainly because the special effects looked so fake, but to me, that’s what made it great. The show is now available on Netflix for anyone interested.
I wish someone had made this movie sooner. I’ they wanted to wait for special effects to get better. I also wish R.L. Stine had played himself in the movie. Jack Black played the part well, but still. R.L. Stine did make a cameo at the end of the movie. He pulled a Stan Lee. Ha ha!
I’m posting about this series now because Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween is coming to theaters on October 12. This movie takes place years after the first one, and the R.L. Stine house has been abandoned. We’re getting a new cast of characters, and Jack Black will return as R.L. Stine. I’m hoping the real R.L. Stine will make another cameo.
This week’s Weird but True Fact about R.L. Stine
Each book in R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series took about eight days to write. (I’m not sure I believe this one)