The Top 10 Goosebumps Episodes
With Halloween right around the corner, just about everyone is feeling that spooky feeling that comes at the dawn of each October. Usually, the traditional Halloween celebrations include the decor and mood that precede the final day – that night where nearly every American child goes outdoors to seek out a bucket of candy. Those who love Halloween almost always settle down for some form of chilling entertainment, whether it be the colloquial slasher movie or the odd TV series. One of these shows is Goosebumps, the notoriously cheesy guilty-pleasure show that premiered in 1995. From its unmistakable intro to its cheesy screams, Goosebumps emerged as a driving force as one of the most popular kid’s TV shows. Rather than have you watch every last episode of Goosebumps, I’ve prepared a list of the ten best episodes of the show – perfect fodder for candy corn munching through the late night.
- Attack of the Jack O’Lanterns
The first entry on the list is the epitome of that creepy but fun feeling – it takes everything about the month of October and crams it down into that 30 minute time slot. It’s a nice and simple episode that does well to get that crisp fall feeling quickstarted.
- One Day at Horrorland (Pts. 1&2)
‘One Day’ is funny, surprising, and full of twists. While it’s not as perfect in the atmosphere it delivers, it is a decent display of the strangeness that emanates from executive producer and writer R.L. Stine’s mind. Go ahead and meet the monsters in this thrilling ride.
- Night of the Living Dummy II
Ohhhh, Slappy. Any fan of the ‘Goosebumps’ series is surely familiar with the titular ventriloquist’s doll, known only as Slappy. Slappy’s domineering re-vengeance is a catapult for his fright, and he makes a great center of this solid episode. Full of scares and other thrills, this was a cool episode.
- Click
While of course by now this episode is a massive cliche, Click delivers in more ways than one. The scenarios that are born from the ability to pause anything are exceptionally interesting, but they are delivered in a less scary way than they could be. The resolution of this episode is also somewhat anticlimactic, but it’s still a fun practice of “what-if.”
- Stay Out of the Basement
‘Stay Out’ makes the viewer jump, sigh, and become incredibly exasperated. It is an example of refined horror created from Stine’s stories, and done well in the visual medium. While the resolution is somewhat predictable, this is a remarkable episode that is well worth your time.
- Chillogy
This is the ‘epic’ of Goosebump’s television history. It puts sports into a hellish landscape coupled with a mystery not found in other episodes. This is a very long tale that chronicles several characters and is highly entertaining- the perfect episode to bunker down to.
- Shocker on Shock Street
Perhaps the best example of doom, dread, and that fall-winter feeling is found in ‘Shocker’, the 1997 Goosebumps episode that makes work of a beautifully creepy atmosphere. There’s not a ton of substance in this one, but the cinematography and feeling that emanates from its core is the strongest of the entire series.
- The Haunted House Game
This episode is impeccably fun and tones down the scare factor in a trade off for a hyperactive games’ show, which turns out quite well. Especially present is the groovy feeling of the 90s, which turns this episode into more of a period piece than it was meant to be – only a positive in my eyes.
- Don’t Go to Sleep
If we are going to mention the 90s, then ‘Don’t Go to Sleep’ takes the cake for king of the era. This episode really isn’t scary at all, and truly has nothing to do with Halloween, but its usage of themes from the 90s creates a vibrant vibe that is unlike any other episode in the series.
- Perfect School (Pts. 1&2)
‘Perfect School’ is Goosebump’s anthem: it contains equal parts scare and adventure, with humor layered in. This piece functions more as a kids version of an X-files episode, and its content is fascinating but still maintains that typical Goosebumpian charm. While it may not have been Stine’s best book, it certainly serves to be the best episode he ever produced.