The 12 Scariest Goosebumps Episodes, Ranked

One person particularly key in introducing impressionable readers to the horror genre is prolific novelist R.L. Stine, who created book series like "Goosebumps" and "Fear Street." Of the two, "Goosebumps" was geared towards younger audiences, though it didn't skimp out on the variety of scares that Stine cooked up for each book. As creepy kids' shows like "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" premiered in the '90s, "Goosebumps" got into the juvenile horror anthology fun with its own television adaptation. As evidenced by the 2015 movie series starring Jack Black as Stine and the acclaimed 2023 Disney+ and Hulu series, Stine's source material offers plenty of family-friendly frights.

This article is focused on the '90s anthology series that premiered in 1995, which first brought the franchise into live-action. Initially airing on Fox Kids, the show directly adapted many of Stine's stories, often dividing them into multi-part episodes. While "Goosebumps" was never afraid to embrace its campier qualities, some of these tales were definitely more terrifying than parents would've liked.

Here are the 12 scariest "Goosebumps" episodes ranked from the original '90s series.

Just as "Friday the 13th" popularized, there's just something about a remote summer camp that lends itself so well to become a setting for scary stories. An early first season two-parter, "Welcome to Camp Nightmare," similarly took advantage of this setting. Teenager Billy Harlan (Kaj-Erik Eriksen) goes to what was supposed to be an idyllic getaway, only to endure a grueling experience, with one catastrophe after another. To make matters worse, Billy's fellow campers steadily begin to disappear, hunted by hairy monsters in the wilderness.

"Welcome to Camp Nightmare" plays out like a juvenile whodunit, as Billy tries to figure out what's happening to the campers. In terms of suspense, it's the first episode that handles the mounting tension a bit better, especially once the stakes become clear. The overall story's big twist is something that's divided audiences for years, some liking the reveal and some feeling it jumps the shark. However, this twist is true to the novel and something that feels like a clear nod to the franchise's "Twilight Zone" influences.

One thing that "Goosebumps" understands just as well as more adult-oriented scary stories is that there's just something innately creepy about ventriloquist dummies. The malevolently haunted dummy Slappy has become a staple for the franchise, both in the novels and the various adaptations, though Stine never really understood why. After a memorable live-action debut in the inaugural season, Slappy (Cal Dodd) returns for the two-part second season finale "Night of the Living Dummy III." Slappy is acquired by a family that collects ventriloquist dummies before plotting to turn the children into living dummies like himself.

While probably better known for having an early appearance from actor Hayden Christensen, who plays Zane, one of the children, "Night of the Living Dummy III" expands its premise's frights. With the mystery of Slappy's true nature having revealed itself in his previous appearance, this episode operates under the bigger-is-better mentality by upping the dummy count. While this approach certainly isn't fool-proof, it definitely works here, giving Slappy a conspirator and playmate to raise the suspense. Another prominent example of ventriloquist dummies' sinister potential, "Night of the Living Dummy III" brings season 2 to a strong finish.

An adaptation of "The Haunted Mask" successfully launched the '90s "Goosebumps" television series, so it stands to reason that its sequel would similarly get adapted. Unfolding over two episodes like its predecessor, "Haunted Mask II" is the centerpiece of the second season. The follow-up focuses on adolescent protagonist Steve Boswell (John White), who visits the mask shop from the first story. As Steve contends with his own cursed mask, the original mask resurfaces, hungry for revenge on its former owner Carly Beth Caldwell (Kathryn Long).

While the first episode of this pair is well-crafted, it's when the story's links to the series premiere take center stage in the second installment that "Haunted Mask II" soars. Seeing Steve become a pawn to the mask's evil power is a frightening moment, especially its vendetta. Just as she was in the series premiere, Kathryn Long really elevates the material with reprised performance as Carly Beth, back in harm's way. A worthy follow-up to the preceding story, "Haunted Mask II" offers fresh twists on the familiar premise.

The third season two-parter "One Day at HorrorLand" follows the Morris family as they spend the day at a horror-themed amusement park. Initially a welcome pivot from the day at the public gardens they had planned, it becomes clear that the dangers present are real. This includes monsters throughout the theme park, which begin tormenting the family. Trapped inside, the Morrises become the unwilling participants in a game show set at the park.

The game show aspect of "One Day at HorrorLand" is an added focus for the television adaptation compared to the novel. Given the medium, this satirical aspect works particularly well, with Neil Crone memorably playing the show's host Retch Sniff. With its distinct environment, the episode thrives on its foreboding atmosphere, flipping from escapist fun to sinister as the story progresses. One of the more freewheeling episodes in the series through its premise, "One Day at HorrorLand" is a solid chiller.

The first season of "Goosebumps" flirted with having lupine antagonists before, it dives headfirst into lycanthropy with the later episode "The Werewolf of Fever Swamp." The episode has protagonist Grady Tucker (Brendan Fletcher) move to the Florida wetlands with his family. Grady quickly notices strange occurrences around his home, including ominous sounds at night and a shadowy figure lurking around the swamp. It becomes clear that a werewolf is involved and Grady is the next person that it has in its savage sights.

The second episode of "The Werewolf of Fever Swamp" really dials up the fear factor, after setting the stage in the first installment. This includes real life-or-death stakes, a relative rarity for the family-friendly show, and an intriguing mystery at its core. True to its lycanthropic premise, whenever the episode shifts to a nocturnal setting, the suspense dials up considerably. A fantastic werewolf story and adaptation of Stine's novel, "The Werewolf of Fever Swamp," is "Goosebumps" firing on all cylinders.

The first season two-parter "A Night in Terror Tower" not only takes the show to London but also back in time to the medieval era for some fantasy-tinged horror. While touring a historical site with a dark and bloody history in England, siblings Sue (Kathryn Short) and Eddie (Corey Sevier) notice the wax figures around them appear to move. The two are magically transported to the Middle Ages where they take on the identities of royal figures sentenced to death in the tower. As Sue and Eddie search for a way to return to their own time, they're relentlessly pursued by their intended executioner (Robert Collins).

One of the things that make "A Night in Terror Tower" work better than a standard time travel story is how Sue and Eddie are affected by their temporal displacement. The longer the siblings stay in the past, the more they forget about their lives in the present. That gives the whole story a disorienting quality that enhances the menace of their black-clad hunter. With "A Night in Terror Tower," the series ditched its usual suburban digs for something freshly frightening to great effect.

The very first "Goosebumps" book was "Welcome to Dead House," kicking off the enormously successful series in 1992. The story follows the Benson family as they move into a foreboding suburban neighborhood linked to a nearby chemical factory. The Bensons find their neighbors unsettling, especially their creepy neighbor Compton Dawes (Ian D. Clark), who takes an unhealthy interest in them. It's revealed that a chemical accident at the factory turned the residents of Dark Falls into bloodthirsty mutants, eager to welcome fresh blood into their community.

"Welcome to Dead House" is a foundational story in the franchise, and was nearly adapted into a movie by horror filmmaker George A. Romero. The tale is also one of the darkest from the original novel series, a distinction that remains true for the television adaptation. The show does tone down the story slightly, making Dawes and the other Dark Falls inhabitants less physically ghastly when their true forms are revealed, but the inherent creepiness is still there. And in case the fear factor was ever in doubt, not even Bensons' cute family dog is safe from these suburban bloodsuckers.

Childhood fears of spooky parts of the house and noticeable changes in parental behavior are explored in the first season two-parter "Stay Out of the Basement." The episode has teenager Margaret Brewer (Beki Lantos) become increasingly concerned about how her father (Judah Katz) reacts to losing his job. Dr. Brewer becomes reclusive, locking himself away in their house's basement and insists no one else in the family enter that portion of the home. As Dr. Brewer's demeanor grows more and more disturbing, Margaret is determined to investigate the basement to learn what happened to her father.

While the premise behind "Stay Out of the Basement" is creepy enough, there are some genuinely disturbing scenes throughout both installments. A scene where Dr. Brewer accidentally cuts himself and bleeds green blood is sure to upset younger viewers as is the story's requisite twist ending. As far as "Goosebumps" episodes go, this is one that is likely scarier than you initially remember it. An intimate family-based scary story, "Stay Out of the Basement" is another first season standout.

Let's get the obvious observation out of the way first, and note that, yes, this episode does star a young Ryan Gosling. The presence of future Academy Award winners aside, the first season's "Say Cheese and Die!" is like a family-friendly "Final Destination," if such a thing is possible. Gosling stars as Greg Banks, a teenager who enjoys taking pictures with an instant camera he finds in an old house. However, when the photographs develop, they show dark things occurring to the subjects of the picture which quickly come true.

Though the predictions in each of the photographs aren't quite as violent or horrific as they are in the book, they still provide plenty of tension. The episode's effectiveness lies in how well the cast, including Gosling, sell the terrified anticipation of what's coming for them every time a picture is taken. And though the adaptation significantly deviates from the book's twist ending, it arguably provides more disturbing possibilities of what the cursed camera is capable of. "Say Cheese and Die!" wisely keeps its story to a single episode, packing in those scares.

Years before the Stephen King-approved "Jeepers Creepers," Stine utilized scarecrows to memorably creepy effect in "The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight." The story was adapted into a single episode in the middle of the second season, with a remote farm menaced by evil scarecrows. The episode opens with Jodie (Heather Bertram) and Mark (John E. Campbell) visiting their grandparents' farm, only to find their relatives have changed and the farm is in poor condition. More troubling is the presence of a dozen sinister scarecrows who have a malicious mind of their own.

Whereas "Stay Out of the Basement" offered a mad scientist approach to the corruption of home, "Scarecrow Walks Among Us" is much more pervasive. This is a scenario where nowhere on the property is safe, with the characters' grandparents refusing to acknowledge the obvious danger, at least initially. This underscores the tension, which frighteningly breaks loose during the nocturnal sequences as the scarecrows stalk the family. A tense tale that effectively uses its farmland atmosphere, "Scarecrow Walks Among Us" provides the show with its most underrated monsters.

The very first appearance of Slappy the evil ventriloquist dummy in the "Goosebumps" show is actually an adaptation of his second appearance in the books. The episode focuses on middle child Amy Kramer (Maggie Castle), who gets a ventriloquist dummy to stand out from her siblings. This dummy, of course, turns out to be the sadistic Slappy (Cal Dodd), who commits increasingly vicious acts of mischief that Amy gets blamed for. Slappy escalates to even more menacing tricks to keep the Kramer family at his mercy.

Of all of Slappy's appearances throughout the franchise, this episode is him at his most effectively unnerving, really dialing up his inherent cruelty. A big part of that quality is that this adaptation is confined to a single episode, with a lot of the narrative padding in many of the series' two-parters discarded. The storytelling focus is tight and that helps build the tension as the paranormal activity begins to take place. A standout for the entire series, "Night of the Living Dummy II" is the definitive Slappy story.

Looking back, "Goosebumps" really came out of the gate swinging for its series premiere "The Haunted Mask," airing just in time for the Halloween season in 1995. After being relentlessly bullied at school, Carly Beth Caldwell (Kathryn Long) decides to turn the tables on her tormentors on Halloween. Acquiring a spooky mask, Carly Beth sets out to scare her bullies with it, only to learn that malevolently affects her behavior. As Carly Beth begins to lose herself to the mask, she realizes that if she can't remove it, she'll be stuck wearing the cursed mask forever.

With the show still trying to find its tonal balance, "The Haunted Mask" is darker and scarier than most episodes of the series, even other installments in the first season. A lot of those scares are sold by Kathryn Long with how sinister she plays Carly Beth whenever she's wearing the mask. Of course, given the episode's premise, she's wearing the mask a lot, and that means plenty of unsettling sequences as Carly Beth enjoys a night on the town. Fiendishly put together, Long's center stage performance has "The Haunted Mask" set a frightening high bar that the rest of the series never quite matched.