Every 90s kid has seen, read, and played something Goosebumps. For most kids, it was their introduction to horror: an easy, playful, safe way to experience monsters and mayhem without nightmares. Even today, Goosebumps is still alive and kickin’ as new books and movies are released. It’s a kids show for sure, but don’t let the PG Nickelodeon vibes fool you — sometimes, Goosebumps got real. At the time, kids probably wouldn’t have caught on, but parents beware, you’re in for a scare! Here we look at 5 instances where the show perhaps went a little too spooky for children’s programming.
The Cuckoo Clock of Doom, Season 1 Episode 3
Anyone with siblings will tell you that there are times when you love them and times when you absolutely hate them. Michael is constantly terrorized by little sister Tara. When their dad buys a mysterious cuckoo clock, Michael hatches a plan to finally get back at her; but the clock is magical, and sends him back in time each night he falls asleep. Michael must find a way to make it back to the present before he disappears forever.
Usually, Goosebumps episodes have a happy ending: the friends survive the monster, they solve a mystery, their parents come to their rescue. We get that here, in that Michael makes it back to his 12 year-old self… but without his sister Tara. In touching the clock, he accidentally knocked off a button that corresponded to the year Tara was born. No year = no Tara. Does Michael opt to go back and fix it? He thinks about it, but there’s definitely some hesitation, so we actually don’t know. Essentially, he Thanos-snapped her out of existence, not unlike the child in The Twilight Zone’s “It’s a Good Life.” And Michael doesn’t even mind.
Scarecrow Walks at Midnight, Season 2 Episode 14
Scarecrows are already nightmare-inducing; live ones are even worse. Jodie and Mark visit their grandarents’ farm and find out that hired hand Stanley has used magic to bring the scarecrows to life in order to help with the farm work. Stanley’s son, Sticks, helps them before the actually-evil scarecrows kill them all.
When asked why Stanley would have created the evil scarecrows to begin with, Sticks remarks that his dad isn’t that smart and he felt overworked by the grandparents, so he found a book of magic spells to use. Stanley, made out to be the bad guy at first, is really the victim. They don’t outright say it, but his childlike demeanor and own son’s confirmation of his brainpower lead us to believe Stanley is possibly stunted somehow and unfairly overworked by the grandparents. No wonder the scarecrows want revenge.
Welcome to Dead House, Season 2, Episodes 20 & 21
Amanda and Josh’s family move to a new town called Dark Falls, where everyone’s a little odd. There’s nothing to do. People are very pale. They don’t really come out into daylight. There are mysterious neighbors hiding around and trying to warn them to leave. They already didn’t want to move to the neighborhood, now they really want to leave this ghost town.
And they probably should before they die, just like the rest of the townsfolk. Everyone in Dark Falls is dead. From the very beginning of the episode, we see signs of something gone awry. There are signs lining the streets next to abandoned factories saying “Danger” and old articles talking about an industrial accident that claimed the lives of all the townspeople. They’re all zombies. It’s eerily reminiscent of actual events that have happened, like the Halifax explosion, the Bhopal disaster, and the most famous of all, Chernobyl.
A Night in Terror Tower, Season 1, Episodes 16 & 17
On vacation in London, Sue and Eddie are transported back to medieval time after taking a tour of “Terror Tower.” They must find help before the executioner finds them and ends their lives forever, or worse, they forget who they really are.
To be honest, this isn’t as scary as it is concerning (if it were to happen in real life). Think about it: a prince and princess, successors to the throne, appeared in modern times and made a claim to restore their places in the royal palace. This would uproot monarchies everywhere. Not only is time travel real, but with DNA evidence we can use now, it would be extremely scandalous to not only hear secrets from hundreds of years ago, but replace the top royalty in the world. Just imagine if Grand Duchess Anastasia really was alive and came back to overthrow Putin! I wouldn’t be surprised if they “disappeared” again.
Go Eat Worms, Season 2, Episode 6
Todd loves worms, so much so that he wants to use them in his school’s science project.
We’re gonna prove that worms can survive just about anything: heat, cold, stretching, even cutting them in half.
Todd, Goosebumps’ “Go Eat Worms”
He doesn’t get very far though. The worms have a plan of their own, showing up in his lunch, in his bed, and overrunning his life with their slippery, slimy bodies.
Whew, if we didn’t have the making of a serial killer here, I don’t know who does! Todd’s science experiment is appalling and highly disturbing. He thinks it’s fine because worms supposedly can’t feel pain (which by the way, a quick Google search will tell you otherwise), but luckily for the worms he gets his comeuppance. Even his friend and sister say his actions are “harsh” and “torture.” Maybe his mom doesn’t see what Todd is actually doing to these creatures, but she’s a lot more more lenient with his worm obsession… many moms of serial killers are. Let’s just hope arson and bed-wetting aren’t added to the list, otherwise that town has a bigger problem than worms.
What are your favorite NSFL Goosebumps moments that were? Leave a comment and let us know!
