I grew up on Goosebumps. Along with having our own collection of Goosebumps books, our cousins gave us a literal suitcase-full as well — so many that we had shelves and shelves of the green goo-lined books. A few years ago, we ended up getting rid of the books because, y-know, all of us kids are now in our 30s and at the time, we had no kids of our own yet. But now that I have a son (and I miss reading these books), I’m starting my collection up again and reviewing books as I go! It’s not the first book in the series, but Stay Out of the Basement is one whose imagery is forever cemented in my head. Let’s see if the words match the show!
Margaret and Casey are worried about their dad. Since moving, he’s locked himself in the basement all day to continue his work as a botanist. Mom says he is fine, but the green leaves sprouting from his head and sudden taste for plant food say otherwise!
Man, I had forgotten how much I loved reading these as a kid. Still slaps! At about 120ish pages a piece, these books are many people’s first entries into the horror genre. They’re easy reads with bigger font size and short chapters. They’re clearly written for a younger audience, but the writing style is not horrendously dumbed down so much that I can’t still read and find it enjoyable. The scares, while not the most gruesome (a good thing for a kids’ book), are definitely sufficient; for example, there were times when Casey and Margaret were racing against time trying not to be caught in the basement by their dad, or other times when R. L. Stine described the actions of the dad’s mysterious plants. Eerie and bone-chilling to say the least!
“Show-off,” Casey muttered, unimpressed.
“You’re the hot dog in the family,” Margaret called.
“Well, you’re a dork.”
An exchange between siblings. Stay out of the Basement, R. L. Stine.
Honestly, I can’t think of any glaring issues with Stay Out of the Basement. Even reading as an adult, the story was well thought-out and had a few spots that reminded me of other movies I had seen: The Fly, for example. I loved the characters’ realness, especially the sibling love/rivalry between the main two characters. I also loved the imagery R. L. Stine created in my mind; having seen the corresponding TV episode, I could clearly make out what was happening while still being able to form my own imaginings of what the book described. There was absolutely no thought of “it didn’t look like this in the TV episode.”
If you’re getting back to your childhood pleasures by reading a few Goosebumps books, Stay Out of the Basement is a great starting point. An easy read that could be finished in an afternoon, Stay Out of the Basement will have you looking at plants in a whole new light.
What did you think of Stay Out of the Basement? Let us know in the comments!
One thought on “REVIEW — Goosebumps: Stay Out of the Basement (R. L. Stine, 1992)”