News
Writers’ Picks: Our Favorite “Goosebumps” Books
Stay Out of the Basement (the second book in the original series) was another one of those stories that was creepy to begin with but when I saw the TV series, it kicked the fear in gear. The story follows a brother and sister who’s dad is a scientist that works in the basement. They start noticing his behavior changing and he gets meaner and more secretive, telling them to never go in his beloved lab. One day they sneak in and find that Dad is working with plants… and quickly turning into one.
The scariest part of this book was the dad. He started nice and became more and more mean. The outbursts and secrecy of his experiment made him a big villain in the story and very intimidating. This was a VHS episode I watched on repeat when I really wanted a scare.
-D.D. Crowley
I fist laid eyes on Night of the Living Dummy when I was eight years old. I followed the popular book series in order so this was not my first Goosebumps, but I had no idea the next one in the series was going to be about a doll! This was sadly a time without internet, so the only way you knew about the next book was when you saw it waiting for you on the shelf, or sometimes with a prelude of upcoming book titles in the series.
I watched Child’s Play just three years earlier for the first time, and my fear of dolls was ripe for the picking. Those cold dead eyes in Slappy’s head stared straight into mine. That silent grimace of a mocking laugh in his frozen open mouth mocked me, knowing my fear. He was challenging me to read the horrors that remained unknown inside the pages. The cover alone sent chills through my body.
Like any Goosebumps book I tore through it in days, not able to put it down between elementary school and girl scouts. Any time I had a free minute, I’d pick it up to continue my scary journey down R.L. Stine’s rabbit hole. Usually this free time was before bed, and whether Stine knew this or not this couldn’t have been a more perfect setting for his dark stories to come to life.
The slightly open closet door across from my bed was a dummy peering out from the darkness. The tree branch tapping on my window during the night was a doll rapping his little wooden hand on the glass to terrorize me. Every little noise stood the hair up on the back of my neck and I was sure a ventriloquist dummy was the cause of it. However, I couldn’t put the book down. That was the magic of Stine’s writing. I had to finish the book to make sure the doll was defeated and could never get me. In true Stine fashion this is not how the book ended… not at all.
-Piper Minear
While there are dozens of books to choose from, these are the ones that made our childhood just a bit more spooky. What is your favorite Goosebumps book? Let us know in the comments! Looks like the second Goosebumps movie is headed to Horrorland. You can read about that here.
(Featured image courtesy of Shane the Gamer)
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Movies
Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed
The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.
Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.
The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.
Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”
Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.
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News
Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween
Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.
The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.
“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.
Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.
The prize also includes:
An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings
A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear
A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room
A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course
The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II
Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two
“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”
Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.
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Movies
’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power
Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.
Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.
Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.
There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.
The original film followed Jim (Cillian Murphy) who wakes from a coma to find that London is currently dealing with a zombie outbreak.
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