25 ‘Goosebumps’ Books Referenced In the Upcoming Movie

Author R.L. Stine’s massive collection of horror books for kids is finally about to get the big screen treatment in Goosebumps, a Jumanji-esque tale directed by Rob Letterman (Gulliver’s Travels) in which all of the various monsters from the extensive Goosebumps library are accidentally brought to life. Jack Black plays a fictionalized version of Stine, while Dylan Minnette plays the new kid in town, Zach, who stumbles across the reclusive author and his collection of dangerous manuscripts.

Goosebumps has the benefit of appealing to both young kids and adults who grew up in the nineties and still have plenty of nostalgia for the Goosebumps books – from “Say Cheese and Die” to “Monster Blood”. Even those nineties kids who weren’t into reading probably caught at least a few episodes of the TV adaptation.

In the new trailer for Goosebumps, every single one of Stine’s creations manages to crawl their way out of the books and take over the town of Greendale, Maryland, but since around 200 Goosebumps books have been published it’s going to be a challenge to fit them all on screen. Iconic characters like Slappy the Dummy and the Abominable Snowman play significant roles, but this movie also promises to be a treasure trove of references and Easter eggs.

We probably won’t know just how many books made it into the Goosebumps movie until it’s released, but here are 25 of the creature references that we’ve spotted… so far.

–

Abominable Snowman of Pasadena

This legendary monster is the first to get released in the Goosebumps trailer, and much like in the original book he ends up looking a little out of place. “The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena” is about a pair of siblings whose father manages to capture the Abominable Snowman, brings it back to their home town of Pasadena, California, and then accidentally lets it get free. Can you call that foreshadowing?

A Shocker on Shock Street

This crazy tale was part of the original run of Goosebumps books, and takes place in a horror movie themed amusement park where things are not quite what they appear. At one point the young protagonists are attacked by a group of giant praying mantises that spit hot tar. One of these was featured on the cover of the book, and is seen in the trailer towering over Stine and the kids.

Attack of the Graveyard Ghouls

When you want to represent a massive outbreak of monsters onscreen, it’s always useful to have a horde of something, and Goosebumps has ghouls. Specifically, the ghouls from the Goosebumps Series 2000 book “Attack of the Graveyard Ghouls”, who have the abilities to possess the bodies of the living.

Attack of the Jack O’Lanterns

People might like to eat pumpkins, but in this spooky Halloween tale the situation gets reversed as aliens with Jack O’Lantern heads satisfy their taste for human flesh by forcing their prospective meals to fatten themselves up on Halloween candy. The Jack O’Lanterns look to be a pretty key part of the ensemble monster cast of Goosebumps. They even made it onto the poster.

Beware of the Purple Peanut Butter

This Give Yourself Goosebumps (choose your own adventure) tale offered readers the choice between eating some funky-looking purple peanut butter, causing them to shrink down to a tiny size, or grabbing a bite of stale chocolate cake, causing them to grow into a giant. Whether the purple peanut butter or the chocolate cake will actually be featured in the movie remains to be seen, but the manuscript for the book is visible on Stine’s shelf in the trailer.

About The Author

Hannah Shaw-Williams
(3313 Articles Published)

Hannah has been with Screen Rant since 2013, covering news, features, movie premieres, Comic-Con and more! You can follow her on Twitter @HSW3K

More From Hannah Shaw-Williams