Scholastic employees share their Goosebumps tales of terror (and of hope!)

It's October -- a time for chills! The Goosebumps movie opens in theaters this Friday and later this month, R.L. Stine himself will take over our social media for the day. And we're hosting a new giveaway -- keep reading for more!

Employees Share Their Stories

It's safe to say Scholastic employees can't stop talking about their love of the Goosebumps brand. The series, which debuted in 1992, is a global megabrand, with books, a television series, games, merchandise, and now a feature film starring Jack Black. (Check out photos from Comic Con, here and here, featuring the author and actor!) Many of us grew up with Goosebumps, so when we asked Scholastic employees to share their memories, they told us some great stories, filled with thrills and spooks. Read them here!

The great story of all, though, is one of hope and progress.

Christina Medeiros from Scholastic Book Fairs shared this:

"Six years ago, my brother's best friend was in a horrible accident. He was 20 years old. He was in a coma for several months, and when he awoke, there was severe brain damage, and he had to re-learn almost everything.

Two years ago his mom called me and asked if I could please get her some Goosebumps books. I purchased them for her as a gift. They were his absolute favorite as a kid, and she thought this may help him start reading again as a form of therapy.

Well...it worked!

He struggled at first, but is now reading at a high school level. I believe Goosebumps helped open a world of possible for this family."

GIVEAWAY [now closed]

We have five (5!) copies of the Goosebumps movie novel signed by R.L. Stine! To enter to win, leave a comment here and tell us: what scares you most? Giveaway open to legal U.S. residents, 18 and up. Read the complete legal rules here.

CONGRATULATIONS to our winners, who were randomly selected: Lindsey Mead; Veronica; J Krause; Sasha G.; Kristin Bartholomew!

Comments

Creepy clowns scare the

Creepy clowns scare the bezeegees out of me.

Open closet doors at night.

Open closet doors at night. When I was younger I could NOT sleep if my closet doors were open!!!!!

Inescapable darkness

My imagination scares me. I

My imagination scares me. I have very little control over it. When I walk my dog at night, I have to keep myself distracted. If I don't, I'll convince myself there are things beyond the trees. I even keep my blinds down at night because I get to thinking that either someone is looking in or one day I'll look up and see someone in the reflection. *Shivers*

Spiders, no matter the size!!

Spiders, no matter the size!!!

Snakes.

Thank goodness for night

Thank goodness for night lights because I never liked the dark. I also hated the open closet doors.

The thing that scares me he

The thing that scares me he most is the unknown.

Oddly, my biggest fear is

Oddly, my biggest fear is losing my teeth. Ever since I was a child, I have had reoccurring nightmares about me losing my teeth in some painful, gruesome manner.

Being startled... even if its

Being startled... even if its just someone yelling out "BOOOOOO!!!" I scream each and everytime!

Spiders. All those legs.

Spiders. All those legs. Yeesh.

My first Goosebumps movie and

My first Goosebumps movie and I'm wondering how I've not seen these before. Jack Black was wonderful as R.L. Stine. Now I've seen a movie before my kids. It definitely kept my attention and had a great plot. What a gift Scholastic to let employees see the premiere. I truly enjoyed this one...now off to read the book.

Spiders. Definitely spiders.

Spiders. Definitely spiders. Even fake ones creep me out.

Spiders and heights!!!

Nothing creeps me out as much

Nothing creeps me out as much as seeing one of Florida's mutant-sized palmetto bugs lurking in the bathroom when you switch on the light in the middle of the night. Yuck!

Something about dangling my

Something about dangling my feet off the edge of the bed freaks me out! They have to be safely tucked under the covers. :)

Clowns! Mostly Pennywise. Too

Clowns! Mostly Pennywise. Too creepy.

Flying roaches!

Since I can't swim...deep

Since I can't swim...deep water scares me!

Heights! I was forced to get

Heights! I was forced to get on a roller coaster and let's just say that was my first and last time!

Big hairy spiders!

Clowns!! There so scary

Clowns!! There so scary looking

Spiders! I don't care how

Spiders! I don't care how small they give me the heebie jeebies!!!

Bees!!! or anything that can

Bees!!! or anything that can sting. When I was little, I stepped on nest and got stung a dozen times. Now I can't stand the sight or having one close.

Definitely when it's dark and

Definitely when it's dark and a door creaks and you see something move in the dark. That, and of course, snakes!

Snakes

I think dying or losing the

I think dying or losing the ones I love scares me the most.

What scares me the most is

What scares me the most is the dark, especially after watching something scary! My mind plays tricks on me and it makes me think I'm seeing things like the closet opening or I see shapes. Realistic, scary shows can give me nightmares and increase my imagination! Sometimes real life is more scary than fake monsters. I love Goosebumps.. my son enjoys watching it on Netflix and I'm happy to sit down and watch with him.

My mother finding my

My mother finding my Goosebumps books. [When I was younger my mom though they were "demonic" and so she didn't like me reading them; she is no happier now that horror is my favorite genre...]

What scares me the most is

What scares me the most is unexpected noises when I'm in bed upstairs. I start to question whether or not I locked the doors and windows, then I can't sleep so then I have to go back downstairs to double check. And I live in a safe neighborhood lol. Just my mind starts going to worse case scenario.

What scares me the most is

What scares me the most is open blinds at night. I have a fear that I am being watched.

The fear of someone waiting

The fear of someone waiting for me in the back seat of the car -- Like Murder the Clown and will pop his head up as we are driving down the road- AHHH #goosebumps #murdertheclown

My dog sleeps in bed with me.

My dog sleeps in bed with me. If he stands up on the edge of the bed, he can see out my bedroom door, but I cannot from where I am lying. He occasionally gets up, looks out the door at (seemingly) nothing, and gives a low growl. WHY??? Absolutely terrifying every time.