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Welcome to Dead House (Goosebumps #1)

3.7 of 5 stars 3.70 · rating details · 9,235 ratings · 390 reviews

Just when you thought it was safe....the 25 top-selling titles in the series that revolutionized horror for kids are back w/ a fresh new look. The updated design will make you scream. The original artwork will give you nightmares. And the classic bone-chilling stories from the master of horror will just kill you. This spine-tingling series sparked a licensing phenomenon &...more

Paperback, 126 pages

Published September 1st 2003 by Scholastic (first published 1992)

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Jan 12, 2009 Nikki rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Book Level 3.7 / AR Points 3.0

So it’s like this. 12 year old Amanda and her 11 year old little brother Josh aren’t too thrilled about being uprooted from the house they’ve lived in their entire life just because some dead Uncle Charlie (that no one even knew anyway) left their Dad a house in his will. But here they are in Dark Falls anyway, because really, there’s only so much whining and complaining a kid can do. So like I said, now we’re at this creepy old house covered in shade trees (along with the rest of the neighborho...more

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Apr 30, 2013 The International Book Club rated it 4 of 5 stars

Books From My Youth: Goosebumps

Horror is my favourite genre in everything, books, movies and television. I don’t know what it is but there is something about being scared that just appeals to me. My mom is also a horror fan, we even bonded over the genre when I came to live with her. The first movie I remember watching with her was 1986′s Maximum Overdrive, a film that was loosely based on the short story ‘Trucks’ by Horror icon Stephen King.

My love for the horror genre started with a simple boo...more Books From My Youth: Goosebumps

Horror is my favourite genre in everything, books, movies and television. I don’t know what it is but there is something about being scared that just appeals to me. My mom is also a horror fan, we even bonded over the genre when I came to live with her. The first movie I remember watching with her was 1986′s Maximum Overdrive, a film that was loosely based on the short story ‘Trucks’ by Horror icon Stephen King.

My love for the horror genre started with a simple book series that became so popular that they were adapted into a television series on Fox Kids (Now called Disney XD). It was called Goosebumps and it was awesome! Written by the Kids Spook King R.L. Stine, the series had its run from 1992 – 1997 with a few spin offs and were published by Scholastic Publishings. Filled with a mix of horror, humor and the supernatural, the books each had their own story line, including those that were meant to be sequels to others, and were published in chronological order. As I look back on them now (i.e. reading through the book plots on Wikipedia) the book were relatively tamed in their scares. Some were cautionary tales (much like another horrifying horror book series that my nieces now enjoy but I’ll get back to those later) and others often showed kids being resourceful, getting out of sticky situations, and defeating evil. Although in the Goosebumps universe adults did suffer a bit from, ‘Stupid Adults Who Don’t Listen To Their Kids’ Syndrome.

I read the original series but never got into the spin offs mostly because I could never find them in my local or school library. I only remember a few stories out of the series and they were my favourites:

The Night Of The Living Dummy 1, 2 & 3 and The Haunted Mask 1 & 2

The Night of the Living Dummy was basically Chucky for kids, except no one was killed. The first book follows a little girl named Lindy Powell and her bratty Twin sister after she finds a ventriloquist’s Dummy in the trash. Lindy bring it home, fixes it up and names it Woody. When cruel pranks starts to happen in their house Lindy and her sister are left wondering who is doing it. The second book revolves around Amy Krammer, a girl who is interested in ventriloquism when her old dummy breaks, she gets a replacement called Slappy and accidently brings him to life after reading a piece of paper with weird words that she finds in his chest. The final book follows Trina O’Dell whose father was a famous ventriloquist, but now collects the dummies. One day he brings home Slappy and after reading the words from the last book brings Slappy to life along with the rest of his collection.

Slappy the dummy was the scary icon of my Goosebumps years, if you ask any one who read the books or watches the TV show (especially the TV Show) what their favourite episodes were more than half of them would answer “The one with Slappy in it.” He was seemingly made to be a “kid-friendly” equivalent to Chucky the killer doll. They did have similarities such as orange hair, were both wise cracking talkers and were connected to “magic words” that brought them into existence. Slappy truly scared me as a kid.

The Haunted Mask 1 & 2 I remember being cautionary tales. The first book was about a girl named Carly Beth who became tired of being the butt of her friends jokes due to her trusting and naïve nature. This doesn’t help when her mother makes her dress up as a duck for Halloween. She decides to get revenge on her tormentors by getting a scary mask from the local Halloween store, unfortunately the store is closed and the Store manager gives her a mask, once Carly Beth puts it on she finds that she can’t take it off.

The second book is a direct sequel and follows one of Carly Beth’s tormentors Steve Boswell who finds himself in the same Mask store from the previous book, he buys a mask to pull pranks, unfortunately the mask he buys isn’t what it seems.

R.L.Stine said he came up with the idea for the Haunted Mask stories when he saw his son having trouble taking off a Mask he had on. There is a clear moral message in these stories, for Carly Beth it was that she should be herself no matter what others did to her or saw her. While Steve’s story was a taking a walk another’s shoes kind of thing and was forced to change his ways. There was another book that was sequel called ‘The Scream of the Haunted Mask’ but as I said before I never read the spin offs and it was part of a spin-off series.

I loved the Goosebumps Series growing up and even though others books have been published that are a lot more terrifying (once again I’ll get to Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids another time), it had some genuine scares. And although I don’t remember a lot of the books that I read it does hold a lot of Nostalgia for me. I think some of the Show is on Youtube and the books are on Amazon, so check them out!

Also honorable mention: there was another series books and a TV series around at the same as a Goosebumps, it was horror based and was called Are you Afraid of the Dark. I never got into those books or the show because I had Goosebumps and it filled my horror needs, but I’m going to mention here. Are You Afraid of The Dark, revolved around a bunch of kids that were a part of a secret society called the Midnight Society that came together to tell scary stories. It was pretty popular when it was around and if you or your children like Goosebumps it would be one to look out for too.(less)

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Feb 11, 2013 R.M. rated it 3 of 5 stars

****WARNING! CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!*****

I was literally obsessed with this one book in the series from the fifth to eighth grade, but had seen the television adaptation first. I was interested mainly in it because it has a chemical factory accident that tragically turns the residents into mutants, living dead beings who invite a new family to the small dull industrial town of Dark Falls, to... yup, you guessed it... to eat them. Of course, it follows the story of the Bensons, the average American...more

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Oct 17, 2012 James Finn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Readers beware…

Similar to many young boys, library visits in my youth consisted of hunting down and searching for the Goosebumps series! I was already familiar with the TV show, but was particularly drawn to the horror and built up tension entailed within each book. R.L Stine’s Goosebumps series made me willingly read for the first time; and this appetite for horror has continued with particular interest in Stephen King novels.

Welcome to Dead House is the first title of the Goosebumps series. Am...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Nina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

*Inhalt*
Als Amanda mit ihren Eltern und ihrem jüngeren Bruder Josh nach Dark Falls zieht, sind sich die Geschwister einig: Das Haus ist gruselig, düster und unheimlich. Bereits in der ersten Nacht passieren schaurige Dinge in Amandas Zimmer und auch Josh gruselt sich bis aufs äußerste...

*Zitate*
"Ich träumte, dass wir alle tot waren. Mom, Dad, Josh und ich. Anfangs sah ich uns um den Tisch im neuen Esszimmer sitzen. Das Zimmer war sehr hell, so hell, dass ich unsere Gesichter gar nicht richtig er...more *Inhalt*
Als Amanda mit ihren Eltern und ihrem jüngeren Bruder Josh nach Dark Falls zieht, sind sich die Geschwister einig: Das Haus ist gruselig, düster und unheimlich. Bereits in der ersten Nacht passieren schaurige Dinge in Amandas Zimmer und auch Josh gruselt sich bis aufs äußerste...

*Zitate*
"Ich träumte, dass wir alle tot waren. Mom, Dad, Josh und ich. Anfangs sah ich uns um den Tisch im neuen Esszimmer sitzen. Das Zimmer war sehr hell, so hell, dass ich unsere Gesichter gar nicht richtig erkennen konnte. Sie waren helle, weiße, konturlose Flächen. Aber dann, langsam, ganz langsam wurde alles schärfer und ich konnte sehen, dass wir unter unseren Haaren keine Gesichter hatten. Unsere Haut war verschwunden, sodass nur unsere grünlichgrauen Totenschädel übrig geblieben waren. Fleischfetzen hingen an meinen Wangenknochen. Wo meine Augen sein sollten, waren nur tiefe, dunkle Höhlen. Wir vier, alle tot, saßen schweigend da und aßen. Ich sah, dass unsere Teller mit kleinen Knochen gefüllt waren. Auf einer großen Platte in der Mitte des Tisches lagen grau-grüne Knochen aufgetürmt, die wie Menschenknochen aussahen."

*Erster Satz des Buches*
"Josh und ich hassten unser neues Haus."

*Fazit*
"Willkommen im Haus der Toten" ist der zweite Roman der Reihe "Gänsehaut" des Autors R.L. Stine. Schon früher las ich die Schauerromane gerne und auch heute kann ich mich dafür immer mal wieder begeistern.

Im Gegensatz zu vielen anderen Gänsehaut Romanen konnte dieses Buch sogar mich "alten Hasen" ein bisschen gruseln, was vor allem damit zusammenhing, dass ich schon immer "empfänglich" für Geschichten über die Geister der Toten war. Schon als Kind hab ich nachts immer unters Bett geschaut, wollte nie im Dunkeln auf Friedhöfe und habe mich im Urlaub gefragt, ob in unserem Ferienhaus schon mal jemand gestorben ist, dessen Geist mich des nachts dann heimsuchen könnte.

In diesem Roman ist die 12 jährige Amanda die Erzählerin, das Buch wird aus ihrer Sicht beschrieben und vor allem ihre Erlebnisse in dem Haus geschildert. Schon bei der Besichtigung glaubt das Mädchen am Fenster das Gesicht eines Jungen zu sehen, der Hund spielt völlig verrückt und Amandas Bruder Josh weigert sich ganz und gar, das Haus auch nur zu betreten - wenn auch eher aus Trotz, weil er nicht umziehen will. In der ersten Nacht geschehen in Amandas Zimmer unheimliche Dinge und sie hat einen schlimmen Alptraum (siehe Zitat). Auch ihr Bruder Josh wirkt verschüchert, er träumt ebenfalls die seltsamsten Dinge. Das ganze Haus und die ganze Geschichte wird immer unheimlicher und schon bald keimt im Leser ein Verdacht auf - relativ offensichtlich, wenn man sich mal den Titel des Buches betrachtet ;)

Insgesamt war ich wie immer begeistert von diesem Buch, fast sogar ein bisschen mehr als bei den anderen Gänsehaut-Büchern, zumindest soweit ich mich noch an die Geschichte erinnern kann. Wie sehr mich dieses Buch gefangen nahm, zeigte spätestens die Tatsache, dass ich dieses Buch gestern Abend spät las und meine Mutter irgendwann ins Zimmer kam und mich allein durchs Öffnen der Tür zu Tode erschreckte! Im Hinblick auf das empfohlene Lesealter (10+) fand ich die Traumszene jedoch schon etwas krass (-> Zitat), auch wenn sie mich persönlich eigentlich nicht sehr geschockt hat - da hab ich schon ganz andres gelesen ;) Ich will dieses kleine Büchlein jetzt auch nicht in einer riesen Rezension tot reden - und zuviel Spoilern - überzeugt euch einfach selbst!
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Jun 30, 2012 Daniel Stephens rated it 4 of 5 stars

Though I was about the right age for them when they first came out, I never read any of the Goosebumps books when I was a kid, although I do remember the TV show. At the time I was more interested in reading "grown up" books than anything marketed as for young adults. Recently however they came to my attention when I reading an article on writing for children that used them as an example of good clear, easy to follow stories. I figured I'd give them a go and see if they lived up to the hype, and...more

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Jan 12, 2012 Luke Baldock rated it 4 of 5 stars

I never really got into Goosebumps books when I was younger. I have no idea why, they certainly seemed like my kind of thing. I probably thought they'd be too child friendly or something. Well, now I want to read more books and since these are short I thought it was time to give them a shot. R.L. Stine did a wonderful thing in making gigantic amounts of young people pick up books. This was before we had a boy wizard to gush over. He also knows his horror and takes predictable archetypes and clic...more I never really got into Goosebumps books when I was younger. I have no idea why, they certainly seemed like my kind of thing. I probably thought they'd be too child friendly or something. Well, now I want to read more books and since these are short I thought it was time to give them a shot. R.L. Stine did a wonderful thing in making gigantic amounts of young people pick up books. This was before we had a boy wizard to gush over. He also knows his horror and takes predictable archetypes and cliches, but twists them in a way that's kind of suitable for kids. Welcome to Dead House was actually rather cleverly paced and titled. Amanda and her family move to a new house after an unknown uncle dies and leaves it to them in his will. Her father wants to focus on writing, so a free house is just what they need. She soon starts noticing strange things, or at least thinks she does. What I liked about Amanda, is that she was never against putting it down to her own imagination. This was rather mature as a narrator. Her and her brother also don't make as many stupid mistakes as older people in horror movies. The book doesn't really have time to have all those ridiculous moments. Getting away from the creepy house, they soon meet some of the local children. But are they exactly as they seem? You'd better hope not, as that would make for a dull book. The writing is simple, as are the characters, but Stine lays them out in a way that they are instantly identifiable. It's clear he keeps it so young children can relate to the lead, and probably have a younger sibling like Josh. The kids work things out rather quickly, so I was never annoyed at their incompetence. As for the horror, the descriptions are graphic enough to creep you out and also not too graphic to pollute the minds of young and innocent kids. One thing Stine relies to heavily on are those damn fake outs. A chapter leaves you on a cliffhanger, yet it's just her brother, again. Once it gets going it's an exciting read and its length benefits it a lot. Exposition is kept to a minimum, and Stine doesn't spell things out through his narrator. A good start to the series, and easy to see why they took off.(less)

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Aug 18, 2011 Tracy Poff rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens-books, horror, other-stuff-exists

Amanda's new house is spooky. Curtains seem to move, even when there's no wind, whispers come from empty rooms, and Amanda is sure she's seen people in her house who vanish when she tries to look for them. The house in Dark Falls was left to her father in his great-uncle Charles's will. Although, he doesn't remember having an Uncle Charles...

It's not just the house, though--the whole town is spooky. The streets always seem empty, and when the sun comes out, the kids all run home. Still, a free h...more

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Apr 11, 2011 Eden rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-to-buy, fiction-horror-and-paranormal

Amanda and Josh move to Dark Falls when their father is informed of a great-uncle's passing and his old house is given to him.
Their parents are very excited about moving into this big house and it is free!
Amanda and Josh, however, aren't too thrilled about this new house or town. Amanda tries to give it more of a chance, unlike Josh who wants to just go back home.
But strange things start to happen. Amanda sees and hears stuff in her room. And when their dog, Petey, goes missing, Josh and Amanda...more

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Sep 27, 2010 Myles rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kids-stuff, horror-jr

For Banned Book Week the local library and an area business have teamed up to have a window display of people reading banned books. I had signed up this morning for a couple hours and brought along some old favorites, namely Goosebumps. I know I got a few passerby laughing when they checked out what I was reading.

A lot of people have a soft spot for this series and I'm glad that it's continued to be reprinted. I'm shocked that these books were ever challenged, at least on any basis other than l...more

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Jun 10, 2010 Justin Padilla rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: summer-reading-books-2009

Amanda Benson, twelve–years old, and her younger brother Josh, eleven-years old, are moving with their parents to a new neighborhood called Dark Falls. Although Dark Falls is no more than four hours away from their old home, Amanda and Josh are very upset about having to move. Perhaps this is because the move happens rather suddenly. Only a week before, their father received a letter from a lawyer informing him that he had inherited a huge old house from a great uncle named Charles. Nobody in th...more Amanda Benson, twelve–years old, and her younger brother Josh, eleven-years old, are moving with their parents to a new neighborhood called Dark Falls. Although Dark Falls is no more than four hours away from their old home, Amanda and Josh are very upset about having to move. Perhaps this is because the move happens rather suddenly. Only a week before, their father received a letter from a lawyer informing him that he had inherited a huge old house from a great uncle named Charles. Nobody in the Benson family can remember this particular relative, but that doesn't stop Mr. and Mrs. Benson from feeling elated about the unexpected news. Mr. Benson had been looking for a way to quit his boring office job and pursue his true love, writing, for a long time, and the inheritance provides just the opportunity. The couple does not hesitate to pack up all their belongings and make the necessary arrangements to relocate.

When the family takes their first trip to Dark Falls to meet with the real estate agent, Compton Dawes, and view their new home, only the two children and their dog, Petey, immediately sense that something is not quite right. Despite the fact that it is the middle of July, the entire neighbourhood seems covered in an artificial darkness created by massive, overhanging tree limbs. Dead brown leaves, shade, and shadows are everywhere. Then there's the house itself, which obviously was not constructed any time in the recent past. It is an enormous, dark, antique structure with two big bay windows on the second floor that look eerily like a pair of observing eyes. While Josh proceeds to impatiently whine in protest over the latest tragic development in his life, Amanda watches with amazement as a boy appears suddenly in the doorway of her new room and disappears suddenly.

Amanda feels much better after seeing her room. She goes outside to tell Josh about it, but he is gone. She finds him a little while later in the cemetery...being chased by someone. Amanda keeps seeing other kids in her home and hearing strange sounds. And, the friends she makes all seem a little different. It is later revealed that the children are all dead, having been murdered when they lived in that house. Once a year, they must have the blood from a freshly killed person to sustain their "living dead" existence for another year. The dead group of children kill Petey the dog because they believe that “dogs always know. Dogs always recognize the living dead. That’s why they have to go first.” One of the undead children, Ray, attacks Amanda in the cemetery while her brother Josh is still looking for the dog, but Josh saves her at the last moment when he shines his light on Ray’s face which causes him to melt and become a pile of bones. Amanda and Josh run home but when they arrive they are attacked by the dead children who explain that there is no dead great uncle and that the letter sent to their parents was a trick to bring the Benson family to Dark Falls. “This is the dead house...Once a year, you see, we need new blood," the dead children say, as they move forward to kill Amanda and Josh. Suddenly Mr. Dawes, the real estate agent, appears at the door and the dead children vanish. He tells them that he has already saved their parents from the dead people and that he will take them to join their parents
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Nov 19, 2011 PenNPaper52 rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book gives the classic Twilight Zone feeling... perhaps because it might have been written during that time. The story starts with Josh and Amanda shifting with their parents into a relic of a house willed to them by some great uncle. Funnily enough no one remembers this great uncle but a free house is a free house and Amanda's dad has all this brilliant ideas, quit my job, and start writing as he always wanted. The kids also have a dog, who is the cutest little thing, quiet, until he meets...more

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Nov 06, 2009 Tara Lynn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: best-child-teen-series, booklist-for-2011

I'm an 80's kid, and I grew up loving the Goosebumps and Fear Street books by R.L. Stine. Scholastic book clubs used to send a flier out to middle school students and teachers every quarter to purchase new books for home or the classroom. I used to beg my mother for two or three new ones every few months until she finally gave in and signed me up for the R.L. Stine Fear Street book club, that used to send books to the house every month. (I'm a geek, I admit it AGAIN without shame.)

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Apr 03, 2012 Andrew rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Children of the 90s if they haven't read them yet

Recommended to Andrew by: Lord I don't remember. This was the 90s when I got these books.

Shelves: young-adult-read, goosebumps-read

The first half of the book seemed to resolve around a dog. Barking, running, running away etc. During two of the short chapters, I thought that deciding to read this book wasn't my best literature decision, but it turned out to be interesting. Not exactly fascinating, but interesting.
Josh and Amanda, ages 11 and 12, have just moved 4 hours away from the town they've lived in their whole lives because their parents have inexplicably acquired a house. From someone they didn't even knew existed, no...more

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Mar 14, 2012 Deanna rated it 3 of 5 stars

First Goosebump story I've read. I've been a fan of RL Stine's Fear Street books as a kid. Unbeknownst to me, I don't know why I never read Goosebumps. They were VERY popular when they first came out.

I got my hand on a full Goosebump series eBooks, so I decided, why not.

Fast reading, takes me a day or two to finish one book. Even though I'm an adult, I still like little children horror stories.

I will be reading and reviewing every Goosebump book I have.

Welcome to Dead House - A family moves in...more

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Jul 16, 2010 Daniella rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: kids who like scary stories

Shelves: childrens-books, horror, series, 2010

One of the better installments in Stine's series, I think. It was actually pretty gruesome; first Amanda's dream, and then all the talk about skin falling off and skulls cracking open and bones disintegrating. Yum. It doesn't really go into great detail, but I still sat here with an "ew" look on my face as I was reading, so I imagine it should be gross and scary enough for the book's target audience. Also, for once it wasn't completely predictable. When Petey started going crazy, and with all th...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Heather Lincoln rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved these books growing up! RL Stine is one of the must read authors while you are young. Focusing on horror genre, this book is the start of it all. Moving away from the home you've have been living in since you've been born is pretty hard. Worse, when you'd realized the house you're moving to looked creepy and mysterious, in the town that would make you feel like you're the only one alive there. Amanda was the one of the first, who noticed something else was not right in their new home, ne...more

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Aug 08, 2010 Nayarit rated it 5 of 5 stars

OH man!

Here's the thing, I grew up with these books. These are the first books I ever read willingly (both in English and Spanish-Escalofrios). And I loved them. I'm pretty sure I've read them all (The Original Series, but GAH, I hear it's still going! WOW).

I didn't read them in order. And I know I read them out of wack job order too like the first one I read was Monster Blood III--didn't even know back then that things were is a series and sort of had a flow. If you read the I before the III i...more OH man!

Here's the thing, I grew up with these books. These are the first books I ever read willingly (both in English and Spanish-Escalofrios). And I loved them. I'm pretty sure I've read them all (The Original Series, but GAH, I hear it's still going! WOW).

I didn't read them in order. And I know I read them out of wack job order too like the first one I read was Monster Blood III--didn't even know back then that things were is a series and sort of had a flow. If you read the I before the III it made more sense. And I STILL fell in love with this series.

It has GREAT staying power. It really does. I Remember being scared like hell with these books and always wondering what would happen next. I LOVED that each book was just that an ENTIRELY different book with a whole new mystery and story and horror to deal with and learn. But even the series of books within the series were great.

My all time favorite was the Night of the Living Dummy ones. That shit SERIOUSLY scarred me for life. I can't look at ventriliquist dolls the same. I remember watching (later on in life) an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer where it was about a ventriliquist doll and the doll was GOOD in that episode but I was still TERRIFIED because of these damn R.L. Stine books.

GAH. I can still hear the vivid description of those stupid little wooden feet running across the floor. GAH--it's gives me . . . wait for it . . . GOOSEBUMPS!

Traumatic. Seriously.

Now, I'm sure there were some books that aren't that good or the plot was completely ridiculous, but the fact of the matter was, I was like 10 and I didn't care to notice these things. As long as I was interested in what was going on and it was scary, the book was GOLD.

And I think that's what makes ANY book in this series pure gold, they are VERY entertaining and they cater to the age demographic that they need to. It works. Obviously because it's still going strong. And not gonna lie I'm gonna check out some of the new ones to see what they're like. Because I loved these books.

I'd recommend them to anyone, probably mostly to their age demographic because that's who they're intended for and that's when I read them. But that's just fine, because at that age you need something GREAT to get you to start forming a love for reading. And these books REALLY do just that.(less)

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Mar 21, 2013 o:pan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children, horror, mysteri

"It will just kill you..."

Welcome to Dead House berkisah tentang Amanda dan Josh yang baru pindah ke rumah baru mereka di Dark Falls. Meski judulnya ‘pindah ke rumah baru’, rumah yang itu tidak benar-benar baru. Seorang paman dari pihak ayah mereka mewariskan rumah tersebut kepada mereka. Lucunya, ayah mereka sendiri tidak ingat pernah memiliki paman yang tinggal di Dark Falls. Tapi siapa sih yang mau menolak warisan berupa sebuah rumah, apalagi rumah itu lebih besar dari rumah lama Amanda dan J...more "It will just kill you..."

Welcome to Dead House berkisah tentang Amanda dan Josh yang baru pindah ke rumah baru mereka di Dark Falls. Meski judulnya ‘pindah ke rumah baru’, rumah yang itu tidak benar-benar baru. Seorang paman dari pihak ayah mereka mewariskan rumah tersebut kepada mereka. Lucunya, ayah mereka sendiri tidak ingat pernah memiliki paman yang tinggal di Dark Falls. Tapi siapa sih yang mau menolak warisan berupa sebuah rumah, apalagi rumah itu lebih besar dari rumah lama Amanda dan Josh. Awalnya, Amanda dan Josh tidak menyukai rumah baru itu. Rumah itu terlihat gelap karena dinaungi pohon besar yang tumbuh di pekarangan. Petey, anjing keluarga mereka juga tidak menyukai rumah itu. Tapi karena keputusan sudah diambil, maka mau tidak mau Amanda dan Josh harus menurut.

Setelah melihat-lihat bagian dalam rumah tersebut, ternyata Amanda merasa cocok dengan rumah itu, ia bahkan sudah memilih kamarnya sendiri. Ia berharap adik laki-lakinya juga bakal menyukainya. Sayangnya, Amanda tak bisa berlama-lama menyukai rumah itu. Ia mulai mengalami mimpi buruk. Bahkan, ia melihat penampakan di rumah itu. Sekali waktu berwujud sesosok anak laki-laki, di lain waktu berwujud anak perempuan.

Tampaknya ada yang tidak beres dengan rumah tersebut. Bahkan bukan rumah itu saja yang aneh, tapi seluruh Dark Falls. Meski saat itu sedang musim panas, mendung sering menaungi kota kecil itu. Ditambah lagi dengam pepohonan besar yang tumbuh di kiri-kanan jalan yang menghalangi sinar matahari, membuat kota itu terlihat semakin kelam. Mungkin itulah mengapa kota itu diberi nama Dark Falls (by the way, deskripsi Dark Falls mengingatkan saya pada kota Forks dalam serial Twilight). Kompleks di sekitar rumah baru Amanda dan Josh juga sangat sepi, terlalu sepi malah. Meski akhirnya Amanda dan Josh bertemu dengan anak-anak lain di daerah itu, sikap anak-anak itu pun terkesan aneh. Misalnya, saat matahari tiba-tiba muncul, anak-anak itu segera pulang ke rumah masing-masing, dengan alasan sudah saatnya makan siang, padahal menurut Amanda waktunya terlalu cepat untuk makan siang. Atau kalimat aneh beberapa di antara anak-anak itu yang berkata kepada Amanda, “I used to live in your house…”

Ada apa sebenarnya dengan rumah mereka? Atau lebih tepatnya, ada apa sebenarnya dengan Dark Falls?

Harus saya akui, saya sempat merinding ketika membaca buku ini. Sejak kecil saya memang penyukai cerita-cerita hantu. Tapi saya nggak menyangka buku yang ditujukan untuk anak-anak ini bisa-bisanya membuat saya merinding. Saya juga dibuat penasaran oleh misteri di rumah baru Amanda dan Josh. Siapakah sebenarnya sosok-sosok yang dilihat oleh Amanda? Hantu? Ataukah itu, menurut ibu Amanda, hanya imajinasi Amanda semata? Lalu bagaimana dengan gorden yang bergerak sendiri padahal jendela kamar Amanda tertutup rapat? Hal-hal semacam itulah yang sempat membuat saya merinding, namun tidak bisa berhenti membaca buku ini hingga selesai.

Seingat saya, sewaktu kecil dulu saya hampir tidak pernah dibuat merinding oleh buku-buku Goosebumps, tapi lebih ke rasa penasaran, terutama karena serial Goosebumps selalu memiliki twist ending yang cukup mengejutkan. Apakah buku ini memang seram? Ataukah membaca buku ini dalam bahasa asli membuat efek horornya lebih ‘nendang’ dibanding membaca edisi terjemahan? Entahlah.

Well, ada bagian yang menurut saya rasa kurang masuk akal. Yaitu ketika Josh mengajak Amanda mencari Petey, anjing mereka yang hilang, ke kuburan tak jauh dari rumah baru mereka, sebab tempat itulah di mana Petey ditemukan saat pertama kali anjing itu kabur. Hellow, ke kuburan tengah malam woy! Waras nggak sih? Tapi harus saya akui bagian itu seru sekali, karena saat itulah Amanda dan Josh akhirnya mengetahui apa sebenarnya yang terjadi di Dark Falls. Yah, dimaklumi sajalah, namanya juga buku anak-anak, horor pula.

Membaca serial Goosebumps memang mengasyikkan. Rasanya seperti menonton serial tv Twilight Zone versi anak-anak. Saya beri 4 bintang untuk Rumah Mati di Dark Falls. :)(less)

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Jan 25, 2013 Dellisantec added it

Shelves: children-eval-565

Aside from the Boxcar Children, the Goosebumps series were the first chapter books I really got involved in. However, this one, #94, is not one that I ever read...and I am quite thankful for it. This book has been banned because the story is far too scary for the age ground the book was designed for. With a paranormal theme, this book tells the story of two kids and their family as they move into a house they supposed just inherited. The house is haunted and the two siblings see children appear...more

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May 02, 2012 Jory rated it 4 of 5 stars

"Where is everyone?" I asked, looking up and down the empty street. "It's really dead around here, huh?"
He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

TALK ABOUT FORESHADOWING. GOOD ONE, STINE.

I ended up starting my Summer of Stine a day early. I couldn't resist. I wanted to jump into the books of my young adolescent life. I've got to tell you, this is going to be super fun for me. Reading Welcome To Dead House was like a blast from my youth past. I used to love this book. Like a lot. It was...more

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Jul 06, 2011 Erin rated it 2 of 5 stars

These books gave me nightmares when I was a little kid. But I kept reading them because all my friends and my little sister did, and at the time it was evil to have your little sister braver that you... My Mom banned me from R.L. Stine after goosebumps because she was tired of me coming into her room at night saying that I was scared of camera's and Haunted Houses. She still remembers when I wouldn't go to school because of the Haunted school.

Although I'm older I still steer clear of these book...more

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Jan 22, 2011 Brandon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: four, goosebumps

I recently decided to purchase the whole Goosebumps set. I'm going to read them in order and I'll probably only read them between other books. I'm not sure if I could handle 60+ Goosebumps books right in a row. (I'd be too scared, mirite?!)

This was a great introduction to the series. I was actually shocked at how graphic some of the scenes were. I think I actually got goosebumps when reading the narrator's dream sequence (the back of the book warned me of these goosebumps!). It was pretty damn f...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Nidah (Sleep Dream Write) rated it 3 of 5 stars

When we think of the book series that is Goosebumps, we think of either the covers, the characters, the ending and of course the show.
The original covers are better and make you feel almost nostalgic. These were great books and were a favorite of mine growing up.
Now I thought why not read the first book in the series to refresh my memory of what I even liked about these books.
Welcome to Dead House is about a family that moves into a creepy looking house in the town of Dark Falls. While there,...more

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Jun 04, 2013 Omar A. added it

Shelves: 1-12

Josh and his family moved to Dark Falls. But when they move the two children and their dog Petey already sense that there is something not right about the place. The neighborhood looks scary and all the leaves from the trees have fallen even thought it is in the middle if July. Amanda, Josh's sister makes friends with kids she find around only later to find out they were actually dead. And that these dead kids need to feed on the blood of people every year so that they may continue to live.

I di...more

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Mar 12, 2013 Paulo "paper books always" Carvalho rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: filthy-e-books, remembering-the-past, horror, novella-short-story

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 19, 2012 Abigail rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a review for the whole series, not just the first book.
I started reading Goosebumps when I was seven years old, starting with Camp Cold Lake.
I liked it back then, I thought the writing was good and it was interesting, so I read more of the series.
However, now that I look back on it, not the best series.
The description is...bland and the stories are overused and predictable.
Basically, some twelve-year-old finds out that their house has ghosts or their town is haunted.
They manage to get ri...more

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May 08, 2013 Kirsten Anne rated it 4 of 5 stars

I wasn't allowed to read Goosebumps when they first came out, as my parents were worried it would give me nightmares (which is funny considering I've been watching Agatha Christie shows all my life). I'd try to sneak read the books when I could during silent reading at school, until the librarian banned the books. She was a very strange lady, she'd get mad when she'd see us using tissues to wipe our noses and insist we go to the washroom to stop being so gross. The ironic thing was she'd show a...more

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Mar 10, 2013 Taylormade3hunnagbeioonnnlike rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who like horror or suspense

Recommended to Taylormade3hunnagbeioonnnlike by: no one i found it in my room

Welcome to Dead House is a non-fiction book by author, R.L. Stine. The book is very interesting. I would give the book a four out of five because of the entertaining characters and detailed setting and plot but i really couldn't connect to the book because I have never been in that situation.

Plot Summary:
A family receives a letter that there relative died and left them a house located in Dark Falls.Since the family was in need of a new leaving space they decided to move into the house. When they...more

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Jan 31, 2013 Emma rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is more of an overall review of the series, really. When I was a kid, I used to devour these books, but sadly I'd recently somehow managed to forget all about them. I was reminded, however, when I rediscovered this awesome blog: http://www.bloggerbeware.com. These books are a mixture of varying degrees of terrible and amazing - at the same time. I honestly find it really hard to rate them, seeing as they're such a major part of my reading foundation. 11 year-old me would probably have given...more

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About R.L. Stine

Robert Lawrence Stine known as R. L. Stine and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children's literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room and Fear Street series.

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