Name: Welcome to Dead House
Rating: 3.805555555555555 (72 reviews)
ISBN: 9780590509954

R. L. Stine

Three scary Goosebumps novels to make you scream.

Welcome to Dead House

R.L. Stine's first page turner in the Goosebumps library is good as the start of such a remarkable book series and that it takes some risks with the imagery that most modern Goosebumps books don't really attempt. The kids feel real in their thoughts and actions, and the amount of paranoia throughout keeps you hooked. Welcome to Dead House was an easy read I can breeze through, and unlike the episode that takes inspiration from, is much different. Even the twist ending turned out to focus on the undead still thriving rather than just fading away. Poor Petey though 🦮

Matthew Coverston

Dimitris Papastergiou

When I was a kid this was my shit. This was my jam. This whole series, I'd inhale that shit and love it. Also the tv show after awhile. It was great.

Now, I decided to re-read the whole thing, but, after re-reading this one again, I decided to maybe not re-read everything, I will try a few more for sure but.. this was a huge disappointment, because it's written for kids of course, and I have to understand that and maybe rate the book based on that, but meh..

Decided not to do that and I'm gonna rate this as an interesting or not book the moment I read it, which is now, which is as an adult. And it's not interesting, it's boring. I guess I could say that I'd change my mind when/if I have kids and they read it, but no, they can make their own Goodreads account, I'll still believe that this was my shit and now it's just shit. #Sadness

The book that started it all! As I went with July to honor the original release date of this book, how else to start other than with the book itself? Read for my Goosebumps July!

This book surprised me a bit honestly. I had of course read it as a child, but to dive back in as an adult, there’s some really dark stuff in these books. I guess middle grade horror is still allowed to be ‘horror’. I know I’ve recently read some reviews calling it boring to reread as an adult, and of course they are meant for children, but for me they’re so quick that it doesn’t phase me. I’m also aligning myself with what they are accomplishing while reading, and I’m still finding them enjoyable.

Inherited houses from uncles you’ve never heard or are never a good idea.

Personally a 5/5*, the first in a long career.

C. J. Daley 

The book that started it all! As I went with July to honor the original release date of this book, how else to start other than with the book itself? Read for my Goosebumps July!

This book surprised me a bit honestly. I had of course read it as a child, but to dive back in as an adult, there’s some really dark stuff in these books. I guess middle grade horror is still allowed to be ‘horror’. I know I’ve recently read some reviews calling it boring to reread as an adult, and of course they are meant for children, but for me they’re so quick that it doesn’t phase me. I’m also aligning myself with what they are accomplishing while reading, and I’m still finding them enjoyable.

Inherited houses from uncles you’ve never heard or are never a good idea.

Personally a 5/5*, the first in a long career.

The book that started it all. I found it perfectly fine. It's amazing the improvement in writing I can see even between this and The Haunted Mask, number 11 in the Goosebumps series. The main characters were annoying, especially the little brother, and the parents seemed a bit dumb, to be perfectly honest. Also, I didn't expect there to be an animal death. I say this as someone who vividly remembers Old Yeller and Charlotte's Web and Where the Red Fern Grows from childhood. I just wasn't expecting it here for some reason. The story itself was suitably creepy; I just wish we had spent more time with the actual house. But overall, I'm glad to have read this one, so I could see the inception of such a culturally important series to so many kids.

Side note: I can't believe this book is 30 years old!

Celeste Richardson

The book that started it all. I found it perfectly fine. It's amazing the improvement in writing I can see even between this and The Haunted Mask, number 11 in the Goosebumps series. The main characters were annoying, especially the little brother, and the parents seemed a bit dumb, to be perfectly honest. Also, I didn't expect there to be an animal death. I say this as someone who vividly remembers Old Yeller and Charlotte's Web and Where the Red Fern Grows from childhood. I just wasn't expecting it here for some reason. The story itself was suitably creepy; I just wish we had spent more time with the actual house. But overall, I'm glad to have read this one, so I could see the inception of such a culturally important series to so many kids.

Side note: I can't believe this book is 30 years old!

Maggie Gordon

Rating: * * ½

Welcome to Dead House is where the Goosebumps phenomenon started, and it is a very standard example of what one will get with this series. The Benson family finds out that they have inherited a house from a forgotten relative, so they move to the small town of Dark Falls to start over. Amanda and Josh are our protagonists, two siblings who are 11 and 12 years old (the standard age for all Goosebumps protagonists). Right away they start making friends with some of the kids in their new town, but they soon find that things seem a bit off in Dark Falls. The kids discover that all their new friends have gravestones in the town cemetery, and Dark Falls is actually a city of ghosts that needs to sacrifice the entire Benson family in order to survive! 

This first book of the series is moderately suspenseful and creepy, but it’s also not all that memorable. There are a lot of spooky house scenes, but Welcome to Dead House is a fairly standard evil ghost story. It gives kids what they want – a few scares and frights, and that’s really all Goosebumps ever aims to do. It sets the tone of the series and the general parameters of how these stories work, and was a very safe opening to the series.

Seth

11-year-old Josh and 12-year-old Amanda just moved into the oldest and weirdest house on the block - the two siblings think it might even be haunted. But of course, their parents don't believe them. 'You'll get used to it,' they say. 'Go out and make some new friends.' But the creepy kids are not like anyone Josh and Amanda have ever met before. And when they take a shortcut through the cemetery one night Josh and Amanda learn why.

Christina Berry 

Nadine MacDonald

When their father inherits an old house in the town of Dark Falls, Amanda and Josh are excited--until they begin to suspect that the house is haunted. Original.

Colton Ray

Aayush

sash.

Enter at your own Risk: The first ever Goosebumps. Now with creepy bonus features! 11-year-old Josh and 12-year-old Amanda just moved into the oldest and weirdest house on the block--the two siblings think it might even be haunted! But of course, their parents don't believe them. You'll get used to it, they say. Go out and make some new friends. But the creepy kids are not like anyone Josh and Amanda have ever met before. And when they take a shortcut through the cemetery one night, Josh and Amanda learn why.

Welcome to Dead House

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