Welcome to Dead House

Last updated
Welcome to Dead House
Welcome to Dead House first edition cover.jpg
First edition cover
Author R. L. Stine
Cover artist Tim Jacobus
Brandon Dorman
Language English
Series Goosebumps
Genre Horror fiction
Children's literature
PublishedJuly 1992 Scholastic
Publication place United States
Media typePrint
Pages128
ISBN 0590453653
Followed byStay Out of the Basement 

Welcome to Dead House is the first book in the original Goosebumps book series. It was first published in July 1992 along with Stay Out of the Basement and Monster Blood, the second and third books. Additionally, it was re-released in 2010 as the thirteenth book under the Classic Goosebumps title, featuring new artwork by Brandon Dorman.

Contents

The plot follows Amanda and Josh Benson, who move with their parents into a creepy old house located in the strange town of Dark Falls where people are unlike any they have known before.

The original cover illustration by Tim Jacobus features an old house at night, with the front door slightly ajar, and a strange figure illuminated in the window. Subsequent editions differed from one release to the next; while an early 2000s re-release of the title featured a more digitally-rendered version of Jacobus's haunted house image, the British special edition was light gray-blue in colour and featured an image of human skulls in a cemetery, an attempt to market the edition to more mature demographics who saw the Goosebumps series as wholly for children. A novelization of the 1990s Canadian TV adaptation had also been scheduled under Scholastic's Goosebumps Presents TV novelization spin-off series, but the series completed its final aired season before the publication contract could be fulfilled.

Plot

The Benson family takes their first trip to Dark Falls to meet with the local real estate agent Compton Dawes, and see their new home. Mr. Benson inherited a house that belonged to his late great-uncle that he didn't even know existed. Amanda Benson, her little brother Josh, and their dog Petey immediately sense that something is not quite right. Despite the fact that it is the middle of July, the entire neighborhood seems covered in an artificial darkness created by the shadows of massive, overhanging tree limbs. Dead brown leaves, shade, and shadows are everywhere. Then there is the creepy old house, that appears to have been built many years ago. It is an enormous, dark, antique home with two large bay windows on the second floor that look eerily like a pair of dark eyes staring down at the street below. While Josh proceeds to impatiently whine in protest over the family move and how tragic it is for him, Mr. Dawes welcomes the family into the home. Whilst exploring her new room, Amanda watches with amazement as she catches a glimpse of a boy standing in the doorway, before quickly disappearing down the hall.

Amanda feels much better after seeing her bedroom. She goes outside to tell Josh about it, but both he and Petey are gone. Mr. Dawes offers to provide directions while the family drive around town to find the missing pair. On the way Amanda finds it odd that there aren't any people in the houses or yards, or even on the street. Eventually, the group find Josh trying to catch Petey amongst the gravestones of the Dark Falls cemetery. The kids' father Jack ends up catching Petey and putting him on a leash despite how frantic his behavior is. The family then drops off Mr. Dawes at his real estate office in Dark Falls, where he mentions to the Bensons that they can come back the following week to finalize the contracts for the house. After an eventful first visit, the Benson family leave Dark Falls and head back home to their old neighborhood.

Amanda's best friend, Kathy, comes over on the family's last night in their old house, reassuring Amanda that Dark Falls is only four hours away. The following morning is moving day, and it's a rainy, windy arrival in Dark Falls for the family at their new house. Amanda keeps seeing other children in her home and hearing strange sounds. Amanda and Josh start meeting the locals, such as Ray Thurston who seem friendly enough, but also seem a bit strange and off-putting. Both Ray and a girl named Karen claim they used to live in their house.

Two weeks later, Petey goes missing and they can't seem to find him. That night, Josh comes into Amanda's room and theorizes that Petey went into the cemetery, just like last time. When they head out to check, they bump into Ray, who warns them about being out so late. In the cemetery, they find gravestones with their new friends names on them, including Ray's. Ray confirms that it is his, and he is actually one of the living dead.

Once a year, they must have the blood from a freshly killed person to sustain their "living dead" existence for another year. They killed Petey because dogs always sense the living dead. Ray attacks Amanda but Josh saves her at the last moment, when he shines his light on Ray's face. This results in Ray disintegrating and becoming 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. Suddenly Mr. Dawes, the real estate agent, appears at the door and the dead children vanish.

He tells them that he has already found their parents and that he will take the kids to join their parents. Although Amanda and Josh think he's saving them at first, a gravestone reveals Mr. Dawes is also dead. He explains to the children that Dark Falls used to be a normal town years ago, but a yellow gas escaped from a nearby factory and spread throughout the town, transforming the citizens into the undead. Amanda and Josh manage to escape Mr. Dawes after Josh hits him on the head with his flashlight. It turns out the dead children are mutated ghouls that crumble under light, and they knock down a tree to kill all of the living dead. They rescue their parents and go home to quickly pack up.

As the Benson family is leaving Dead House, they see a new family on the driveway. Amanda notices that these people are being guided by someone that looks like Mr. Dawes. She brushes this off and tells one of the kids that she used to live in their house, and the Benson family drives away.

Reception

Welcome to Dead House had sold over a million copies by 1996. [1] It demonstrated many themes common to horror books for children this age, including having their experiences discounted by adults. [2] The title was known as being grittier and less goofy than most other books in the Goosebumps series, which led to it being frequently challenged by parents, religious groups and school boards since its publication. Unlike the other books in the series, Welcome to Dead House featured major supporting characters being killed, a deceased domestic pet, a plastics factory accident, and mentions of blood and gore. [3] [4]

Welcome to Dead House was also a book owned by Oskar in the Swedish horror novel Let the Right One In , as part of a series of Goosebumps books he had purchased from the home of a seller who was unaware of how much money the translated editions of Goosebumps books were worth. Stray Dogs , a horror comic book series by My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic artist Tony Fleecs, featured a limited edition front cover design in a homage of Jacobus's cover art, with the title written as "Welcome to Dog House". The comic was designed to look like a Goosebumps book, and featured the same original pink-and-purple colour motif as the original print of Welcome to Dead House had. [5]

Adaptations

In the 1990s, George A. Romero had written a full screenplay for a movie length adaptation of Welcome To Dead House with a focus on the plastics factory accident and themes of capitalism and greed. In Romero's screenplay, the dead people of Dark Falls are not ghouls, but instead zombies. Moreover, they are sympathetic characters who want to be set free and able to rest in peace, while being forced by an overarching town leader named Foster DeVries to lure in new victims to keep the town sustained. Foster DeVries was an original creation of Romero's, and not a character from the original book; responsible for the plastics factory accident that killed the townspeople, DeVries becomes the primary antagonist, while Stine's original antagonists become fellow victims, like the Benson Family, who are able to die in peace after being saved by Amanda and Josh. This would have been one of the earliest examples of Romero's sympathetic, sentient zombie, after sentient zombie "Bub" from Day of the Dead . For a variety of reasons, Romero's screenplay was scrapped although after his death, the screenplay was revealed to be stored (albeit unavailable to the general public) by The University of Pittsburgh. [6]

The house that served as the set for the 1997 television adaptation of Welcome to Dead House, having since undergone extensive renovations in 2007. The Goosebumps "Dead House".png
The house that served as the set for the 1997 television adaptation of Welcome to Dead House, having since undergone extensive renovations in 2007.

Welcome to Dead House became one of a select number of adapted two-part episodes in Season 2 of Goosebumps , a Canadian TV series produced by Scholastic and Fox Kids in the 1990s. Some significant changes were made in the adaptation, including the factory accident playing a more prominent role, the Dark Falls townspeople being mutated people who survive on human blood, the family dog being a collie breed rather than a white terrier, the character Karen and her family being more prominent characters, and the introduction of an aesthetically ugly antique wreath that protects the family from Dark Falls. The two-part episode, often marketed as a made-for-TV film, was released on VHS and DVD.

The video game Goosebumps HorrorTown features the addition of a Welcome to Dead House level with character Compton Dawes introduced (instead of being sympathetic as in the book, he is portrayed as greedy in the game). Dawes is responsible for establishing the Dark Falls factory in the game, as well as a mansion, which he resides in. The game is available through Google Play.

Planned follow-up

R.L. Stine had planned to release a follow-up to Welcome to Dead House called "Happy Holidays From Dead House", under the brand label "Goosebumps Gold", with publicly released cover art by Tim Jacobus featuring a Christmas wreath with glowing eyes embedded inside. The book was eventually scrapped in the early 2000s and was never released, despite retaining an ISBN and having a dormant sales page on Amazon and a book record page with numerous ratings and reviews on Goodreads. [7] [8] These reviews have since been revealed to be fake, as the manuscript was never completed or released to the public, kept under wraps by Stine himself during a shift in publishing partners.

Merchandise

Welcome to Dead House is notable for inspiring a variety of merchandise items, including a glow-in-the-dark window cling (which came with the TV adaptation's VHS release), trading cards with images from the book, and a board game called "Race to Dead House", produced by Mastermind Toys in 2020. [9]

In 1997, Taco Bell released a 3D puzzle toy coinciding with the original air date of the TV adaptation. The toy, called "The House in Dark Falls", continues to appear on internet auction sites and thrift shops.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Haunted Mask</i> 11th novel by R. L. Stine

The Haunted Mask is the eleventh book in the original Goosebumps, the series of children's horror fiction novels created and written by R. L. Stine. The book follows Carly Beth, a girl who buys a Halloween mask from a store. After putting on the mask, she starts acting differently and discovers that the mask has become her face; she is unable to pull the mask off. R. L. Stine says he got the idea for the book from his son who had put on a Frankenstein mask he had trouble getting off.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R. L. Stine</span> American writer and producer (born 1943)

Robert Lawrence Stine, known by his pen name R.L. Stine, is an American novelist. He is the writer of Goosebumps, a horror fiction novel series which has sold over 400 million copies globally in 35 languages, becoming the second-best-selling book series in history. The series spawned a media franchise including two television series, a video game series, a comic series, and two feature films. Stine has been referred to as the "Stephen King of children's literature".

<i>Goosebumps</i> Series of childrens novels by R. L. Stine

Goosebumps is a series of horror novels written by American author R. L. Stine. The protagonists in these stories are teens or pre-teens who find themselves in frightening circumstances, often involving the supernatural, the paranormal or the occult. Between 1992 and 1997, sixty-two books were published under the Goosebumps umbrella title. R. L. Stine also wrote various spin-off series, including, Goosebumps Series 2000, Give Yourself Goosebumps, Tales to Give You Goosebumps, Goosebumps Triple Header, Goosebumps HorrorLand, Goosebumps Most Wanted and Goosebumps SlappyWorld. Additionally, there was a series called Goosebumps Gold that was never released.

<i>Give Yourself Goosebumps</i> Childrens horror gamebook series

Give Yourself Goosebumps is a children's horror fiction gamebook series by R. L. Stine. After the success of the original Goosebumps books, Scholastic Press decided to create this spin-off series in 1995. In fact, Stine had written gamebooks in previous years.

Goosebumps Series 2000 is a spin-off of the original Goosebumps series by R. L. Stine. The cover design of the Series 2000 books was different from the original books, though the cover art was again by the same person, Tim Jacobus. There was no back tagline anymore, and the paragraphs at the back were excerpts from the book rather than a short summary of the story as the original books' back covers had. There was another difference with back covers too, as the "Reader Beware, You're In For A Scare!" of the original series was changed to "2000 Times The Scares!" and "Welcome to the new millennium of fear". Only 25 books were printed because of a dispute that R.L. Stine had with Scholastic. A 26th book, called The Incredible Shrinking Fifth Grader was planned and while it was canceled, Stine retooled it into a standalone book called The Adventures of Shrink Man.

<i>The Nightmare Room</i> American horror anthology television series (2001–2002)

The Nightmare Room is an American children's anthology horror series that aired on Kids' WB. The series was based on the short-lived children's book series that went by the same title created by Goosebumps author, R. L. Stine. The Nightmare Room originally aired from August 31, 2001, to March 16, 2002, in the United States.

<i>Goosebumps</i> (1995 TV series) Horror anthology television series

Goosebumps is a children's anthology horror television series based on R. L. Stine's best-selling book series of the same name. It is an anthology of stories involving children and young adults in strange situations. The series is centered around the same supernatural or occult elements featured in the novels with most episodes being direct adaptions of the novels.

<i>The Werewolf of Fever Swamp</i> 14th Goosebumps novella

The Werewolf of Fever Swamp is the fourteenth book in the original Goosebumps, the series of children's horror fiction novellas created and authored by R. L. Stine. The story follows Grady Tucker, who moves into a new house next to the Fever Swamp with his family. After a swamp deer is killed, his father believes Grady's dog is responsible, but Grady is convinced a werewolf is the culprit.

<i>A Night in Terror Tower</i> Novel by R. L. Stine

A Night in Terror Tower is the twenty-seventh book in the original Goosebumps, the series of children's horror fiction novels created and authored by R. L. Stine. It was adapted into a two-part episode, an audiobook, and a board game. The plot is loosely based on the historical Princes in the Tower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slappy the Dummy</span> Villain in the Goosebumps book series

Slappy the Dummy is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the Goosebumps children's series by R. L. Stine. He is the main antagonist of the Night of the Living Dummy saga and one of the series' most popular villains, as well as its mascot. He is also the main antagonist of the franchise's film adaptation and its sequel, described by their interpretation of Stine as having a "serious Napoleonic complex" in the former. He comes alive when the words, "Karru Marri Odonna Loma Molonu Karrano," which roughly translates to "You and I are one now" and can be found on a sheet of paper in the coat pocket of Slappy's jacket, are read aloud. After being brought to life, Slappy will try to make the person who did so serve him as a slave, to the point of framing them for his evil deeds.

Goosebumps HorrorLand is a horror novella series by R.L. Stine, a spin-off of his popular Goosebumps books. There was an almost ten-year gap between the publication of the initial installment in the Goosebumps Horrorland.

<i>One Day at HorrorLand</i> 1994 book by R.L. Stine

One Day at HorrorLand was originally published in February 1994 and is the sixteenth children's horror novel in R. L. Stine's Goosebumps series. It was adapted into a two-part episode for the television series, which was later released on VHS and DVD. A comic adaptation of the book was included in the graphic novel compilation Terror Trips, part of the Goosebumps Graphix series. There were two video games, an audiobook, and an adult-aimed interactive show based on the book. A sequel in the spin-off series Goosebumps Series 2000 titled Return to HorrorLand was published in 1999. The HorrorLand theme park was expanded upon in the book series Goosebumps HorrorLand. The two-part episode was released on VHS and DVD. The book and episodes received positive reception.

<i>Goosebumps</i> (film) 2015 American film by Rob Letterman

Goosebumps is a 2015 American horror comedy film directed by Rob Letterman and written by Darren Lemke, based on R. L. Stine's children's horror book series of the same name. The film stars Jack Black as a fictionalized version of Stine, who teams up with his neighbor and his teenage daughter, to save their hometown after all the monsters from the Goosebumps franchise escape from his works, wreaking havoc in the real world. It also stars Amy Ryan, Ryan Lee and Jillian Bell in supporting roles.

<i>Superstitious</i> (novel) 1995 novel by R. L. Stine

Superstitious is a 1995 horror novel by author R. L. Stine. This was the first adult novel by Stine, most famous for writing children's fiction such as the Goosebumps series. This book deals with Sara Morgan, who falls in love with Liam O’Connor. It was published on September 14, 1995 by Grand Central Publishing in the United States.

Goosebumps is a series of children's horror fiction novellas by R. L. Stine. 62 books were published under the Goosebumps umbrella title from 1992 to 1997; the first was Welcome to Dead House; the last was Monster Blood IV. The cover illustrations for this series was done primarily by Tim Jacobus.

<i>The Haunting Hour: The Series</i> Canadian-American horror-fantasy television anthology

R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: The Series is an original anthology horror-fantasy television series which is based on the 2007 movie R.L Stine's The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It and the anthologies The Haunting Hour and Nightmare Hour by R.L. Stine, that originally aired on The Hub Network from October 29, 2010 to October 11, 2014. The only story taken from The Haunting Hour anthology was My Imaginary Friend, and the only story unused from The Nightmare Hour was Make Me a Witch. The fourth season's seven remaining episodes ran on Discovery Family from October 18, 2014 to November 29, 2014. The series was produced by Front Street Pictures, The Hatchery, Incendo Films, and Endemol.

The Haunted Mask (<i>Goosebumps</i> episode) 1st and 2nd episodes of the 1st season of Goosebumps

"The Haunted Mask" is the feature-length series premiere of the television series Goosebumps. The episode is based on the book of the same name by R. L. Stine and is about Carly Beth, a timid girl who buys a Halloween mask that soon begins merging with her face. It first aired on October 27, 1995, in the United States on the Fox network, where it was viewed by 7.9 million households. In Canada, where the episode was filmed, it aired one day later on the YTV network. At the time, it had almost 3 million viewers and was YTV's highest-rated episode. Kathryn Long, who played Carly Beth, obtained a Gemini Award nomination for "Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series".

Goosebumps video games are a series of action-adventure games based on Goosebumps book series.

<i>Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween</i> 2018 film by Ari Sandel

Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween is a 2018 American horror comedy film directed by Ari Sandel and written by Rob Lieber from a story by Lieber and Darren Lemke. A stand-alone sequel to 2015's Goosebumps, it is based on the children's horror book series of the same name by R. L. Stine. The new cast consists of Wendi McLendon-Covey, Madison Iseman, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Caleel Harris, Chris Parnell, and Ken Jeong. The plot follows two young boys who accidentally release the monsters from the Goosebumps franchise in their town after opening an unpublished Goosebumps manuscript titled Haunted Halloween, causing a wave of destruction on Halloween night.

References

  1. "All-Time Bestselling Paperback Children's Books". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  2. DICKSON, RANDI (1998). "Horror: To Gratify, Not Edify". Language Arts. 76 (2): 115–122. ISSN   0360-9170. JSTOR   41484083.
  3. Foerstel, Herbert N. (2002). Banned in the U.S.A.: A Reference Guide to Book Censorship in Schools and Public Libraries. Greenwood Press. p. 222. ISBN   0313311668 . Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  4. Ahlin, Charlotte. "Tell Us Your Favorite Goosebumps Book & We'll Tell You Which Scary Story To Read Right Now". www.bustle.com. Bustle. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  5. MacNamee, Olly (10 June 2021). "'Stray Dogs' Series Gets Every Issue So Far Reprinted With Horror Movie Homage Covers". www.comicon.com. Comicon. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  6. Hart, Adam Charles. "George Romero's Goosebumps". horrorstudies.library.pitt.edu. University of Pittsburgh Library. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  7. Happy Holidays from Dead House Paperback – July 1 2001. ASIN   0064409120.
  8. "Happy Holidays from Dead House (Goosebumps Gold #2)". www.goodreads.com. Goodreads. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  9. "Goosebumps: Race to Dead House". boardgamegeek.com. Boardgame Geek. Retrieved 15 January 2022.