The 10 Dumbest Things Kids Did in the ‘Goosebumps’ Series

It takes a pretty twisted mind to write stories about kids who die in fires and preteens who watch family members dine on the neighborhood librarian. But truthfully speaking, the protagonists in R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series sometimes had it coming.

In 1992, with the release of Welcome to Deadhouse, the author flipped kids' rooms at local libraries upside-down by providing elementary- and middle-schoolers the opportunity to indulge in some good ol' fashioned horror. On a monthly basis, Stine dreamed up cursed tombs, dastardly ghouls and even a camera that foresaw death, until the series tapped out at 62 volumes in 1997. Still, for all the adventure it supplied, it also posed an unfortunate question: Why are preteens so dumb sometimes?

Seriously, between the Haunted School and Ghost Camp, and from HorrorLand to Shock Street, the series' main characters were their own worst enemies, all murderous snowmen and bloodthirsty sharks considered. Will the upcoming Goosebumps movie, which is based on the books, outfit its heroes with a bit more cunning? For their sake, let's hope so...

Before Jack Black—who will play Stine himself—whisks you away into a world of young-blooded terror, let's look back at some of the original Goosebumps' most unbelievable lapses in judgment. Look back at some real rookie mistakes committed in Stine's fantasy world above, and be sure to catch the Goosebumps movie in theaters tomorrow (October 16)!

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