You all have tuned in and made our podcast what it is today, Thank you. With this, we have put together our top-20 most popular episodes of the year!

#20  |  Episode 211: Matthew Rosenberg

Matthew Rosenberg is the award-winning writer of comics such as What’s The Furthest Place From Here?, 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank, and We Can Never Go Home. He has also written a lot of comics for DC and Marvel, such as Uncanny X-Men, The Punisher, Hawkeye Freefall, DC vs. Vampires, Task Force Z, and The Joker. He also once co-wrote an album with a member of the Wu-Tang Clan.

#19  |  Episode 204: Tim Jacobus

Tim Jacobus is responsible for well over 100 pieces of art. Best known for his cover art work on the R.L. Stine Goosebumps series, Tim is responsible for creating the iconic 62 original series covers, followed by the Goosebumps series 2000, special edition books, calendars and other Goosebumps promotional art.

#18  |  Episode 241: Jeremy Haun & Mike Tisserand

Jeremy Haun is the creator of The Realm, The Beauty, The Red Mother, and The Approach, and more. His other projects include Batwoman, Constantine, Wolf Moon, and Knight Terrors: Black Adam. Jeremy has worked for nearly every publisher in the industry as well as doing self-publishing via Kickstarter. In 2025 he launched Ignition Press.

Mike Tisserand began his career in animation in 2006 and has worked as a 2D and 3D animator, designer, storyboard artist, and head of story on productions for Disney, Dreamworks, 20th Century, Nickelodeon, and Netflix on projects including The Dragon Prince, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Big Hero 6: The Series, among others.

Together the two have created Murder Podcast which hits shelves on September 10, 2025 from Ignition Press.

#17  |  Episode 245: Eric Heisserer

Eric Heisserer is the Academy Award-nominated screenwriter of Arrival (2016), as well as Bird Box (2018), A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), The Thing (2011), Final Destination 5 (2011), Bloodshot (2020), and more. He is also the creator of the television series Shadow and Bone. As for the print medium, Heisserer is credited with writing comic books such as Shaper (Dark Horse), Lone Wolf 2100 (Dark Horse), Zombie Tales (BOOM! Studios), Secret Weapons (Valiant), and more! His debut novel, Simultaneous, hits bookstores everywhere on October 28, 2025 from Flatiron Books.

#16  |  Episode 222: Alyssa Wong & Liana Kangas

Alyssa Wong writes award-winning fiction, comics, novels, and games. Their stories have won the Nebula Award, the World Fantasy Award, and the Locus Award. Alyssa was a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and their fiction has been shortlisted for the Hugo, Bram Stoker, and Shirley Jackson Awards.

Wong’s comic credits include Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, Marvel, DC, and Adventure Time. In 2023, Alyssa joined the Star Wars: The High Republic storytelling initiative and their debut novel releasing January 2024. Alyssa has also written for Overwatch and Blizzard Entertainment’s Story and Franchise Development.

Liana Kangas is a freelance comic artist, illustrator, and writer, with previous professional history in graphic design and outreach. They recently released the TRVE KVLT trade paperback they co-created and illustrated with writer Scott Bryan Wilson at IDW Publishing as well as the original graphic novel, Mariko Between Worlds, they illustrated and co-created with writer Matthew Erman for Mad Cave Studios. The trade paperback of Know Your Station they illustrated and co-created along with writer Sarah Gailey. his local comic shops on September 20, 2023 from BOOM! Studios.

Kangas illustrated short written by James Tynion IV for Razorblades, published by Image Comics and contributed to a short with David M. Booher on Canto: Tales of the Unnamed World.

They have also worked on the IDW Publishing / LucasFilm title Star Wars Adventures written by Sam Maggs, co-writing the short one-shot Seeds of Eden, co-written by Joe Corallo, drawn by Paul Azaceta, and published by TKO Studios, co-created and drew a mini series titled She Said Destroy, written by Corallo and published by Vault Comics, and the BlackAF series title Devil’s Dye written by Vita Ayala published by Black Mask Studios.

Liana’s work has been featured in anthologies including 2000 A.D., Z2’s The Final Symphony, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Comic Mix’s Mine!, Image Comics Where We Live, and A Wave Blue World’s All We Ever Wanted, Dead Beats, Embodied and Dead Beats: London Calling.

Kangas has drawn covers for series published with Image Comics, IDW Publishing, Comixology, Oni Press, Ahoy Comics, Vault Comics, Mad Cave Studios and Scout Comics and licenses such as Star Trek, Star Wars, Dark Spaces: Wildfire, and more.

#15  |  Episode 210: Steve Foxe

Foxe is the Eisner and Ringo Award-nominated author of over 80 comics and children’s books including Spider-Woman, Dark X-Men, X-Men ’97, All Eight Eyes, Rainbow Bridge, the Skybound Creepshow anthology, the 2023 Marvel Voice’s: Pride special, and the Spider-Ham series from Scholastic. Along with character designer Kris Anka, he is the co-creator of Web-Weaver, Marvel’s first gay Spider-hero.

He is also the co-creator of Razorblades: The Horror Magazine alongside James Tynion IV, and is the editor of W0RLDTR33, The Deviant, and the multiple-Eisner-nominated The Department of Truth at Image Comics. In the world of licensed kids books, he has written for properties like Pokémon, Mario, LEGO City, Batman, Justice League, Baby Shark, and many more.

He is also a freelance editor for First Second; was the editor for Paste Magazine’s comic section (when it existed); has contributed to PanelxPanel, The MNT, and The Comics Journal; and spent five years at Knopf Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

#14  |  Episode 214: Chris Condon

Chris Condon is the writer of the Image Comics series That Texas Blood with artist Jacob Phillips along with its Wild West spinoff, The Enfield Gang Massacre, which was selected as one of the best comics of 2023 by The Hollywood Reporter, The Comics Journal, CBR, and The Comics Beat. Other comics to his name are The Night People (Oni Press), Green Arrow (DC), Ultimate Wolverine (Marvel), and more! Far Down Below hit local comic shops on March 26, 2025 from Mad Cave Studios.

#13  |  Episode 219: Gary Smart & John Campopiano

Gary Smart is the writer and producer of such titles as Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser (2015); You’re so cool, Brewster! The Story of Fright Night (2016); RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop (2021); What an Institution! The Story of Police Academy (2020); Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story (2024)–which he also directed; and more!

John Campopiano is the writer and producer of Snapper: The Man-Eating Turtle Movie That Never Got Made (2022); Unearthed & Untold: The Path to Pet Sematary (2017); Georgie (2019); and more. Campopiano also produced RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop (2021); Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story (2024); and Stream (2024).

Together the pair co-wrote and produced Pennywise: The Story of IT (2020).

Smart and Campopiano worked together on the recently released Art Attack! The Dissection of Terrifier 3, a documentary following the filming of Damien Leone‘s third Terrifier film which was released in 2024.

#12  |  Episode 229: Philip Fracassi

Philip Fracassi is the author of the novels Don’t Let Them Get You Down, A Child Alone with Strangers, Gothic, Boys in the Valley and The Third Rule of Time Travel. He is also the author of several novellas, including Sacculina, Shiloh, Commodore and D7. His upcoming books include the novels Sarafina and The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre.

Other work includes the story collections No One Is Safe!, Beneath a Pale Sky, and Behold the Void. He is also the author of a children’s book, The Boy with the Blue Rose Heart, and a book of poetry, Tomorrow’s Gone.

As a screenwriter, his feature films have been distributed by Disney Entertainment and Lifetime Television, with several projects in various stages of development.

The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre hit bookstores everywhere on September 30, 2025 from Tor Nightfire. The audiobook, narrated by January LaVoy, is available via Libro.fm!

#11  |  Episode 224: Vladimir Popov

Vladimir Popov is the colorist responsible for comics such as Where Monsters Lie, Flash Gordon, Highlander, Robocop, Fearscape, Port of Earth, Hellraiser, Ice Nine Kills, Yungblud and many more. More recently Vladimir has colored Star Wars comics for Dark Horse including Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures – The Wedding Spectacular, Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures, and Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories – Qui-Gon.

#10  |  Episode 233: Paul Tremblay

Paul Tremblay is the author of Horror Movie, Survivor Song, The Cabin at the End of the World, Disappearance at Devil’s Rock, A Head Full of Ghosts, the crime novels The Little Sleep and No Sleep Till Wonderland, and the short story collection, Growing Things and Other Stories. He has won Bram Stoker, British Fantasy, and Massachusetts Book awards.

His young adult horror novel, Another, hit bookstores everywhere on July 22, 2025 from Quill Tree Books. The audiobook, narrated by Ramon de Ocampo, is available at Libro.fm!

#9  |  Episode 239: Brian McAuley

Brian McAuley grew up in Weird, NJ on a steady diet of Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark? episodes. He received his BA in Creative Writing and Horror Theory from NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study before getting his MFA in Film from Columbia University.

As a WGA screenwriter, Brian has written five films for the Lifetime Network in addition to writing and producing the award-winning thriller Dismissed for BoulderLight Pictures. He sold his TV series pitch Affliction to Syfy Network in a pilot development deal and penned an episode of Fuller House (episode 12) for Netflix.

Brian’s debut novel Curse of the Reaper was published through Simon & Schuster and named one of the Best Horror Books of 2022 by Esquire. His Christmas horror novella Candy Cain Kills released in 2023 through Shortwave Publishing with the sequel published on November 12, 2024. His latest novel, Breathe In, Bleed Out, hits bookstores everywhere from Poisoned Pen Press on September 2, 2025.

Brian McAuley is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Screenwriting at the Sidney Poitier New American Film School of Arizona State University.

#8  |  Episode 244: Utkarsh Ambudkar

Utkarsh Ambudkar is known for his acting roles including Pitch Perfect, The Mindy Project, Ghosts, and World’s Best which he also co-wrote. The Guy in the Chair which he co-wrote with Hannah Rose May is his comic book miniseries debut. His fifth season of Ghosts premiered on October 16, 2025 on CBS.

#7  |  Episode 240: Ashley Cullins

Ashley Cullins is an award-winning entertainment journalist with over a decade of experience. After graduating with a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University’s prestigious Medill School, Ashley began her career in broadcast news before making the jump to print. Your Favorite Scary Movie is her first book.

Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror is available at bookstores everywhere from Dutton Books.

#6  |  Episode 218: Saratoga Schaefer

Saratoga Schaefer is the author the recently released Serial Killer Support Group and their sophomore novel Traditional Wife comes out in 2026. Saratoga was born and raised in New York City. Besides being an avid reader and writer, Saratoga is also sober, and in their spare time, teaches yoga, climbs rocks, and hikes mountains.

Serial Killer Support Group is available wherever books are sold. The audiobook, narrated by Abby Craden & Timothy Andrés Pabon, is available at Libro.fm!

Saratoga returns to the podcast in early 2026.

#5  |  Episode 205: Eric LaRocca

Eric LaRocca is a two-time Bram Stoker Award finalist and Splatterpunk Award winner. Named by Esquire as one of the “Writers Shaping Horror’s Next Golden Age” and praised by Locus as “one of strongest and most unique voices in contemporary horror fiction,” LaRocca’s notable works include Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, Everything the Darkness Eats, The Trees Grew Because I Bled There: Collected Stories, and You’ve Lost a Lot of Blood. At Dark, I Become Loathsome, published in January 2025. The book has already been optioned for film by The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus.

#4  |  Episode 232: Patrick Horvath

Patrick Horvath is a filmmaker and comic book creator best known for IDW Publishing’s Eisner-nominated comic book series Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees as well as sequel, Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring. Horvath is also the mind behind the Zoop funded and Oni Press released Free For All.

#3  |  Episode 220: Dan Baillie & Tim Bradstreet

Tim Bradstreet is an Eisner Award nominated illustrator who is most well known for being the regular cover artists for Marvel‘s The Punisher (2000-2008) and Vertigo’s Hellblazer (1998-2005) as well as IDW Publishing’s Star Trek (2011-2013), BOOM! Studios’ 28 Days Later, and more recently AWA Studios’ Sins of the Salton Sea.

Dan Baillie has teamed up with legendary artist Bradstreet to create AWA Studios’ first graphic novella, Look Out. The comic is the first in the Future of Fear collaboration between AWA Studios and acclaimed producer Roy Lee‘s Vertigo Entertainment (Barbarian, It, Late Night with the Devil).

#2  |  Episode 215: Keith Rosson

Keith Rosson is the author of the novels The Devil by Name, Fever House, Smoke City, Road Seven, and The Mercy of the Tide as well as the Shirley Jackson Award–winning story collection Folk Songs for Trauma Surgeons. His short fiction has appeared in Southwest Review, Nightmare, Cream City Review, PANK, Redivider, December, and more.

Rosson’s latest novel, Coffin Moon, hit bookstores everywhere on September 9, 2025 from Random House.

#1  |  Episode 202: Patrick Horvath

Patrick Horvath is a filmmaker and comic book creator best known for IDW Publishing’s Eisner-nominated comic book series Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees as well as sequel, Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring. Horvath is also the mind behind the Zoop funded and Oni Press released Free For All.

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No melting allowed! Jaclyn used to live with her aunt Greta in Chicago. But not anymore. They’ve moved to a place called Sherpia. It’s a tiny village on the edge of the Arctic Circle. Jaclyn can’t believe she’s stuck out in Nowheresville. No movie theaters. No malls. No nothing. Plus, there’s something really odd about the village. At night there are strange howling noises. And in front of every house there’s a snowman. A creepy snowman with a red scarf. A deep scar on his face. And a really evil smile…

The season aspect of Beware, the Snowman really is what draws you into this story. Snowman are one of those winter things that can either be fun and jolly, al la Frosty the Snowman, or something like this story. So, I was intrigued to say the least. The setup and opening chapters set us on a promising start, but what happens in the latter half of the story was a bit of a let down.

Jaclyn’s move to Sherpia from Chicago with her aunt Greta as well as the death of her parents was well-written and surprisingly dark for a middle grade story. The eeriness and unease of Jaclyn noticing all the odd looking snowmen on peoples front lawns and in random spots is where the great part of the book starts to decline. Once the secrets of the village are revealed, things are just not as interesting and finale doesn’t quite pay off.

As with nearly every Goosebumps book, the characters in Beware, the Snowman are super unlikable. When it comes to Jaclyn, she has this entitled and selfish mindset and it’s what causes the most issues. This can be fun sometimes, but in this one it just made me angry with her.

Beware, the Snowman by R.L. Stine has all the aspects of what makes Goosebumps books what they are, but really falls off in the second half of the story. The winter theme and setting made for a great read during the colder months, but was not my favorite in the series by far.

Beware, the Snowman is available at bookstores everywhere from Scholastic. The audiobook, narrated by Alexa Elmy, is available via Libro.fm!

The post Beware, the Snowman: A Chilling Setup That Slowly Melts Away appeared first on Capes and Tights.

Rick Scroogeman hates Christmas. He can’t stand the carols and the pageants. He can’t stand the lights and the mistletoe. But what he hates the most is having to watch the old movie A Christmas Carol every year at school. Since his name is Scroogeman, all of his classmates start calling him Scrooge. And he hates being called Scrooge.

But everything starts to change when three ghosts visit him. At first, he thinks it’s a dream. But then he realizes that it might be a nightmare. A nightmare that could become real.

Stine has tackled the retelling of A Christmas Carol before in Ghosts of Fear Street: Fright Christmas. The 1996 middle grade holiday horror was a solid story based around the Dickens take, but Young Scrooge is a looser adaptation pulling in nods to other classic stories such as Oliver Twist (the name of the middle school in this book). Young Scrooge misses the mark a little as I found it doesn’t fully land the redemption angle found in A Christmas Carol.

Scroogeman might be the most unlikeable character in a Stine story, so much so that I honestly was getting a bit annoyed while turning the pages. Truthfully, I thought Stine might actually go the route of saying that Rick was irredeemable, which would’ve been a shocker in a middle grade story, but also would’ve maybe opened the eyes of a few readers to be better people.

The biggest drawback, outside of Rick’s character, was the fact that I feel Stine didn’t full redeem Scroogeman at the end. In the original A Christmas Carol, Scrooge is a nearly perfect redemption story when the final page is over. He didn’t pull one last trick or do a bunch of nice deeds only to pull the rug out from one person. Scroogeman still needs work by the end of this story, leaving me to think…maybe he can’t be redeemed.

Young Scrooge is one of R.L. Stine’s most recent holiday horrors, but misses the mark a bit. The author takes the classic A Christmas Carol and gives it a modern and more middle grade twist with an extremely unlikable main character. However, by the end I feel the lead character hasn’t fully learned his lessons and misses the mark on what Dickens was trying to accomplish with his original story.

Young Scrooge: A Very Scary Christmas Story is available at bookstores everywhere from Feiwel & Friends. The audiobook, narrated by Andrew Eiden, is available via Libro.fm!

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He’d better watch out… Santa is watching Kenny Frobisher this year. Watching him do rotten, nasty things. Kenny’s the biggest bully in Shadyside. And he’s out to ruin everyone’s holiday. Until he gets himself trapped in a closet in Dalby’s Department Store on Christmas Eve. When Kenny finally gets out, the store is locked. Deserted. And Kenny is alone. Until the three most frightening ghosts of Fear Street arrive– to wish Kenny a Scary Christmas.

I have read a few Stine Christmas tales and Fright Christmas is by far the best so far. The author really grabs the spirit of the season and the heart of the A Christmas Carol story and brings them to Fear Street in a way that utterly surprised me. Stine’s ability to evoke fear while also telling a redemption story was fantastic, all wrapped up in a middle grade bow.

The main protagonist Kenny is an unlikable character, which is not surprising given the source material, but comes around at the end. Again, not surprising. What was special about Fright Christmas was the use of different ghost names and styles, while still keeping the core theme intact. This allows middle grade readers to relate, while still getting the point of the original ghost story. I still would’ve loved for Kenny’s name to be a more relatable version of Ebenezer, like Evan. This would’ve made the character closer to Scrooge without using an outdated name, but Kenny works all the same.

Stine’s inclusion, and callback, to Dalby’s Department Store from stories such as 1991’s Fear Street Superchillers: Silent Night was great for those who have read multiple Stine Christmas horror tales. This brings the whole Fear Street universe together.

Fright Christmas by R.L. Stine is a fantastic adaptation of the classic A Christmas Carol, but with just enough thrills and chills for the middle grade reader. However, it still gave this 40-year-old reader some frights. While not all Stine’s Christmas tales are top-notch, Fright Christmas is the gift we all wanted.

Ghosts of Fear Street: Fright Christmas is available at bookstores everywhere from Aladdin Paperbacks.

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Heather feels cold all the time. Alone. Her guardian hates her. He’d like to see her dead. He’d like all her money. But for now he settles for controlling it, and making Heather’s life miserable. Poor little rich girl, just like Cinderella…Then the gorgeous, ice-blond guy shows up at the crummy restaurant where Heather works after school. He understands about Heather. He’s her Prince Charming. No one can get to Heather now. Heather feels so safe. So loved. So warm…

The winter connection is present, but thin at most. Yes, the books title The Snowman, along with the imagery on the cover, would suggest this book would prominently feature a snowman or more snow than it does. While the main antagonist has the nickname Snowman, due to his pure white hair, the story doesn’t use the winter season much to its advantage outside of the ending. This is another case of setting my expectations high and being disappointed when they don’t get met.

One of my favorite, and more underrated, Christmas movies is Jack Frost starring Michael Keaton. I might be in the minority on this, but it’s true. This is almost how I envisioned this book to have, a snowman come to life. However, we get a character named snowman and a suspenseful thriller featuring a due with snow-white hair.

Stine doesn’t shy away from dark elements in The Snowman. Our protagonist Heather deals with a guardian uncle who is verbally abusive and an outright horrible person, murder, and blackmail. These are all elements I was not expecting in an Stine story. However, I was here for every moment of it. While these horrors are present, they might strike more of a chord with those in the younger age range as I saw most of it coming and feel I would’ve handle it better as an adult.

Also, Stine continues to craft characters that are unlikable.

The Snowman by R.L. Stine is a winter thrilling horror story with a thin connection to the season. If you are looking for a book to curl up in front of the fire and bust through, The Snowman might disappoint. However, the horror is present and was a good, not great, read.

The Snowman is available at bookstores everywhere from Scholastic, Inc.

The post The Snowman: A Winter Thriller with More Chill Than Snow appeared first on Capes and Tights.

Don’t open that present! If only Reva Dalby had listened to that warning. But beautiful, cold Reva won’t listen to anyone. She thinks she can have whatever—and whomever—she wants. After all, her daddy owns Dalby Department Stores. Now, someone has some surprises in store for her. Robbery? Terror? Even murder? Someone wants to treat Reva to a holiday she’ll never forget. Holiday cheer quickly turns to holiday chills for Reva. Someone is stalking her, and for the first time, her money can’t help her. Who can you turn to when murder comes gift-wrapped?

So yes, Silent Night takes place during the holiday season in a large department store and features a mall type Santa. So we are in the correct time of year. However, any other large connection to call this a full-on Christmas story are slim to none. While that doesn’t fully take away from the story, which has its own issues, it did disappoint me and my expectations for a story with a holiday themed title and description.

The first half of the story fit into the Christmas theme and was well-written, having me gripped to what would happen next. However, it’s the second half of the story that fell apart for me, as well as the competing storylines between Reva and Pam.

Once again Stine writes characters we either hate straight away or gradually start to hate as the story moves along. Reva is just horrible. I wanted to feel badly for her at the beginning, but as the story moved along I was hoping she was the next to go. This seems to be a trend with Stine, in having the characters we love to hate be front and center in his stories.

Silent Night by R.L. Stine teases the Christmas season, but falls short of delivering a truly spectacular holiday story. With confusing competing storylines, unlikable characters, and uneven storytelling, this horror doesn’t deliver on my expectations.

Fear Street Superchillers: Silent Night is available at bookstores everywhere from Simon Pulse.

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Twelve-year-old Joe Ferber, his sister Sadie, and their parents have just moved into a house that has all the hallmarks of a horror movie–tombstones in the basement, a creepy doll lying around, strange noises in the wall, and so on. As Joe tries to fall asleep on the first night, his nightlight begins to flash and change colors, and the creepy doll appears in his bed…and then twelve-year-old Shawn Hannigan wakes up from a dream.

Shawn and his little sister, Addie, are seemingly living in the same house with their mother. But when they arrive at their new school for the first day, the teachers are all wearing animal masks, and the principal’s office is pitch black and full of noises. At the end of the day, a stranger claiming to be Shawn’s mom picks him up and tells him he doesn’t have a sister…

As more and more strange things happen to each of them, Shawn and Joe have to figure out what is real, and what is a nightmare…

Although Nightmare on Nightmare Street might not feature the classic Goosebumps logo atop the title, it still captures the classic and iconic feel of the middle grade horror Stine is accustomed to creating. Even the title evokes that signature Goosebumps vibe. His stories are mostly considered for younger audiences, thanks to the age the protagonists, but really can hit home for readers of all ages.

Nightmare on Nightmare Street pays homage, if not directly, then certainly in spirit, to a few of Stine’s classic stories from my childhood. With nods to dummies, cameras that make you “say cheese”, and more, this book is as much as a nostalgic romp as it is a fresh new tale for a new generation. It felt like Stine was purposefully writing for the inner child in me. While I might compare this book over and over to the Goosebumps books of old, but honestly, it might be a better comparison to his stories in Fear Street, especially with the amazing cover.

Stine once again blends his typical mix of somewhat unlikable characters with others you can’t help but adore. It’s something familiar to fans of Fear Street, Goosebumps, and beyond. He gives us characters we’d love to strangle and others we’d gladly give and open hug, and Nightmare on Nightmare Street is no different.

Though Nightmare on Nightmare Street is aimed at the younger reader, it still kept me on my feet, guessing to the end. I wasn’t sure what to expect with the ending, but definitely surprised me. The story also features moments of real fear, along with some truly emotional connections. Stine knows how to craft a story that can make the young and old feel uneasy and give us a good scare.

Nightmare on Nightmare Street by R.L. Stine pays tribute to some of his classic Goosebumps stories while crafting something new which will scare even the most season horror reader. Even in his eighties, Stine continues to create fun, engaging tales with just the right amount of fright, stories that transport me right back to my childhood days of reading Goosebumps books.

Nightmare on Nightmare Street hits bookstores everywhere on February 17, 2026 from Blackstone Publishing. The audiobook is available for preorder via Libro.fm!

NOTE: We received an advance copy of Nightmare on Nightmare Street from the publisher. Opinions are our own.

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Lucy likes to tell monster stories. She’s told so many that her friends and family are sick of it. Then one day, Lucy discovers a real, live monster: the librarian in charge of the summer reading program. Too bad Lucy’s told so many monster tall tales. Too bad no one believes a word she says. Too bad the monster knows who she is…and is coming for her next.

When I think of the overall series of Goosebumps books, I know they are a classic and fun collection of middle grade horrors. For the most part they were well crafted in the 1990s and still hold up today. However, there are a select few that I scratch my head at and The Girl Who Cried Monster is just one of those stories.

The idea of taking the classic fable, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, and adding a horror spin to it was clever. Lucy’s constant teasing of her brother with stories about monsters gave the tale a modern update and surely pulled in the intended audience during its original publication.

Lucy, the protagonist, is an especially irritating Goosebumps character who loves to torment her brother. Mr. Mortman was weird, which I am guessing was the plan, but something I just couldn’t get attached to. While the characters are not my favorite, the biggest disappointment lies in The Girl Who Cried Monster‘s ending. It was certainly surprising, but also felt rushed and oddly dismissive, as if everyone simply moved on without much reaction. When you read this story, I feel you’ll understand where I am coming from.

The Girl Who Cried Monster is R.L. Stine’s modern take on the Aesop’s Fable, The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Unfortunately, it’s a slow and boring Goosebumps tale with an odd ending that didn’t quite work for me. While most of these short horror stories are good, this one fell just below.

The Girl Who Cried Monster is available at bookstores everywhere from Scholastic Press. The audiobook, narrated by Emily Lawrence, is available via Libro.fm!

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There is something weird happening in Fever Swamp. Something really horrible. It started with the strange howling at night. Then there was the rabbit, torn to shreds. Everyone thinks Grady’s new dog is responsible. After all, he looks just like a wolf. And he seems a little on the wild side. But Grady knows his dog is just a regular old dog. And most dogs don’t howl at the moon. Or disappear at midnight. Or change into terrifying creatures when the moon is full. Or do they?

Stine uses the swamp environment to build some pretty severe tension in The Werewolf of Fever Swamp, crafting an unsettling tale without going too overboard, which is what Goosebumps is best known for. Another reminder that this is not made for my age group, but for those in the younger generation of horror readers. This dampened blend of horror, suspense, and unease is a great and wonderful reason to read these books.

Like most Goosebumps stories, when reading as an adult I found the twists and turns a bit more easily discovered. While as a younger reader the confusion and fear of people around our protagonist starting to act a little weird and animals going missing, might be a more of a surprise and the big surprise might have big more impact.

The characters and animals are a true standout in this book. Grady’s relationship with this stray dog was a surprise touch that had me get a bit emotional. There’s loyalty and heartbreak in that bond that gives the horror a bit of emotional weight. That connection makes the ending hit harder and stay with you longer.

The Werewolf of Fever Swamp is a great spot to jump into the Goosebumps series, as it is one of the better entries. It’s creepy, clever, and has just the right amount of horror and great to make this more than just a monster tale.

Goosebumps: The Werewolf of Fever Swamp is available at bookstores everywhere from Scholastic. The audiobook, narrated by Ramón de Ocampo, is available via Libro.fm!

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Hannah’s neighborhood has gotten a little… weird. Ever since that new boy moved in next door. But when did he move in? Wasn’t the house empty when Hannah went to sleep the night before? Why does it still look so deserted? Hannah can’t get any answers from her new neighbor. He just keeps disappearing in the oddest ways. And he’s so pale… Is Hannah being haunted by the ghost next door?

It doesn’t take long into this 144-page middle grade horror to determine the twist. However, that is coming from a 40-year-old and not those 8-12 that the book was initially intended for. The twist was still heartbreaking and terrifying at the same time.

The 10th book in the original series, Stine’s writing feels almost more mature than usual, blending suspenseful horror with a bit of melancholy. Stine keeps the pacing tight, as needed in these shorter stories and the age of the reader, while also crafting an amazing story. The characters are well-crafted, ones that linger with you long after reading. This book is more about loss, friendship, and the suspense of the unknown than straight fear.

The Ghost Next Door is an eerie, yet touching story. R.L. Stine proves he can craft Goosebumps tales that can deliver chills what also give us emotional feelings at the same time. It’s a great book to jump back into all these years later.

Goosebumps: The Ghost Next Door is available at bookstores everywhere from Scholastic. The audiobook, narrated by Emily Eiden, is available via Libro.fm!

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