Book Review: Goosebumps – One Day At Horrorland by R. L. Stine

One Day at Horrorland by R. L. Stine is one of the scariest Goosebumps stories but ends with weak ending. One Day at Horrorland is the 16th book in the Goosebumps series original order. The scares check a lot of boxes, fear of the unknown, fear of abandonment, fear of the dark, fear of being trapped, fear of confined spaces, and fear of spiders, bats, and wolves. This one drives the nostalgia as major plot point is finding a phone, and having kids not be on the phone for a long car ride with nothing but scenery to look at. Stine has fun coming up with horror filled rides and amusements, I wish they would ridden more rides, they only ride 3, one of the rides they go on twice. I really enjoyed myself and felt my pulse go up as I read. 9o% of this book is great, but man is that last 10% weak, I was thinking this could be my top Goosebump book, to finally rival Stay Out of the Basement but the ending ruined it.

The Plot: the Morris Family is heading to a Zoo amusement park, that sounds like Busch Gardens. Only the family has left the map on the table and is lost in a desert, they turn around and finally start to see trees, and a billboard to Horrorland. Because of the kids begging the family desided to check it out. When they arrive the car blows up. The monsters who the family assume are in costumes ask about a phone or assistance. The Monsters they will help, but say you’re not going to ever want to leave. The family soon begins to figure out what Horrorland is all about, but will they live to tell it.

What I Liked: The scares are good, and some effected me especially the halls of mirrors scene. I loved the Luke and Lizzie dynamic as brother and sister. I liked the friend who was terrified acting like he wasn’t sacred so Luke thought he was cool. I loved Luke deny it was real until the end. The rides a and there horror punned names.

What I Disliked: The ending was so weak, it could have went so many ways, but the choice made was so horrible I knocked off a whole star. It is not as bad as The Girl Who Cried Monster twist which was out of nowhere, there is at least some set up to it.

Recommendations: If you are looking at the books just for the scares, then this book will deliver. If you’re looking for a good Goosebump twist this book will let you down hard. I rated One Day At Horrorland by R. L. Stine 4 out of 5 stars. Here’s my full ranking of the 16 Goosebumps books that I have read in order to my favorite to least favorite:Stay Out of the Basement, Piano Lessons Can Be Murder, The Haunted Mask, One Day At Horrorland, Night of the Living Dummy, Welcome to Camp Nightmare, The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb, Say Cheese and Die, Let’s Get Invisible, Welcome to Dead House, The Girl who Cried Monster, The Ghost Next Door, Be Careful What You Wish For… , The Werewolf of Fever Swamp, Monster Blood And You Can’t Scare Me!.