Goosebumps (original series)

(Redirected from Piano Lessons Can Be Murder)

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.[1]

Some of the books were reprinted in 2003–2007 with slightly altered covers. A reprint series unofficially referred to as "Classic Goosebumps" reprinted 22 Goosebumps books from 2008 to 2011 with new artwork and bonus features such as interviews with the author; ten more books were given a similar treatment in 2015 and four more in 2018 for a total of 36 books in the "Classic" reprint series. Of these, 32 are from the original series, three (Attack of the Graveyard Ghouls, The Haunted Car, and Bride of the Living Dummy) are from Goosebumps 2000, and one (Please Don't Feed the Vampire) is from Give Yourself Goosebumps. 10 books were also made into comic books under the title Goosebumps Graphix. These were released in 4 groups: Creepy Creatures, Terror Trips and Scary Summer. The last book was 4 Goosebumps books in one called Slappy's Tales of Horror.

There were also two hardcover reprint collections: Goosebumps Collection and Monster Edition. Nine books were released under the Goosebumps Collection title and were split into three groups: Living Dummy Collection, Campfire Collection, and Monster Blood Collection. Another 12 books were released under the Monster Edition title and were split into four groups, the first three of which were simply numbered while the fourth was called Fright Light Edition. 57 of the books were reprinted with original artwork, all except for #24, #47, #60, #61, and #62. All books, except #5, #7, #17, #18, #19, #29, #33, #38, #42, #43, #45, #47, #51, #52, #53, #56, #59, #61, and #62, were also adapted for television.

Retro collector's tins containing 5 books each have been released every few years since 2015. These reprints feature the original cover art, but lack the embossed titles of the original printings. They also lack the numbers on the spines indicating each book's position within the series. The "Retro Scream Collection" (October 27, 2015) includes Welcome to Dead House, Say Cheese And Die!, Night of the Living Dummy, The Haunted Mask, and One Day at HorrorLand. The "25th Anniversary Retro Set" (September 26, 2017) includes Monster Blood, Why I'm Afraid of Bees, A Night in Terror Tower, The Beast From the East, and Legend of the Lost Legend. The "Retro Fear Set" (September 1, 2020) includes Stay Out of the Basement, Piano Lessons Can Be Murder, Werewolf of Fever Swamp, Cuckoo Clock of Doom, and The Haunted School.

List of books

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# Title Original published date Reprint collection Pages ISBN
01Welcome to Dead HouseJuly 1992Classic Goosebumps #13
Monster Edition #1
“Retro Scream" Tin
1230-590-45365-3
Amanda and Josh Benson move with their parents Mr. and Mrs. Benson into a creepy old house in the strange town of Dark Falls and meet new friends who are unlike any kids they have known before.
02Stay Out of the BasementJuly 1992Monster Edition #1
Classic Goosebumps #22
“Retro Fear" Tin
1220-590-45366-1
Dr. Brewer is doing a little plant-testing in his basement. Harmless, he says, but his daughter and son Margaret and Casey Brewer were worried about their father especially when they see some of the plants he is growing down there. Then things get real strange when they notice their father developing plantlike tendencies.
03Monster BloodSeptember 1992Classic Goosebumps #3
Monster Blood Collection
25th Anniversary Tin
1280-590-45367-X
While staying with his weird grandaunt Kathryn, Evan Ross visits a funky old toy store and buys a dusty can of monster blood. It is fun to play with at first until Evan notices something weird about the green, slimy stuff--it seems to be growing, and growing.
04Say Cheese and Die!November 1992Classic Goosebumps #8
Monster Edition #1
"Retro Scream" Tin
1320-590-45368-8
Greg Banks thinks there is something wrong with the old camera he and his friends found. The photographs keep turning out wrong. Very wrong.
05The Curse of the Mummy's TombJanuary 1993Classic Goosebumps #61320-590-45369-6
Gabe Hassad is spending Christmas vacation in Egypt with his uncle Ben and cousin Sari. He is invited to explore a tomb by his Uncle Ben, an excursion on which he gets lost, and encounters some of its ancient residents in the form of mummies.
06Let's Get InvisibleMarch 1993Classic Goosebumps #241390-590-45370-X
Max and his brother Lefty find a mirror in the attic that can turn its users invisible, but the more Max, Lefty and their friends use it, the harder it becomes to return.
07Night of the Living DummyMay 1993Classic Goosebumps #1
Living Dummy Collection
Monster Edition #2
"Retro Scream" Tin
1340-590-46617-8
Lindy Powell finds a ventriloquist dummy in the trash named Slappy and keeps it, prompting her bratty twin sister, Kris, to get one named Mr. Wood as well. However, when destructive pranks begin happening, the sisters begin to wonder if their dummies have anything to do with it.
08The Girl Who Cried MonsterMay 1993None1370-590-46618-6
Lucy Dark likes tormenting her younger brother into thinking that monsters are real – till she learns that her librarian Mr. Mortman is one.
09Welcome to Camp NightmareJuly 1993Classic Goosebumps #14
Campfire Collection
Fright Light Edition
1360-590-46619-4
Billy Harlan is staying at Camp Nightmoon turns to horror when word of the monster Sabre lurking in the woods crops up, followed by a series of events leaving campers injured and missing.
10The Ghost Next DoorAugust 1993Classic Goosebumps #29
Monster Edition #3
1240-590-49445-7
Hannah Fairchild is startled to wake up from a horrific nightmare of her house burning to find that the empty house next door has suddenly been sold as if overnight and the son of the family somehow has the ability to survive a series of near-fatal accidents. After she investigates, Hannah discovers to her shock that Danny Anderson might be a ghost. A mysterious shadow follows her throughout the story.
11The Haunted MaskSeptember 1993Classic Goosebumps #4
"Retro Scream" Tin
1210-590-49446-5
Sick of being the butt of everyone's practical jokes and appalled that her mother made her a lame duck-costume for Halloween, Carly Beth Caldwell decides to buy a mask from a strange costume shop; but the more Carly Beth wears it, the more her personality changes and the harder it is to take the mask off.
12Be Careful What You Wish For...October 1993Classic Goosebumps #71210-590-49447-3
A klutzy and unnaturally tall 12 year old girl Samantha "Fly Away" Byrd (as nicknamed by the bully Judith) is given 3 wishes by an elderly woman named Clarissa which give Samantha what she wants at the price of everyone else around her.
13Piano Lessons Can Be MurderNovember 1993Retro Scream Tin1240-590-49448-1
Jerry Hawkins and his parents Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins have just moved into a new house where Jerry finds an old piano in the attic. Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins decide to put the piano to good use by making Jerry take lessons, but Jerry discovers a disturbing truth about the piano and the insane piano teacher who just loves Jerry's hands.
14The Werewolf of Fever SwampDecember 1993Classic Goosebumps #11
Creepy Creatures
"Retro Fear" Tin
1230-590-49449-X
Grady Tucker and his sister Emily Tucker have moved to a rural area in Florida near a swamp notorious for werewolf sightings. When a strange dog becomes Grady's new pet, the entire town suspects the dog of being the werewolf that is terrorizing the swamp.
15You Can't Scare Me!January 1994Classic Goosebumps #171200-590-49450-3
2 pranksters team up to scare a fearless girl named Courtney in the town of Muddy Creek. When all of their pranks backfire, they decide to use the local swamp, said to be the cursed burial ground for the town's original settlers who died in a mudslide and were reborn as Mud Monsters.
16One Day at HorrorLandFebruary 1994Classic Goosebumps #5
Terror Trips
"Retro Scream" Tin
1230-590-47738-2
Out on a day trip, the Morris family get lost on their way to Zoo Gardens and end up in a theme park called Horrorland which is run by monsters called Horrors.
17Why I'm Afraid of BeesMarch 199425th Anniversary tin1170-590-47739-0
The klutzy wimp Gary Lutz (a.k.a. Lutz the Klutz) finds an online advertisement for a clinic that specializes in body-swapping. However the experiment goes awry when, instead of the body of a cool jock named Dirk, Gary finds himself in the body of the one thing he fears the most: a bee.
18Monster Blood IIApril 1994Monster Blood Collection1210-590-47740-4
Evan and his friend Andy once again contend with the evil novelty slime called Monster Blood. This time, Andy is revealed to still have some of it left and accidentally feeds it to the class hamster Cuddles.
19Deep TroubleMay 1994Classic Goosebumps #2
Terror Trips
1170-590-47741-2
On vacation on the Caribbean island of Ilandra, Billy Deep is rescued from the jaws of a great hammerhead shark by a mermaid who is targeted by Billy's uncle Dr. George Deep for scientific experiments about rare sea life.
20The Scarecrow Walks at MidnightJune 1994Classic Goosebumps #16
Creepy Creatures
1220-590-47742-0
While visiting their grandparents' home on the farm, Jodie and her brother Mark discover that the farm is haunted by demonic scarecrows brought to life by a farmhand's black magic.
21Go Eat Worms!July 1994Classic Goosebumps #211190-590-47743-9
Todd Barstow loves collecting and experimenting on earthworms. Things get sticky (and slimy) when the worms begin appearing in Todd's lunch and his homework and Todd soon comes face-to-face with a giant worm wanting to get revenge on him for mistreating her babies.
22Ghost BeachAugust 1994Classic Goosebumps #15
Scary Summer
Ghost Edition #3
1190-590-47744-7
The Sadler siblings Jerry and Terri try to solve the mystery of the ghostly resident living in a mountain cave near the beach.
23Return of the MummySeptember 1994Classic Goosebumps #181180-590-47745-5
A year after his previous encounter with the mummies, Gabe flies back to Egypt to attend the grand public opening of the pyramid his Uncle Ben was excavating from last year. Gabe and his cousin Sari soon find themselves trapped in a pyramid and the news reporter they trusted named Nila soon reveals that she is not who she seems as she wants to awaken the mummy of Prince Kho-Ru.
24Phantom of the AuditoriumOctober 1994Classic Goosebumps #201260-590-48354-4
Brooke Rogers and Zeke Matthews were chosen to play Esmeralda and The Phantom in their school's version of The Phantom of the Opera, but a chain of accidents impede production and threaten to have Zeke kicked off the cast.
25Attack of the MutantNovember 1994None1190-590-48355-2
Comic book addict Bradley Skipper Matthews finds out his favorite comic book supervillain the Masked Mutant is real, but a visit through the lair has Skipper losing his grip on reality after seeing comic book panels with himself as the hero.
26My Hairiest AdventureDecember 1994None1220-590-48350-1
Larry Boyd freaks out when his hands become hairy, presumably as a result of expired tanning lotion. Things get weirder when his friends begin to disappear and dogs who share their physical features appear in their place.
27A Night in Terror TowerJanuary 1995Classic Goosebumps #12
25th Anniversary Tin
1290-590-48351-X
Eddie and his sister Sue were vacationing in London, England when they become lost in a medieval torture chamber called Terror Tower and have to run from the Lord High Executioner. Things get weirder when they begin losing their money and their memories.
28The Cuckoo Clock of DoomFebruary 1995Classic Goosebumps #281180-590-48352-8
To get back at his bratty sister Tara for ruining his birthday party, Michael vandalizes his father's new cuckoo clock by twisting the bird's head backwards so Tara will get blamed for it. His plan backfires when he finds himself reliving his disastrous birthday party and goes back in time every time he goes to sleep.
29Monster Blood IIIMarch 1995Monster Blood Collection1260-590-48347-1
In this third installment of the Monster Blood books, Evan Ross accidentally ingests some of the evil green slime after his nerdy cousin Kermit uses it in a chemistry experiment and grows into a giant.
30It Came from Beneath the Sink!April 1995Retro Scream Tin1120-590-48348-X
Katrina and her brother Daniel find a living "sponge" underneath the sink in their new house that turns out to be a monster called a Grool that causes bad luck for anyone who finds it.
31Night of the Living Dummy IIMay 1995Classic Goosebumps #25
Living Dummy Collection
Monster Edition #2
1200-590-48349-8
Amy Kramer gets a replacement ventriloquist dummy named Slappy which she accidentally brings to life by reading a spell from his coat pocket.
32The Barking GhostJune 1995None1180-590-48344-7
Cooper Holmes and his new friend Fergie, are stalked by 2 ghost dogs who haunt the woods and produce a bone-chilling bark.
33The Horror at Camp JellyjamJuly 1995Classic Goosebumps #9
Scary Summer
Fright Light Edition
1280-590-48345-5
While on a road trip with their parents, Wendy and her brother Elliot get inside their parents' trailer and crash into a sports camp called King Jellyjam's Sports Camp. The 2 decide to stay and participate in the activities until their parents can come for them, but while Elliot is enjoying the competitive spirit, Wendy finds it all too bizarre especially when the winners end up missing, one of the counselors survives a bone-crushing hit to his chest, everyone is disappointed in Wendy who is not sharing their obsessive competitive spirit, and the ground begins to shake at night.
34Revenge of the Lawn GnomesAugust 1995Classic Goosebumps #19
Scary Summer
1190-590-48346-3
Joe Burton's father Mr. Burton buys 2 garden gnomes named Hap and Chip, but Joe and his sister Mindy discover that the garden gnomes were alive and cause destruction at night.
35A Shocker on Shock StreetSeptember 1995Classic Goosebumps #23
Terror Trips
1170-590-48340-4
Erin Wright and her friend Marty were big fans of a series of horror movies made under the Shock Street banner and are picked by Erin's father Mr. Wright as the first kids to tour his new Shock Street theme park ride, but while the 2 were on the ride, all the "animatronic" creatures like the giant praying mantis, Wolf Boy, Wolf Girl, and other creatures start to gets out of control and try to kill them.
36The Haunted Mask IIOctober 1995Classic Goosebumps #341240-590-56873-6
Steve Boswell goes to the mask shop that Carly Beth went to in the first book and buys an old man mask to scare the little kids he is forced to coach in school as punishment for a prank from before and much like Carly Beth in the first book, Steve finds out that the mask he bought is bent on warping the personality of anyone who wears it for too long.
37The Headless GhostNovember 1995Classic Goosebumps #331130-590-56874-4
The pranksters Duane and Stephanie love to visit Hill House, a place said to be haunted by a ghost of a young boy who was decapitated by an evil sea captain. One night, they decide to go to the house after it closes to find the boy's head, but actually end up encountering the headless ghost as well as a few other restless spirits.
38The Abominable Snowman of PasadenaDecember 1995Classic Goosebumps #27
Creepy Creatures
1270-590-56875-2
Jordan and Nicole Blake were sick of living in Pasadena, California especially during the winter months where kids in other states get to enjoy snow. The 2 gets their wish when their father Mr. Blake is assigned to travel to Alaska to find the Abominable Snowman, but trouble ensues when the Abominable Snowman (and his snow, which, when thrown, can turn anything into ice) is brought back to California.
39How I Got My Shrunken HeadJanuary 1996Classic Goosebumps #101190-590-56876-0
Mark a chubby 12 year old boy who prefers the company of video games to actual people is given a shrunken head by his jungle explorer aunt Benna's assistant. The assistant suggests that Mark be brought down to the jungle island of Baladora to visit his aunt Benna, but soon discovers that the assistant Dr. Richard Hawlins, Carolyn Hawlins and their daughter Kareen are plotting to shake Mark down for information on the jungle magic the shrunken head possesses.
40Night of the Living Dummy IIIFebruary 1996Classic Goosebumps #26
Living Dummy Collection
Monster Edition #2
1250-590-56877-9
Trina O'Dell's father Mr. O'Dell used to be a famous ventriloquist, but now he only collects and refurnishes old ventriloquist dolls in his spare time. He finds Slappy in the trash and adds him to his collection. After reading the words that come with Slappy, not only does the evil dummy comes to life, but so does his entire collection.
41Bad Hare DayMarch 1996None1170-590-56878-7
Amateur magician Tim sneaks out to a midnight magic show held by his idol Amaz-O. After Amaz-O puts Tim in a box, he drops backstage and stumbles upon Amaz-O's dressing room. Tim steals Amaz-O's magic bag and finds that Amaz-O's magic is more than he can handle.
42Egg Monsters from MarsApril 1996None1150-590-56879-5
During a disastrous Easter egg hunt in the backyard, Dana Johnson finds a strange, blue veined egg and keeps it. When it hatches, Dana discovers a pile of scrambled eggs with eyes known as an "Egg Monster." Dana shows it to a scientist, but the scientist ends up imprisoning Dana with his discovery.
43The Beast from the EastMay 199625th Anniversary Tin1180-590-56880-9
Ginger Wald a former nature camp survivor and her twin brothers, Nat and Pat end up lost in the woods where beaver/bear-like monsters calling themselves Beasts challenge them to a dangerous game of tag called Beast from the East.
44Say Cheese and Die—Again!June 1996None1150-590-56881-7
To prove to his English teacher Mr. Saur that the camera he found in the summer is real so he can raise his failing grade on a class assignment, Greg goes back to the abandoned house to retrieve the camera and finds that it still works, but after accidental snapshots, he finds as Shari becomes skinnier and skinnier, Greg grows fatter and fatter.
45Ghost CampJuly 1996Campfire Collection
Fright Light Edition
1180-590-56882-5
Harry Altman and his brother Alex Altman go to Camp Spirit Moon where the campers turn out to be ghosts who want to use Harry and Alex's bodies to escape.
46How to Kill a MonsterAugust 1996None1120-590-56883-3
While at their grandparents' house at a swamp in Georgia, Gretchen and her stepbrother Clark decide to put their differences aside when they find themselves trapped in the house with a swamp monster.
47Legend of the Lost LegendSeptember 199625th Anniversary tin1730-590-56884-1
Marissa and Justin the kids of the famous writer and storyteller Richard Clarke decide to help their father find an ancient parchment called "The Lost Legend," and soon find themselves in the woods of Brovania, home to silver-coated dogs, thousands of mice, and Vikings thought to have been dead long ago.
48Attack of the Jack-O'-LanternsOctober 1996Classic Goosebumps #361130-590-56885-X
To get payback on 2 bad kids who always ruin her Halloween, Drew and her friend Walker recruit the help of twins Shane and Shana, but instead of the twins, 2 pumpkin headed monsters appear and force all four of them to trick-or-treat all night so they can be fattened up for eating.
49Vampire BreathNovember 1996Classic Goosebumps #211140-590-56886-8
During an air hockey game, Freddy and his best friend Cara accidentally knock over a china cabinet and find a secret room housing a coffin and a bottle labeled "Vampire Breath" which brings to life a vampire named Count Nightwing in search of his fanged dentures.
50Calling All Creeps!December 1996None1160-590-56887-6
After getting kicked off the school newspaper club, Ricky pulls a prank on newspaper head Tasha by putting a message for "all creeps" to call Tasha after midnight in the next issue of the school paper. However, Tasha shows that she is wise to his trick and puts Ricky's name in the message instead leading to Ricky being stalked by lizard-like creatures posing as the school's bullies who need Ricky to plant metamorphosis seeds to enslave all of humanity.
51Beware, the SnowmanJanuary 1997None1130-590-56888-4
After her mother died, Jaclyn and her aunt Greta moved from Chicago to an Arctic Circle town called Sherpia where everyone lives in fear of an evil monster disguised as a snowman living in the mountains. When Jaclyn goes searching for it, she finds that the snowman knows about her missing father and her dead mother's secret hobbies.
52How I Learned To FlyFebruary 1997None1230-590-56889-2
To one-up his rival Wilson and win the heart of his crush Mia, Jack Johnson finds a book that teaches people to fly, but soon finds out that Wilson has also learned how to fly and after stunning everyone with a race, the 2 become reluctant celebrities.
53Chicken ChickenMarch 1997None1120-590-56890-6
The farm girl Crystal and her brother Cole find themselves out of luck when a mysterious woman in black named Vanessa shrieks "Chicken, chicken!" after the 2 accidentally knock her down in front of the grocery store while walking home and the siblings begin growing feathers and beaks.
54Don't Go to Sleep!April 1997None1180-590-56891-4
Despite his mother's admonitions, Matt spends the night in the empty guest room of his house and ends up waking up in a new world and on the run from a police force bent on stopping those who warp reality.
55The Blob That Ate EveryoneMay 1997Classic Goosebumps #281140-590-56892-2
The aspiring writer Zack is given a typewriter and pen by a woman whose shop was destroyed in a lightning storm. The typewriter is just what Zack needs to finish his story about a monstrous blob, but Zack and his best friend Alex soon discover that life has a horrifying way of imitating art.
56The Curse of Camp Cold LakeJune 1997Campfire Collection1140-590-56893-0
Sarah Mass hates Camp Cold Lake because of the apathetic campers and the myriad safety rules so she pretends to drown herself to win friends. Unfortunately, the plan backfires when Sarah has a near death experience and meets a ghost girl named Della who will stop at nothing to make Sarah her friend in the afterlife even if it means killing her.
57My Best Friend is InvisibleJuly 1997None1190-590-56894-9
After visiting an abandoned house said to be haunted, Sammy Jacobs soon gets a new friend a boy named Brent whom no one (not even Sammy) can see.
58Deep Trouble IIAugust 1997None1130-590-56895-7
Billy and his sister Sheena Deep were back on summer vacation with their uncle Dr. George Deep in the Caribbean. When the two go swimming, they discover an evil plot to breed mutant sea life and end world hunger.
59The Haunted SchoolSeptember 1997None1700-590-56897-3
During a dance at his new school, Tommy Frazer and his new best friend Ben go into an elevator in search of banner paper and find themselves in a black and white world where most of the school's missing class of 1947 now resides thanks to evil photographer named Mr. Chameleon's magic camera while the rest of them have descended into madness and started a cult bent on ridding the world of color.
60Werewolf SkinOctober 1997None1250-590-39053-8
Aspiring photographer Alex goes in search of werewolves in his aunt and uncle's small town and discovers that these werewolves are closer to him than they think.
61I Live in Your Basement!November 1997None1110-590-39986-1
Sick of his overprotective mother keeping him from having fun, Marco sneaks off to play baseball and gets hit in the head. While recuperating at home, Marco begins getting strange calls from someone called "Keith" who wants someone to take care of him and the more Keith is around Marco, the more Marco's reality becomes warped.
62Monster Blood IVDecember 1997None1180-590-39987-X
Evan, Andy, Kermit and Conan once again battle the monstrous slime, but they soon discover that this Monster Blood is an excessively thirsty purplish blue slug like creature that can multiply by feeding on water.


References

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  1. ^ Morgans, Julian; Staff, VICE (2015-05-13). "An Interview with the Artist Behind the Covers for Goosebumps". Vice. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
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