A review by theologiaviatorum
welcome to the dead house by R.L. Stine

dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.5

I'm a dad to a little boy and the time I spend playing with him has inspired me to recapture some of the joy of things I enjoyed as a kid.  Part of that means going back to The Goosebumps books I was obsessed with.  I don't think I ever actually read a single one but the covers and the suggestion of horror was intriguing to me.  Now that I'm a reader, I'm back.  Welcome to Dead House is a story about kids who move into a new house and find the neighborhood a little strange.  Is their house haunted?  Why do the people act so weird?  It was a fun read with a couple gory moments which surprised me.  This is not Stephen King level horror.  Think more like Are You Afraid of the Dark? but in book form.  Regardless, I was still a little surprised by the gross description in a few places.  I enjoyed it overall.  I think my son is still a bit too young for them.  It would certainly give him nightmares.  Here's to a second childhood!