Stay Out of the Basement

Plot Summary: Casey and Margaret's dad is a crazy scientist who enjoys plant experiments. He starts behaving weirdly and freaks both of them out so they break into his private work area in the basement only to be freaked out even more by human/plant hybrids. Eventually they find their real dad in the basement and, after some good old-fashioned ambiguity, manage to kill the replacement plant dad.

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Another surprisingly good one, albeit with a decidedly smaller scale plot and setting. The plot is so obvious it hurts but it's at least more original than some of them and the dad/plant hybrid provides some genuinely creepy moments. In fact, the hybrids in general are pretty horrifying. They're clearly sentient and in a lot of pain, and the descriptions of the plant faces are really well done. The twist ending is completely naff though and oddly hilarious. It would have been much better (though more predictable I guess) to have the dad bleed green or something. But hey, there are plenty of Goosebumps books later on that aren't afraid to mess with your faith in your loved ones.

I'd also like to say just look at that cover. That's not scary, that's freaking hilarious.

Idiot of the year award: Mr. Martinez. Hey, so this guy we fired went on to create an insane plant version of himself who locked me in a wardrobe. Better rehire him!

Terrible family alert: Mrs. Brewster who upon finally returning home to discover her husband has been conducting mad experiments, putting their entire family at risk, has only the following words to say: "Kids-what have you done?"

Best of friends: Margaret and Diane, who openly calls Margaret's dad a mad scientist. She's right but still

Ms. Unisex: Casey

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