Goosebumps #02: Stay Out of the Basement

In the second Goosebumps paperback, Stay Out of the Basement, RL Stine narrates the story of a scientist’s obsession with plants, undesirable secrets entering a household, and Margaret and Casey’s fright towards their father’s sudden change.

To his family, Dr. Brewer is a sweet intellect whose profession allows him to observe plants and get busy from time to time. His job as a botanist never did serve as an obstruction from having a good time with his kids, or coming out of the lab to say a simple hello. But somehow, quite unexpectedly, Dr. Brewer gets fired from his job at PolyTech, and he keeps the ambiguous reason hidden from the kids. The change that soon occurs in Margaret and Casey’s surroundings would be rather drastic. Margaret realizes that her father never dubs her “Princess” anymore (which I believe she thought odd), and that Dr. Brewer doesn’t even have the time to play Frisbee or Nintendo with Casey any longer. The first chapter easily directs us to this “transformation” when the kids, willing to check up on their father’s work, immediately gets yelled at by Dr. Brewer. Dr. Brewer would also end this admonishment with his threatening words of “stay out of the basement”. Other appalling acts that we may witness in the book are Dr. Brewer’s sudden impulse to devour plant food, green blood surging out of his hand, and LEAVES SPROUTING OUT OF HIS HEAD (that one sickened me, really).

The Brewers' basement has to be the most irritating location yet. Despite the story having been set in the middle of winter, in snow-less California, the basement was scorching hot, and the kids' clothes really stuck to their skin. Even Casey found it wonderful to take his shirt off – which result landed them in quite a predicament. The basement actually is Dr. Brewer’s work place, that’s why he always has this OCD of keeping it guarded and locked. And with all those “breathing” plants he’s working on down there, even I wouldn’t dare take a look. But the kids are just obstinate little creatures. At night, the basement would seem even more alive: audible wailing may be heard from inside; and odd noises such as crashing and knocking would often be perceived.

The plants in Dr. Brewer’s work place were "weird". None of them would have taken a look if Margaret’s annoying friend, Diane hadn’t been so persuasive. And because of that, Margaret and Casey got themselves into even bigger trouble. Most of the plants sure were normal - a little bigger than the usual growth, but normal, nonetheless. Others were sort of shocking. Heck, one of the big ones grabbed Casey by the waist! Ha-ha! The hell was that? I have to be honest though: when I first read about the breathing plants, I thought it was a little corny. I didn’t get what was so interesting about them. But when the kids decided to open the closet door to see what was creating those awful noises inside - BAM! I was scared spitless! Mutated plants; plants with human parts. That has to be the most horrifying part yet. And because I hadn’t remembered much about the book before I started reading it again, the battle of the dads was also rather thrilling. I was evening out clues to defy which my dad pick was. It turned out that I had it correctly after all!

Welcome to Dead House certainly is scarier than this, but Stay Out of the Basement definitely is more exciting. Actually, in terms of storyline, it does make Welcome to Dead House sound weird. I have not much problem with this book. I was only a little disturbed when Casey found Mr. Martinez’s clothes inside the basement. Was it really obligatory to strip him? Maybe Mr. Martinez was getting mutated as well, I’m not sure. But then – why was Dr. Brewer rehired? I mean, his experiments practically got everyone killed! Also, the ending was somewhat unnecessary. I remember getting puzzled and a little frightened by that as a kid. But now, it just didn’t work. I was actually planning for a happy ending – imagine that! The events were intense. I admit that I did get a little carried away reading; I also was a little concerned to know if whether Dr. Brewer was lying or not. And the part in where Margaret and Casey had the sick idea of calling the cops on their father was rather believable, too. They didn’t do it, but I would have.

RL Stine did a great job on this one, that’s for sure. Portraying the hills of California also was realistic. I actually have the 2003 version of the cover. But then I also have the VHS of this and I thought its cover was way bad-ass. :D

3 ½ out of 5.