Top 20 Brutal Fates Worse Than Death on Goosebumps

“The Haunted Mask” & “Haunted Mask II”

Desperate to find a costume scary enough to frighten her tormentors, Carly Beth stole a terrifying mask from a creepy store. The twisted face quickly corrupts her normally gentle personality. When Carly Beth tries to remove it, she realizes she can’t take it off. Her friend Steve makes the same horrifying realization in “Haunted Mask II”. As added salt to his wounds, his mask also makes him feel like a sickly old man. Fortunately for both Carly Beth and Steve, acts of love help them get the masks off before it’s too late. But they’re still not out of the woods. Since Carly Beth’s mask is powerful, it may return to permanently replace her face.

“Say Cheese and Die!” & "Say Cheese and Die… Again"

If you ever come across a weird looking camera in a seemingly abandoned place, maybe you shouldn’t use it to take photos like Greg did. Every time he snapped a pic, something terrible happened to the subject of the photo. The camera caused a kid to fall off stairs and for a teacher to instantly lose his hair. However, it’s capable of a lot worse. Greg’s friend Sherri literally disappears from existence. The creator also became trapped inside out the device during a heated confrontation. Since the punishment the camera subjects you to is admittedly random, you could get off easy. But given what you’ve heard, would you ever test fate by getting your photo taken?

“Stay Out of the Basement”

Both Casey and Margaret Brewer were nearly scared to death when they tried to go into their dad’s basement. Things only got worse when they discovered their father accidentally made a plant clone of himself down there. And this copy didn’t have the best intentions for the young Brewers. But since the kids are able to expose the pretender and eliminate it, this story had a happy ending, right? Not exactly. It’s revealed that multiple plants have sprouted near the house that sound exactly like Dr. Brewer. The story leaves it ambiguous as to whether the ones we see onscreen are the only ones out there. In the future, none of the Brewers may be able to look at plants without getting seriously paranoid.

“Deep Trouble”

Few characters were more deserving of their terrible fate than Jacob Ritter. This lab assistant tricked people into taking a serum called D13 that mutated them into inhuman creatures. To make matters worse, he tried to pin his crimes on an innocent doctor. Ritter’s attempts to get rid of all the witnesses turns out to be his undoing. After they expose that he’s responsible, the mutants hunt him down and force him to drink D-13. Ritter proceeds to grow gills and becomes marketed as a sideshow attraction. It’s unclear if his captor will ever let him go. And although there’s an antidote that can reverse the process, there's no telling if Ritter will ever get it.

“Piano Lessons Can Be Murder”

Jerry’s music lessons take a turn for the creepy when a disturbing teacher starts obsessing over his hands. Shortly after a very questionable lesson, a ghost arrives and tells the kid to stay away from the instructor. Unfortunately, Jerry’s parents force him to go back to the terrible school. The kid then learns that an unhinged inventor named Andrew Toggle is trying to take his hands. Although Jerry escapes, the adult doesn’t get off so easily. The ghost that warned the kid reappears and forces Andrew to play piano for eternity. All the while, she doesn’t allow breaks and constantly criticizes him. Our hands are cramping at the thought of this cruel and karmic punishment.

“How I Got My Shrunken Head Part 2”

The Hawlings family wanted to control the power of “Kah-lee-ah” aka “jungle magic” for themselves. So, they attempted to force a kid named Mark and his aunt into helping them attain power. But by the end of the story, Mark uses the power of “Kah-lee-ah” to escape and all three members of the family are shrunken to a tiny size. Mark decides to keep them imprisoned within a small tank in his room. The thought of being left at the mercy of a kid who could forget to feed you is pretty terrifying. And even if they did escape, they could easily be eaten by creatures as small as a mouse or just get stepped on. The Hawlings shouldn’t have messed with this magic.

“One Day at Horrorland”

What should’ve been a fun family outing to an amusement park turned into a roller coaster of horrors for the Morris family. Eventually, they learn that they kept getting scared because they were on a hidden camera reality show for monsters. While the kids try to leave when they get a chance, the parents push their luck and agree to star in a game show. This decision leads to the quartet being threatened and hunted. And when they think they’ve escaped, it’s revealed that the Morris family is still being tormented on Live Tv. Who knows how many shows they were forced to star in! All we know for certain is that they should’ve read the fine print of their tv contracts.

“An Old Story”

While Tom and John are being babysat by their aunt, she peer pressures them into eating prune based foods. Although they enjoy the meals, they quickly notice that they’re aging rapidly. Tom and John soon discover that their aunt was forcefully aging the duo. Why? Because she wanted the new adults to be sold as husbands to single ladies. While that scheme was terrifying and wrong in about 100 different ways, the suffering doesn’t end there. After discovering that baby food can de-age them, John eats too much and turns into a child. It’s implied that there’s a chance he can be returned to his original self. However, the duo will likely always live in fear that what they eat can massively change their age.

“The Barking Ghost”

Anyone who sees a certain pair of ghostly dogs must prepare themselves for a terrible fate. Cooper and his friend Fergie learned this the hard way when they encountered the canines at night. Through a brief conversation, the duo discovered the ghost dogs were once humans that were transformed against their will. The evil animals decide to swap bodies with the innocent kids. Cooper and Fergie desperately try to get their bodies back while only being able to bark. Fortunately, they’re able to reverse the process by confronting the dogs in the forest. But while they get their bodies back, Cooper’s older brother Mickey accidentally switches places with a chipmunk. Did the clueless kid ever get his body back? We…honestly don’t know.

“My Best Friend Is Invisible”

We initially felt bad for Sammy because he was being haunted by a ghost named Brent. Although the spirit clearly exists, he wasn’t able to prove it to anyone around him. But it turns that Sammy wasn’t the true victim. In a shocking reveal, it’s revealed that Brent is actually a human boy who managed to turn invisible. As an added twist, Sammy, his parents and everyone else we met in the episode are actually alien creatures that forced humans off world. Brent was turned invisible so that he could stay safe on Earth. Although the aliens promise not to hurt the human kid, we absolutely don’t believe them. We shudder at the thought of what Brent’s final fate could’ve been.

“The Cuckoo Clock of Doom”

After Michael messes around with his father’s new and ominous looking cuckoo clock, he’s forced to relive the events of his embarrassing birthday. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there. Michael is forced to experience both his 6th birthday and what it’s like to be an infant again because the clock keeps sending him backwards in time. Although he’s able to reverse the process in time, his annoying sister is a lot less lucky. Michael’s actions cause her to be erased from existence. The idea of being completely deleted from the fabric of time is pretty terrifying. While it’s implied that Michael might save her one day, there’s always a chance that he’d get used to being an only child and let her fade from memory.

“Click”

A young boy named Seth thought he hit the jackpot when he got his hands on a remote that could warp reality with the click of a button. However, it soon becomes clear that the device is way too dangerous to risk using long term. Although Seth tries to throw it away, he ends up using it during a heated confrontation and accidentally traps himself in a void. It’s unclear if there was any way for Seth to escape the dark prison he got stuck in. While he wasn’t exactly the most virtuous character, he didn’t deserve this seemingly permanent fate. Seth may have been forced to live out the rest of existence without a tv or human contact after he misused this powerful device.

“Bad Hare Day”

Since a magic enthusiast named Tim couldn’t afford to buy his own tricks, he stole a bag from his favorite magician. He soon discovers there’s a talking rabbit inside it that used to be a man. After Tim helps turn the hare human again, it’s revealed that he actually helped an evil magician named El Syndey get his body back. The twisted sorcerer immediately turns the boy into a rabbit. Being transformed into an animal against your will is horrible enough. However, the fact that Tim now has to be part of potentially dangerous magic shows makes matters even worse. The rabbit boy has no idea if the next performance will be his last.

“The House Of No Return”

Anyone who wants to join the kids group known as Danger Incorporated has to prove their worth by staying in a haunted house for an hour. After the three members of this alliance force a young boy named Chris into the house, he encounters the ghosts of a couple who want to take care of kids. When the trio tries to save him later, they realize they fell right into a very spooky trap. Chris won his freedom from the ghosts by promising that members of Danger Incorporated would take his place. The kids definitely deserved a heaping dose of karma after what they did to a prospective member. But their actions ensured they would be imprisoned by spirits until they became ghosts themselves.

“It Came From Beneath the Sink”

Shorty after moving into a new house, Kat discovered an old sponge underneath the sink. Unfortunately, this innocent kitchen item was something far more sinister known as a Grool. This being’s presence causes Kat to have nothing but bad luck. Since it fed on her misfortune, it got stronger whenever something terrible happened. And Kat couldn’t even give it away because pawning a Grool off to someone else would cause her to die! This unlucky kid was sentenced to a life living with this ominous creature solely because she looked under her sink. Although Kat finds a way to keep it in check, the last scene suggests that her bad luck will still persist.

“Be Careful What You Wish For”

In exchange for performing a good deed for a mysterious woman, Samantha is allowed to make wishes. It becomes clear that every single one of her requests comes with horrible side effects. After accidentally turning most of the people she knows into flies, Samantha allows a mean classmate named Judith to make wishes instead. The wicked girl immediately makes a self-centered request to be constantly admired. Unfortunately for Judith, the wish causes her to be turned into a statue. While her stone facade is constantly smiling, we have no idea if she is still conscious. One stray wish may have led a mean girl to have her terrible fate permanently etched into stone.

“Let’s Get Invisible”
When Noah, his brother Max, and a few of their friends discover a mirror that can make them invisible, they have a lot of fun with the concept. But the magical piece of furniture quickly becomes no joke. It turns out that everytime they go invisible, they risk being replaced by evil versions of themselves that live within the mirror. While Max is able to fight off his clone, Noah isn’t so lucky. His evil reflection is able to sneak into the real world while the original is left trapped within the mirror. Since the evil Noah knows how to stay out of the reflective dimension, the original might have to spend an eternity reflecting on his invisible mistakes.

“Awesome Ants”

During a bug-themed “Goosebumps” episode, the audience is led to believe that the big twist is that a boy named Dave accidentally caused giant ants to attack his town. When it’s revealed that he just dreamed up that scenario, the real nightmare begins. Dave wakes up to find that he actually lives in a world ruled by giant ants. The titanic insects also barely drop enough food to go around for him and his neighbors. Since the ants are both intelligent and powerful, it’s unlikely the humans in this world will ever be free. Dave will always have to deal with the worst insect infestation of all time.

“Shocker on Shock Street”

Erin was initially excited to test out her father’s horror theme park ride with her best friend Marty. But once it becomes clear that all the monsters in the attraction are real, the duo struggles to get to safety. When Erin finally reaches her dad, he reveals that she and Marty are robots he designed to test the attraction. This shocking twist means that all their memories were nothing more than artificial creations. Additionally, they’ll never be able to grow up and can be deactivated if someone figures out how they work. It turns out that the most terrifying aspect of the brutally real attraction was the fact that Erin and Marty were literally designed to test it.

“Night of the Living Dummy III”

Zane launched a plan to mess with his prank happy cousins by moving dummies around the house and pretending to be scared of the puppets. But karma hit him hard after launching his sinister plot. Right before he arrived, his family members brought the cursed living dummy Slappy into their home. The villain eventually decides to turn Zane into a wooden doll to keep his cousins in check. It was rough to see the kid get transformed against his will. Although Zane regains human form, a final twist reveals that the curse still lives on inside of him. The kid was only guilty of pulling a few pranks. Unfortunately, he was sentenced to live out a cursed existence as one of Slappy’s most twisted creations.