Draft:Monster Blood

Monster Blood is a 1992 children's horror novella written by American author R.L. Stine. It is the third book in the original Goosebumps series, and the first of many Monster Blood stories. The plot follows a young boy named Evan Ross who spends the summer with his Aunt Kathryn, who appears to be holding a dark secret. Evan eventually comes to suspect his aunt of being a witch, and that she has cursed his newly-acquired toy, called "Monster Blood." Soon after, Evan learns that the substance can grow to massive sizes, and can cause abnormal growth in anyone who consumes the item.

Monster Blood was the best-selling book in the Goosebumps series for many years, selling over a million copies between 1992 and 1994. It received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise towards the books originality and plot, but criticism towards the overall structure and characters, particularly that of Andy. The success of Monster Blood spawned three sequels and several spin-offs, including depictions and references in the Goosebumps HorrorLand and Goosebumps SlappyWorld continuations. The first sequel, Monster Blood II, was released in 1994, and received more praise and better reviews than its predecessor.

Development and release
R.L. Stine claimed in an issue of Goosebumps Scarezine that the inspiration for the monster came from him opening an old container of salad only to find it slimy and sticky. It is written in the third-person perspective, and is the second book in the series to utilize this point of view.

The cover art was designed and illustrated by artist Tim Jacobus. He spent one month designing the cover art for Monster Blood, creating two separate versions - both depicting a flight of stairs covered in green ooze. The selected artwork for the novella depicts Aunt Kathryn's staircase covered in the Monster Blood, and a pair of glasses being discarded by the creature.

The book was officially released on 1 September 1992.

Scholastic censorship
The eBook releases of Monster Blood had sections rewritten without the knowledge or consent of R.L. Stine, alongside most of the original Goosebumps books. Based on claims by Scholastic, the changes were made to encourage inclusion and to censor bullying.

Plot
Evan Ross, a twelve-year old boy, and his dog Tucker being left in the care of his Great-Aunt Kathryn while his parents look for a new home in the city of Atlanta. He comes to find that his aunt is deaf, and she has a black cat named Sarabeth.

Days later, Evan meets a girl around the same age as him, named Andrea, or "Andy," and become friends. Needing to buy a present for her cousin's birthday, Andy invites Evan into town to find something to purchase. They come across a shop called Wagner's Novelties & Sundries, where Evan purchases a substance known as "Monster Blood." He takes it back to his aunt's house, who utters some words to the object, and gives it back to Evan with a "careful" warning.

Evan and Andy play with the new toy outdoors, where Tucker comes across the substance and accidentally eats it. Within the coming days, the kids learn that the Monster Blood is growing in size, and Tucker is now the size of a pony. They attempt to contain the substance before it gets out of control, and quickly learn that the toy is actually warm and alive.

Evan runs into trouble with two bullies; Rick and Tony Beymer. They steal Andy's bike, and are chased away by an oversized Tucker. Evan convinces Andy to take some of the Monster Blood and assures her that it is growing out of control, adn that he has no room for it.

Evan returns home and puts the Monster Blood in an old tub in his great-aunt's basement. Sarabeth pounces on Evan and pushes him into the tub. He is able to free himself, and tries to tell his Aunt Kathryn. He writes a note to her, who whispers, "I told you to be careful." The children try to return the Monster Blood to the store, only to find that it has gone out of business.

The Monster Blood eventfully grows out of control, and begins to chase Evan and Andy down the street, absorbing everything in its path. It catches sight of Kathryn, and follows her inside her home. The kids hear her screams and rush inside her house, where she warns them about the dangers. She admits to creating the Monster Blood and putting a spell on it, but claims that she was under the influence of Sarabeth, her black cat. The cat reveals herself to be human, and that Kathryn has been her human slave for more than twenty years, and her deafness was caused by one of Sarabeth's spells. She demands that the Monster Blood swallow Evan and Andy, but a giant Tucker saves them by pushing the witch into the monster. This causes the Monster Blood to change into a small drop, and revert all of Sarabeth's spells, including restoring Kathryn's hearing. Evan's mother arrives, where Kathryn and the children decide to tell her the whole story.

Evan and Andy say their goodbyes, and Andy asks to take the Monster Blood as a souvenir of their friendship and adventure. However, Evan reaches into his pocket and finds that the Monster Blood itself has gone missing.

Reception
Monster Blood received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise towards the plot and the story's original concept. It is often regarded as one of the more iconic and memorable books in the Goosebumps series. Josh Coulson for The Gamer ranked Monster Blood and the following two sequels on their list of "Best Goosebumps Books of 2023," citing it as a "compelling story" and "such a good book that it got three sequels." Dazed ranked the book 13th in their list of rankings of the original 62 Goosebumps books, calling the book's monster "one of Stine’s most memorable" characters, while praising the pacing of the story and the original artwork as "genuinely creepy." Eli Yudin for Cracked ranked the original 62 Goosebumps covers by "scariness," placing it at 28th.

Sequels and continuations
Released alongside the first two titles of the Goosebumps series, Monster Blood became a hit, selling well over one million copies after 1992, and it eventually spawned many sequels. A sequel to the book, Monster Blood II, was released in April of 1994. In March of 1995, the third book in the series, Monster Blood III, was released. In December of 1997, the final book, Monster Blood IV, was published, and features a new antagonist. The original three books in the sub-series were rereleased numerous times, included being complied into a book compilation, with the exception of Monster Blood IV - which has not seen a new release since 1999.

In 1996, the book was adapted into a television episode for the Goosebumps TV series, being the sixteenth episode of the series. The plot of the story changes drastically, although does follow most of the original cast - Evan, Andy, Kathryn (named changed to "Katherine"), Tucker, and Sarabeth. However, the origins of the Monster Blood is changed from being a store bought item into an old trinket of Kathryn's that holds Sarabeth prisoner. Additionally, Corinne Conley makes a special appearance as Aunt Kathryn. A sequel to the episode, "More Monster Blood," was released the same year, but does not follow the plot of any of the other Monster Blood books and takes place on an airplane instead.

In 2008, the book was referenced in the Goosebumps HorrorLand video game. Later that year, R.L. Stine published the third novel in the Goosebumps HorrorLand series, called Monster Blood For Breakfast. It does not feature the original characters from the original continuation, but does feature the return of its main antagonist, the Monster Blood.

The thirteenth book in the Goosebumps SlappyWorld, titled Monster Blood is Back, features the return of the Monster Blood and a new set of characters.