As a kid, I saw myself in this ’90s ‘Goosebumps’ book. It’s the perfect story to revisit on Halloween.

I’ve been a life-long fan of the horror genre in every medium, including movies, books, TV and podcasts. But so far, I haven’t found a story scarier than one I read as a child. Originally published in 1993, “The Haunted Mask” was R. L. Stine’s 11th “Goosebumps” book and it’s a chilling Halloween story. I learned to read by tearing through every “Goosebumps” book as fast as Stine could write them (sometimes even I couldn’t keep up). But I saw myself in “The Haunted Mask’s” Carly Beth, who is bullied to the point of wanting to become a different person — a wish that comes true in a terrifying way.