Over the years, R.L. Stine has really milked Slappy the Dummy for all he's worth. A Chucky for the preteen set, Slappy has been shouting insults, spewing vomit and "enslaving" children for almost three decades, a formula that remains popular with younger readers even as he becomes stale for those more discerning (or possibly, just older). For the second installment of his "darker and edgier" Series 2000 spinoff, Bride of the Living Dummy, Stine must have realized Slappy's antics were wearing thin, and he reconfigures a few story elements to be fresher and creepier, his terror more disturbing. This time around, Slappy gets adopted by Jillian Zinnman, the usual beleaguered adolescent with two bratty sisters (themselves possessing an ugly, life-sized doll named Mary-Ellen) and a friend who thoughtfully steals the dummy from a trash can. What a guy! No sooner does Slappy arrive at Jillian's house than the usual shenanigans ensue; this interferes with Jillian's plans to be a "rich birthday clown," as Slappy (or someone) messes up her comedy act and starts threatening her and her sisters. This book makes a lot of the creepy subtext of earlier Dummy books explicit: namely, Slappy starts calling Jillian his "bride" and, in the original version, headbutts her into unconsciousness and calls it a "love tap." When Mary-Ellen comes to life and demands that Slappy take her as his own, he responds by whaling the living daylights out of her, too. Yikes! I doubt this registered with me as a kid, but it's really hard to read Bride now and not see a commentary on abusive relationships, intentional or not; the oblivious adults seem even worse than usual as the evil dolls terrorize Jillian and her sisters, along with a room full of school kids who are sprayed with the obligatory green vomit. Unsurprisingly, Scholastic toned this down in reprints, which reduces it into another kooky Slappy adventure with a subplot about failed clowns and their "all-squirting act." Possibly for the best, as I can imagine these chapters hitting uncomfortably close to home for young readers (heck, older readers too!) who've experienced similar things in real life.