This is the last griezelbus I know for sure I’ve read and owned as a kid, and while it’s still a lot of fun I do remember liking it the least. Something about the tech focussed bits of the wraparound didn’t sit quite right with kid me, although I must admit on reread it was a lot better then I remembered. I also really enjoyed the use of pop culture references in this book, its nothing new to the franchise (I mean Fredy Kruger was mentioned by name In part 2) but this entry really made me appreciate how much of van loons love for the horror genre shines trough with every single one of them. Since most of the movies he mentions were way to scary for me as a kid I remember both not getting a lot of the references but also being intrigued and wanting to learn more, which is perfect for a gateway horror novel like this.
The theme this time around is buildings, and while it isn’t as thematically connecting as the last one it still managed to lead to some pretty fun story’s with plenty of scares, so let’s dive in and get to ranking them.
8. Het Kerkhof + wraparound narrative
I spend a lot of time debating if I should even put this one on here and then even more time on where to put it. Because even though this chapter has the placement and title of a short story its actually just part of the wraparounds finale. Which is a nice segway into my biggest problem with this book. 8 short story’s was already less then I would have liked so imagine my disappointment when I realised that there were really only 7.
Instead this book spends a lot more time on the wraparound, and while I have come around to its story a bit its still the weakest in the series. This time around we follow four kids who during a school trip tot the automobile museum get lured into the griezelbus by Eddy C., one of last books protagonists turned into a vampire by Onoval. There he uses technology to put them into the AW (Andere Werkelijkheid) A subdimension where all the creatures Onoval writes about reside. Onovals ghost meets them here and tells them scary story’s culminating in het kerkhof in which he tries to rewrite the ending of the last book and resurrecting himself by sacrificing another set of children. His plans get foiled when the schoolteacher shows up and rescues the kids by pulling them back to reality, leaving Onoval once again stuck in the AW.
I have a lot of mixed feelings on this wraparound. I absolutely loved when in the final 4 short story’s the captured children became the main characters instead of being passive observers. Being in the AW also allowed the titular griezelbus to finally act like an actual bus, driving them to and from the buildings where the scary story’s take place. So having this story fully take place inside the AW was a fantastic choice, my big issue lies in how they get there. The kids just putting on glorified virtual reality goggles felt kind of at odds with the rest of the series. The horror in de Griezelbus is so monster focussed that suddenly adding this technology angle feels really out of place, it really should have been some kind of magic that transported them to the AW. Even though I disliked the AW helmets I do love how in the finale the school teacher uses them to trap Eddy C. in the AW and his subsequent demise at the hands of Onoval. I will forever be thankful for this series willingness to straight up murder children.
7. De Antiekwinkel
When a boy acquires an amulet that turns him into a monster he finally gets the chance to get back at his bullies, the power gets to his head and he ignores the shopkeepers warning to only use it when absolutely necessary resulting in him getting permanently stuck in his monstrous form. This admittedly fun story is brought down by two major issues. Number one its long, way too long, its almost double the length of the other tales and for no apparent reason. Coupled with the fact that this book already has another, and way better example of a Faustian bargain, this tale feel like its taking up way too much space in the already too small roster of stories.
6. de zolderkamer
A fun start of the book, following a boy who swaps places with the videogame vampire he’s controlling. Its short, has a fun twist but outside of the implied murder of his family at the end never ends up being all that scary which is kind of a bummer. Its placing at the start coupled with the intro also had me thinking the book would be a lot more technology focussed then it was, or maybe “types of (horror) media” which I think would have been a great theme for a griezelbus book, this one comes kind of close having 3 stories focussed on games, books, tv/movies but I would love a full book like that.
5. Het flatgebouw
So fun fact this story was my, and I’m guessing most Dutch children’s, first exposure to the griezelbus franchise being the scary campfire story featured in the second dolfje weerwolfje novel. Maybe it’s because even as a first time reader I already knew what the twist was, but in comparison to the last two werewolf story’s this one is way more predictable and a lot less interesting. The story is still fun and I must give props to the wolf being named peter as a fun nod to the symphonic fairytale of peter and the wolf.
4. het zwembad
A pretty scary story masterfully building on children’s fear of high diving boards and enhancing it with a shitload of undead creatures. It is a bit longer then necessary but makes up for it by feeling surprisingly cinematic. The zombies were also quite terrifying but stil not as traumatizing as my irl school swimming instructor calling me the dutch equivalent of a faggot because I didn’t dare to dive from the dive board during swim class.
3. Het kantoor van de Schrijver
Basically just Paul van Loon complaining about his workload before getting killed via demonic secretary, absolutely perfect, no notes.
2. De horror studio
The moment this story mentioned “De Griezel CD” by V.O.F. De Kunst it instantly became one of my favourites. De Griezel CD is yet another crucial piece of childhood media that shaped me into the horror fan I am today. Being a collections of scary songs for children about partying monsters, big spiders and “de Glieber-Glibber Trol”, Its funny, scarry and a bit naughty which in my opinion is the trifecta of perfect kids media.
Anyways onto the story itself, because man what a fun time this one is. It follows Lydia, a young horror fanatic who uses her knowledge of the genre to win a contest. Her reward? A real live zombie trying to eat her. The story starts of really fun with this weird tv show and becomes surprisingly thrilling when the zombie shows up. I must admit I don’t really like the whole zombies are weak to salt thing plot device but it doesn’t bother me all that much. The thing that really elevates this tale is its main character. Lydia is such a perfect representation of young horror nerds and the way kids are naturally drawn to the genre, showing once again that van Loon Really understands his audience.
1. De voorraadkamer
Another of those special griezelbus story’s that really stuck with me as a kid, Because I was absolutely terrified by it. The story follows a young girl who, after a bicycle crash, ends up in the hospital. But something isn’t quite right, some of the things the nurse tells her don’t seem to add up, instead of getting better her energy depletes more and more each day, and why has her mom not shown up to visit her? I absolutely adore the way that this tale is written, its basically a psychological thriller for children. Its unnerving and just like the bloodsucking monster it features really manages to get under your skin. Couple that with a classic “the monster lives” horror ending and you get what is probably the scariest griezelbus story yet.
So even though it is by far the weakest of the original 3 novels this entry stil manages to cram in a few good scares and a lot of fun story’s, I just wish there had been more of them. Luckily there are still a few more books in this franchise to go, because with de griezelbus 4 up next We're entering uncharted territory where I have no idea what kind of monsters Paul van Loons beautiful has in store.