Sammy and some classmates are assigned a project, to either prove or disprove haunted houses. To accomplish that, the group decides to spend Halloween night trying to get proof at the local abandoned house that everyone says is haunted. The other kids think this is a good idea, but Sammy has earned himself the reputation for being chicken to the point that even his parents encourage him to go and see that nothing will happen. But the kids do experience a sinister presence and Sammy gets the worst of it.
This is the most intense Goosebumps I've read. Published in 2016, this has a more up-to-date feel. The kids are trying to mimic the ghost hunter shows and have expensive ghost equipment, but more than that in terms of updates is the acknowledgement of a boy who isn't brave. The only thing that seemed outdated was that Sammy is being constantly bullied and assaulted by a bigger boy, both in front of classmates and even in front of a teacher, who only tells the bully that his behavior is terrible, then goes back to teaching.
But this book is scarier than the usual Goosebumps. ( )