Ray Thurston

Ray Thurston
Human
Appearances
First appearance	Welcome to Dead House (1992)
General information
Alignment	Evil
Status	Deceased
Physical information
Species	Human/Zombie
Gender	Male
Hair color	Blonde
Additional information
Portrayed by	Marc Marut

Ray Thurston is an antagonist in the first Goosebumps book, Welcome to Dead House, as well as its television adaptation.

History

Ray is one of the many residents of Dark Falls. He and his family moved to Dark Falls and lived in what is referred to by the town as the Dead House, a house the town uses to lure unsuspecting families so they can kill them and feast on their blood to survive. Ray and his family were killed, but much like the other residents, became the living dead, continuing the cycle of luring new victims. He was then given the role of The Watcher, tasked with stalking the Benson family from within their new home, making sure that they weren't aware of the town's plans beforehand. He and the other children of Dark Falls befriend Amanda and Josh, at one point playing baseball with them.

Knowing that dogs can detect the dead, Ray kills Petey, the Benson family dog. But when Amanda and Josh go looking for Petey, they wind up in the town cemetery, where they find the gravestones for many of the kids in Dark Falls, including Ray's. He panics and starts to float above Amanda, seemingly choking her, until Josh shines his halogen flashlight over him, causing his flesh and other body parts to melt off, leaving nothing but a skeletal heap on the ground. However, the end of the book seems to establish that this isn't permanent and that he and the town continue their cycle with a new family as quickly as before the Bensons can even make their escape.

General information

Physical appearance

The book describes Ray as having wavy blond hair, a turned up nose and a serious looking face. He wears a maroon long-sleeved sweatshirt and black jeans and occasionally a blue baseball cap.

Personality

Ray tries his best to be friendly to Amanda and Josh, to the point that it does feel genuine. He also comes off as remorseful when he reveals the truth about the town and having to kill Petey, as well as when he tries to kill Amanda.

Appearances

Books

Goosebumps

• Welcome to Dead House

Goosebumps Gold

• Happy Holidays From Dead House (cancelled)

Television and Film

Goosebumps (television series)

• Welcome to Dead House

Trivia

• It is very possible that Ray and the and other Dark Falls residents were set to return in the Goosebumps Gold book Happy Holidays From Dead House, but the book, along with Goosebumps Gold, were cancelled not long after R.L. Stine parted ways with Scholastic.