R.L. Stine, the author of the beloved “Goosebumps” series, praised the new installment, “Goosebumps: The Vanishing,” as being really scary and predicted that “people are going to love it.”
The series, which premiered Friday on Disney+ and Hulu, stars David Schwimmer as botanist Anthony Brewer, whose kids Devin (Sam McCarthy) and Cece (Jayden Bartels) come to visit for the summer. When Devin delves into the mystery of how his uncle vanished in the ’90s, new dangers — including some particularly nasty and grabby vines — stalk them all.
The 81-year-old author talked to TheWrap about why people love horror so much and joked that he’s going to be writing the book series 30 years from now, when he’s 112, since he just signed on to pen six more.
TheWrap: Have you watched the new series yet?
RL Stine: Yes, I’m very pleased with it. I’ve seen the first two episodes and it’s really scary. I think people are going to love it.
What do you think of how the new series combines different books, in this case, “Don’t Go in the Basement” and “The Haunted Car”?
I think it’s really clever. I like the way they throw in this book and that book and they blend together.
Is the mood more receptive now to your stories than it was in the ’90s when this first became a TV series?
Oh, I think people are more used to horror for kids now. When we started “Goosebumps,” no one had ever done a scary series for seven to 11 year olds. No one had ever tried it, and we had no idea if it would work.
Being scary was another editor’s idea. It wasn’t my idea. In the beginning, I would go to schools and I couldn’t believe it. I was shocked by how well these scary books did. I’d say, “Why do you like these books?” And every time, they said, “We like to be scared.”
Why do you think people like horror so much?
They like horror when they know they’re safe at the same time. I think that’s mainly why kids like it. It’s a very scary world, but they’re having these adventures. They’re fighting ghosts, they’re fighting monsters, and they know they’re safe in their bedroom reading, and they know my books aren’t going to go too far.
Did you watch all of the first season?
Oh, sure, yeah, it was the ugliest Slappy ever. [Laughs] Listen, we’ve had a lot of different Slappies, and that was the ugliest one. The two “Goosebumps” movies with Jack Black, they made Slappy look like Jack and he also did the voice. But this Slappy last season, he was really ugly.
Are you finding new audiences are coming to your books now because of these adaptations?
I really believe in television. A lot of people say, “Oh, television is so bad.” But back in the ’90s when the Goosebumps series went on Fox Kids, after a month or two, we were selling a million more books a month. That’s the power of television, I always think it’s such a positive power, and it’s so good for getting kids to read.
And now you have people who grew up with these books.
Yes, I’m nostalgia for them. That took a while to get used to. They would show up at my book signings. I’d have seven year olds, 10 year olds and 30 year olds. I’d say, “What are you doing here? Go away.” They said, “We grew up with your books.” I’m proud of it now, yes. That’s why the “Goosebumps” movies were so successful, the parents came for nostalgia, and they brought their kids, so two different audience streams.
And they’re all happy endings?
Good triumphs over evil. Eventually, it always has to. They won’t accept an unhappy one. I tried it once. The “Fear Street” book had an unhappy ending. The good girl is taken away as a murderer at the end. That book haunted me.
The kids turned on me immediately, and I got letters, “Dear R.L. Stine, you moron, you idiot. How could you do that? Are you going to write a sequel to finish the story?” They could not accept an unhappy ending. I had to write a sequel. I’ve never tried it again.
What about the state of special effects in terms of what you can do now versus what you could do in the ’90s?
You look at the old “Goosebumps” show, they hold up pretty well. We had this wonderful monster factory in Toronto that built all the monsters and the dummies and all that stuff. But now, you can do anything. The plants can wrap you up and pull you down the sewer. We couldn’t do that back then.
So less practical physical effects, and less stuff for your cabinet. Is that a Slappy puppet behind you?
That’s not Slappy, that’s me! He looks a little different from the introductions to the “Goosebumps” show. When it was on primetime I did an act with him. He’s creepy looking. I look at that all day long. He used to look older than me, and now he doesn’t.
I just signed on to do six more Goosebumps books. I’m going to be 112 and still writing this stuff. It’s amazing.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
“Goosebumps: The Vanishing” is now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
