With the news that there will be a new Goosebumps TV show, fans of the 90s children's horror series are excited to see a fresh take on these beloved stories. Goosebumps is still highly rated on IMDb, there's always a lot of nostalgia for the pop culture of the 1990s, and this show was definitely a classic.
Goosebumps is known for being campy at times and terrifying at others, and, over four seasons, viewers were thrilled by monsters, creatures, ghosts, and kids wondering why they were suddenly in such weird situations.
The Producers Made Sure The Tone Didn't Match That Of Are You Afraid Of The Dark?
Producer Steve Levitan told Conventional Relations that the writers and producers made sure that Goosebumps had a different tone than Are You Afraid Of The Dark? Levitan said that Goosebumps "always had an ironic, humorous, tongue-in-cheek self-consciousness," and that set it apart. Many people loved both shows, but they definitely have seperate tones, which is interesting to think about. Each show approached horror uniquely.
Ryan Gosling Had A Hard Time With One Scene
Goosebump fans recognize one major actor on the show: Ryan Gosling. He starred in the season one episode "Say Cheese and Die" which featured a character who found a magical camera.
Steve Levitan told Conventional Relations a fun story about Gosling struggling with a scene and Ron Oliver telling him, “Listen, man, you’ve got nothing to worry about. You’re going to be a huge star. Trust me on that one.” Levitan said that definitely turned out to be true, as, when he heard the name Ryan Gosling again, that prediction had come true.
R.L. Stine Had Approval Of The First Drafts
The Goosebumps TV show is better than the movies, and it's interesting to learn how much involvement author R.L. Stine had with the TV series. According to Conventional Relations, R.L. Stine could look at the first drafts of each episode and had free reign to approve or terminate whatever he wanted.
This is great to hear, as Stine is a beloved, talented author, and the books definitely put him on the children's literature map. Many Goosebumps books were published in the 90s, and many fans were glad to see the books translated to TV.
The TV Show Was Partially Filmed At A Brewery In Toronto
Goosebumps was shot at what was once a Toronto Molson brewery, according to Observer.com, and it's fun to hear more about shooting in Toronto, Ontario. The publication notes that the child labor laws were looser in Canada than in the United States, meaning that the child actors were able to film for more time. Filming in Canada also cost less money.
The "Welcome To Dead House" Episode Was Different From The Book
While most episodes of the show were fairly faithful to the children's horror novels on which they were based, that wasn't always the case. In fact, the plots of some episodes received such drastic alterations that they only vaguely resembled the stories on which they were based.
The "Welcome To Dead House" episode is one of the most memorable ones, as it was terrifying, especially when watching it as a kid. It turns out that the TV episode is different from the book. According to MTV.com, the book features people turning into zombies, and, while that still happens in the TV episode, it's because of a chemical factory accident in the small town.
R.L. Stine's Wife Jane Stine Was Heavily Involved
Fans remember several Goosebumps episodes particularly well, and that's thanks to the great writing and everyone involved with the production.
10 Scariest Goosebumps Monsters, Ranked
R.L. Stine's wife Jane Stine worked on the TV series, according to Observer.com, and she was careful to ensure that the production was a great adaptation of the beloved book series. Stine told the publication that "you had to make sure, since it was Goosebumps, that it didn’t go too far, that it didn’t get too silly, that it wasn’t too grown up, that kind of thing."
The Theme Song Is Meant To Be Funny As Well As Scary
Many Goosebumps fans love the opening sequence as much as the stories themselves, and a big part of that is the music.
The composer Jack Lenz made the music that was both funny and scary. He told Editorial.Rottentomatoes.com that, when he realized that there was a dog in the sequence, he knew that a dog barking that matched the theme song's tone would work. He explained " that made everybody laugh, and I thought if the music can’t scare you, at least it might make somebody laugh."
There Wasn't A Lot Of Money For Special Effects
The episode "The Haunted Mask" is another great one that stands out, and R.L. Stine said that the episode had four masks. According to Editorial.Rottentomatoes.com, there wasn't a lot of money for special effects on the show, and Stine explained that there was a Toronto "monster shop" that made sure that the episodes had the right look. This is interesting to hear since the episodes did look great, particularly given the era.
The Tagline Comes From The Book Series
Everyone loves thinking back on their favorite episodes of the scary show, and many elements of this TV show stand out, including the tagline.
Remember when episodes would say "viewer beware, you're in for a scare!"? This is because the book series featured the saying "reader beware, you're in for a scare!" It's cool to know that this was adjusted slightly for the new medium, but the spirit remained the same.
"The Haunted Mask" Is A Big Favorite
Viewers were truly scared by Goosebumps episodes, and, even when re-watching them as an adult, it's hard not to find them at least a little bit creepy.
Fans really love "The Haunted Mask," as the episode enjoyed high viewership when it aired. According to Indiewire.com, when the episode aired on Fox, 14.1 million watched. A lot of people bought the VHS tape, too, as, when it came out the next year, over 2.5 million people purchased it.