Many a millennial probably remembers heading to the local bookstore or library, excited to grab the newest book from R.L. Stine, the creator of Goosebumps. The books were perfectly creepy, but not scary enough to keep you up at night or make you afraid to close your eyes. Some of the most popular books in the Goosebumps series include Say Cheese and Die!, Night of the Living Dummy, Welcome to Dead House, and The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb. Between 1992 and 1997, Stine published a total of 62 Goosebumps books.
In 1995, Fox Kids ran a Goosebumps series, which lasted for three years. From 2010 through 2014, Discovery Family aired The Haunting Hour, which was basically Goosebumps, but under a different name. Then, in 2015, Columbia Pictures released the movie Goosebumps, which starred Jack Black as R.L. Stine, Dylan Minnette as Zach, and Odeya Rush as Hannah, Stine’s daughter. Zach and Hannah must team up with her father when the monsters from his books escape into the real world.
Now, it’s Disney’s turn to take on the creepy world of R.L. Stine. The project was first announced back in 2020 as part of a partnership between Sony Pictures Television and Scholastic Entertainment. At the same time, Sony said that it would be developing the series for Disney+.
On September 7, Disney announced that its new Goosebumps series will be released on October 13. It will be a part of the Disney+ event, Hallowstream, as well as Hulu’s Huluween.
They also released a teaser trailer, which you can watch below!
According to Disney, the new series will follow a group of teenagers on a twisted and mysterious journey as they investigate the death of teenager Harold Biddle, which occurred decades ago. The teens will also unearth secrets that their parents have tried to keep buried.
Goosebumps will star Justin Long and Rachael Harris, as well as newcomers Zack Morris, Isa Briones, Miles McKenna, Ana Yi Puig, and Will Price. Ben Cockell will play the deceased teen Harold Biddle.
This new show is one of the few actually making its way through Disney’s increased criticism of the projects that it makes for Disney+. Disney CEO Bob Iger said that Disney would be taking a hard look at its content as the streamer continues to lose hundreds of millions of dollars. Disney has already canceled many shows after just a couple of seasons, including Willow, National Treasure: Edge of History, and Big Shot. They have also canceled two new series before they even aired — The Spiderwick Chronicles and Nautilus.
