For young adults of a certain age, R.L. Stine’s collection of creepy novels are the stuff of nostalgic nightmares (but, like, the good kind). Now as Goosebumps near their 25th anniversary, it’s the perfect time to revisit Stine’s work.
The colorful animation. The dripping title font that actually felt bumpy to the touch. The juxtaposition of scrappy kids in overalls and terrifying monsters. Goosebumps, the series of horror-light young adult novels R.L. Stine launched in 1992, are unmistakeable. They’re also turning 25 this year, so what better occasion to bring their prolific author R.L. Stine and his wide canon of work back into the spotlight than now?
The team over at Great Big Story certainly seems to think so judging by their awesome latest video profile, an interview with Stine about his career in young adult horror writing, and how he landed in the genre while trying to make it as a comedy writer. It’s worth a watch:
Stine and his work are rightfully getting more attention this year, as well. In the spring, it was announced that the 2015 film adaptation of the Goosebumps books starring Jack Black would be scoring a sequel. The follow-up, “Goosebumps: Horrorland,” appears to be based on the Goosebumps‘ spin-off Horrorland series and is set to debut in September of 2018.
Just last week, The Hollywood Reporter noted that another Stine-inspired project is also in the works. California’s IDW Publishing will develop an anthology title based on Goosebumps, with “a rotating team of writers and artists their spins on a number of Stine’s concepts and characters.” Speaking about the project, Stine said in a statement to THR:
"“My first reading thrill when I was a kid were the EC horror comics Tales From the Crypt and The Vault of Horror. They introduced me to the excitement of reading,” Stine said in a statement from the publisher. “Now all these years later, I have another thrill — seeing my stories and characters come to life in a comic book series of their own.”"
As an avid former R.L. Stine enthusiast, I’m thrilled to see Stine’s brand of creepy camp getting a second (and third and fourth) life. The real question is: when with the slightly scarier and far more mature (according to my trying-to-be-cool 8-year-old self, anyway) Fear Street series get some reboot love?
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Whenever it is, we’ll be waiting.