Since they were first published from 1992 through 1997, R.L. Stine’s “Goosebumps” has sold 400 million books in 32 countries.
While the Scholastic series was aimed at middle schoolers, the new, elaborately mounted Disney+ (and Hulu and Freeform) series that debuts, naturally, on Friday the 13th, aims for a broader audience as five high schoolers go on a very scary quest.
The are investigating a 30-years-earlier tragedy — the terrible passing of teenager Harold Biddle. It’s a search that will reveal their parents’ dark secrets.
“Our approach was we wanted the show to appeal to everyone. We wanted to have adults as well as young teens,” said director and co-writer Rob Letterman in a joint Zoom interview. “We wanted to appeal to deep ‘Goosebumps’ fans from the ’90s as well as people uninitiated with ‘Goosebumps.’
“Ultimately, the show is about teenagers going through very relatable, very universal, teenage things.
“And without giving anything away,” he noted, “their parents are also going through some things.”
But how “universal” is demonic danger for teenagers?
“Well, the truth is,” Letterman said, “supernatural demonic stuff is scary. And there’s nothing scarier than being a teenager in high school though. Just in general. That’s why the show works on multiple levels.
“Yes, it’s couched in supernatural stuff. But really, at its heart, it’s just a grounded show about these high schoolers going through all the trials and tribulations of being a teenager.
“And not everything is perfect. Family dynamics aren’t always easy. It’s hard to deal with those things. That’s why we’re really proud of how relatable the show is.”
Co-writer and executive producer Nicholas Stoller sees this “Goosebumps” similar to classic John Hughes movies.
Is “Goosebumps” perhaps “Stranger Things” — before there was a “Stranger Things”?
“I can see something like that,” Stoller allowed. “There’s certainly a lot of the DNA. I mean, all kinds of stories refer to older stories.”
“The ‘Goosebumps’ books themselves,” Letterman enthused, “were similar to Stephen King books of the ‘80s. In a way that would be more accessible for a younger reader.”
This “Goosebumps” introduces each teen in their own episode.
“The first five episodes are really origin stories for each of the five characters. You see the characters crisscross in each episode,” Letterman explained.
“So the first is the origin of Isaiah’s character (Zack Morris). Episode 2 becomes Isabella’s story (Ana Yi Puig) and then Episode 3 becomes James’s (Miles McKenna) episode.
“By the end of the fifth episode these characters have intersected so much they come together. Then they start in the back five figuring out what’s behind everything that’s happened.”
The first 5 episodes of “Goosebumps” debut Friday as part of Disney+’s “Hallowstream” and Hulu’s “Huluween” celebrations. And first 2 episodes are on Freeform Friday as part of its “31 Nights of Halloween” programming.
