If you ever wandered through a Scholastic Book Fair as a third grader or so, chances are you’re familiar with RL Stine, one of the most prolific child authors of all time. Goosebumps, his series of children’s horror fiction that pits kid protagonists against all types of supernatural elements from haunted Halloween costumes to mummies and werewolves, has been entertaining and grossing out readers since 1992. That led to a popular TV spin-off on FOX from 95-98 and, thanks to millennial nostalgia, two film adaptations starring Jack Black in the 2010s. “Jovial Bob”—the pen name Stine used for his early humor books for kids—has written over 150 books in the Goosebumps series, with at least six more on the way.
While Goosebumps is Stine’s marquee property, he’s also known for his Fear Street series, which is decidedly more hardcore. “I get to kill off a lot of teenagers in that one,” Stine recalls fondly. Netflix is now set to release a trilogy of films based on Fear Street that will start rolling out this weekend. The Fear Street films aren’t your normal Stine fare, however. They’re violent. They’re gory. They’re R-rated. GQ got in touch with the acclaimed author to discuss the upcoming films, his legacy, and the current state of horror film and literature.
Was it difficult writing during the pandemic?
It gave me so much time to write. It helped with my schedule because I write 2000 words a day, which is about ten pages. People kept asking if I was going to write a horror story about the pandemic. Of course not! People will want to forget about this year. They don’t want to read about it!
You wrote your first Goosebumps book in 1992. You’ve sold millions of copies. What do you think gives the series such staying power?
We’re on thirty years of Goosebumps. Just to brag, I’m the number #2 series author in history. JK Rowling is first, and I’m second. To be honest, I have no idea why they got so popular. Why are they still buying this stuff? I couldn’t tell you! I’ve written 150 Goosebumps books. And the funny thing is I wasn’t even sure about writing them. Fear Street was first. Those books were doing very well. And then my editors convinced me to do a series for younger readers. They had to push me into it. I said “Well, I guess we can try two or three.”
A bunch of people on Twitter actually encouraged you to bring the Fear Street series back. Can you talk about how social media has impacted you?
I love Twitter. I hear from all my original readers. I get such wonderful messages from people online. People thanking me for turning them into readers. People reaching out telling me they never would have become librarians had it not been for my books. Or Goosebumps helped them through a rough childhood. It’s a great thing.
You have always been amazing at mixing horror and comedy, and the Fear Street films do that too. How do you manage that?
Humor and horror are very closely related. It’s the same visceral reaction. I use humor a lot in my books to lighten things up. Whenever a scene gets too intense I throw in a scene to ease up. It’s like if someone came up from behind you and scared you, it’s scary, but you respond with a laugh as a defense, to calm yourself down. Also when you’re on a rollercoaster, you’re often laughing and screaming at the same time. They’re very similar.
Do you feel like there’s a built-in audience for these films, given that many of your original readers have families of their own now?
That was the secret of the Goosebumps movies. We had two audience streams: parents coming for nostalgia sake and their kids. I think the same thing will probably happen with these. Parents who remember the books out of nostalgia. I think the films will be fine for the older kids.
Do you have any personal favorites of the three films?
I’ve only seen the first two. I like anything at summer camp. I’ve written about 40 books set at summer camp. And I never went!
Friday the 13th takes place at summer camp. What makes that location so inherently scary?
You’re away, out in the woods. You’re on your own and vulnerable. Your parents are nowhere nearby. You’re totally vulnerable, out in a little cabin in the middle of nowhere. The whole setting is scary.
Each of the three movies is coming out on a separate week, rather than all at once. Are you anti-binging?
It was originally going to be one movie out per month in theaters, before COVID came along and there were no movie theaters. I’m so happy we ended up on Netflix. Every week there is a new movie. That’s movie binging, in a way.
There is a death scene in the first film that’s reminiscent of a kill from Lucio Fulci’s City of the Living Dead.
That’s an amazing couple of seconds. That scene is inspired by a story from a long time ago. In the old EC Horror comics, Tales From the Crypt, Vault of Horror, there’s a comic story of a butcher who runs out of meat. And then he is literally putting someone through a meat grinder. It’s a fine old tradition.
What are your interests in current horror film and literature?
I always look for really clever things in horror. The Scream films really brought something new to the table. Some of Joss Whedon’s work too. Cabin in the Woods was great. You really didn’t know what to expect with that one. My favorite horror film of all time is from 1932. Island of Lost Souls. It’s a Dr. Moreau film. Really creepy. Bela Lugosi is in it! Audiences were so horrified by it they were throwing up in their seats. In terms of literature you can’t go wrong with Stephen King. My favorite King is Pet Sematary. I guess I’m really into the classics.
I’m asking this in every interview until they settle on someone: Would you be interested in hosting Jeopardy!
No, but I have been a guest on To Tell the Truth. And no one got me. What I hate about Jeopardy is when I’m a question and nobody gets me. I hate that!
I have to ask: What’s the deal with your “Jovial Bob” pseudonym?
I never planned to be a scary guy. I was always trying to be funny. I wrote for the humor magazine when I was studying at Ohio State, and I wrote over a hundred joke books. I wrote my very first horror novel and it was a #1 bestseller. After that I was like “woah, forget the funny stuff.” I’ve been scary ever since.
What advice would you give to someone interested in a writing career?
I never give advice to young writers. They don’t need someone to tell them to write something every day. The one thing I will say is: have fun with it. Don’t listen to all these authors who tell you that writing is such hard work, that you have to lock your kids in the garage in order to start writing. If you go into it thinking that, it’s going to be a chore for you. If you instead go “hey! Look at me writing. I’m creating something! I’m having a good time” that’s the way to go. Writing is a lot easier when you have that attitude.