Goosebumps producer says “nothing is scarier” than The Conjuring

R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps stories had children fearful of old clocks and even worms, and returned in a revamped older version series for Disney+ – with series executive producer Nicholas Stoller admitting the scare tactics embody The Conjuring.

For anyone who grew up in the 90s, nothing was scarier than a human mask that took over your face. There was even a camera that foretold future accidents. Unlike gory horror like Saw or Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Goosebumps was all about jump scares and fear of the dark or everyday items. Stine’s stories made even the toughest kids weary of what was around the corner.

The 2023 series is a bit more adult than the original books and series. It was designed that way to appeal to the newer generation of young viewers, people who have never seen or read the original source material, and die-hard fans who are now adults. Five teens get haunted by a vengeful spirit tied to their parents’ past.

But how far could the director and producers of Goosebumps go to get a few screeches of fear? At New York ComicCon, Dexerto spoke with Nicholas Stoller, Rob Letterman, and Hilary Winston to reveal the truth.

Goosebumps catered to jumps than bloody horror like The Conjuring

Like the original stories and series, Disney+’s Goosebumps was more about “what goes bump in the night,” with executive producer Nicholas Stoller comparing it to the fear factor of The Conjuring.

Sitting down with the executive producer, Dexerto asked how the Goosebumps team approached creating a horror series that didn’t have blood or guts and could appeal to multiple generations of viewers.

“For me, what’s scary, it’s always the thing where when you see the monster, that’s when it’s not scary. It’s all this stuff leading up to it. There’s nothing scarier than The Conjuring. You see nothing. All noises, things popping, and when you finally see the witch, you’re like okay,” explained Stoller.

The 2013 movie was inspired by real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. They venture to investigate odd occurrences in the Peron home in 1971.

In Goosebumps, the main teen characters face the doom of the haunted items that come into their possession. “Say Cheese and Die” has Isaiah consumed with fear of witnessing the dire photographed events from the haunted camera come to life. Throughout the series, there are moments of jump scares. A possessed Mr. Bratt (Justin Long) appears out of nowhere or a burnt Biddle (Ben Cockell) appears before Margot (Isa Briones).

A lot of the gore in Goosebumps was at the director’s and producers’ own discretion. “I remember there was a point where Disney told us just go for it. We’ll tell you guys when it goes too far,” explained Letterman. At the same time, they wanted Goosebumps to be a mix of gore, scares, and fun, with Stoller having said he wants his children “to be able to watch it without coming into my bedroom.”

You can read more Disney content in our hub here, everything we know about Goosebumps’ release schedule here, and premiere times here.