Author R.L. Stine expressed mixed feelings about Disney+'s Goosebumps reboot, calling it good but baffling for targeting non-kids. He praised its terrifying elements while noting differences from the original series. The show, which ran for two seasons, was cancelled in 2025.
R.L. Stine, creator of the Goosebumps books that introduced many '90s kids to horror, recently shared his thoughts on Disney+'s 2023 reboot of the franchise. Speaking to Popverse, he described the series as 'weird' because it carried the Goosebumps name yet was not aimed at children. 'It was 'Goosebumps' and not for kids. It was a 'Goosebumps' series not for kids. What was that about? I don't know. I thought it was pretty good,' Stine said, highlighting its departure from the lighthearted, kid-friendly anthology format of the original '90s show toward a serialized story for young adults. The reboot leaned darker, with Stine telling The Hollywood Reporter about the first two episodes of season two: 'man, it's very different, and it's terrifying.' He pointed out a key Goosebumps tradition—no child protagonists die—though the series killed off older characters. Adults remained ineffective against the scares, either disbelieving kids or being absent, preserving a core element of his stories. Despite these positives, the Disney+ Goosebumps ended abruptly, cancelled after two seasons in 2025.
