Posted 29 minutes agoSubscribe to BuzzFeed Daily NewsletterCaret DownHorror Legend R.L. Stine Talks Haunted Masks, Vengeful Dummies, And Why "Goosebumps" Still Gives Us ChillsR.L. Stine shares behind-the-scenes stories, reflects on his most iconic books, and reveals the real-life moment that inspired The Haunted Mask.by Andrew FirrioloBuzzFeed StaffFacebookPinterestLink I'll never forget picking up my first Goosebumps book, with the embossed title, the unforgettable cover art, and that iconic tagline: "Reader beware, you're in for a scare!" The series taught me that horror could be both thrilling and humorous. From haunted masks and cursed camps to vengeful dummies and ghosts next door, Goosebumps was a gateway into a world where anything could happen (and usually did)!With Halloween creeping closer, it was a true honor to sit down with the legendary R.L. Stine. We talked about the origins of his most iconic books, his favorite (and least favorite) Goosebumps stories, and what it's like to be the face of horror for over three decades. R.L. Stine / Via Dan Nelken Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity. BuzzFeed: Your first Goosebumps novel was published in 1992, and the series is still going strong. How has your writing process evolved over time?R.L. Stine: My writing process really hasn't changed much, though it's a lot harder to come up with story ideas! People might think it's easier, but I've done every story a person can do, right? I used to try to think of good ideas - now I think of titles instead. I try to think of a really good title, and the title will lead me to the story.
The newest Goosebumps is called The Last Sleepover. I thought, "Oh, that's a good title. Why would it be the last one? Whose last sleepover would it be?" I guess that's kind of backwards for most authors. Most authors get an idea, then they write a bit, and then they think of a title - but I always start with the title. R.L. Stine, Scholastic / Via Tracy van Straaten Along with the titles, I was always struck by the incredible cover art, done by Tim Jacobus. Is there a cover that really sticks out to you?I have a lot! Tim was the only cover artist we had who got that it's not just horror, it's both funny and scary. His covers really reflect that. He did a cover for a book called The Barking Ghost with a really ferocious dog on the cover. That's one of my favorite covers - not one of my favorite books. (Laughs) It's not a great book, but the cover is really terrific. R.L. Stine, Scholastic Speaking of combining funny and scary, was it ever difficult to get that balance between the two?That's the problem with horror altogether, isn't it? Too much horror is silly. Not enough horror is boring. I always say I got the balance in the second one, Stay Out of the Basement. I always thought the very first Goosebumps book, Welcome to Dead House, was too scary for the series. I hadn't quite caught on that there needed to be a lot of humor.
My editors always try to get me to make them scarier - I tend to hold back too much! A very silly book is Go Eat Worms. That one probably should be scarier! Egg Monsters From Mars is a silly one. I like that book because it all takes place in one scene. R.L. Stine, Scholastic Are there any Goosebumps books you feel are underrated?Well, there's a Goosebumps 2000 book, one of my favorites, that no one ever mentions. It's called Brain Juice, and it's about these kids who drink a purple liquid, and it turns them brilliant. They get smarter and smarter. They get too smart for school! They lose all their friends because they're so smart, and then they're kidnapped by aliens from another planet. It's a favorite of mine, but no one ever mentions it. I don't think it was a big hit.
Another childhood staple for me was the '90s Goosebumps TV show, which turns 30 this year. What was it like seeing your stories come to life for the first time?It was exciting for me. I didn't have that much participation at the time when the show started coming on. I was writing a Goosebumps book every month; I was doing 12 a year, so I didn't have time to write TV scripts. It really was fun for me to see what other writers would do, taking my work and then going off in their own direction.I was recently in St. Augustine, and we showed The Haunted Mask to kids, which was the very first prime-time Goosebumps show that we ever filmed. It was great to see it again! People don't realize this, but the Goosebumps show was completely a Canadian production. The Goosebumps episodes were filmed in an old Molson brewery up in Toronto. We used every kid in Canada! I think 11-year-old Ryan Gosling is in Say Cheese and Die.I hadn't seen The Haunted Mask in a long time, and it was cheap special effects, but it holds up pretty well. That's really one of the best shows we ever did. I think it's my best Halloween story. R.L. Stine / Via rlstine.com Can you tell me more about writing The Haunted Mask?I had kids who wrote to me saying, "