During the GOOSEBUMPS panel at this year’s NYCC, I couldn’t get over just how popular the young adult book series still is. I guess I shouldn’t really be, the series has sold, in total, over 400 million books (probably a conservative number) and been printed in over 30 languages. Still, listening to the raucous crowd welcome the main cast and, most crucially, author R.L. Stine, it occurred to me that while it may have taken 20 years to finally get a film adaptation off the ground, the time is just as right as ever.
It helps that the movie is enjoyable and likable; plenty of that stems from director Rob Letterman‘s freewheeling style and the plethora of monsters on display, but there’s also little question that the movie benefits a lot from its charming cast. Front and center is Jack Black, who plays a fictionalized version of Stine in a typically scenery-chewing performance for the comedian. In my interview with Jack, we talked about his take on the legendary author, his secondary role as “Slappy” the evil dummy, some of his favorite horror movies, what’s going on with “The D” (C’mon, you know you love Tenacious D) and plenty more!
Next up are young actors Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush and Ryan Lee, who form the film’s central trio of terrified teens. These kids are inherently enjoyable to watch on screen and in person, and they’ll likely be a big reason why the movie will find a wide audience.
Finally, the real man of the hour. R.L. Stine has been writing books for well over 30 years and can be counted among the most prolific authors to ever tackle the young adult genre (though of course he isn’t exclusive to books for teens anymore). Stine was very gracious with his time and let me chew his ear about the past attempts to make a GOOSEBUMPS movie (Tim Burton was once attached), his thoughts on Jack Black, those FEAR STREET movie rumors and more!