For anyone who attended school during the ’90s and the 2000s,R.L. Stinewas a mainstay in children’s literature. Dominating YA horror with famous franchises likeGoosebumpsandThe Haunting Hour, Stine created eerie stories that play on fears both traditional and otherworldy. What truly makes Stine’s books all the more frightful is its seemingly normal and inviting setting.
Like manygreat horror writers, Stine plays on suburban fears, revealing more about the characters themselves than it does about the monsters, witches, and terrifying tricksters they are up against.
Much like the source material, the film adaptations of Stine’s works have attempted to carry the themes, messages and the fright of his penned stories to varying degrees of success. Most notably, theFear Streettrilogy has received both immense success on Netflix and a critical appraisal that the rest of Stine’s film adaptations have yet to see.
With news of more adaptations coming down the line, let’s revisit the complicated nature of R.L. Stine film adaptations. Originally aimed towards children, the earlier films were typically derided as being fodder rather than capturing the true greatness of the original source material. However, as time passed and those films were allowed to be more mature, the reception seemingly improved from both audiences and critics.
10Mostly Ghostly: One Night In Doom House
The third installment of the Mostly Ghostly franchises sees familiar psychic Max Doyle tend his talents to two siblings named Nicky and Tara. With the latter two being ghosts, Max serves as a bridge between the world of the living and the afterlife. However, this results in the trio being hunted by paranormal pariahs who want nothing more than to wreak havoc and claim power for themselves.
Why It Ranks Here
While the third film falls in line with the premise established in the prior installments,Mostly Ghostly: One Night In Doom Houselacks the charm of the first two films. Despite being marketed to a younger audience, theMostly Ghostlyfranchise fails to capture the essence of an R.L. Stine horror, instead offering fans and audiences a rather colorless depiction of the original source material.
While most of Stines' works have been perceived as highlights of the ’90s, adaptations of stories likeGoosebumpsandThe Haunting Houroffered audiences an enjoyable, age-appropriate alternative toshows likeBuffy the Vampire Slayer, further preserving his stories for newer generations.Mostly Ghostly: One Night In Doom Housedoesn’t offer the level of quality needed to accurately capture the themes of the source material, never mind conclude a franchise.
Rent/Buy it on Prime Video
9Mostly Ghostly: Have You Met My Ghoulfriend
Mostly Ghostly: Have You Met My Ghoulfriend
Right after the final installment of the franchise comesMostly Ghostly: Have You Met My Ghoulfriendappears as the second-best film of the franchise. With Ryan Ochoa as Max, the film focuses on his crush on Cammie, portrayed by Bella Thorne. Still friends with Nicky (Roshon Regan) and Tara (Madison Pettis), Max hopes to ask Cammie out as Halloween approaches. Nevertheless, a vengeful Phears (Charlie Hewson) plots to unleash furious spirits onto the local townsfolk.
While better than the final installment,Mostly Ghostly: Have You Met My Girlfriendsuffers from the same predicaments.Leaning into child-friendly comedy, the film sacrifices the truly terrifying aspects of the story.
The friendship between Max, Nicky, and Tara is quite nice to watch unfold and the progression of their bond from the first movie is both saccharine and also serves as a good enough crutch for the plot. Nonetheless, the stakes and sacrifices the characters make throughout the film fail to complement the actual threat these characters are up against. In spite of being more enjoyable thanMostly Ghostly: One Night In Doom House,the second installment still pales in comparison to the first film.
8Mostly Ghostly: Who Let The Ghost Out
In many cases, the first iteration of a franchise or a grand project seems to be approached with a lot of warmth and excitement. Be it a debut album, a first novel, or the initial installment of a film franchise.Mostly Ghostly: Who Let The Ghost Outis just one of many films to benefit from being the first. Having the first chance to lay down the premise of the story, the film came with an entertaining premise and seemingly knew who to appeal to and how to do it successfully.
What makes the initialMostly Ghostlyfilm the best out of the trilogy lies in its characters. The motivations of a character like Max, or Nicky and Tara manage to balance the seriousness of their respective problems while also crafting a sensible and enjoyable plot that culminates into a satisfying conclusion. While the film isn’t as terrifying as other R.L. Stine film adaptations,Mostly Ghostly: Who Let The Ghost Outis a harmlessly fun rendition of Stine’s work.
7Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls
Monsterville: Cabinet of Soulsis a 2015 release that sees Disney Channel alum Dove Cameron star as Beth, a seemingly normal teenage girl that finds herself and her town roped into the nefarious plot of an insidious, Halloween-themed carnival. In the midst of such chaos, Beth and her friend Kellen (Braeden Lemasters) meet two new intriguing teens named Lilith (Katherine McNamara) and Hunter (Ryan McCartan), who provide even more insight into the strange occurrences.
Despite appearing as another immature rendition of past Stine novels,Monsterville: Cabinet of Soulsisn’t afraid to plunge its characters into imminent danger. A story is only as good as its villains and Dr. Hysteria does a decent job posing as an immediate threat.
The transformation of all characters lead to storylines that may not be the most exciting but are realistic and engaging at the very least. The characters themselves provide lines and actions both cringe and comical, most notably the horrendous yet funny dance sequence towards the film’s conclusion. While it may be far from a strong R.L. Stine adaptation, it is still a fun time for anyone in search of a cheesy Halloween film.
6Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween
Goosebumps: Haunted Halloween
The sequel to 2015’sGoosebumpssees Jack Black return as a fictionalized version of R.L. Stine himself. The subsequent film follows a group of teenagers in another town named Wardenclyffe, New York. The ordinary Quinn family are upended by their son Sonny (Jeremy Ray Taylor), who inadvertently releases the notorious Slappy (Mick Wingert) into the world. With dreams of unleashing Stine’s nightmares into the world once again, Wardenclyffe relies on a resourceful Sarah (Madison Iseman) to save them.
One of the better approaches to adapting R.L. Stine’s works, The secondGoosebumpsfilm retains the same fear and fun found in the original. Jack Black continues to provide a thrilling performance alongside Isedon, Taylor and Wingert, who offer compelling portrayals of their characters.
The story of the film both captures the overlooked simplicity of the suburbs and the fears of said suburbs. The film uses the quaint town as a terrain for the film’s terror, culminating into an otherwise fulfilling viewing experience.
5The Haunting Hour: Don’t Think About It
Despite entertaining children across the globe in her role as Lily Stewart, Emily Osmenttook the mantleof starring in the adaptation of Stine’sA Haunting Hour: Don’t Think About It. The film introduced audiences to Cassie Keller (Osment) and her brother Max (Alex Winzenread) as two siblings who are at the receiving end of quite a horrifying experience. Falling in line with typical horror tropes, the unsettling phenomenon begins shortly after Cassie purchases a book from a local Halloween store titled “The Evil Thing.”
Aside from a review from Common Sense Media lambasting the film for its product placement,The Haunting Hour: Don’t Think About Itreceived mostly positive reviews, with writers praising the show for being a simple horror story. Many say simplicity is key andThe Haunting Hour: Don’t Think About Itservee as a great example of such a message. Osment, Lindley, and their cast mates came together to create a film that played into late 2000s teen sensibilities while also offering audiences agenuinely dramatic and frightening film.
4Goosebumps
Goosebumps
The firstGoosebumpspremiered in 2015, stunning audiences with a surprisingly enjoyable twist on the franchise. Starring Dylan Minnette as Zach, the film chronicles his move from New York City to Madison, Delaware after the death of his father. Striking up a friendship with the overprotected Hannah (Odeya Rush) and the kind yet shy Champ (Ryan Lee), the trio soon realize that Madison has its own secrets.
Goosebumps: Every Movie and TV Adaptation, Ranked
R.L. Stine’s popular book series has had its monsters adapted for the screen many times. Here is every Goosebumps movie and TV show, ranked.
Aside from being a considerably fun horror film,Goosebumpstakes the franchise and modernizes it with the inclusion of Stine as a character within the universe he created. Learning more about his motivations behind his worldbuilding, Stine’s characterization speaks to authentic feelings and experiences with bullying, isolation, and self-esteem issues.
With the addition of the main cast’s strong performances and the genuine fear that spills from the screen after watching Slappy and company terrorize the town, and the gripping plot surrounding Slappy’s thirst for revenge makes for a film with long-lasting appeal for younger generations.
Stream it on Netflix
3Fear Street 1994
Fear Street Part 1: 1994
A circle of teenage friends accidentally encounter the ancient evil responsible for a series of brutal murders that have plagued their town for over 300 years. Welcome to Shadyside.
Fear Street: 1994made a huge splash in 2021. As a part of a new release format, the trilogy was rolled out as if they were nightly, weekend specials. The July premiere saw audiences introduced to the neighboring towns of Shadyside and Sunnyvale, each with their respective lore and reputation. After the murder of Heather Watkins (Maya Hawke) and several other civilians during her shift at the local mall, the entire community is stricken.
As a whole, theFear Streettrilogy feels like the first time that Stine’s spooky stories are adequately captured in a film adaptation. The film has distinct and entertaining characters that viewers can easily identify with.
However,Fear Street: 1994raises the stakesand doesn’t shield any character from the threat of a violent death. In addition to the truly horrific plot, the lore behind the murders is not only interesting but uses Puritan beliefs about witchcraft to inform audiences of the rippling effects of unaddressed, systemic inequality. With all the components necessary for a good horror film,Fear Street: 1994is a strong introduction to the franchise.
2Fear Street 1666
Fear Street: Part 3 - 1666
The origins of Sarah Fier’s curse are finally revealed as history comes full circle on a night that changes the lives of Shadysiders forever.
Venturing back to 1666, the final chapter in theFear Streettrilogy sees Deena literally stepping into Sarah Fier’s shoes and navigating unfamiliar terrain, unknowingly living out Sarah’s last days - the betrayal she endured, the love she shared, and the hypocrisy that permeated her village. Returning with new insight, Deena sets out to find the people culpable forthe rather grotesque violencewhile also avenging Sarah Fier.
A powerful conclusion to the epic horror trilogy,Fear Street: 1666really expounds on the themes presented earlier in the prequels. Instead of preaching to its audience or holding their hands while walking through issues like misogyny, poverty, and hypocrisy, the trilogy trusts its audience to pick up on instances of systemic equality playing out. Furthermore, the film presents the results of unchecked lies and deceit, spanning centuries.
While the magical aspect may seem fantastical to some, Deena’s journey rings true to many who have been overlooked and often dehumanized for their socio-economic status, race, sexual orientation, and more. It is the authentic discussions held in the film that makesFear Street: 1666a compelling conclusion, finishing on a strong note.
1Fear Street 1978
Fear Street: Part Two - 1978
Shadyside, 1978. School’s out for summer and the activities at Camp Nightwing are about to begin. But when another Shadysider is possessed with the urge to kill, the fun in the sun becomes a gruesome fight for survival.
The second film in the trilogy,Fear Street: 1978,sees Deena attentively listening to the story of C. Berman (Gillian Jacobs), a woman who survived a similar terrifying night during summer camp. Going back to the summer of 1978, a young Cindy (Emily Rudd) and Ziggy (Sadie Sink) attend “Camp Nightwing”. With residents from both Sunnyvale and Shadyside, tensions flare, and it’s not that long until rivalries spill into violent retribution and humiliation tactics.
Netflix Confirms That a Fourth Fear Street Movie Is in the Works
The Fear Street universe is expanding with a new movie, Netflix confirms.
Why It’s Number 1
The second film pulls audiences away from all they have been introduced to while never removing them from the universe they have grown invested in. With a combination of teen romance, drama and horror, the film pumps new blood into the story, giving viewers another set of messy, relatable, and most importantly admirable protagonists that further contribute to the overarching plot rather than weakening it.
Building on the goriness introduced in Part One, the deaths inFear Street: 1978are just as innovative as their predecessor. With a captivating story and even more creative risks,Fear Street: 1978tops the list as the best adaptation of R.L. Stine’s work.
