R.L. Stine’s horror series has been brought to life on screen before, but ‘Goosebumps: The Vanishing‘ is part of the franchise’s new wave—one that focuses on anthology seasons rather than stand-alone episodes.
In the 90s, the multi-season show had a new story each week, all of which were based on Stine’s books of the same name. ‘Goosebumps’ also saw a resurgence in pop culture with a few movies in the later 2010s starring Jack Black, but it was Disney+ that brought the series back to a show format in 2023.
The first iteration of the anthology series starred Justin Long as a new teacher in town who becomes involved in a decades-old supernatural murder. But this latest season tackles a new story with a new cast of characters, including David Schwimmer.
“This is a fresh, brand new interpretation of the books. There is just so much to mine from those, I think, 204 books that are so beloved. And because it’s drawn out over eight episodes, you really get to invest in the characters and the relationships in a way that I think really pays off in terms of the emotional throughline…[you’re] watching all these characters and relationships develop,” says Schwimmer. “So in a way, you get all the fun and thrills and all the mystery and adventure…but really, you’re following these characters on this great adventure.”
‘Goosebumps: The Vanishing’ begins when twins Cece (Jayden Bartels) and Devin (Sam McCarthy) are sent to spend a summer in Gravesend, Brooklyn, with their divorced dad (Schwimmer.) It’s not long before the teens and a few of their friends find themselves entangled in the mystery of four teenagers who vanished in 1994.
“I play Anthony Brewer, who’s a botanist and also a professor of botany. He’s at the house that he grew up in taking care of his mom because she’s now going through a stage of dementia. So, at the beginning of the show, it’s a challenging moment in Anthony’s life because he’s put his career on hold to take care of his mom,” Schwimmer explains. “And being in the house that he grew up in…there was some childhood trauma because of what happened to his older brother.”
In the first episode, audiences will already be clued in on mysteries rumbling beneath the surface. Some big, some small, but most of them surrounding parts of the Brewer family’s past.
“One of the big mysteries that starts to unfold is something that happened when he was a child…it’s revisited or brought to the surface again. For me, what was really fun is being able to play a character who has this grounded history in what he went through as a kid, what he’s going through now with his mom, and also trying to be a dad, a loving dad for his kids,” says Schwimmer. “So he’s being pulled in all these directions, and then he’s literally pulled in another direction by something—I can’t say too much—but he gets, let’s say, infected.”
‘Goosebumps: The Vanishing’ is seen largely through the lens of CeCe and Devin, the cast also includes Ana Ortiz, Elijah M. Cooper, Galilea La Salvia and Francesca Noel. Even with this new take on Stine’s stories, fans will still have the nostalgic series formula: A little bit of comedy, a little bit of action, and a whole lot of creepy storylines.
“I’ve always wanted to do this genre: action comedy with a little thrills and horror,” Schwimmer finishes. “I thought it was just a really fun opportunity to dive right into it. When I read the script, I was like, well, this is going to be a blast—and it really was.”
‘Goosebumps: The Vanishing’ is set to premiere all eight episodes on Friday, Jan. 10 on Disney+ and Hulu
