Ask any Millennial what their first exposure to horror was (outside of sneaking peeks at parental viewings of Evil Dead or The Exorcist at far too young an age), and they're likely to point to the work of famed nightmare novelist R.L. Stine and his vast bibliography of creeps and creatures.
Whether it be the YA scares of his Point Horror books, or Saturday mornings catching up with the live-action Goosebumps series, Stine’s tales of terror serve as an integral introduction to the genre that so many of us hold dear – a genre that many are now passing the baton by introducing their own little ghoulies to.
With its crisp cinematography spotlighting fall foliage and its sinister small town mystery, Jem Garrard's R.L. Stine's Pumpkinhead (with its upcoming sequel R.L. Stine's Pumpkinhead 2 right around the corner) is the latest live-action take on one of Stine's stories that effectively captures what makes his written work so enduring.
The Tubi Original movie, which follows Sam (Bean Reid), a young boy attempting to save his missing brother Finn (Seth Isaac Johnson) before he is erased from the memories of everyone he ever knew, is classic coming-of-age horror in true Stine spirit.From haunted masks to headless ghosts, Stine's work allowed us to explore the creepiest corners of horror in a controlled, age-appropriate environment, titilating our taste for the macabre while never pushing far enough to scare us off for good.
Mastering this balance was key for Garrard, who grew up on Stine's work, as well asTales from the Crypt and The X-Files, when directing Pumpkinhead. “Stories in any genre or format are important, but I think horror offers something unique,” the Slay director stresses. “There’s such a freedom and creativity to it, we can let our imagination run wild while giving shape and language to fears and feelings we can't always articulate. Especially when you’re young, horror can be a safe way to explore those fears and anxieties. That’s what drew me to it as a kid, and honestly, it’s still what I love about it now. I find horror incredibly cathartic. It gives me a way to grapple with things that are completely beyond my control.”
FilmHounds editor, Fango contributor and maternal horror specialist Rebecca Sayce details that her own experience as a parent has given her new insight into how important cultivating a healthy relationship with horror can be for children:
“The horror genre has always dealt with topics deemed ‘taboo’ and ones that other genres would otherwise shun” she explains. “Similarly, it champions marginalized communities far more than most, giving children the representation they may otherwise not see and need so dearly, or an understanding of communities different from their own. Finally, and something I have noticed myself with my own daughters, is that I would argue horror is one of the most creative genres out there. The more my children read spooky books and watch (age appropriate) genre films, the more their imagination runs wild and they create increasingly exciting and unique games, crafts, stories, and more.”
Being kid-friendly doesn't mean that the scares aren't there, though – far from it. What makes Stine's work so enticing for younger horror fans is the refusal to mollycoddle readers or sugarcoat realities of mortality, anxiety, and all the darker parts of life. Take The Ghost Next Door, which includes the dizzying reveal that its protagonist Hannah burned to death in a house fire prior to the events of the story. Or the Point Horror title The Girlfriend, which makes Obsession‘s Freaky Nikki look well-adjusted in comparison with its tale of unrequited love.
Some reviews of Pumpkinhead seem shocked by how bleak the ending is, but any viewer who grew up with Stine knows this is par for the course. For Garrard, maintaining this darkness was essential in crafting a movie that treats its young audience with the same respect that the Goosebumps series does.
“That’s something Stine has always done brilliantly,” they expand. “His stories are often told in first person so we experience the world through the kids’ eyes, and their fears are always taken seriously. I think that’s at the heart of great kids’ horror, and something I wanted to capture in both Pumpkinhead films: that uniquely childhood experience of seeing the world differently, not always being believed, and slowly realizing that the adults in control don’t actually have all the answers.”
The relatability of Stine's stories comes in part due to them being inspired directly by real-life interactions with children. In a 2025 interview with Buzzfeed, the author recounts one such occasion:
When my son Matt was a little guy, it was Halloween time and he was in the living room. I was watching him from the doorway, and he tried on a green rubber Frankenstein mask. He pulled it down over his head, and he couldn't get it off! I was watching him, and he was tugging and tugging. I should have helped him, right? Instead, I started writing notes and thinking, “What a great idea for a story!”
It's no secret that nostalgia has a chokehold over the Millennial generation and horror's allure is particularly strong, as our emotional ties to the media that first terrified go deep. As critic and self-proclaimed Goosebumps superfan Iona Walling-Smith (who cites Invasion of the Body Squeezers as her favorite Stine) puts it:
“Horror and rebellion go hand in hand for our generation. Staying up late to catch that scary movie on your TV with the volume turned down really low so you don’t wake your parents is a core memory that many people hold dear. I think that it harkens back to a simpler time when access to a flood of real world fear wasn’t at your fingertips via social media and mobile phones. Horror was the gateway to escapism that people craved and still do to this day.”
For Garrard, capturing that sense of authenticity was an integral part of production on R.L. Stine's Pumpkinhead. “The goal was always to make movies a family could enjoy together with enough scares and adventure for kids, while tapping into that ’90s nostalgia for Millennials and Gen Xers. That influenced everything from the cinematography to the costumes and production design. They’re not period films, but I set certain rules, like no smartphones. It keeps that nostalgic feeling alive, but also forces the characters to explore, problem-solve and go on adventures rather than pulling out a phone to solve everything.”
Garrard also recognized the need to make the film accessible for kids and teens who have no prior experience with Stine's works. “For younger audiences who don’t have that same connection to the books, the stories had to work entirely on their own. I wanted fun scares and young characters who are often smarter and more perceptive than the adults around them. ”
Furthermore, Garrard notes that the specifics of horror nostalgia differ greatly from generation to generation. “I think horror is tied to so many formative memories for our generation. Going to the video store, sleepovers, watching something you weren’t old enough to see and daring your friends to watch with you. Horror was communal and being scared together was part of the fun.”
Whether it be trading Fear Street with friends or poring over the latest Give Yourself Goosebumps on the school playground, Stine's stories played a huge part in fostering that sense of community horror fans hold so dear, from a young age.
With the genre finally getting recognition at the Academy Awards, more media collaborations than you can shake a chainsaw at, and the box office busting success of Gen Z filmmakers like Kane Parsons (Backrooms) and Curry Barker (Obsession) at the box office, the younger generation may also not realize just how vilified our love for horror was back in the day. “We also grew up at a time when the genre was often dismissed as cheap or not “serious” filmmaking,” muses Garrard, “…but we loved it, defended it, and now we’re watching it receive the recognition we always knew it deserved.”
R.L. Stine's Pumpkinhead is now streaming on Tubi, with R.L. Stine's Pumpkinhead 2 premiering on October 9 as part of the platform's monthlong “Terror on Tubi” event.
