Everyone is introduced to horror in different ways, but a huge chunk of people in their 20s, 30s and 40s will tell you their first foray into the genre was thanks to the great R.L. Stine. Whether it was through his books like Stay Out of the Basement or Night of the Living Dummy, the late 90s TV show, the Jack Black Goosebumps films or even the newer Fear Street films, R.L. Stines spooky stories have reached millions of people all over the world and have even been translated into multiple languages.
People love to be scared, and R.L. Stine was likely the first to scare many young readers and inspired multiple generations to continue to carry the genre forward. During a round-table interview at Lucca Comics & Games in Lucca, Italy, CGMagazine asked the horror legend a few questions. At 81 years old, Stine had a room full of journalists howling at his quick wit and down-to-earth charm. We talked to the author about his fans, reflecting on his work and what it feels like to see his work continuously brought to life decades into his career.
You just mentioned that you ARE nostalgia. What does it feel like to know that you shaped so many people’s childhoods with Goosebumps and more?
R. L. Stine: Well, I get to scare a lot of generations, but it took a while to get used to. I would do a book signing, and there’d be 7-year-olds and 10-year-olds and 20-year-olds and 30-year-olds. I’d say, “What are you doing here? Why are you here?” You know, it was like a new thing. “We liked you when we were kids.” So, I got used to it. I’m very proud of it. But I’m waiting. I’m waiting for someone to say, my grandmother loves your book. That’s when I quit.
That’s when you quit?
R.L. Stine: That’s the end, yeah.
I guess I don’t need to ask you when you’re all done then, when a grandmother comes after you!
R. L. Stine: No [laughs]. Kids start asking me, are you going to retire? You know, five years ago, they never asked that. No, I hate that. I hate it. “Are you going to retire?” Writers don’t quit. Writers don’t retire, I don’t think. I think you just drop dead on your keyboard, right? I can’t imagine. What else would I do all day? I wouldn’t know what to do if I wasn’t writing. I write every day.
Do you find that what you have written over the decades changes as you do?
R. L. Stine: Well, I hope I get a little better. I don’t know. No, probably not. It’s probably exactly the same. I don’t go back. I don’t read old stuff.
No?
R. L. Stine: No. No. No. Authors don’t go. You don’t go back and read a book that you worked on for months. I never read an old book that I’ve done. It’s always embarrassing. I picked up, no, I picked up a book from, what, 1990? A mostly ghostly book that I wrote. And it said, “I’m the only girl in class who has a palm pilot and a beeper,” That’s horrible, that’s terrible!
We’re talking about being at Lucca Comics & Games. What convinced you to come?
R. L. Stine: They asked.
Then what made you want to say yes?
R. L. Stine: I wanted to get away. I wanted to get out of the house for a bit. You know October is my month. This is my month to travel. And I’ve done, I did Chicago, I did Columbus this month, and now Lucca. It’s just having fun. I love Italy, I’ve been here many times, not for work, usually just for holiday. And so, it was very appealing to me.
A lot of your work appeals to a younger audience, especially Goosebumps. What made you tap into that age group rather than focusing more on very young children or older?
R. L. Stine: Well, Goosebumps is 7 to 12, so Goosebumps is younger. We call that middle-grade. And then young adult is 12 and up. I love my middle-grade audience. They’re the best audience. I get them 7 to 12. It’s the last time in their lives they’ll ever be enthusiastic [laughs]. It’s true, right? You get 11, 12, they want to know you, they want to buy things, they want to shake your hand, they want to write to you. They’re just a great, enthusiastic audience.
When they turn 12, they discover sex. They have to be cool. From then on, they have to be cool, and they’re lost!
That’s it! That’s the end for them! You said that they write you letters and things like that. What do you get in the mail from your fans?
R. L. Stine: [Laughs] You’re setting me up Yes, you are! I can do half an hour of letters. Here are some of my favourite letters, okay? This is the best part of being me, is incredible mail. I got a letter a few weeks ago, it said, “Dear R. L. Stine, you are my second favourite author.” That was the whole letter. That was it.
Do you want to guess who the first favourite author was?
R. L. Stine: She wouldn’t tell me. She said, “Dear R. L. Stine, I think you’re the scariest man on earth. I want to know everything about you. Do you have hair? Love, Grace.” It’s good. Here’s my favourite. I won’t do all of them. Here’s my favourite from all the years. From a boy. “Dear R. L. Stine, I’ve read 40 of your books, and I think they’re really boring.” It’s a perfect letter, right? It’s a perfect letter.
“They’re really boring, but I read all 40.”
R. L. Stine: Yeah, he thinks maybe 41 will be a good one.
That’s amazing. All these decades later, you still have places like Netflix bringing your work to life with the new Goosebumps: The Vanishing. What does that feel like? What do you think about Goosebumps and more still impacting people today?
R. L. Stine: I’m amazed. I’m 81. I’ve never been busier. So, I’m delighted. We did a movie for Hulu last year with Chevy Chase, and Dan Aykroyd called Zombie Town. Terrible movie. Maybe the worst zombies ever in a movie. And then I do a cameo at the end of the movie, and I look more like a zombie than the zombies.
And we have this new Fear Street Film already shot for Netflix next year and the TV show. I’m just amazed, I’m so lucky. How lucky is that? You know to still have all this going on. Goosebumps was back on the bestseller list, and I’ve honestly never been as busy, which is really nice because my real life sucks.
Aww! Except in October!
R. L. Stine: In October, I get away.
You said you don’t go back and read your old work, but when you have things coming to Netflix and streaming, like Goosebumps: The Vanishing, do you check it out again?
R.L. Stine: No.
No? You just let them go with it?
R. L. Stine: Also, nobody wants me. I’m not involved in any of that. No. So, I just take it. Nobody wants the author around. It’s really true. In the two Goosebumps movies with Jack Black, everyone always says, “Well, what was your input on those movies?” I got them to remove 2 Stephen King jokes. That was it. That was my whole input. I got lucky, though. Those movies were really good.
And just for fun, what is your favourite piece that you’ve done?
R. L. Stine: My favourite piece? Oh, I don’t know. I did a book called Beware for HarperCollins and it was just a collection of all my favourite people. My favourite authors and cartoonists and poets, and I’m very proud of that book. I don’t think anyone bought it, but I’m very proud of that.
You people always ask that. I don’t know, I guess I think the best Goosebumps book is The Haunted Mask. That one, that’s my best Halloween story.
Do you have one that you find comes up more with your fans than others?
R. L. Stine: The Haunted Mask, all the Slappy books. Slappy the Dummy, that comes up constantly.
Awesome. Thank you.
R.L. Stine: Thank you.
