Goosebumps TV series (30th anniversary)

Listeners beware, you're in for a scare! Halloween has sadly ended, but it's a state of mind so keep your haunted masks on! This is Part 2 of a Goosebumps celebration, now focusing on the Fox TV series that premiered 30 years ago with the iconic two-part episode The Haunted Mask. Mark welcomes Jesse Krempel from the Cult Cinema Circle podcast back on the show to nerd out about the perfectly creepy mask, the cast of Canadian child actors, and the very strong two-part sequel Haunted Mask II. Plus, young horror queer Mark was inspired to go by Marky Joe for a few months because of the character Carly Beth in these episodes, that's how obsessed he was. 

Follow Jesse @cultcinemacircle and listen to his podcast here: https://linktr.ee/cultcinemacircle

If you haven't already, listen to Part 1 of this Goosebumps celebration with famed book cover illustrator Tim Jacobus! 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Straw Hut Media viewers, beware, you're in for a scare. Hello,
viewers and listeners, It's part two of our Goosebump celebration
here on release date. Rewind a podcast that celebrates movies
and TV shows on their milestone anniversaries. Halloween is over now,

(00:22):
I know it came and went. I'm sad too, Wow wow,
But we're continuing the creeps here on the show. So
thank you for listening to this on your favorite podcast app,
or maybe you're listening on the You run podcast network,
or maybe you're watching on YouTube. No, I'm not r
al Stein. I wish I did meet him once though.

(00:42):
I'm your host, Mark J. Parker, a TV and movie
lover and a TV and movie maker. And in the
previous episode, I had the honor of interviewing the artist
and illustrator Tim Jacobis, who created those beautiful original Goosebumps
covers more than three decades ago in the early nineties. Now,
a fellow podcaster, and I are celebrating the Goosebumps Fox

(01:04):
TV series, which aired its memorable premiere episodes thirty years ago.
So grab your friends and your frenemies. Wear those Halloween costumes.
A little bit longer, and if you'd like to watch
or rewatch The Haunted Mask Part one and Part two.
All four episodes of The Haunted Mask Specials are currently
streaming on Netflix, along with other special memorable episodes from

(01:27):
the series and the rest of the series. All the
other episodes are streaming for free on the Roku channel
and fowesome also. Everyone, before we begin, I just want
to say I was so excited when I recorded this
episode that I stupidly forgot to check my audio settings
and so my mic wasn't properly selected. So sorry, I
apologize for my not great audio quality. It's a rare

(01:51):
mistake on release date rewind. But luckily my guest sounds
crystal clear. You're about to hear them, and that's all
that matters. All right, Trick or Treater, put down the
worm sandwiches and put on the Haunted Masks, because it's
time to rewind. Now I have an equally special guest,

(02:21):
a friend of mine who loves all genres, but especially
the spooky and the weird and the funky. Right, we
have Jesse from Cult Cinema Circle.

Speaker 2 (02:29):
Hello, Jesse, Hi, Hi Mark, I was called you, Jesse.
That's whatever. Oh wow, exactly exactly, Oh my gosh, no,
thank you so much Mark for having me. I know
we talked about this because you put it on your
story on Instagram and I was just saying, oh, hell yeah,
I got it brung on with but yeah, thank you
so much for having me.

Speaker 1 (02:49):
Of course, of course it's always so fun chatting with you.
This year, I've been lucky enough to be on your
show Cult Cinema Circle. How many? I think twice. We
had Tanks, yes, one of the best, and Babies Club,
the movie I mean, yes, just not you know, we forget,
I say, we as like a as a collective, we forget.
How good nineteen ninety five was so good? It's so good,

(03:12):
you know, coolest I mean, I mean, we just had
so many classics.

Speaker 2 (03:17):
Now and then what are we talking about on your show? Yes,
I did it. I did it way back in the day,
really bad audio. And then I my sister was like,
how effing dare you you do this without me? And
so so I was like, we're doing a revisited episode.
So it was kind of my first revisited episode, which

(03:37):
I kind of want to go back and do a
little bit because there are ones where I'm just like,
oh my god, yeah I should have a guest on
for this and not just have it be me or whatever.
But and also it's just like we can dig into
more different things because my show has evolved in a
way I think where it's like, hey, like it's not
just to kind of beat by beat plot summary thing
or just giving some little fun facts. I also want

(03:59):
to try and like get into like well, what is
this episode trying to do, or what is the movie
trying to say? What are some themes? And that's just
for me like listening to other podcasts, you know, and
also just seeing how people do their things too, you know,
not trying to steal people's ideas or anything like that.
But it's more so just like you evolve and grow
when you make a show like this and your taste

(04:19):
to that, and it's more interesting to talk about like, well,
what is this movie trying to say, if anything, or
what was the context of going on you know, which
we talk about on this show as well. You know,
you do try to have that as well. So yeah,
it's really interesting to dig into that and to just
kind of pothesize about it because sometimes it's like, well, yeah,

(04:41):
like we were you and me, especially like we were
younger with some of these movies came out. Oh you know, yeah,
I've lest we talking about more current movies, but right, yeah.

Speaker 1 (04:48):
Of course, oh yeah, as we get older, it's so
funny to rewatch these things like Goosebumps, you know, like
now and then like I'm probably going to any of
the all thing to talk about that next month on
my show. But yeah, like all these great movies that
like you loved for whatever reason, do you still love
it now? Does it still work? And of course you
know we'll always love these things, but do we just
love it differently?

Speaker 2 (05:08):
Right?

Speaker 1 (05:08):
You're laterally And that's such a smart thing for your show,
because yeah, some episodes are just you so how fun? Yeah,
maybe for another anniversary or just like when a guest
is like I really want to talk about that, why
not do it again?

Speaker 2 (05:20):
Yeah, it's going to be.

Speaker 1 (05:21):
Different and revisit it now with a guest.

Speaker 2 (05:23):
This is also everyone's a reminder everyone to please if
your local library participants, please go get a library card
number one because a libraries are cool. But second you
can also get canopy and hoopla about that and those
are literal free ad free entertainment. And depending on your library,

(05:44):
I don't know about you. You probably have a nice public,
woke local library like I do kind of so depending
on where you lives, with listeners, you can get like
some pretty cool titles from Kennedy.

Speaker 1 (05:58):
Oh that's nice. I'm always surprised has a lot and
it has a good amount, but all sorts of random
new old.

Speaker 2 (06:07):
Oh my god, yes, Honora was on there, talk to Me.
That's how I watched Talk to Me. I think like it. Yeah,
Canopy and Hoopla are kind of amazing and like it's free, so,
like you know, especially when some of the you gotta
be lyeding some of these streamers up, like you can't.
You have to pry shut her out of my cold
dead hands. I'm sure, but like you know, but it's

(06:29):
some of these things I might just be like, we got.

Speaker 1 (06:32):
I got Camopy right anyway, speaking of library, that's a
great that's actually a great segue because reading is fundamental everything,
and we are going back to nineteen ninety five Jesse,
thirty years ago. I can't believe that. That's kind of scary.
Three decades ago. We were I'm sure you were like me,
were like anytime, like Scholastic Book Fair came to your
school or your community, just all those pretty colors of

(06:54):
all the books, and like it was just and it's
so funny because I've always loved books, but I don't
read as much as I should. I mean, I just
I just love like book culture. I love buying a few,
holding on to a few, putting them on a shelf,
flipping through the pages. Do I finish reading it? Maybe right?
But having them right. So we're going back to the

(07:15):
Scholastic things, everybody, and we're going to celebrate Goosebumps because
the TV show is thirty years old now. The very
first episode that we're going to talk about, The Haunted Mask,
premiered in October twenty seventh, ninety five on Fox. And
I remember that very well. You're younger than me, so
you probably didn't watch live. No, okay, so you watched
a little later. I remember watching live. I was eight
years old. I was like, yes, give me like r

(07:37):
al Steinkom to life, you know, because the book series
started in ninety two, so about three years later, now
the show is starting. And that went on for a
few years, and now I do have to say, everyone
love Goosebumps. But I am more of an are you
Afraid of the Dark?

Speaker 2 (07:51):
Boy?

Speaker 1 (07:52):
I you compare?

Speaker 2 (07:53):
That was my That was what I had to say,
is that I was more of an are You Afraid
of the Dark? Kid? Yeah, because for me, not that
we were rich or anything, but we did have Nickelodeon,
and it was one of those things where yeah, I
hope so right, but or PBS, you know kids amazing,
but like I uh, but I definitely saw Are You

(08:14):
Afraid the Dark probably before, and I always returned back
to Ari You Fraid the Dark a little bit more
and all of that. But that doesn't mean I don't
like Goosebumps. Obviously I love it. But it's one of
those things where I knew I was the perfect guest
for this episode because I've only ever really watched like
the Haunted Mask and the Hawtom Mass took. I'm not

(08:36):
the I've watched some of the other episodes and we
talk about that, but like it's you know, for me,
like I was obsessed with the Hantom Mask of the
Hot Mask too. I loved it, loved and and but
for me, Ari You Frai the Dark was kind of
more of my thing because it was ultimately it was
a little bit scarier, yeah than that, but I will

(08:57):
say that I think like a mix of those two
really got me interested in the horror genre, and Hanten
Mask has a lot to do with that. So it's
definitely like, but yeah, I was definitely more an our
favor the Dark Kid, but I definitely think like you
have to and and plenty of whether it's other podcasts
like the Goosebumps Crew that literally talks all about Goosebump stuff,

(09:20):
or even like Splat Attack that has like at their
nineties Nickelodeon, they've also done like Versus where it's like
talking about a Goosebumps and are you for the Dark
episode that are kind of similar, and they kind of
do that when you're talking about nineties era horror and
especially horror for children, like you have to almost talk
about these two shows in the same conversation because they

(09:44):
are sister shows. There's about forty nine kids who are
on both of them.

Speaker 1 (09:51):
Wow, which is amazing both Canadian. I believe they both.

Speaker 2 (09:54):
Yes, they're both, which you.

Speaker 1 (09:56):
Can hear that Canadian story all throughout.

Speaker 2 (10:02):
So yeah, right, a lot of the same people, there
were different people like directors who are part of it,
you know, so, but yeah, it's just definitely something where
it's such an interesting time in history. We'll talk about that,
I'm sure, but like this was one of the times
where like you literally have this targeted to children, like

(10:23):
and these two shows and also the scary stories to
tell in the Dark books, those were really the big
kind of big Oh I do too. I just like
having them for reasons. Okay, I just like having them.
But like it's, uh, but that's what it is, is
that it's like it's this interesting piece in history in

(10:45):
that time where like now, again I'm not a child,
nor do I have children, but like there's only so
many scary things that are like made for kids like that,
I guess, and and some some stuff is still pretty cool.
I'm sure. If you don't already, please like I'm just
plugging everybody, but like please, you know, go like, uh

(11:07):
follow like horror for kids. You know that guy's he's wonderful,
I think in the Rain year I believe his name
is Canadian, but he's fantastic. His page is great, So
you know, That's what I'm saying. It's just like but
this is I mean, you were a child in the
eighties so I don't know, but like it's the thing
of like being that I was, you know, born in
ninety two, like and you know, grew up in the nineties.

(11:31):
It just was a time where, yeah, horror was like
a viable genre that was made for children. We had
these shows, you had Halloween specials that could push the
envelope a little bit of non horror related stuff. There's
more of a trick or treat culture that was happening
back then.

Speaker 1 (11:50):
And I do have to say I love seeing the
trick or treat scenes in these episodes. Oh man, yeah,
because can I just say, everyone, all right, sorry, but
I gotta just be an old man in the town
I live in now, the sign on the street says
trick or treating October twenty fifth, yesterday. I'm like, yeah, no, no,
trigger treating is on Halloween maybe the thirtieth, depending maybe maybe,

(12:14):
but like growing up, No, what made Halloween so special
was that's the day, the day, that's the day you
go with friends or with family and you trick or
treat around time, Like what do you mean, like the
week before? So right, what is this like scattered trick
or treat culture?

Speaker 3 (12:28):
No?

Speaker 1 (12:28):
I don't like it.

Speaker 2 (12:29):
It's weird. I don't either, and that was my thing too,
Like it's I didn't. I haven't trigger treated since I
was like seven, but like you know, for me though,
like it's a thing I did. I got scared one
time from somebody who scared me, and so that kind
of stops me. But I didn't mean I didn't like
horror and stuff after that. But but that's what I

(12:49):
remember going to my grandparents' like neighborhood. They lived in
more of a proper neighborhood where we could like do stuff,
and yeah, doing that and just like it's just as yeah,
and even though I don't really do that much for Halloween,
but I just like the kind of vibes of it,
and also just like it facilitates, you know, more viewing
of like scary content and like that kind of fun

(13:12):
stuff where you can do that. And even though for
you and me, like horror is three.

Speaker 1 (13:17):
I mean we're watching it.

Speaker 2 (13:18):
We're watching it all the time because we're just we
are sure everyone does so like a MC has fear
Fast and like all this other stuff.

Speaker 1 (13:28):
So there's nothing like an AMC or like any channel
that's showing like scary movies all day long even Sci
Fi channel. I mean I don't have yeah, like you know,
a lot of those channels, and some of the apps
like Shutter at least has the live you know, yeah
yeah there, which is nice. Nothing greater than in October
just having like random horror movies playing and even with

(13:49):
commercials whatever just in the background. It's just like, oh
it's nice. It's that nice, warm blanket, like, okay, this
is my time.

Speaker 3 (13:55):
Goosebumps is rated GB seven because it may be too
spooky for Goosebumps bands and seven and now goose Bumps
the Haunted mat.

Speaker 1 (14:06):
Now let's go to late October ninety five. This is
what was happening real quick in pop culture, Jesse. This
is what was on TV brand new show's Wishbone talking
about children's entertainment that had just started a couple weeks
prior in October ninety five on PBS. And oh my gosh,
the show I loved at least for a couple of years.
Oh my god, I thought it was so funny. Mad TV. Yeah,

(14:27):
Mad TV.

Speaker 2 (14:27):
As a kid, I was, I was much of a
Mad TV fan.

Speaker 1 (14:30):
I love them, Miss Swan, I mean, we had some iconic.

Speaker 2 (14:34):
Amazing right, Yes, Let's also remember that Wishbone did Free
the Slaves, so he was a real one for him.

Speaker 1 (14:42):
This one was a true icon. It's sad, like I realized, like,
is it not on anymore? Like is there not a
new not?

Speaker 2 (14:50):
No, but it is it is. And also I think
there's a documentary that's in the works of it maybe,
which I would hope, But I love Wishbone and mad T.
He was kind of my SNL because I'm not really
an SNL person like that, I really am not. But
Mad TV I was like, oh no, there are people
from that that I still think are super funny to

(15:10):
this day. And like, I mean, yeah, you have Michael McDonald,
you have Phil Alamar who's fantastic, Deborah Wilson, O'Collins, Alex Borstein,
you know, but you know there's that. But then even
like Jordan Peele came out of that key and Peal
came out of so yeah, and it was kind of

(15:32):
this answer to SNL because fun fact, everybody not to
go on SNL history. But at the time that Mad
TV came out, guess what was happening in SNL. They
were like on the bubble.

Speaker 1 (15:45):
Will be right back, goosebumps.

Speaker 2 (15:51):
The Haunted Mask Friday at eight seven Central on Fox.

Speaker 1 (15:55):
Some of them new movies that came out that day,
Just to jog your memory, this was an interesting day.

Speaker 2 (16:00):
Powder.

Speaker 1 (16:01):
Do you remember that film Powder? Yeah, that that's Victor Creepy,
so you know, but I remember that movie was ever
one and like it's not really it's definitely not what
I saw in theaters, but like everyone at school knew
about it. Like in the years after so Powder came out,
Vampire in Brooklyn from Wes Craven, Eddie Murphy and Angela Bassett. Copycat,

(16:24):
which Jesse I just finally watched for the first time
in full. I had seen clips. It's funny. I had
seen the beginning, in the end and maybe like a
scene in the middle, but never the full thing. Okay, everybody,
we have been sleeping on Copycat and that needs to
be posted about way more.

Speaker 2 (16:38):
I need to watch it. I heard it Honestly.

Speaker 1 (16:44):
Since it's about to turn thirty, I feel like now
such a good time. It looks so good because you know,
this was an interesting time especially for film. Tbe kind
of still looked, you know, old, but like for film
because you know, screen was the year later, like this
was at a time when like cameras and lenses were
getting better and you know, the digital stuff, and Copycat
looks so good. Copycat, in my opinion, is a great

(17:06):
double feature with scream screams a little bit more fun.
Copycat's a little more just serious and somber.

Speaker 2 (17:12):
But oh, it is so good with the stars of
that is Jennifer there.

Speaker 1 (17:17):
Close very very similar kind of vibe. It's Sigourney Weaver,
Holly Hunter, Dermott mulroney. Oh yeah, and oh and Harry
Connick Junior.

Speaker 2 (17:26):
How come cant say Lass? You just had to say
Sigourney Weaver.

Speaker 1 (17:30):
Sigourney is the Sydney Holly Hunter is she's a cop,
but she is giving Gail energy. Dermot mulroney is the
younger cop giving like a dewey energy, which is funny,
you know. Then later on, Yeah, and then Harry Connick Jr.
I had seen these clips of him, like so you
probably have seen a picture or too. He is terrifying,
and like it's Harry Connick Junr. So I just I

(17:51):
just have to shout out everybody. Copycat. I know it's
been around for a long time. Apparently it was a
big rental of ninety six. Once it came to yess,
it did really well at home. But it's just a
movie that, you know, when people are posting about old movies,
they don't really most about that one that much. And
I think we should.

Speaker 2 (18:09):
So you'll be seeing it close for me, right, yeah,
we go. I'd love to check it out.

Speaker 1 (18:13):
Because much like how Scream is about scary movies, Copycat
is about famous serial killers.

Speaker 2 (18:19):
And that's all okay, right, okay, okay.

Speaker 1 (18:23):
So those were the cool things of what was going on.
What was new. Now we have the Goosebumps premiere and
we open with our own version of The crypt Keeper,
the own version of like Vincent Price. We have ra
Alstein himself starting the show. And what's his line? He
says of viewers, Beware, you're in for a scare.

Speaker 3 (18:41):
Yes, viewers, beware, You're in for a scare.

Speaker 2 (18:45):
This is actually hosted this premiere was hosted by the
Keeper technically as well.

Speaker 1 (18:49):
Oh wasn't really I didn't know that.

Speaker 2 (18:52):
Yeah, on YouTube, you can find the whole thing on
YouTube where there's like interstitials of like of the Crip
Keeper and so John Cassier and all this and so.

Speaker 1 (19:03):
Yeah, but a special presentation to give you goose bumps.

Speaker 2 (19:09):
I love it.

Speaker 1 (19:09):
I love it so much because I remember watching this
live and I remember I bought they sold some episodes,
some key popular episodes they sold on VHS, and I
had the normally yep, the part one, part two, those
those big ones, right, because I had this, and I
might have had the Tower of Terror one or Terror Tower.

Speaker 2 (19:28):
It was called Night and Terror Power.

Speaker 1 (19:29):
Yes, so I had those on VHS. So I remember
the cover which was, I mean, same amazing Tim, I mean, right,
I mean, and it's really so impressive Jesse that like,
because you know, I I talked to Tim the other day,
the illustrator, and he you know, would send them ideas,
but he was very much in control of what he designed,

(19:52):
you know, whatever came to him. And then it's really
so amazing that the show then took his visuals that
he made and said, okay, well, because the show is
not all that different than this mask, not at all,
you know, it's it's definitely got some details that are different,
but your teeth, I mean, we have like an inspiration
for you know, this is iconic, and then the show's

(20:12):
mask is iconic in its own right. So I just
think that is so cool. How like, you know, you're
adapting things multiple times and it's all so cool and
it all works right, So just go to throw it
over you in your own words. Doesn't need to be long.
Give us a little like log line, little summary. What
is the Haunted Mask about? What happens in part one
and feel free to talk about part two.

Speaker 2 (20:34):
Yeah, So what happens in the Haunted Mask one is
that it is about a girl named Carly Beth who's
very scared and anxiety ridden, and because she wants to
be a little bit different, she decides she wants to
be a scary costume for Halloween. So she goes to
this local mask shop and she picks up this mask

(20:55):
that's iconic and it's like a goblin mask, and well,
it doesn't come off of her face after a while,
and now she has to figure out how she can
get this off of her face and not be just
taken over by the Haunted Mask. So that's the number one,
And then the second one is really about one of

(21:17):
the bullies in the episode, Steve. Chuck and Steve are
the kind of the main bullies in the story, but
Steve is afraid of growing older. I guess because they're
on the cusp of being like thirteen or something, yeah.

Speaker 1 (21:29):
Which is so funny.

Speaker 2 (21:30):
Yeah, And he decides he wants to get a mask
as well, not be a pirate anymore. So he gets
this old man mask and he learns that maybe he
needs to just be okay with being a kid. And
you know, there's a whole lot of other stuff that
happens in the Haunted mass too as well, but that's
pretty much what it is. It's just massy wiln, you
know what I mean. And that's it really is.

Speaker 1 (21:52):
So hard on yourselves right right, and like you are here,
you are, you are the age you are. It's so
funny how the kids are like, man, this is our
last night to do anything scary because it's Halloween. It's
like next year, you're gonna be too old for Halloween.
As I'm like sitting there in my blanket like eating
candy watching, I'm like, I don't think you're ever to old.

Speaker 2 (22:12):
For Halloween, kids, right right from trigger treating, I guess, but.

Speaker 1 (22:16):
Because I remember we trigger treated. Honestly, I mean, this
might be kind of lame because you stopped early because
you were scared by that. I mean, we were still
trigger treating when the Ring was out, and I was
like sophomore in high school. I mean, but we knew
it was like we're getting too old, but like that
might have been. Yeah, I think I think sophomore year
was the last year I went trick or treating because
that was when we were like I think a few

(22:38):
people at the doors at their homes were like, oh, okay,
we have older tricker treaters. I want to hear that.

Speaker 2 (22:42):
You're like, okay, yeah, now you should be having like
a Halloween party's.

Speaker 1 (22:47):
Oh yeah, And I did have Halloween parties for sure
as a kid. Even in middle school, we would all
gather watch a movie that I mean I loved, like Scream.
I know somewhere that many of my friends could not watch.
I'm like, wow, my house, you can. So we would
watch it and then go trick or treating or vice versa.
But yeah, then you come to that age where it's like,
all right, next year, let's have a party, or let's

(23:08):
like go to a haunted house or like go you
know that kind of thing. So trick or treating came
to an end. But I do love that the the
part two, the sequel that came out a whole year later,
which is so great that we on this show got
a sequel that, like I told you, up the Steaks,
we up the Annie. Right, it's not just Carly Beth

(23:28):
and her mask drama. It's now Steve Bully's. You know,
the supporting characters are now the leads in a way. Right, Yes,
I thought it was so well done to like switch
up that way. Right, So good, But at least in
part one, let's talk about it. I mean, why do
you why do you love it? And why do you
think thirty years later, I feel like I'm seeing it

(23:50):
all over Instagram, maybe because of the anniversary, but I
just feel like love for this episode specifically has grown
and grown. So what do you think that's about?

Speaker 2 (23:59):
You know, I think what it is is that it's
the idea of nostalgia. Obviously, you know, we live, we
have always lived in like a dumpster fire of a world,
I guess, And so for a lot of people, they
want to be able to go back into childhood and
nostalgia and be able to dis associate, which is fine,

(24:21):
and so in that way, I think people return to
this episode really because it was the first one, you know,
I don't think it was the first one shot, but
it was the first one at least with me or yea,
and really got people interested. And I think also too,
like you can it's a universal theme like where the

(24:42):
Haunted Mask especially is that, you know, struggling with your
own self love and your own self acceptance is something
that people deal with all the time, and people continue
to deal with no matter what generation you are, and
so I think that's something that it's kind of universal
and can be back to. It's kind of like a
warm blanket to be able to watch something like this,

(25:04):
you know, whether you'd be watching like some of the
you know, different Halloween specials around this time or whatever,
but this is definitely a part of that in a way,
I guess because of the first Wanted Mask. Katherine longsd
is such a good job at being able to make
you care about Carly Beth and I don't really know,
And I guess listeners, if you are Goosebumps fans, you've

(25:26):
watched all these things, maybe let me know or let
us know. But like some of the other acting in
this show is not on the same level as maybe
Catherine was able to do. You know, they just don't
have the same level of acting, you know, especially for
some of these people. I mean, not everyone's Ryan Gosling,
who's in Say Cheese and Die. Right, that's not a

(25:49):
bad thing, but I'm just saying that, like, you don't
just get nominated for a Gemini Award for no reason
for your your work, do you know what I mean?
For those who may not know, the Geminis are pretty
much the Emmys in Canada. That's what they used to be,
so they don't really call them that anymore. But how
we have the Emmys here, they have the Geminis in Canada.

Speaker 1 (26:09):
And Geminis just sounds so cool.

Speaker 2 (26:12):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, and so and so, like yeah it was.
But Katherin Long in ninety seven I think was nominated
for that or for the Wanted Mask. Yeah, so it's
it's kind of cool, and she was like a nominator
alongside Sherry Lewis funny enough and Lamb Chop oh yeah yeah.
And then also Ben Foster he had been in something

(26:34):
where he got nominated. Uh, the guy who won, I
remember his name, his name is Callum something or other,
but he he's the one who won. But Catherine was
also there too, so it's like you know, you don't
just win, you don't just get nominated for that for
not being good. Uh So it's one of these things
where it's like, but that was kind of cool about Goosebumps,

(26:55):
And I think any Canadian child actor back in the day,
I could tell you that that, like this was a
way to get your foot in the door. There was
a lower barrier of entry to that, and so that
meant that you were going to have a range of
different people who have different acting abilities or who never

(27:15):
really went and acted again. Because you're in this episode
Catherine Short, who you know is Sabrina and she shows
up in this episode, second episode, and she's Knight and
Tear Tower as well, you know, but like she also
is somebody who did not necessarily want to continue acting
after a while. And that's not because she was like
bad or anything, but it was because she didn't want

(27:38):
to do it anymore. But then you also have people
like I said, Ryan Gosling, Catherine Isabelle Is in an episode.
I mean, like there are some people you can Hayden
Christensen for God's sakes, like saying yeah, he was in
Knight of the Living Dummy Part three.

Speaker 1 (27:53):
I below how funny that plays Chuck, who I feel
like he's done different things.

Speaker 2 (28:00):
Well, yeah, he's been an actor as well, because he's
in like Billy Madison, he's the version of suicide yep.
And he's also he was a voice over actor. But
he's been around. So I mean, that's what I'm saying
is like, you have these different people. But that was
what was cool about Are You Fray the Dark and
Goosebumps is that there was a lower barrier of entry
because you don't have to be the most amazing actor

(28:21):
to be on those shows.

Speaker 1 (28:23):
It's mostly about the effects, but it's.

Speaker 2 (28:25):
About the effects, and you need a child in there somewhere.
You need a kid, So it kind of varies on
the level of talent. I guess that the kid can have.
So because John White even like I mean John White,
like he is Steve in the second one, but he
was also in Cuckoo Clock of Doom, and then he
would go on to be Eric Stiffler's like cousin or

(28:47):
something in some of those direct to video American pie
movies and stuff. So Catherine Age you care like and
I don't know how well some of the other actors
in this series did that some of but some of
them you're like, okay.

Speaker 1 (29:02):
Yeah, oh yeah, totally. Not every episode can slay as
much as exactly. It's funny because when I was looking
because I like I said, I remember a Night in
Terror Tower very well, that was another two parter. But
the boy in it, who plays Eddie, he's just cute.

Speaker 2 (29:15):
Actually he's a he's a Hallmark baddie.

Speaker 1 (29:18):
Yes, oh he's a babe.

Speaker 2 (29:22):
I'm like, oh that guy, he's too Yeah, yeah, you're right,
But like.

Speaker 1 (29:26):
It's funny, how yeah, Like you just see like some
child stars not only continue in the industry, but then
you know, become like babes or become or the opposite,
or you know, you get like an Edward for a
long you know, or like yeah, I mean it's like yeah,
you know, so everyone's got their own journeys, but it's
just as as lovers of this kind of stuff to
see them like, oh, that's where you ended up, you know, or.

Speaker 2 (29:49):
Yeah, And it's just interesting because again, like this was
a way for and I think they talked about it
before Catherine Catherine and Amos. Again, there was just a
lower barrier of entry, like there was only so many
people booking back in the day.

Speaker 1 (30:31):
Acting is the gateway into all the creative jobs, you know,
in this industry. So I think I think most people
think of like, oh, yeah, I want to play that part,
and then you realize, Okay, I don't like acting, but
I love what you do or you know. So that's
like the most accessible way to enter this world, you know,
although there are many kids that just strictly go to
like you know, stage crew in theater, you know, or

(30:52):
behind the scenes or whatever, or draw you know, so
there's something like that. But I'd say a lot of
people think they want to act and then realize.

Speaker 2 (31:00):
I want to Well, it's also because yeah, it's also
because like and you know this as a casting person
and having been somebody who teaches you know, kids and
stuff like that, where it's like, you know, yeah, you
just never know either like yeah, you know, I think
it's important, and especially since we've had tragic you know,

(31:21):
stories of this, we talked about this, We've always talked
about this, but like it's a thing of like, you know,
when a kid really wants it or not, do you
know what I mean. You know, I feel like it's
as much as the parent might think that they are
being slick and whatever. No, I think the kid knows.

(31:43):
The kid will let you know as the casting person
or as the director or whatever that if this is
really for them or and I think someone like you
in casting I think are keenly aware of that, where
you are aware of like, oh, you're only doing this
because your parent wants you to do Oh.

Speaker 1 (32:03):
Yeah, and it's really no thought. I'm like, oh, this
feels weird.

Speaker 2 (32:06):
And it's not my and it's not my place to
tell you that, but I can almost tell oh yeah,
I mean I tell people like you don't actually have
much talent, right, You're not going to tell people that,
like to their face, but like you're going to say like, yeah,
I don't think you have, Like I don't think this
is for you.

Speaker 1 (32:23):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (32:23):
It's also the anthology of it, so it is different
all the time. Yeah, it really is.

Speaker 1 (32:28):
That's and that's what you bring up a good point
because it's anthology. Yeah, you don't need to, you know,
maybe work as hard to find the best actress because
they're not going to be serious regulars.

Speaker 2 (32:40):
You know.

Speaker 1 (32:41):
In the case of Haunted Mask Part two a year later,
it was great to see the other people come back,
you know, and then some other faces, right, but like yeah,
in a show like this, you know, as long as
they're decent enough, because, like I was, the real star
is the mask or is the effects? Or is the lightning?

Speaker 2 (32:58):
You know?

Speaker 1 (32:58):
And slappy right of course, you know so, And that's
what makes the sequel episodes so good, because not only
do we have our iconic green you know og mask,
but now we have this really yeah warped. I do
love everyone's reactions seeing this old man mask with the spiders.
It's like, that's what I mean. It's like, Okay, we're

(33:19):
we're raising the bar, you know. Yeah, it's pretty great.
Like any good sequel shift, you gotta you gotta give
us more of you know what. So but real quick,
I wanted to say, speaking of our Carly Beth, which
I think I've told you, I'm pretty sure on one
of your episodes, Carly Beth was so iconic for me
as an eight year old that I was like, you

(33:40):
know what, I'm gonna start being called markie Joe and
I had the neighbors say like, call me market Joe.
That quickly, thank god ended, thank god, because I'm not
a market Joe. But for like a few months, I
was like, yeah, only Market Joe and people would be
like why, I'm like, because if Carly Beth and people
are like, okay, so yeah, I was a queer nerd
horror you really want? I mean, like it's obvious, right, yeah, right,

(34:04):
But I don't know if you saw this. I happen
to be looking at IMDb trivia, which is always a
little risky because it's like is this real?

Speaker 2 (34:09):
You never know.

Speaker 1 (34:10):
Anyone can update IMDb, you never know. But the actress
Catherine wanted to actually eat a real worm in her
sandwich that the bully boys in there. Did you hear this? Well?

Speaker 2 (34:21):
Yeah, I think for her, like she has talked about
it before. She was on the Goosebump Screw podcast okay,
and she's on another podcast too that people have interviewed her.
You probably find it. But uh yeah, so I think
there was the guy, the prop guy who said like,
oh no, that didn't happen whenever or whatever. But then
she has said like, oh yeah, no, I did do that,

(34:43):
and it was because she is well, it was because
she if it was a fake worm, she would have
really been able to really have a reaction. So she
was like, I mean, if you give me a real worm,
like I'll I'll do it, and I guess because it
was just like she just knew that, like because she
seems like a very like she even described herself as

(35:05):
a very linear thinking person or whatever, so even at twelve,
like she was just like, yeah, I no, like if
this is a fake worm, I don't know if I'm
gonna be able to really react the way you want.
So I need a little something. And you know what
method acting is a thing. So not saying she's a
method actress, but like she would know, but but I
kind of get it, like you need something to do
that and if that's something, you know, as long as

(35:26):
you don't hurt the worm, it's good, like you know.

Speaker 1 (35:29):
So they went through twelve worms, so I guess she
was chomping on them. I don't know, yeah, or.

Speaker 2 (35:33):
At least getting close to that. And then that makes
you gag because I understand. I can understand that just
because like it's gross, but it's also like, well, do
you want the reaction you want? Because this is what
I can do, like you know, and everyone has their
different thing, like you know, Okay, give me a minute,
like you know, let me go think about like dying
puppies or whatever, and then I'll give you the tears

(35:54):
you would like.

Speaker 1 (35:55):
Of course, you know, like a lot of us, especially
queer people, but really anyone in then I think most people,
even if you ended up being a bully, right, there
was a time when you were insecure and not feeling
like enough. And so this mask and being scary, right,
is power, right, and it is night. She's seeking power
because she's sick of being scarable, Carly Beth. Right, hen

(36:18):
feel scarable, she says, and she wants the power. She
wants her back off. And so I think we all,
even as an adult, I mean, sometimes you feel like
you gotta kind of be a dick. Yeah, well for
people to ye get it and leave you alone.

Speaker 2 (36:33):
And that's why. And what's interesting too, is that it's
not the thing is is that it's the mask that
does it. That's what it is. Carly Beth is just yeah,
it's not she, it's not in her, but like it's
the evil of the mask that makes it that, you
know what I mean, And it's what makes her different,

(36:53):
which is why, like in the book, I haven't actually
read the book or the second book really, but.

Speaker 1 (36:59):
I did long long ago.

Speaker 2 (37:00):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. But but but like for example, when
she's like she scares the little boys and then her
their mom is like chewing her out pretty much, she's
thinking herself like I wish I could just tear your
bones like apar and like all this stuff, And that's
the mask thinking that for her, it's not you know

(37:20):
when she says, like, you know, it wasn't me that
said that to the kids, Sabrina, it was the mask.
The mask made me do it. You can lose yourself
in that. And that's that's the danger that Carly Beth
is in, is that she could almost lose herself to
this thing because she did not have the self love,
the self confidence, the self esteem to be able. But

(37:41):
then she does gain that after she realizes like, I
don't want to be the goblin forever. I don't want
to be this monster for the rest of my life.

Speaker 1 (37:49):
Is your school lunch making you sick? Is your little
brother or sister driving you absolutely crazy? Gotcha? Then We've
got just the.

Speaker 2 (37:58):
Thing for you, The Haunted Mask.

Speaker 3 (38:00):
It's the first video based on the best sell googe
Bumps books by r else cool.

Speaker 2 (38:04):
Hut and also I think anybody you yourself, I'm sure
can understand this being having been a teen actor or whatever.
You don't you don't know what's gonna hit, like none
of the things that you know, Like when they were
doing this, they were not thinking like this is still
gonna be something I've talked about thirty years later, or
I'm gonna be able to do a convention and people

(38:26):
will give me money to sign their stuff because I
was in something when I was thirteen, Like I can't
think of this. I'm sure she didn't expect I'm sure
Catherine or Amos or any of these people, they didn't
expect that fifteen million people would watch this episode like
I was.

Speaker 1 (38:40):
And that's a lot of viewers. I mean, nothing gets
lots nowadays, you know what I mean?

Speaker 2 (38:44):
You know, And that's what And we talked about this before,
probably on my show a little bit, but I'm sure
you talk about it too, maybe, But like that's what
any actor is just that's what they're seeking. Is that
the longevity or the memory or the big break. That's
what it is. It's getting that big break. You're doing
the work, you're doing what you can to put yourself

(39:05):
out there, get projects, do stuff. But then once you
have that big break, then you hopefully can ride the
wave and you just have to kind of keep reinventing
yourself or keep trying to do whatever. But like, but yeah,
and ultimately that's what you know, Catherine and Amos and
a few of these people they were able to get
because they were on this show. And that's what Goosebumps

(39:26):
as a whole kind of gave people is you know,
it didn't launch people to stardom necessarily, but it did
get people to notice them so that they could then
do other stuff at all.

Speaker 1 (39:37):
Oh yeah, yeah, And I think it's smart because this
was book number eleven, so they didn't air the episodes
in book order. And I think it was very smart
to start the show this way because I wonder I mean,
the episodes as they are are great, Like they would
have been standouts no matter what. But I think maybe
what really makes it so special is that it premiered,
you know, with this great story that is so ach.

Speaker 2 (39:59):
Ya you know, yeah, it's a different story.

Speaker 1 (40:02):
Yeah, that timing was smart to air out of order,
because another another series, a TV series would absolutely just
air the episodes in.

Speaker 2 (40:09):
Order, you know, yeah, you know, yeah, but it's.

Speaker 1 (40:12):
Smart that they jumped around and started with this, like
they must have known with the mask, with the cast,
like oh okay, we have something that like this is
going to start a show, and how it's just so Halloween.
It's so perfect and that's what's perfect too. Yeah, what
a great way to bring kids in what night do we?
Most of us love Halloween candy? You know, so like okay,

(40:34):
well now we got a fun story to hook you.

Speaker 2 (40:36):
You know that. And then also you have the actor
who you know, you got this good actress in it,
you got this so yeah, but like even like Welcome
to k Nightmare, like I mean, Kai Eric Erickson's really good,
you know, and and that's a good episode. But it's
like it's just something where they probably had to look
at these and be like, all right, here's how we're
gonna do the order. And then once they saw that,
like okay, there we're cooking with gas here, then we

(41:00):
can when we do the second season and all this
we can kind of.

Speaker 1 (41:03):
And you can see you like, just because I'm so
glad you had reminded me there was a part two
a year later, because I had forgotten about that and
I never really saw it, although I have seen clips
or images of that old man mask. I never so
that's why I'm like, wow, I'm seeing this kind of
with fresh eyes. But you can even see a difference,
not only in the acting, you know, everyone was good
in the first time, but but like in the way

(41:24):
the show is made because I haven't made a note.
In the first, very first episode, the music's a little corny,
you know, it's a little it's a little cheesy, you know,
because they wanted to probably walk that fine line. And
sim had just been telling me with his with his covers,
it's like what they loved about his great colors the
bulk is that they weren't They were scary and they
hooked you, but they weren't too terrifying, right, So I'm

(41:46):
sure with the show, they're like, it's got to be scary,
but it still has to be right, Yeah, it's got
to be a little light. So that's probably with this
like cheesy music. But I noticed for a year later
they sort of embraced a little bit of the darkness more.
It was a little less cheesy, a little less safe,
and we're you know, telling still a story that's meant

(42:07):
for kids, but it's it's it's a little more.

Speaker 2 (42:10):
Serious, right, Yes, and I will tell you this Mark,
I'm so glad you watched it because that thing that
contom mess too is so scary because it is like
I was like, this is for children. What the heck?
Because I was like, because, okay, so for those who
may not know, the Haunted US two book is not

(42:32):
this Okay, I don't know, No it is. It's still
the old Man mask, still Steve all this it is
not the same because like the ending of it is
like Chuck also got like a mask from the Halloween
store and like that just whatever, and like that's the
ending of it is that like I also got a

(42:53):
mask too, and I can't take it off. Oh no,
that kind of a thick a little more comedic the
way that like Carly Beth and Steve go back to
the novelty shop and they like are looking for the
costume that goes with the old Man mask, and then
like some random ass skeleton like comes back and like
is in the the suit now, and like the old

(43:14):
Man mask goes on it. It's a whole thing. So
they could not make that for television obviously, So they
literally were like here's what we're going to do. Go
scary shit out of these kids, right and so like
because literally, like, first off, the Hawten Mask in the
second one, it looks scarier the way they bugged out,

(43:34):
the they blacked out the eyes. Yes, so good. It
adds to the creepiness and the fact that it's a
literal like man like in the mask. It's not a
little girl anymore. It's a man and the and shout
out to Scott Wickware who is the voice of the
Hawten Mask in the second one, like who he was

(43:55):
also in Welcome to Dead House. He was one of
the zombies and he was also great Attack of He
was in the Attack of the Mutant as well, where
he was the voice of the Mutant I believe, but uh,
but he's the voice of the Haunted Mask in the
second one. And the way he does just like bring
me the head of Carly Death, Like his voice is

(44:15):
so a thing fantastic, like where I was just like
and how he's filling this kid with like he has
spiders on him. He says he wants him to grovel.

Speaker 1 (44:26):
I was like, oh, yeah, we're getting.

Speaker 2 (44:28):
Is TV y seven like and I'm just saying like that,
like this is something where I'm like, oh, okay, so
We're not fucking around here.

Speaker 1 (44:36):
No we are not, and I am.

Speaker 2 (44:39):
That's what's perfect.

Speaker 1 (44:40):
Things are a little more sweet and it's like it's OK,
kids can handle some serious stakes.

Speaker 2 (44:46):
And I think it. I think it worked really well
because I'm just like, in my opinion at least, I'm
just like, oh, no, that is what you should have done,
because there's no way you could have done from what
I understand with the book, like, there's no way. And
so it the fact that you went completely left and
did something that was a little bit more terrifying and

(45:06):
you were able to do that, I think made sense
and it makes it that much more of an interesting
episode where I'm just like, oh yeah, I no, Like,
if you're going to watch these, you gotta watch both
of them because they're both still pretty cool. They both
have a fun, nice ending. They have all of that.
Tuesday on non Stop Fox, goose Bumps his back with

(45:29):
a brand new Halloween special book.

Speaker 1 (45:31):
This is scary. Once you've put this mask on, What's
happening to You?

Speaker 3 (45:35):
Tuesdays on Forever Take it off?

Speaker 1 (45:38):
Goose Bumps The Haunted Mask.

Speaker 3 (45:40):
To Tuesday at seven on Fox thirty two.

Speaker 2 (45:45):
The Haunted mass Too is a little bit scarier, I
think so, like and yeah, they're a little scarier than
the regular Haunted Mask. The Hatten Mask is more emotional.
And the fact that the Haunted Mask is the villain
from the first episode or whatever, and it's just.

Speaker 1 (46:02):
And it's on the shopkeeper, I mean yeah, so and
it's also fun. It's always fun to see in any
horror when the bully is now the victim and like
that that's always like, oh, it's like, you know, it's
bad if like this tough brat can't handle it, you
know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (46:21):
Yeah, And it's different too, and I think also it
was a smart thing too, not to be super binary,
but like it is this thing of like it's very
girl eccentric because it's Carly Beth. This is very much
about you know boy yeah, boy version in a way,
but the girl is still there. Who you know, she's
like Ellen Ripley. Now it's amazing, you know, and like whatever.

Speaker 1 (46:44):
He's the one that always like what to do?

Speaker 2 (46:46):
What to do? Right? I love that, Like, and it's
and it's just also like and again it's something where
I think that episode is really talking about aging and
we're all afraid of some people are just very afraid
of aging. And and we even in horror, like you
still even see it now where it's like you have

(47:08):
the creepy old naked person or whatever. Right, that's a
trope and so but yeah.

Speaker 1 (47:14):
And Steve it's like really like now merged onto his skin,
which I do love how these episodes. I mean, it
is body hard, it really is. It's so very but
like when he gets old and he has this his
cane and the other kids are like, that's not a mask,
that's your skin.

Speaker 2 (47:29):
Like that episode or no, that part of the episode
where like the kids like because they're literally just thinking like, oh,
he's just some old drunk. He's and some old bum
and be like, no, I'm a kid. And then he's like, yeah,
no you're not, Like you're that's not a mass swister,
that's your face, and you're just like and then that's
when he runs into the haunted mask like and then

(47:51):
I'm just like, oh, this is this is not good,
Like this is bad, Steve. You need to get yourself
because Steve is in a little bit more perhaps both
of them are in danger in the episodes, but like,
I mean, Steve is literally having a whole ass adult
man like telling him what to do, and it is

(48:11):
very I don't know, depending on who you are, it
could be a little it's not like it's not like
Chester the Molester kind of thing, but it's very much
like but it is very like, oh no, this full
ass adult man is like telling this kid what to
do and.

Speaker 1 (48:25):
Like, yeah, is making him you don't do it.

Speaker 2 (48:28):
Threatening him literally and having spiders on him and stuff
like that.

Speaker 1 (48:35):
With that baby, it was scary, but girl, like, just
just you wait, you know, just.

Speaker 2 (48:41):
You wait because of the second one. They're gonna put
armist on this guy.

Speaker 1 (48:45):
I know that, but like I also love and it's
such a great horror movie moment, you know, as when
he goes to her house to get this plaster of
Paris Head, which is I've always loved. But even that's
kind of creepy, Like thanks mam, Yeah, that's like the
symbol of love. But also mom, this is kind of weird.

Speaker 2 (49:01):
But this man in our house, what the hell?

Speaker 1 (49:04):
Right? Yeah, but then the kids he sneaks in and
she's right, she's looking for it. Like that's also like, oh,
the killers in the house kind of right, So like,
you know, there's there's definitely some cool imagery in these
episodes that you know is very adult horror, you know,
it's just in the in the world of kids. But yeah, yeah,

(49:25):
I just love these episodes. Works such great standalone stories,
you know what I mean. This also gives me such
Buffy vibes because of the cemetery and like this Novelty
Shop feels very like the Magic Shop and later seasons
of Buffy. Like it's so funny as Buffy started about
a year and a half after this, I believe it

(49:45):
was like spring of ninety seven, so you know, and uh,
it just gives me like very like they almost this
is just the next town over from Sunnydale, you know
what I mean. That great lighting of the of the cemetery,
of the gravestones at night, and the floating heads. Yeah,
I forgot that the floating masks taunt Carly Beth. Follow
completely forgot. I was like, oh my god, I remember this.

Speaker 2 (50:07):
Now right right?

Speaker 1 (50:09):
I love it.

Speaker 2 (50:10):
I love yeah, No, totally, I love that too. And
just like how it's again this is like something that
is made for children. It's gonna scare them enough if
they want it, but like it's something where I don't know,
it's just it's so cool that like we could have
something like this and be able to have this is

(50:30):
just a nice piece of Halloween entertainment or whatever it is.
And I think also it's just this is why it's
been able to last for so long. In a way,
it's because, like you know, these themes are kind of universal.
I think that's what people love about USUMS in general,
is that like it brings you back to that sort

(50:52):
of warm blanket of nostalgia that we all are trying
to get and that corporations are trying to sell us
and all that stuff. But I mean, it's a way
that you're able to not have to think about the
reality of your life or the reality of what we're
dealing with right now, because you know, even the right

(51:14):
wing people want to believe that America at one time
was great. I don't know about that, but because even
back in the Make America Great days wasn't exactly great
for everybody. So it's it's one of those things where
we've always been dealing with that. But it's a matter
of like I think now especially with people like yourself

(51:35):
and myself and just elder millennials and millennials and whatever,
you know, they have this sort of special piece of
you know, entertainment that they return to because there's the
people who you are like you and me who watch
this stuff. There are the people who are effing scared
of it, you know, which is fine too, but like also,

(51:55):
but it's just so cool that like we could have
something that could be pushing the envelope a little bit,
whereas now and again I wouldn't know because I try
to stay as far away from children as I can
possibly do. But like, but you know, but you have
exposure to at least some young people, so but you're
able to at least be like, but you can even

(52:17):
see in their entertainment that they have now is like
they're not they're not able to push the envelope like
that anymore. They're not, and they're having to if they
want to. They're going back to argue for the dark
and stuff like that, where they're just like this is cheesy,
but also it vies with you.

Speaker 1 (52:37):
It works, It.

Speaker 2 (52:39):
Still works, like you know, so it.

Speaker 1 (52:41):
Doesn't feel hollow. A lot of new stuff.

Speaker 2 (52:43):
Yeah, yeah, I mean shout out to shout out to
Kim Cole's getting her little Vamparina check. Like I'm happy
for her about that, but it's one of these things
where it's like, you know, you're just not gonna have
the same thing.

Speaker 1 (52:55):
The Haunted Mask is all the funny creepiness of a
great Pozelum story come to light. Please to leave forward. Hey, Rewinders,
I'm interrupting this great convo with Jesse to tell you
about the You Run podcast Network, which is a supportive
group of podcasters and YouTubers with shows about all sorts
of topics, especially creepy horror, spooky crime, that kind of thing.

(53:16):
If you're in the mood to find a new show,
see our library at yourunpodcast dot com. Now let's turn
the page and get back to the novelty shop in
town to see their disturbing masks. But first, here's a
cameo from my friend and fellow Goosebumps lover Ashley James
Lewis Hi ash gil Mark.

Speaker 4 (53:36):
So here's the deal with the Goosebumps television show, and
especially that first episode with the mask, which is that
my sister was a very big Goosebumps reader, and she
read all the Goosebumps books. But I actually didn't read
any of the Goosebumps books, and we were all really
big are You Afraid of the Dark fans, So my
family was really into are You Afraid of the Dark,

(53:59):
And since I I was the youngest one by the
time that the Goosebumps television show came along, we had
sort of felt that the Goosebumps was sort of like
the kids version of Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Which is funny because you know, are You Afraid of
the Dark is the kids version of are You Afraid
of the Dark? But I never really let them know
that that first episode actually really freaked me out. The

(54:22):
mask getting stuck on the girl's face is something that
I think about all the time, even to this day.
It's one of those weird images that has just never
gone away from me. So anyway, enjoy happy Halloween.

Speaker 2 (54:35):
I know I was watching the Hauna mask and maybe
the Hana Masks two as well. I think I was
watching them in Halloween for a couple of years. Yeah,
I'm not doing it as much now, I could still
do it.

Speaker 1 (54:44):
I think it totally make that makes sense, Jesse, and
I feel like it belongs up there with your you know,
if not every year every few years of your rotation
of like Halloween watches because it's it's up there with
hocus Pocus with I mean, you know, like we were saying,
it has such fun tricker treating visuals, you know, the set,
the streets, the kids, you know, whether whether it's you're

(55:05):
watching Halloween or Halloween twenty eighteen or trick or Treat.
You know, yeah, this is now like Halloween Town hocus Pocus,
the more family friendly, but still gives you that kick
that like you know, burst of trick or treating like
Mecca in your brain, you know.

Speaker 2 (55:21):
What I mean. And it's just such a moment in time.

Speaker 3 (55:23):
The horror begins when Carly Beth puts on the evil
haunted mask, and it ends when she discovers there is
nothing more powerful than the love of her family and friends.
What's so scary about that?

Speaker 2 (55:37):
You'll see this series and whether it's the TV show,
this book series, whatever, I mean, before a certain boy
wizard and his problematic author came about, uh you know
this was this was the book series.

Speaker 1 (55:55):
Oh yeah, for sure.

Speaker 2 (55:56):
And I know it's weird to kind of say that
when people are just like, what do you mean, Jesse, like,
what what do you mean? But I was like, no, no, no,
we're there. If you weren't there, you may not understand it.
But like Harry Potter, right, like literally like that became
the big series. It had all the movies, all this stuff.
Goosebumps was pretty much just as popular, just differently, but

(56:19):
like because it never got movies until the twenty tens
and stuff like that. But like, no, no, no, it
was that was the series. Like that was. It wasn't.
Your Babysitters Club was like on the side, right.

Speaker 1 (56:30):
That was, and that was still kind of girly. Harry
Potter kind of brought all.

Speaker 2 (56:36):
But Goosebumps was for everybody, and then Harry Potter was
the thing that kind of really hit. But like Goosebumps
was right before. So it's important to those books, right,
It's important to note that as well, that like yeah, no,
like this this was the thing. It's like with SpongeBob,
you know, that's what kind of turned Nickelodeon into kind

(56:57):
of what it is now a little bit. But there,
it was different before that because when you're in the
eighties nineties version of that, like you're just it's different.

Speaker 1 (57:08):
Like oh yeah, it only started as a four to
six book series exactly, right, and then the books six books,
and then of course it was a hit. And what
drew kids in were those beautiful colors from Tim Zacobis
and these great twisty stories from arl Stein. I mean,
oh my god, I met Arlestein years ago living in
New York City. I had him signed. He wrote, like,

(57:30):
I still have never read it. I should really read
it now. It's like a Midsummer Night's scream. I think
it's called and he signed it, and there's a picture
of me somewhere. I should now that I'm remembering, I
should post it on the page. But oh my god,
icon thank god for these guys in our lives, you
know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (57:45):
Like yeah, so yeah, yeahs. Everybody like Rocks.

Speaker 1 (57:51):
And they're in Fear Street. I mean a lot of
Arlestein's stuff is so good, but there were some goosebumps.

Speaker 2 (57:56):
Am I am? I right?

Speaker 1 (57:57):
Do you remember this too, where like the would Choose
your Own Adventure?

Speaker 2 (58:00):
Yeah? So it spin off books?

Speaker 1 (58:01):
Yes, I loved Are you kidding? I was like, oh,
I would like be like, cancel all plans. I'm not
going outside the summer. I am reading you read venture? Right? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (58:10):
Well, and also too like again not to get on
the big soap box or whatever. I know we're trying
to wrap up or whatever, but it's like, you know,
the thing of like it's important to note too that
like something like Goosebumps and any of these books, like
going back to literacy is cool. These books, like we're
a way for kids to be able to actually read,

(58:31):
and that's like huge.

Speaker 1 (58:34):
Like read kids are not really reading, Like I see something.
I'm like, Okay, you're like seventeen. What are you writing me? Right?

Speaker 2 (58:41):
Like right right? Huh right kind of like wait a minute,
what And so the thing is is like, you know,
Goosebumps in a way, just like how any popular book
series can have that, but like Goosebumps is one of
the ways where like because it's middle grade fiction, it's
pretty easy read snake, you know. I think it gave
kids the chance to read something and enjoy it and

(59:04):
then hopefully be able to move on to other literature. Hello,
I'm R. El Stein.

Speaker 3 (59:14):
I write the Goosebumps books.

Speaker 1 (59:21):
Be careful, will you go? Carly?

Speaker 2 (59:24):
The Mask is back?

Speaker 1 (59:25):
Cool?

Speaker 4 (59:26):
Who'd you take off that mask?

Speaker 1 (59:27):
Please?

Speaker 2 (59:28):
The Hauntred Mask Do.

Speaker 3 (59:31):
Based on all el Stein's best selling books for kids,
comes an.

Speaker 4 (59:35):
All new, fun and scary video from Goosebumps.

Speaker 1 (59:38):
This is funny, too cool.

Speaker 3 (59:40):
Prepare for another scared the undred mask to now on video.

Speaker 2 (59:46):
It'll make your heads spig. I checked out that Disney show.

Speaker 1 (59:50):
Yeah, I didn't watch the new Goosebumps. Did you check
any of that out?

Speaker 2 (59:53):
I did the first season it's.

Speaker 1 (59:55):
Bad, which and then David Schwimmer came in not.

Speaker 2 (01:00:00):
A fan of the first season. The second season I
watched and I have not finished it. I will say
the second season I think is an improvement. Oh okay,
and other people have also Goosebump's crew if you want
to go check them out. If you're a Goosebumps fan,
go check them out. They've done interviews and they do
episodes on stuff, and they've talked about like the second

(01:00:22):
season of the Disney Plus show, and they even said
they were like, I hated the first season, but like
the second season is an improvement, and you know it
and I can agree.

Speaker 1 (01:00:33):
I heard it.

Speaker 2 (01:00:34):
I don't think it is. I think it is. I
don't think it is, because honestly, it's just I don't
really I'm not really I think they should have just
done the Yeah, I don't think that's a bad one.
But like I just don't quite know why this is
because TV. But like it's also like you could just

(01:00:56):
make an anthology series and like.

Speaker 1 (01:00:58):
Just do that that it was like one right, like
a group of friends, and I'm like, wait, no, No,
Goosebumps from the very beginning was always an anthology with
the books. Yeah, there's very few carryovers with like characters at.

Speaker 2 (01:01:10):
All, right, and like I said, the second season at
least does all right, I guess, but like because they're
not okay, but there's that, but like it's the thing
of I just think, like if you want to do
a Goosebumps TV show, just do the books to get
that's We're fine with that. Like it's not like it's

(01:01:31):
like oh, like no, the nineties show is so good,
like don't touch it. I'm like, no, if you want
to touch it and do them again, fine, I can
we make them.

Speaker 1 (01:01:39):
And now make them a little scarier. Since that's just
like do that.

Speaker 2 (01:01:43):
Then like you do that, then like glos, make realize
it put people in it. I mean I get the
fact that, like you know, you can't put preteens in danger,
I guess or something I don't know, because none of
these people feel like preteens, even though that's what Goosebumps
is supposed to be. So it's like anyway, but it's

(01:02:04):
it's a thing of like I just feel like, uh
in that way, it's it's just like but yeah, but
it's because they also wanted money.

Speaker 1 (01:02:13):
Of course. I mean, it's a brand that will always
get attention. Right, Well, that's not our.

Speaker 2 (01:02:18):
All science fault. It's not our science fault. But it's
now because it's not really his. It's his, but it's
not his anymore, if you know what I mean.

Speaker 1 (01:02:25):
Yeah, exactly. Once once you have success with a company,
I mean, that company's gone.

Speaker 2 (01:02:29):
But I hope he has a good bag though.

Speaker 1 (01:02:31):
Oh he does.

Speaker 2 (01:02:33):
He's okay, Oh god, I hope so. But it's just
it's different. And that's why the Goosebumps Disney Plus show
it just wasn't. It wasn't the vibe mama, which is
then why you have like I think, if anything, if
you're gonna do that, like I mean, watch the original
series and then watch like the Haunting Hour.

Speaker 1 (01:02:53):
I remember that, you know, and like.

Speaker 2 (01:02:56):
Yeah yeah, or like the nightmar Room a little bit,
but like even the Haunting Hour, like even Goosebump stands
are like, oh, no, like, if you're going to watch
anything else, watch The Haunting Hour. It's pretty good and
it's still an anthology, so it's it's you're able to
have a little bit more interest in there. Yeah, so
it's interesting how that kind of works.

Speaker 1 (01:03:13):
And yeah, and also even you know, I know, maybe
five or so years ago there was the ru Fraid
of the Dark reboot, which that didn't last long either, So.

Speaker 2 (01:03:21):
No, I some of them are good, but I watch them.

Speaker 1 (01:03:24):
I remember I wanted to check it out. It looked good,
but I just you know, other things came up. So
it's also plus, oh see, there you go and says
something like, you know, there's there are these creepy shows
of this time thirty years ago, like they have just
great rewatchability. You know, you didn't have even have to
be alive back then, right, there's something that draws you

(01:03:47):
to it, and it's that, you know, the the less
clear quality and like maybe it's the cheesy music, like
it's all part of the.

Speaker 2 (01:03:54):
Fun cheesy effects and stuff. And yeah, there's a certain
level of that where it's like because because we're now
getting old, like that's what it is. It is like
you're able to to go back in time, go back
in time and then people again like whether or not
gen Z or before or after, we'll like it, but
some of them still bang with it, which is cool.

Speaker 1 (01:04:15):
Yeah, it's gotta be to watch. Like, Okay, So this
was like on Primetime TV.

Speaker 2 (01:04:20):
It was on Primetime TV. It was on Saturday mornings,
like yes, it was yeah, totally the first video.

Speaker 1 (01:04:30):
Ever from the box video. But so Jesse, what's coming
up next on your show?

Speaker 2 (01:04:34):
So I am doing uh, I'm doing swim Fan at
some point, everybody love. That's another movie where you know,
I don't know if it's good, but you know.

Speaker 1 (01:04:49):
It's it's I'm gonna say it's good. It's okay, it's
still bonkers, and I'm like, you know what, this movie
is good because you know what movies are supposed to entertain.

Speaker 2 (01:04:56):
And that's fair. There you go, and it's not saying
it's not what it is. It is a teenage fatal attraction.
So I'll give it that. So there's that. I also
am going to do, uh probably for Thanksgiving. I wanted
to do like I've already done Adam Stanley Values and
like I did Blood Rage before, but uh, I decided

(01:05:17):
I wanted to pull up on something. And you'll appreciate
this because you love a Dawson's Creek. I'm pulling up
on pieces of April because I've never seen it.

Speaker 1 (01:05:25):
Oh, you've never seen it. So I remember seeing it
soon after it came to like, you know, DVD because
it was such a big it was like, oh Katie
Holmes and like an yeah, you know, so yeah, I
can remember some moments from that and that's real Indie.
Like that camera they used is like Crainy gratty. Yeah,
so it's like low bunch that.

Speaker 2 (01:05:46):
Yeah. And then I also planned to do, uh, the
Piranha remake from twenty ten, which is some some super
fun Elizabeth Shoe is a police officer. What are we
talking aboute godst I love it. And then also I
play to do because I just watched it for the
first time since I was probably a kid and or
I probably just saw bits and pieces of it. But

(01:06:06):
my sister loves it, so she's going to guess on it.
I'm doing, uh it takes two. Oh, So that was.

Speaker 1 (01:06:12):
That was actually my third episode of the show five
years ago because that's about to turn thirty.

Speaker 2 (01:06:18):
Yep. It is yeah, and then yes, yes, and then
and then for I'm not going to say what I'm
doing for December. I will say that I am doing
Music Month. And you may or may not be a
part of that, as you may know. So yeah, but
but think of what that is. It's not necessarily musicals.

(01:06:38):
Maybe some of them are, but just think it's music month.
So this is going to be so not doing Christmas Month,
like we're fine, Like I like Christmas, but like you
know what everyone else, but Music Month is going to
be music movies that are about music perhaps, and so
we'll we'll see how that. We'll see how that manifests.

Speaker 1 (01:07:00):
Yeah, I know, but yeah, I think it's a great idea.

Speaker 3 (01:07:04):
Let's ask my family, mom, dad, what did you think.
I think they liked it. I hope you did too.
Have a scary day, everyone.

Speaker 1 (01:07:18):
Be careful what you wish for Carly, Beth and Steve
and everyone out there. Thanks everyone for listening to or
watching this episode, and thank you to my great guest,
Jesse Kremple from the podcast Cult Cinema Circle for coming
back and reliving the nineties with me. Follow Jesse at
Cult Cinema Circle and check out his show If you
haven't already, give it some love with a rating and

(01:07:40):
a review, and hey, if you don't mind, If you
enjoy this show, please leave me a rating and a
review and a thumbs up if you're watching on YouTube,
since that always helps indie podcasts like ours. Thank you
very much. See more content from these great episodes of
Goosebumps and from this great convo on my Instagram at
release date rewind Thanks Draw Media, the U Run podcast Network,

(01:08:03):
Kyle Motzinger, and the Portland Media Center in Maine. And
next time on the podcast, A Killer is on the
loose in Virginia and our Queen Brittany Murphy is trying
to survive in Cherry Falls. Scary, good hie,