Light spoilers for the previous episodes of Goosebumps (2023).

Summary

  • Goosebumps takes a different approach by telling a larger narrative, all while incorporating elements from R.L. Stine's book series.
  • Episode 9 of Goosebumps features a secret cameo from author R.L. Stine, who appears in voice-over form only.
  • R.L. Stine's meta cameo is a fun nod to the author's role in creating the beloved series.

In Goosebumps (2023), Disney's successful take on the franchise.

The miniseries, which airs on Disney+ and Hulu, abandons the monster-of-the-week approach that made the 1995 TV show a hit. Instead, 2023's Goosebumps opts to tell a larger narrative that just so happens to feature many of the creepy items and characters from the series' many books. In the show, a group of five teenagers-turned-sleuths find themselves investigating the three-decades-old death of Goosebumps' Harold Biddle. Coincidentally, the teens' new English teacher, Nathan Bratt (Justin Long), inherits the Biddle House (and meets the late Harold's spirit). In Goosebumps episode 9, the show pays homage in a fresh way: a cameo from R.L. Stine.

Where To Spot R.L. Stine's Cameo In Goosebumps Episode 9

Goosebumps-RL-Stine-cameo-episode-9

Spotting R.L. Stine's Goosebumps cameo can be tricky, namely because it's more about recognizing the author's voice than anything else. While his face technically appears in the episode, it's part of a graphic; Stine doesn't have an on-camera role. Nonetheless, it's a fun nod to the enduring series' creator. Goosebumps episode 9, "Night of the Living Dummy: Part 2," opens with a flashback to Nathan's pre-Biddle House life. Down on his luck and struggling to write his magnum opus, Nathan seized on the chance to start over as Port Lawrence High School's newest English teacher. Shaken by his possession experiences, Nathan comes up against some writer's block.

While on a drive, Nathan listens to a fictional podcast, Let the Write One In, hoping to gain some clarity. The scene opens with a shot of Nathan's phone, which displays an artsy podcast cover: a drawing of R.L. Stine. In Episode #164 of the podcast, the real-life author talks about ideas being depicted as light bulbs and the vast "blackness, the nothingness that we have before the big idea, the perfect twist." For Stine, that darkness is where true imagination is born. Before the podcast cuts out, the author wonders what the listener — in this case Nathan — is willing to do for that perfect twist.

R.L. Stine's Goosebumps Cameo Is The Perfect Role

Justin Long in Goosebumps episode 9

Instead of a typical special on-camera appearance, Goosebumps episode 9's R.L. Stine cameo finds the perfect role for the author. For viewers watching with subtitles turned on, the cameo will be abundantly clear since the captions note that it's R.L. Stine who's speaking. Given that additional bit of detail, it's possible the writer is playing a version of himself. Regardless, the meta nature of Stine's cameo works well. In the scene, the beloved author whose series made the TV show possible is giving advice to not just a wannabe horror author, but a wannabe horror author who's tied up in classic Goosebumps book references.

The Goosebumps season 1 finale, episode 10, “Welcome to Horrorland,” premieres on Friday, November 17.