Time for some pre-Christmas scares — if you haven’t already heard (and binged it), Disney+ and Hulu have put together a reimagining of R.L. Stines’ masterful children’s horror book series, Goosebumps. They created a show that is not only addictively entertaining but full of fright and friendship. The series follows a group of five high school kids who are facing the consequences of their parents’ dark past. Isaiah (Zack Morris), Margot (Isa Briones), Isabella (Ana Yi Puig), James (Miles McKenna), and Lucas (Will Price) are forced to endure the haunting of a vengeful Harold Biddle, whose haunted objects threaten to tear their lives apart. Oh, and Justin Long is along for the ride, playing Mr. Bratt.

Goosebumps has always been the kind of franchise that rides on the back of its creator’s impeccable creativity and affinity to present the horror genre to a younger audience. In this modern interpretation of the franchise, audiences are met with a fluid storyline built upon themes of friendship and found family, introducing a refreshing sense of diversity in its characters. From utilizing stellar casting choices to creating a comforting (and chilling) sense of nostalgia, come with us to explore what makes this Goosebumps series so special with some insight from Margot and Isabella themselves, Isa Briones and Ana Yi Puig, in this exclusive interview.

Goosebumps’ Nostalgia Component

Goosebumps is one of those franchises that has stood the test of time. From when the books first hit our shelves in the ’90s to the new original show, Goosebumps has managed to keep its charm and wit front and center in the young adult horror genre. R.L. Stine created an empire of unique, family-friendly monsters that catered to a much younger audience, one that fans have held onto since a young age. Ana Yi Puig, who plays Isabella in the Disney+ show, looks back on Goosebumps as “the period of your life where you’re kind of first introduced to horror.”

Nostalgia has always been the perfect tool to propel a show into the realm of something special. For Puig and Briones, being a part of the Goosebumps franchise was like getting in touch with a part of their childhoods. “We both grew up reading the books,” says Puig, “it just felt like the biggest privilege and also responsibility.” There have been countless representations of Goosebumps throughout the years and doing it again is bound to attract audiences of all ages.

This new Goosebumps takes all the fun and scares from the original show and books and creates something entirely new, modern, and engaging. Bringing back the most famous monsters and showcasing some of Stine’s best work, like the Mask and Slappy the Doll himself, this show takes all the best parts of Goosebumps and dials it up a notch by incorporating it into a refreshing story spanning 10 episodes.

Found Family, On and Off-Screen
Disney+

A great cast is something that this show needed and absolutely delivered. Goosebumps introduces a group of characters that stand entirely alone, without any actual connection to the source material. Therefore, when bringing these new characters to life, making them relatable and likable was a must. Briones lets us know immediately that, “the casting Gods really nailed it with this one.”

The chemistry among actors is one of the most important aspects of shows like this. The friendship and sense of found family that is developed throughout this show is undeniable. “I’m sure some of the crew wish we weren’t as close as we are,” says Briones, adding, “We were insane.” Briones goes on to describe how different each member of the cast is as people and how the environment of making the show had created sparks in them as an ensemble. “It’s magical,” she says.

Related: Goosebumps (2023) Cast and Character Guide

Both Briones and Puig go on to describe how difficult it was to get any actual work done on the show’s set due to how much the cast’s real-life friendships interfered. Even with such a dramatic show with a plethora of serious moments, Puig recalls barely getting a scene with costar Miles McKenna done because they, “just couldn’t keep it together.” The characters in this show are forced to find solace in each other as they face horror’s worst, from a giant worm monster to a haunted camera. These characters, much like the real-life actors that play them, become an unlikely band of misfits that take the show to a new level.

Realistic Representation
Disney+

One of the best if not the greatest highlights of the entire series falls on how diversity and inclusion were put to the forefront of this series. Goosebumps has always been a significant platform in young adult media, and with a new adaptation of the story that has to work for today’s culture, it was a necessity to have a cast that reflected the world we live in.

Along with her character and Briones’ playing young, mixed Asian American women, Puig focuses on the overall look of the cast, saying, “We have a beautiful Black man playing the most incredible, attractive jock at the school, and he has a gay best friend who also is trans,” in reference to Zack Morris playing Isaiah and Miles McKenna playing James. Part of the magic of the show’s sense of diversity falls on how it “doesn’t need to be tokenized, and it doesn’t need to be the butt of the joke,” says Puig.

Specifically, with Margot and Isabella, both Briones and Puig exhibit an extensive understanding of the responsibility they have as mixed actors as well as the significance their portrayals of Asian American characters have for future generations of Goosebumps lovers. “When you live your life as a mixed kid,” says Briones, “[you are] told that you’re not enough this, you’re not enough that.”

Related: The Best TV Anthologies of All Time

The recognition of how far the industry has come in terms of casting and how far it still needs to go is something that Briones holds dear to her identity as an actress. “Because of our casting, two more Asian women were cast as our mothers,” Briones says about the ripple effect of the casting decisions in Goosebumps. Puig also weighs in on her experience, stating:

It was just the most profoundly moving experience to be able to play someone that is the same mixed race as me and to have the studio back us up and support us and cast authentically to our ethnicity and race.

Warning: Season One Spoilers Below

“I Need an Ending”
Disney+

With all the thrilling episodes of Goosebumps out there for audiences to enjoy, it is safe to say that a setup for another season is evident. Goosebumps successfully crafted a storyline that mirrors the same twists and turns that we all loved from the original Goosebumps books and series. The idea that a story is being written in real-time is expertly portrayed by writer and teacher Nathan Bratt, played by the impeccable Justin Long.

As the show comes to an end, we see our core group go up against Kanduu, who is resurrected by a desperate Bratt in need of a riveting ending to his horror novel. Well, the group does not get out unscathed. Isaiah ends up losing his life and the show ends with him reanimated when Margot uses the same spell that resurrected Kanduu on Isaiah.

Although her decision to do so is bound to be met with unparalleled consequences, both Briones and Puig understand this as one of the central themes of the entire show: what lengths are you willing to go to in the name of love or greed? “It addresses the plight of mankind,” says Puig. “It’s your selfishness and your greed versus doing what you know is right or better for the greater good.”

With such an open-ended finale and a heart-wrenching cliffhanger, any fan of the show would be advocating for a second season. However, according to both Briones and Puig, news on a possible continuation of their characters’ stories is still up in the air. “Your guess is as good as ours,” says Briones. “It would truly be the greatest blessing […] So stream away, click away, stay in the spooky season even though the jingle bells are ringing.”

Stream Goosebumps on Disney+

Stream Goosebumps on Hulu