Goosebumps creator R.L. Stine has named “The Haunted Mask,” the first episode of the live-action TV series, as his favorite adaptation of one of the Goosebumps books. A two-parter, the episode launched the series in 1995 and is widely considered to be one of the best episodes of the series by fans of the franchise. Stine himself can be included in that list, as noted by the author himself with a post on Twitter.
The TV version of The Haunted Mask. It was the first TV show we did, and I think one of the best. https://t.co/ymKuEMBuNr
— R.L. Stine (@RL_Stine) March 2, 2021
“The TV version of The Haunted Mask. It was the first TV show we did, and I think one of the best,” Stine said when a Goosebumps fan asked him to name his favorite adaptation.
Based on the Goosebumps book, “The Haunted Mask” follows a young girl whose face is overtaken by a creepy Halloween mask after she steals it from a local store. Karthryn Long, who played Carly Beth in the episode, received a Gemini Award for her performance. So many copies of the episode were released on VHS that, chances are, you can probably go find one right now at a Goodwill or thrift store close to you. The original book itself was also very popular, spawning several sequel books to follow in the coming years.
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Goosebumps has also been famously adapted as a movie in 2015 with Jack Black playing R.L. Stine. He would be back for the 2018 sequel Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween. Last year, it was also announced that a new live-action TV series adaptation based on the books was in development from Scholastic, Sony Pictures TV, and Neal H. Moritz’s Original Film. No word yet on if there will be a new take on “The Haunted Mask” for the upcoming series.
You can watch the 1990s adaptation of “The Haunted Mask” from the Goosebumps series on Netflix.
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