Inside Tubi’s Plan to Build an R.L. Stine Cinematic Universe
Tubi is building a slate of R.L. Stine adaptations, beginning with *Pumpkinhead*, a film about a boy searching for his missing brother in a town cursed by an evil crop. The project aims to connect adults nostalgic for Stine’s stories with younger viewers, while giving Tubi a family-friendly route into horror.
The film’s creators chose a TV-14 approach that permits “vegetable gore”, such as pumpkin guts, but not blood. Tubi’s Josh Van Houdt says a three-picture deal with the studio behind *The Haunting Hour* grew from discussions about Stine’s catalogue of more than 300 books; future projects mentioned include *Afraid of Clowns* and *The Babysitter*. Tubi has 110 million monthly active users, and the filmmakers cited *Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark*, *Gremlins* and *The Gate* as reference points.
- Tubi is developing multiple R.L. Stine screen adaptations.
- *Pumpkinhead* uses pumpkin guts instead of blood.
- The slate is designed to appeal to adults and children.
New here? Start with this
R.L. Stine is an American writer best known for children’s and teen horror books, including the Goosebumps series. His stories have also been adapted for film and television, giving many adults a connection to the books from their childhood.
Tubi is a free, ad-supported streaming service with a large audience. It is developing several screen adaptations from Stine’s extensive catalogue, with the aim of bringing familiar stories to older fans and introducing them to younger viewers.
The projects also give Tubi a way to make horror aimed at families. Their tone matters: the creators are drawing on spooky films for younger audiences and have set limits on how graphic the first film’s scares will be.