AlthoughGoosebumps: The Vanishingdoesn’t follow the story of season 1 directly, that doesn’t mean there are no potential links between the two outings. 2023’sGoosebumpsTV adaptation changed the approach of the ‘90s TV show that first adapted author RL Stine’s best-selling children’s horror series.Goosebumpsis aimed at an older audience and, where the original ‘90s series adapted one standalone book per episode, the 2023 TV show instead merged the storylines of various Stine novels to make a single season-length storyline. This culminated withGoosebumpsseason 1’s cliffhanger ending.
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Disney+ and Hulu’s newest take on the classic R.L. Stine books has proven to be a hit, but will Goosebumps season 3 ever get renewed?
Viewers who hoped to get some closure on that cliffhanger inGoosebumpsseason 2will be sorely disappointed.Goosebumps: The Vanishing’s cast of charactersare all new, with David Schwimmer playing the botanist Anthony Brewer and Sam McCarthy and Jayden Bartels playing his twin teens, Devin and Cece. When Devin and Cece move to Gravesend for the summer, they begin hanging around with local teens Alex, CJ, Frankie, and Trey. Soon, the group has uncovered a mysterious conspiracy that is somehow related to the disappearance of Anthony’s older brother three decades earlier.
Goosebumps: The Vanishing Is Not A Sequel To Season 1’s Harold Biddle Story
Goosebumps: The Vanishing Has No Canon Connection To Season 1
Although the two shows have similar tones,Goosebumps: The Vanishingis not canonically linked to the plot ofGoosebumpsseason 1. Unlike season 1,Goosebumps: The Vanishing’s endingisn’t a cliffhanger. Although the last few moments of the finale tease the possibility of a follow-up, the self-contained storyline is wrapped up in the last episode.Goosebumps: The Vanishingfeels a lot like its predecessor, with both shows blending teen drama and horror comedy. Like season 1,Goosebumps: The Vanishingslowly introduces its main cast members.
Goosebumps: The Vanishinghas an episode based onThe Haunted Car.
Both shows introduce all the main characters in the opening episode and flesh them out in subsequent outings by giving each supporting star a storyline loosely based on one of Stine’s novels. For example,Goosebumps: The Vanishinghas an episode based onThe Haunted Carthat simultaneously serves as a moment in the spotlight for the troubled juvenile delinquent Alex. Similarly, the episode “Monster Blood” borrows from Stine’s booksMonster BloodandThe Blob That Ate Everyone, but it also serves as a chance for viewers to get to know Cece.
Disney+ & Hulu’s Goosebumps Show Is An Anthology
Goosebumps Functions Like American Horror Story Or Slasher
In this regard,Goosebumpsseason 1 andGoosebumps: The Vanishingare similar in terms of style and tone. As such, viewers might be surprised to hear that the two shows don’t share the same characters. However, it is vital to note thatGoosebumpsseason 2’s creatorsopted to turn the series into an anthology show. A traditional serialized TV show would have brought back the same main characters for season 2, whereas an anthology show instead replaces its main characters and introduces a new premise with every new season.
Early anthology shows likeThe Twilight Zoneoffered viewers a new standalone story with every episode. In recent decades, horror anthology shows likeAmerican Horror StoryandSlasherhave instead changed their storylines once per season. This allows these shows to spend more time fleshing out their characters and plots, while still reserving the ability to switch to a completely new story with every new season. Since there are over a hundred ofRL Stine’sGoosebumpsbooks, there is no doubt that the franchise will always have plenty of source material to adapt as the show continues.
Could There Be Crossovers In Goosebumps' Future?
Goosebumps: The Vanishing’s Sequel Could Cross Over With Season 1’s Story
Although there is no crossover between the characters of season 1 andGoosebumps: The Vanishing, later seasons could bring the stories of the two shows together. In an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, executive producers Rob Letterman and Hilary Winston admitted that they talked about “One character as a crossover who could come back and do different things,” meaning the possibility has been discussed by the creators of the series. This idea has a lot of potential, since the tones of the two seasons are almost interchangeable. This would make a crossover more achievable.
TheGoosebumpslive-action movies already depicted season 1’s villain Slappy as a meta character who exists in both the world of the novels and in “Reality.”
In future seasons,characters fromGoosebumps: The VanishingandGoosebumpsseason 1 could cross paths. Most of the main characters survived both shows despite almost dying numerous times, and they have faced similarly bizarre supernatural circumstances. Moreover, theGoosebumpslive-action movies already depicted season 1’s villain Slappy as a meta character who exists in both the world of the novels and in reality, so it would make sense for him to appear in a later season. Thus,Goosebumps: The Vanishing’s lack of connections to its predecessor doesn’t rule out the possibility of future crossovers if the series continues.
