Goosebumps: The Vanishing's Blair Witch-Style Episode Teased By Co-Creator & Showrunner

Goosebumps: The Vanishing showrunner Hilary Winston and co-creator Rob Letterman tease an upcoming Blair Witch-style episode. Developed as the second TV show and fourth screen adaptation of the series of enormously popular children's horror novels by R. L. Stine, Goosebumps debuted on Disney+ and Hulu in 2023. The series was developed by Letterman and Nicholas Stoller, and, despite ending season 1 on a cliffhanger, has become an anthology; Goosebumps season 2 will now be known as The Vanishing. It stars David Schwimmer, Jayden Bartels, and Ana Ortiz, among many others, and is set to release on January 10.

In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Letterman and Winston teased a Goosebumps: The Vanishing episode shot in the style of the cult found-footage horror movie The Blair Witch Project. Discussing their unique approach to filming the season, and their techniques to avoid budgetary constraints, the duo revealed that their limited budget created a need for real-world production value, and prompted them to reach out to Eduardo Sánchez, the co-director, writer, and editor of The Blair Witch Project. Check out the duo's comments below:

Rob Letterman: Yeah, and we're very location-based. That's just how we do the show. We don't have a ton of money, so we try to get our production value out of just being in the real world as much as possible, so that becomes the look. So, there's certain things that are [key], the look is set and the style is set, and then casting the directors the way we cast the actors. Like, "This is the story. This is this episode. It's going to be a found-footage episode, so who would be the best found-footage director we can get? Oh, how about the guy who directed Blair Witch Project? Yeah. Okay, that makes sense." [Chuckles] And suddenly we're on a Zoom with Eduardo Sánchez.
Hilary Winston: Yeah, Zooming with Eduardo Sánchez and telling him our idea for the episode, and he's giving us ideas back.

What This Means For Goosebumps: The Vanishing

Viewers Should Expect A Realistic & Inventive Show

Letterman and Winston's comments should bode well for the continuation of Goosebumps, as The Vanishing sounds tonally similar to the first season, but has also evolved and reinvented itself. A Blair Witch-style episode is an intriguing prospect, and it will be interesting to see how the creative team pulls off a found footage episode, and how it links to the overarching narrative structure of the show. The addition of Sánchez as director for the episode adds a new dynamic to the series, and brings a more cinematic eye to the franchise, which could set the tone for later seasons.

The found-footage genre is one that became overly saturated following the success of The Blair Witch Project, so having one of the movie's co-directors attached is a huge coup for Goosebumps. The Vanishing will look to take the franchise in a new direction, and this could suit the anthology format very well. It is unclear how many nods or references to The Blair Witch Project might be included in the season, but there is a chance it could have a big influence on the overall story, which involves two teens who discover something unsettling in their father's basement.

Our Take On Goosebumps: The Vanishing's Blair Witch-Style Episode

The Move Represents A Unique & Interesting Direction For The Series

David Schwimmer's Anthony looking seriously at Ana Ortiz' Jen in Goosebumps The Vanishing

Goosebumps: The Vanishing will mark the show's move to an anthology format and help it to become more narratively experimental, while also broadening its scope to make it a more adult show. Comments suggest there is reason to believe The Vanishing will be thematically darker than its predecessor, and the found-footage style episode could feed into this in a gritty and horrifying way. Bringing Sánchez in as a director will help to expand the show's horror legacy, as well as provide Letterman and Winston with plenty of creative excellence to help fuel their show in the best possible way.