There are a surprising number of great horror films on Tubi, and it recently acquired an adaptation of one of the scariest R.L. Stine stories of all time. The writer’s story, Pumpkinhead, is now available to stream on the platform, and I can officially say it’s the perfect movie for those who loved Goosebumps in the ’90s.
As someone who read the books religiously as a child and watched the series on Fox Kids as well, I was happy to see R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead is more in line with the franchise I remember, rather than the more modern series sharing the name. If you’re a former ’90s kid looking to relive that nostalgia, this is the perfect movie to do so for the following reasons.
Pumpkinhead Is Just Like The Goosebumps Series I Grew Up With
To say R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead is up there with the best horror movies of all time would be a lie, but it is 100% in line with the Goosebumps series that aired in the 1990s. The movie starts off with a family moving to a new town, and one of the kids is unhappy about the move. Surprise, he’s going to do something to cause trouble for the family, and reveal a hidden secret about this strange town.
It’s the classic Goosebumps formula of a kid and a friend getting caught up in some scary mystery, and adults remaining completely oblivious to it all. So many classic stories from the franchise rely on this narrative, so it’s not like Pumpkinhead reinvented the wheel in this regard. That said, it’s used to tremendous effect in this series, and unlike the TV series, they don’t have to rush things with the movie to flesh out the entire story.
To me, it’s the pure Goosebumps vibe I’ve been chasing for so long. The Jack Black movie was more of an homage to the past, made for a new generation, and the modern series is more geared toward entertaining adults with a scaled-up horror that isn’t quite what the original works achieved. Pumpkinhead is pure ’90s Goosebumps at its most pure.
’90s Kids With Kids Of Their Own Will Want To Watch This
I know that Goosebumps is still beloved with people my age group, and scratches that nostalgic itch that’s kind of hard to describe. Maybe it’s because the series harkens back to those grade school trips to the Scholastic Book Fair, or because it cornered the market on horror for kids who just weren’t quite ready for the scarier horror offerings out there.
I now have a child of my own, who has that same craving. She worships franchises like Five Nights At Freddys but does not actually indulge in any of the things related to the franchise. Upon seeing R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead, I knew I now had the perfect opportunity to let my daughter watch something she’d find scary, without fear I’d be traumatizing her long-term by letting her watch.
As for how she reacted, my 7-year-old was glued to the television and even tolerant of the ad breaks chopping up her viewing experience. That may not resonate with everyone reading this, but for parents who have attempted to explain what a commercial break is to a generation who has grown up on streaming, you feel me. Overall she said she loved the movie, despite the ending, which ended up having that classic dark twist R.L. Stine can pull off sometimes.
It’s The Perfect Balance Of Scary And Creepy Without Crossing The Line
There’s no gore in R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead, but there are some very scary things parents should take note of. The above scarecrow does have a notable presence in the movie, and will freak out a kid watching. It doesn’t do a ton more than chase and capture people, however, so no need to worry about it gobbling a kid up or anything strange like that.
What I will say to those who intend to show their children, the ending can be rather unsettling and upsetting to kids.
Spoiler alert for those who don’t want to know the ending of the movie before showing their children, skip ahead while you can!
R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead revolves around a curse in which people are turned into a pumpkin, in order to continue a bountiful harvest in the small town. Additionally, once someone is captured and turned into the pumpkin, everyone in town forgets about their existence outside of a select few. At the end of the movie, the boy saves his older brother for the pumpkin, but the trade off is that he is then cursed. The movie ends with his older brother and mother forgetting he ever existed, and driving off into the sunset while he’s forced to live with a man in town who was also forgotten when he was a boy.
That’s the ending, and no, there is not a sequel planned. I bring it up because it did freak my daughter out, who then asked me later in the day if I would ever forget her. I reassured her no, but would just suggest parents be prepared to answer the same questions from their little ones should they watch together.
Where To Stream R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead
As previously mentioned, R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead is available to stream on Tubi. Those who have yet to download the streaming service are missing out, as it’s one of the only streaming services that allows viewers to watch movies for free. The service is ad-supported, but considering the library of available shows, I would say it’s well worth the trade-off.
For those scraping the bottom of the barrel of Halloween movies that are great for children to watch, R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead is a breath of fresh air that I feel I’ll be watching for at least a few years now, while my kid slowly gets braver to watch scarier movies. I can’t recommend it enough, and am hoping this is just the start of more projects coming out from the author that have this same look and vibe.