This Day in Horror History: Happy Birthday FEAR STREET & GOOSEBUMPS Author R. L. STINE!

On this day in horror history, Goosebumps and Fear Street author Robert Lawrence Stine AKA R.L. Stine was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1943. Sometimes known as Jovial Bob Stine and Eric Affabee, Stine is a novelist, producer, and screenwriter.

Stine has been referred to as the “Stephen King of children’s literature” and is the author of hundreds of horror fiction novels, including the above-mention book series Fear Street and Goosebumps along with Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, and The Nightmare Room series. Stine’s books have sold over 400 million copies.

Stine wrote dozens of joke books as Jovial Bob Stine before he wrote his first horror novel, Blind Date in 1986. He quickly followed with other teen horror titles like The Babysitter, Beach House, Hit and Run, and The Girlfriend.

In 1989, Stine started writing Fear Street books before teaming with Parachute Press to launch the Goosebumps series in 1992. In 1995, Stine’s first novel targeted at adults, called Superstitious, was published. He has since published three other adult-oriented novels The Sitter, Eye Candy, and Red Rain.

Jack Black played a fictionalized version of Stine in Rob Letterman’s Goosebumps, while Stine made a cameo as a teacher named “Mr. Black.” In Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween, Stine had another cameo as Principal Harrison.

Stine also co-created the Nickelodeon series Eureeka’s Castle and produced the Goosebumps TV series that ran from 1995–1998. His direct-to-DVD movie The Haunting Hour Volume One: Don’t Think About It with Emily Osment was successful enough to spawn an anthology series R. L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour.

Pick one: Goosebumps or Fear Street? Make sure to hit us up and let us know what you think in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!

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