The Big Picture
One of the scariest, if not also the best, Goosebumps episodes is based on “Say Cheese and Die!” which features a young Ryan Gosling as one of the main characters. The episode differs from the original book by R.L. Stine, with changes in the storyline and character development. Despite the differences, the show effectively captures the creepy atmosphere and suspense of the book, showcasing Gosling’s acting talent at a young age. It is recommended for those seeking nostalgia or a spooky viewing experience.
Picture this: it’s 1992, you’ve discovered your first Goosebumps book, and you can’t get enough. You’re now scouring the library shelves for the brightly colored and slime-covered book to fulfill your need to be a little frightened. Alas, the bookshelves are empty! It seems everyone knows about your new favorite obsession, and they’re obsessed too. Over the next three years, you’ll spend more time devouring and searching the shelves for another R.L. Stine installment.
Finally, in 2005, you don’t have to traverse the quiet and dusty library landscape because your favorite Goosebumps books have now been turned into a TV show! All of your favorite books like “The Haunted Mask”, “Stay Out Of The Basement”, and “The Werewolf of Fever Swamp” are right there on your television screen. Some episodes are scarier to watch than others, but one of the scariest episodes stars none other than, Ryan Gosling.
“Say Cheese and Die!” Stars Young Ryan Gosling
Image via YTV, FOX Kids
Before he was Ken and his job was beach in Barbie, Gosling was Greg Banks on Season 1, Episode 15 “Say Cheese and Die!” and his job was photographs. The episode follows Greg and his obsession with taking snapshots on his fancy new camera. However, that fancy camera is one that he and his friends find after breaking into the old Coffman house — an urban legend for being haunted in his town. What could possibly go wrong with taking a strange artifact from an abandoned, haunted house? Totally nothing, there aren’t even other horror shows or movies based around the same premise! Unfortunately, those pictures when developed depict horrible disasters involving the subject of the photo. What’s even worse is that those disasters start coming true. Does the camera predict the future or does it cause tragic events to happen? While all of this is happening, Greg is being stalked by Spidey (Richard McMillian), the town’s homeless man, and he is the only one who seems to know the truth behind the camera.
Related: Underrated ‘Goosebumps’ Episodes to Bring Back Your Inner ’90s Kid
The Biggest Differences Between the ‘Goosebumps’ Book and Its Episode “Say Cheese and Die”
Image via YTV, FOX Kids
There are some differences between the made-for-TV episode and the original book from R.L. Stine. In the book, Greg and his group of friends are hanging out in their neighborhood, a little bored from the woes of being young, and discussing their favorite things, like comic books and superpowers. The episode with Gosling starts out with Greg and his friends stalking the outside of the Coffman house and swapping scary stories about what happened there. In the book, Greg and the gang visit the abandoned house just to explore and cure their boredom, but in the show, it seems their main motivation is to see where Spidey lives and how he lives. Both versions have Greg finding the strange camera, but the way it looks in the show makes it slightly hard to believe that they would’ve been able to guess it’s a camera. In the show, it almost looks like a fish or shark with its gray fins protruding out the sides and the red blinking lights. Either way, the contraption is cool enough to grab and Greg figures out that it takes pictures. He snaps a picture of his friend, who falls down the stairs after the picture is taken. However, the picture shows his friend actually falling down the stairs, just like he did moments after the picture was taken.
They, of course, eventually get caught by Spidey inside the dilapidated residence, but in different ways. In the book, Spidey and his footsteps can be heard from upstairs as the kids scramble out of the house. In the show, Spidey actually shows up near the kids and asks what they’re doing there. The kids still chaotically run out, camera in hand. From here, the book and show take some separate paths and remove some of the key storylines. Greg’s brother, Terry, and his storyline is mostly removed from the episode entirely. He’s featured in some of the scenes and pictures, but the story of Terry in the book that is left out is when Greg takes his photo. The photo should be of Terry in his bedroom, but instead, the developed photo is of him outside and incredibly frightened. In the show, we kind of skip over that entire plot, but Greg’s family and his best friends suffer the same fate as in the book.
‘Goosebumps’ Lives for Making Normal Situations Creepy
Image via YTV, FOX Kids
As with many book adaptations, the book captures a little more of the detail than a show can. However, in this adaptation, you can really feel the tension and chaos on screen as the shark-finned camera starts to ruin Greg and his closest friends’ and family’s lives. The book has such an iconic cover, showcasing a family barbecuing at a park like any normal day, but they’re all skeletons. It’s one of the covers that always stands out in a Goosebumps lineup. The show was able to really capture a nostalgic hometown feel in the middle of fall. It felt like any other suburbia you have been to or lived in, making the show a bit of comfort among the creepiness. The stark contrast between the quaint hometown and Spidey’s creepy, evil lair was encapsulated perfectly. While the camera was made to look weird and stand out in the show, the main focus of what made the episode terrifying was still there. It wasn’t the camera and its ability, but instead having the knowledge of a horrific event and no reasonable explanation as to why it’s happening or how to stop the tragedies from occurring. Ryan Gosling and his acting chops started young, making Greg a character you can easily emphasize with and believe.
Gosling is in the spotlight yet again after Barbie was released and understandably so! The man has quite the career track record. From Barbie to Drive to La La Land, it seems he can do it all. If you’re looking for something to watch to satisfy that nostalgia itch or even get your children interested in all things spooky, Gosling’s earlier career will check all the boxes. He appeared in one episode of Are You Afraid Of The Dark? as well as this episode of Goosebumps. You can find both of his episodes on Vudu or Amazon Prime Video.
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