R.L. Stine's the Haunting Hour (2010–2014) User Reviews

Surprisingly good (and creepy!) show

[Shattered_Wake · 8/10 · 13 May 2012]

I'll be clear here. . . I'm 24 years old, so I'm not exactly this show's target audience. However, I grew up with 'Are You Afraid of the Dark?,' 'Goosebumps,' 'Tales from the Crypt,' etc. Therefore, when I heard about this show, I thought I'd give it a shot. Even though R.L. Stine usually writes pretty standard fare, I've always enjoyed his work and still to this day have his entire original Goosebumps collection from my childhood.

My advice, if you're a fan of stuff like the shows I mentioned: Just check out the first story entitled "Really You." Technically it's two episodes, but it's really worth the time. As I'm already creeped out by dolls in general, this was really effective.

I'm not all the way through the series to date, but I'm still satisfied with what I have seen. Young or old, definitely check this out. There isn't enough good TV for kids these days, but this is something worthwhile.

Very Creepy and Disturbing Show

[kdnor2011 · 8/10 · 4 April 2012]

Despite growing up in the 90s, I didn't watch Goosebumps when I was a kid. I didn't see it until Cartoon Network started airing them in 2007. While not the most terrifying show, Goosebumps did do a good job of being creepy and sometimes really disturbing. And now R.L. Stine has brought us a new show, that is just as creepy and disturbing as Goosebumps.

Each episode follows a different main character as they are either a complete jerk, or know someone who is a complete jerk. They do something wrong, and begin to get supernatural punishments, and most of the time it ends with a twist.

A lot of the twists are done very well, and I'm not going to lie, this show has both made me jump, and left me in shock at some of the stuff that happens. The show is really good at making the kids jerks, but you want them to make it through.

The Hub has earned it's place beside Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, and Nickeloadean as a great channel for kids.

Some Episodes Are Really Good

[byson5186 · 9/10 · 18 October 2014]

I don't hear this show being mentioned that often, but I'd definitely consider it a success. Why, because it's been on TV since 2010 and as of now it has about 70 episodes. Nowadays, a TV show that's on TV for more than one season seems like a success. It seems like everybody from Generation Y is familiar with the TV show Goosebumps, which aired in the '90s. I didn't watch Goosebumps too often as a kid. I've seen more of the episodes as an adult. R.L. Stine came up with another TV show you don't hear too often called The Nightmare Room, that show only lasted for one season and 13 episodes. Haunting Hour has almost as many episodes as Goosebumps. I've noticed some similarities between the writing in Haunting Hour and Goosebumps and to the people who have read the books or seen the episodes of either TV shows, we know that most of the episodes end in suspense leaving us with an unanswered question. Basically, every episode has different kid actors. We are familiar with some of the kid actors from movies and TV shows. Like Goosebumps, every episode has different characters in it. It's a little hard having episodes with different characters in each episode, I mean I like Spooksville where we know the main characters. I mean in these episodes we get to meet different characters in each episode and we don't get to know the characters as well as we do in the books. We often times want to find out what happens with the characters next, and we might never know. I'll tell you, this show has good effects and some story lines as it's interesting seeing the lifestyle of ordinary characters who have something with the supernatural. I'll tell you, like Goosebumps with the numerous episodes, some of the episodes are really good and scary, while other episodes aren't too good and seem more cheesy. The few episodes I've seen so far of this new season, Grandpa's Glasses, My Old House and Mrs. Worthington were great episodes. The latter two were definitely a couple of my favorite. My favorite episode I've seen in the series would be The Hole. I liked the characters in that episode, Rob and Carrie as they were cool characters and it's nice how Rob and Carrie get along as it's always nice to see brother and sister love. One example of that is when Carrie was scared in the new house during a thunderstorm Rob sleeps in the room with her, how sweet!! To me personally, I think the scariest episode would have to be Dreamcatcher. That episode reminded me a lot of Insidious. Basically, the Haunting Hour is an appropriate TV show without swearing, sexual references, alcohol, or drugs. I think it's supposed to be scarier than Goosebumps, I thought I read that online. But, the Haunting Hour can be a good show for you to watch if you're up to watching something scary on TV. I've seen most of the 70 episodes that have aired. not all of the episodes and I forget what happens in a lot of the episodes, but still it can be a good entertaining scary show to watch. I give this show a 9/10.

Stephen King would be proud

[kandrakole-745-5732 · 9/10 · 28 July 2013]

R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour is an starter anthology horror, Concerning anything from monsters to ghostly ice cream trucks.

• - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The good thing about this show is that you never outgrow it. I mean it's got some creepy stuff and some suggested violence, which your basic 7-10 year old can except, but enough creepy and jumpy scenes to satisfy an adult. So far I haven't seen an episode I'd rate under 3 stars, so they are mostly satisfying and fun.

• - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

QUALITY: 9.5/10, Very good

Whhhhat

[culturedgraffiti · 10/10 · 4 June 2013]

I rented Volume 1 by chance at my local video store. And all I have to say is WOW. I love Goosebumps and Are you Afraid of the Dark but this show is even better. I can't believe it is not more popular! I blame at total lack of publicity. At least Goosebumps is on Netflix now. Maybe if it gets enough views someone will notice ;) I can't wait for new DVDS for this show. Hopefully they will come out soon! Right now only the first season is on DVD in three volumes. There are still two episodes missing from the 1st season that is still not on DVD. Also Channel 1 does not have any of the episodes currently posted. But it does have a movie that I have yet to watch.

A really fun show

[doomedmac · 8/10 · 31 March 2021]

As far as Children's Live-Action shows go, this is easily one of the best. Intelligent, fun, and occasionally creepy. Give it a shot.

Really not bad

[urbanoh · 7/10 · 1 February 2022]

This really isn't a bad series, there certainly more good episodes than bad ones. You could also tell that the crew had more money than the crew of Stine's previous series.

Basic

[ginlabgainz · 3/10 · 26 August 2021]

Stories are the sort of stuff kids make up .. terrible costume's..very basic horror which would not scare anything, no totally original stories,you have seen them all before..dolls, alien's, gremlins...boring .. R L Stine's horrors are not as good as the reviews make out..apart from fear street the rest are actually terrible..

Goosebumps

[brandonneicke · 9/10 · 6 December 2021]

Watching this show gives me goosebumps. No pun intended. Not gonna lie I'm biased to any horror movie/tv show being PG-13. In my opinion you can't really create scares or true terror on a rating like PG. That being said the most scared I have ever been in my life was watching goosebumps. Are you afraid of the dark. This show is right on those lines. Something genius about R. L Stine was his ability to tap into our minds and know our true fears. It's like he knew what every persons worst nightmare was and he was able to create it without blood and gore (Even though I love those movies the most). As a wanna be writer I will forever be inspired by R. L stine . Honestly he's one of the most creative geniuses out there and this inspired work of his is very well done.

Hour of Horror

[hellraiser7 · 10/10 · 5 September 2020]

This is another under the radar gem and one of my favorite anthology horror shows. R.L. Stine a honorable mention in favorite horror authors has done it again, as much as I like the "Goosebumps" TV show personally I like this a lot more. Let alone the fact this is a horror anthology show and one for family/young audience which I honestly feel both things have been sorely missing, and no doubt need a serious resurgence.

One of the reasons I like this a lot more is the fact that the budget is a little higher than the previous show "Goosebumps" which of course means production value is up to par. Ok, maybe not all it's a cable show after all, but it's the one that work that count the most mainly make up effects.

However, what really powers this are the stories which are true to the spirit of R.L. Stine. It's still the kids, preteen, and teen horror fare of his but here it's a little darker, even a lot more suspenseful and have some genuine scares, just really takes the next step as there are some dark twists in some of the stories which are unexpected and sometimes things don't come out alright. This is true with most of the stories of folklore and Grimm's Fairy Tales, but these things show that in the realm of horror there are no guarantees, and no one is truly safe.

Also, this show consists of young actors most of them actually are capable and even have talent. They also consist of a lot of familiar faces you probably have seen and heard about before like "Makenzie Foy", "Bailee Madison", "Ariel Winter", etc. This makes watching the show all the more fun sort of like looking at a "Where's Waldo" illustration to spot most to all the familiar faces; some of those familiar faces actually had their start from this show which is true about most actors and actresses actually having their start in anthology horror. And the one's I picked I really like as I think their capable actresses, have done well after this show along with many others and hopefully continue to have more in the future.

This show has a lot of memorable tales, like in every volume of an R.L. Stine book each is colorful and always something different you never really know what kind of story to expect.

I'll just pick out a few of them as there are so many of them and like anything anthology horror tale are worth a try.

Uncle Howie: This is your classic E.C. Comics tale, I really like how they can make a children's TV figure and all the other character seem sinister and scary. But it has to do with an older brother whom is a selfish douchebag with a capital D, and on the abusive side as he's mistreating his little sister. And of course, in E.C. comics fashion what goes around comes around hard.

Girl in the Painting: This is a great one (in my book anyway), I really like how it's a combination of supernatural, fantasy, and psychological. A girl has a desire for the upper-class life and all the glamour and goodies it has to offer. But as an old saying goes nothing is what it seems.

Old House: Another great one (again in my book) as it's a combo of both the supernatural and psychological. On a girl obsessed with staying in the house their moving away from, though from what happens throughout the story, it will make moving seem like a blessing.

Lilly D: This was the first and still one of the best in my book. It's your typical doll horror but a good one as a spoiled rotten girl gets a life size doll as a gift but gets more than she bargains for as the doll is playing with her life.

It would be cool if this show came back though put it on the premium channel "Shutter" as part of a family or teen horror block, not just reruns of the show but new seasons and of course with some new young actors and actresses as long as they can actually act. But maybe a live action series based on R.L. Stine's "Fear Street" can also be made and have some of those actresses that did "The Haunting Hour" do the tales in that show as their now the right age for it. Well both these things are thoughts to consider.

You better beware for in this hour, your in for a scare.

Rating: 4 stars

Actually pretty good

[crazyorconfused · 9/10 · 30 October 2020]

I'm an adult and If I had cable I would still watch it. Some of the episodes were kinda disturbing and unsettling. I miss watching it.

🤔

[bertie-08347 · 8/10 · 3 June 2020]

Good series, despite that is for certain age group I still enjoyed it as the stories are good but .... My only criticism is that only ONE episode had a family that wasnt white middle upper class, could have done with more black families and more ethnicity

More good than bad

[zafirahr-12106 · 8/10 · 21 September 2021]

I'd say that compared to Stine's previous show (Goosebumps), there's much more good episodes than bad.

A stronger series

[warnerc-49330 · 8/10 · 12 October 2021]

Though not every ep is a hit, it's overall a stronger series than Goosebumps.

Light version of Twilight Zone..

[homeflash · 9/10 · 6 December 2021]

I have not completed all the episodes yet, however, so far, I have watched about 8 episodes. Some give you surprise ending like Twilight zone. Some are kind of kid's stuff. In a way, this is not scary. But entertaining in some way.

If you like mystery, and like "get to the point" show or story (about 30 mins) average, this is the show for you.