https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/goosebumps-kids-now-haunting-murder-24102242?utm_source=mirror_newsletter&utm_campaign=must_reads_newsletter2&utm_medium=emailWhere the Goosebumps kids are now haunting murder and Hollywood heartthrobs
Some of the kids from the 90s horror TV series have gone on to become major stars, while there have also been a number of tragic deaths of the former cast members
ByKyle O'SullivanTV Features Writer
16:36, 13 MAY 2021Updated17:02, 13 MAY 2021
Goosebumps terrified the living daylights out of us as kids and let's be honest we'd probably still be behind the sofa now. The 90s horror series usually focused on one particularly unfortunate child who was being terrorised by a nightmarish monster. The hit TV show was based on the equally frightening books, which have sold over 400 million copies worldwide and are the second-best-selling series behind Harry Potter. We've been left screaming at a killer cat werewolves, the undead, headless ghosts but one of the scariest characters was Slappy the ventriloquist dummy who was inhabited by an evil spirit. The Fox Kids show, which is now on Netflix, aired for four spooky seasons from 1995 to 1998 and has even spawned two film adaptions starring Jack Black as a fictionalised version of real-life book writer R. L. Stine. Many of the child actors who appeared in the TV series have gone on to become Hollywood starts, while some have died in tragic circumstances. Here is what happened to some of the Goosebumps cast.
Ryan Gosling
After becoming a child star on The Mickey Mouse Club, Ryan appeared in classic Goosebumps story 'Say Cheese and Die'. In 1996 he played schoolboy Greg Banks, who finds an evil camera which caused unfortunate disasters to happen to those it took photos of. Gosling didn't return for the sequel, 'Say Cheese and Die Again', as he started building his acting career in TV and films. He didn't become a major name until his big break in The Notebook in 2004, before starring in Drive and Crazy, Stupid, Love. The Hollywood star, 40, won a Golden Globe for Best Actor for his role in La La Land in 2016 and has even turned his hand to directing. Away from the movies, Ryan dated his Murder by Numbers co-star Sandra Bullock and The Notebook co-star Rachel McAdams. In 2011 he started a relationship with Eva Mendes, who he starred in The Place Beyond The Pines with, and the couple have two daughters, Esmeralda and Amanda.
Laura Vandervoort
One episode didn't spook Laura out enough as she appeared in a total of three Goosebumps adventures. The actress starred in 'The Haunted House Game' as Nadine Platt, who gets sucked into a magic board game and has to fight ghosts to stop herself being trapped as a piece forever. She also returned for both parts of Deep Trouble playing Sheena Deep, who had to escape a mutant half-fish creature in a lab. Canadian actress Laura is best known for starring as Kara / Supergirl in popular The CW series Smallville for more than 20 episodes. She also played Lisa in ABC science fiction series V and had roles in season 4 of The Handmaid's Tale and the comedy film Ted.
Hayden Christensen
Before he started waving around a lightsaber, Hayden Christensen appeared in an episode of Goosebumps. He featured in the terrifying two-parter 'Night of the Living Dummy III' as annoying kid Zane O'Dell, who got transformed into a dummy. In a shock twist ending, it was revealed that Zane had not been fully transformed back to a human as his head twisted all the way round and he threatened his cousins. After winning Golden Globe and SAG nominations for movie Life as a House in 2001, the Canadian actor was cast as Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels. His performances as troubled young jedi Anakin, who goes on to become Darth Vader, in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith received mixed reviews from critics. Since then he has mostly been out of the limelight, starring in Jumper in 2006, but he will be back as Anakin for Disney's Obi-Wan Kenobi TV series with Ewan McGregor.
Caterina Scorsone
Caterina Scorsone starred in a whopping four episodes of Goosebumps. The Canadian actress played Jessica Walters in the Chillogy series, where her character got sucked into a model town and chased by its inhabitants. She also appeared as Sara Kramer in three-part episode 'Night of the Living Dummy II', where Slappy the evil doll started causing mayhem again. Caterina is now best known for playing Dr Amelia Shepard in ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy and the spin-off Private Practice. She has also had roles in thriller movies Edge of Darkness and The November Man. The actress has become an advocate for children born with Down's Syndrome after her second daughter, Pippa.
Akiva David Saltzman
Akiva David Saltzman also appeared in the 'Say Cheese and Die' episode of Goosebumps alongside Ryan Gosling. The young actor played Doug, known as Bird, in the show and went on to appear in Color of the Cross in 2006. Saltzman was found dead in a burned car in Los Angeles, California in October 2014 at the age of 32. He was allegedly working as a transporter of illicit cash as part of a billion-dollar international pot ring for a ‘marijuana kingpin’ named Jonathon Braun. At the time, Saltzman's lawyer, Howard Jacobs, said it appeared the car had been set on fire after he had been shot through a window, said a report.
Michelle Risi
Michelle Risi played Becca Thompson in the series 3 Goosebumps episode 'Teacher's Pet'. While on an overnight school trip to a nature centre, Becca and her classmates discover their instructor is conducting sinister experiments with animal DNA and can transform into a giant snake. The promising young actress had worked with actors such as Salma Hayek, Neve Campbell, Harland Williams, and Katey Sagal. But tragically, Michelle died in December 1997 at the age of just 16-years-old after a horrifying meningitis outbreak in her hometown in southern Ontario, Canada. Before the credits of her Goosebumps episode, a screen with the text "In Loving Memory of Michelle Risi" appears.
Adam West
The distinctive voice of Batman actor Adam West can be heard in the two-parter 'The Masked Mutant'. In the 1960s Batman series played the heroic caped crusader and in Goosebumps he was the voice of super hero The Galloping Gazelle. His character was held hostage by the titular evil, power-mad super villain The Masked Mutant. Aside from playing Bruce Wayne, legendary actor Adam West is known for providing the voice of the mayor of Quahog, who is named after him, in many episodes of Family Guy. Sadly, West passed away in June 2017 at the age of 88 following a short battle with leukaemia.
