The Nightmare Room

Last updated
The Nightmare Room
The Nightmare Room intertitle.jpg
Genre Anthology
Horror
Black Comedy
Fantasy
Adventure
Science fiction
Supernatural
Created by R. L. Stine
Narrated by James Avery
Composers Kristopher Carter
Josh Kramon
Country of origin United States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producersPaul Bernbaum
Brian Robbins
Jane Stine
Michael Tollin
ProducersChris Castallo
Billy Crawford
Joe Davola
Dan Kaplow
Shelley Zimmerman
CinematographyMichael B. Negrin
Running time20 minutes
Production companiesParachute Entertainment
Tollin/Robbins Productions
Warner Bros. Television
Original release
Network Kids' WB
ReleaseAugust 31, 2001 (2001-08-31) 
March 16, 2002 (2002-03-16)
Related

The Nightmare Room is an American children's anthology horror series that aired on Kids' WB. [1] The series was based on the short-lived children's book series that went by the same title created by Goosebumps author, R. L. Stine. The Nightmare Room originally aired from August 31, 2001, to March 16, 2002, in the United States.

Contents

Premise

The Nightmare Room is based on fears that children have, such as ghosts and monsters, which normally ended with comments by the narrator whose final words always ended with the words "the nightmare room", then a door with The Nightmare Room logo appeared, closing. In many instances, the series resembled the television series The Twilight Zone with teens taking the role as the main characters, many of whom portrayed the characters were popular child actors at the time, including Amanda Bynes, Frankie Muniz, Justin Berfield, Drake Bell, Brenda Song, Lindsey Felton, Shia LaBeouf, Kaley Cuoco, Dylan and Cole Sprouse. [2] In addition, David Naughton, Robert Englund (famously known as Freddy Krueger from the Nightmare on Elm Street films), Betsy Randle, Tippi Hedren, David Carradine, and Angus Scrimm also worked on some episodes.

The Nightmare Room is one of the only two live-action shows (the other being Brats of the Lost Nebula) that ever aired on Kids' WB. The show was produced by Parachute Entertainment, Tollin/Robbins Productions, and Warner Bros. Television. [3]

Book titles and summaries

  1. Don't Forget Me: Danielle Warner, and her brother Peter, move into a house where the basement is haunted by the ghosts of children who have been forgotten by their friends and families. And lure living children in by making their friends and families forget about them.
  2. Locker 13: Superstitious Luke Green gets assigned Locker #13 on his first day of school and tries to quell the bad luck that goes along with it by finding a good-luck charm. But the good-luck charm has a twisted secret of its own.
  3. My Name is Evil: A carnival fortune teller accuses Maggie of being evil. Maggie brushes it off as a joke — until accidents occur in school and all signs point to Maggie as a suspect.
  4. Liar, Liar: Years of lying suddenly catch up with Ross when he finds himself in a parallel world where an evil twin tells him that he will die in two days.
  5. Dear Diary, I'm Dead: Alex Smith discovers a diary in a desk that predicts the future, leading to disastrous consequences.
  6. They Call Me Creature: Laura must find out why the animals she cares for are attacking her - and discovers a horrible creature living in her father's shed.
  7. The Howler: Self-proclaimed electronics geek Spencer Turner buys a machine called "The Howler" that lets humans communicate with the dead... and summons three ghosts that want to possess Spencer and his friends.
  8. Shadow Girl: A bored girl named Selena discovers that she's really a superheroine named Shadow Girl, and, like all superheroes, has an arch-enemy who wants her dead.
  9. Camp Nowhere: At summer camp, Russell rows over Forbidden Falls — and finds himself in a summer camp haunted by the ghost of an evil Native spirit.
  10. Full Moon Halloween: It's a frightful Halloween night as a teacher gets four of his students and tries to discover that one of them may be a werewolf.
  11. Scare School: Sam is haunted by an imp at his new school that preys on new students.
  12. Visitors: UFO enthusiast Ben Shipley discovers that aliens are covertly invading Earth.

The Nightmare Room Thrillogy

Opening narration

At the beginning of each episode, R. L. Stine gives an opening monologue of sorts — in a manner very similar to Rod Serling's iconic opening narration for The Twilight Zone — that acts somewhat like a theme song for the series.

When the lights fade and the moon rises, anything can happen. The world becomes a carnival of shocks and chills. A whirling merry-go-round that never stops, spinning faster and faster, taking you on a frightening ride. I'm R. L. Stine, don't fall asleep... or you might find yourself in The Nightmare Room.

R. L. Stine

Despite the claim of being R. L. Stine, the narration was provided by James Avery of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fame. Avery also did the closing narration for each episode.

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
1"Don't Forget Me" David Jackson Teleplay by: Paul BernbaumAugust 31, 2001 (2001-08-31)003
Danielle Warner (Amanda Bynes) along with her brother Peter (Daniel Hansen) and the rest of her family (Jim Meskimen and Romy Windsor), have just moved into a new house where the basement is haunted by the ghosts of children who have been forgotten by their friends and families — and lure living children in by making their friends and families forget about them.
2"Scareful What You Wish For" Anson Williams Naomi JanzenAugust 31, 2001 (2001-08-31)008

While packing away all of the toys from his childhood days before his 14th birthday, Dylan Pierce (Shia LaBeouf) is haunted by a strange little boy (played alternately by Dylan and Cole Sprouse) who turns out to be Dylan's favorite childhood doll come to life thanks to a seemingly fake spell from a birthday magician (Brian Jacobs) — and not willing to let his human friend go.

Also starring Tania Raymonde, Marcus T. Paulk and Betsy Randle.
3"The Howler"Steve DubinTeleplay by: Scott MurphySeptember 29, 2001 (2001-09-29)006

Three kids Vanessa (Cara DeLizia), Spencer (Jeremy Ray Valdez) and Charlie (Jermaine Williams) find a strange machine called "The Howler" that lets them communicate with ghosts, but the ghosts that come out need three human bodies to possess.

Also starring Robert Englund.
4"Tangled Web" Ron Oliver Paul BernbaumOctober 6, 2001 (2001-10-06)005

An incorrigible liar named Josh (Justin Berfield) suddenly finds all his tall tales are coming true after his substitute teacher (David Carradine) tells him he believes everything he says.

Also starring David Naughton, Steve "Sting" Borden, Conni Marie Brazelton, Erik Audé, and Briana Cuoco.
5"Fear Games"Ron OliverStory by: Paul Bernbaum
Teleplay by: Richard Rossner
October 13, 2001 (2001-10-13)009

Five teenagers (Lindsay Felton, Hunter Ritter, Eric "Ty" Hodges II, Lena Cardwell, and Lauren Petty) on a Survivor -esque reality game show called "Life Games" hosted by Don Marks (Roger Lodge) must compete in island challenges on Tranquility Island — and fight a psychotic witch (Tippi Hedren) who haunts the island.


Note: Based on the first book of The Nightmare Room Thrillogy called "Fear Games".
6"School Spirit" Rich Correll Scott MurphyOctober 20, 2001 (2001-10-20)011

A group of students (Keiko Agena, Michael Galeota, George O. Gore II, Jeffrey Licon, and Madeline Zima) serving detention must help the ghost of a teacher (James Karen) whose contributions are being buried and forgotten.

Also starring Jenny Gago.
7"Full Moon Halloween"Rich CorrellTeleplay by: Naomi JanzenOctober 27, 2001 (2001-10-27)010
In a connection with "School Spirit," Janet, Todd, Freddy, Dex and Alexis grow suspicious of one another when a werewolf is heard to be on the loose in their town on Halloween.
8"Four Eyes" Brian Robbins & Michael B. NegrinScott MurphyDecember 1, 2001 (2001-12-01)001
In this homage to the cult horror satire They Live , Jeremy Clark (Josh Zuckerman) receives glasses from his eye doctor (John C. McGinley) while in the company of his friend Cindy (Lynsey Bartilson). He discovers that his new glasses gives him the power to see aliens secretly living among humans and ready to take over the world.
9"Locker 13"Ron OliverTeleplay by: Richard RossnerDecember 8, 2001 (2001-12-08)007

Luke Greene (Brandon Gilberstadt), a superstitious boy is terrified of the consequences when his school assigns him Locker #13, a locker rumored to give the owner eternal bad luck. When he finds a good luck charm in the locker, good things happen to him until he has an encounter with a being named the Fatemaster (Angus Scrimm) who says that he must repay the luck with his own life.

Also starring E.J. De La Pena, Boris Cabrera, Mary Stein, and Ken Foree.
10"Dear Diary, I'm Dead"Steve DubinTeleplay by: Paul BernbaumFebruary 2, 2002 (2002-02-02)004

Alex Sanders (Drake Bell) discovers a diary in his new desk that predicts the future — including his death.

Also starring A. J. Trauth, Brenda Song, Percy Daggs III, Kerrie Keane, and Sam Lloyd.
11"My Name is Evil"Anson WilliamsTeleplay by: Lee Goldberg & Bill Rabkin February 23, 2002 (2002-02-23)002

On his birthday, the good-natured Morgan Gray (Marco Gould) is made a fool by Kristin (Kaley Cuoco) and has an encounter with a carnival fortune teller (Pamela Gordon) who claims that he's evil. This leads to a chain of disasters that may or may not be turning him evil.

Also starring Audrey Wasilewski and Beth Broderick.
12"Camp Nowhere" (Part 1)" James Marshall Teleplay by: Paul BernbaumMarch 9, 2002 (2002-03-09)012

Russell (Sam Jones III), Charlotte (Allison Mack), Dave (Kyle Gibson), and Erin (Kathy Wagner) are at summer camp and find themselves in another camp that's been suspended in time thanks to a Native American spirit.

Also starring Brandon Quinn and Danielle Fishel.
13"Camp Nowhere" (Part 2)"James MarshallTeleplay by: Paul BernbaumMarch 16, 2002 (2002-03-16)013

Russell, Charlotte, Dave and Erin must contend with Native American spirits that have captured the kids of Camp Hawkwood.

Also starring Dan Byrd, Kevin Meaney and Frankie Muniz.

Releases

On August 20, 2002, 8 episodes were released on 2 DVD volumes. 5 episodes remain unreleased.

NameRelease DateEpisodesRegionAdditional Information
Camp NowhereAugust 20, 200241

Episodes include:

  • "Camp Nowhere, Parts 1 & 2", "Don't Forget Me", "Full Moon Halloween"

Bonus Features include:

  • The Nightmare Is Yours: Shrink or Swim, Do You Dare?, The Nightmare Files, Trailers.
Scareful What You Wish ForAugust 20, 200241

Episodes include:

  • "My Name Is Evil", "Scareful What You Wish For", "Tangled Web", "Fear Games".

Bonus Features include:

  • The Nightmare Is Yours: Haunted Cave, Do You Dare?, The Nightmare Files, Trailers.

Awards and nominations

YearAwardResultCategoryRecipient
2002 Emmy Award NominatedOutstanding Achievement in Sound EditingMichael C. Gutierrez, James L. Pearson, Tony Torretto, Susan Welsh, and Debby Ruby-Winsberg

Related Research Articles

<i>The Haunted Mask</i> 11th novel by R. L. Stine

The Haunted Mask is the eleventh book in the original Goosebumps, the series of children's horror fiction novels created and written by R. L. Stine. The book follows Carly Beth, a girl who buys a Halloween mask from a store. After putting on the mask, she starts acting differently and discovers that the mask has become her face; she is unable to pull the mask off. R. L. Stine says he got the idea for the book from his son who had put on a Frankenstein mask he had trouble getting off.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R. L. Stine</span> American writer and producer (born 1943)

Robert Lawrence Stine, sometimes known as Jovial Bob Stine and Eric Affabee, is an American novelist, short story writer, television producer, screenwriter, and executive editor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kids' WB</span> American childrens programming block

Kids' WB was an American children's programming service and brand of The WB that aired on the network from September 9, 1995, to September 16, 2006. The block moved to The CW, where it aired from September 23, 2006, to May 17, 2008. After the block was discontinued, its Saturday morning programming slot was sold to 4Kids Entertainment and replaced by its successor block, The CW4Kids.

<i>Goosebumps</i> Series of childrens novels by R. L. Stine

Goosebumps is a series of horror novels written by American author R. L. Stine. The protagonists in these stories are teens or pre-teens who find themselves in frightening circumstances, often involving the supernatural, the paranormal, or the occult. Between 1992 and 1997, 62 books were published under the Goosebumps umbrella title. R. L. Stine also wrote various spin-off series, including, Goosebumps Series 2000, Give Yourself Goosebumps, Tales to Give You Goosebumps, Goosebumps Triple Header, Goosebumps HorrorLand, Goosebumps Most Wanted and Goosebumps SlappyWorld. Additionally there was a series called Goosebumps Gold that was never released.

Goosebumps Series 2000 is a spin-off of the original Goosebumps series by R. L. Stine. The cover design of the Series 2000 books was different from the original books, though the cover art was again by the same person, Tim Jacobus. There was no back tagline anymore, and the paragraphs at the back were excerpts from the book rather than a short summary of the story as the original books' back covers had. There was another difference with back covers too, as the "Reader Beware, You're In For A Scare!" of the original series was changed to "2000 Times The Scares!" and "Welcome to the new millennium of fear". Only 25 books were printed because of a dispute that R.L. Stine had with Scholastic. A 26th book, called "The Incredible Shrinking Fifth Grader" was planned and while it was canceled, Stine retooled it into a standalone book called "The Adventures of Shrink Man".

<i>Mostly Ghostly</i> Book series by R. L. Stine

Mostly Ghostly is a series of books written by children's horror author R. L. Stine. Its targeted audience is primarily middle school-aged youths ages 11–14. The book series has led to a film series.

<i>Goosebumps</i> (1995 TV series) Horror anthology television series

Goosebumps is a children's anthology horror television series based on R. L. Stine's best-selling book series of the same name. It is an anthology of stories involving children and young adults in strange situations. The series is centered around the same supernatural or occult elements featured in the novels with most episodes being direct adaptions of the novels.

<i>The Haunting Hour: Dont Think About It</i> 2007 American film

R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It is a 2007 American children's horror film based on the children's book of the same name by R. L. Stine. The film was directed by Alex Zamm, written by Dan Angel and Billy Brown, and stars Emily Osment, Cody Linley, Brittany Curran, and Tobin Bell. It was released direct-to-DVD. The plot follows a goth girl named Cassie moving into a new town and fascinated by the occult. At a mysterious Halloween store, the store owner insists on selling her an old book. Stuck with her brother Max on Halloween night, she reads the book to him, despite the book's warnings not to read it out loud or think about its monster. After the monster comes to life and captures Max, Cassie, with help from her friend, must save Max and defeat the monster before their parents return from a Halloween party.

<i>Shivers</i> (novel series)

Shivers is a series of thirty-six children's horror novels written by M.D. Spenser. These are horror novels, each 120-125 pages long, for readers between the ages of 8 and 14. The series was created during the popularity of the Goosebumps series, and it has a similar style.

<i>Haunted Lives: True Ghost Stories</i> American TV series or program

Haunted Lives: True Ghost Stories was an American paranormal anthology television miniseries that originally broadcast from May 15, 1991 to November 28, 1995, on CBS and UPN. This short-lived program comprised three primetime specials that featured re-enactments of ghost stories told by real people who experienced alleged paranormal activity. The docudrama series used actors and special effects, and then introduced the witnesses who reported such phenomena.

<i>Superstitious</i> (novel)

Superstitious is a 1995 horror novel by author R.L. Stine. This was the first adult novel by Stine, most famous for writing children's fiction such as the Goosebumps series. This book deals with Sara Morgan, who falls in love with Liam O’Connor. It was published on September 14, 1995 by Grand Central Publishing in the United States.

<i>The Haunting Hour: The Series</i> Canadian-American horror-fantasy television anthology

R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: The Series is an original anthology horror-fantasy television series which is based on the 2007 movie R.L Stine's The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It and the anthologies The Haunting Hour and Nightmare Hour by R.L. Stine, that originally aired on The Hub Network from October 29, 2010 to October 11, 2014. The only story taken from The Haunting Hour anthology was My Imaginary Friend, and the only story unused from The Nightmare Hour was Make Me a Witch. The fourth season's seven remaining episodes ran on Discovery Family from October 18, 2014 to November 29, 2014. The series was produced by Front Street Pictures, The Hatchery, Incendo Films, and Endemol.

<i>Nightmare Hour</i> Book by R.L. Stine

Nightmare Hour is a 1999 children's horror collection by R. L. Stine. It is composed of 10 different short stories, ranging from "Pumpkinhead" to "The Ghostly Stare", and was a New York Times bestseller from the year 1999 to 2000.

The Haunted Mask (<i>Goosebumps</i> episode) 1st and 2nd episodes of the 1st season of Goosebumps

"The Haunted Mask" is the series premiere of the television series Goosebumps. The episode is based on the book of the same name by R. L. Stine and is about Carly Beth, a timid girl who buys a Halloween mask that soon begins merging with her face. It first aired on October 27, 1995, in the United States on the Fox network, where it was viewed by 7.9 million households. In Canada, where the episode was filmed, it aired one day later on the YTV network. At the time, it had almost 3 million viewers and was YTV's highest-rated episode. Kathryn Long, who played Carly Beth, obtained a Gemini Award nomination for "Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series".

Goosebumps video games are a series of action-adventure games based on Goosebumps book series.

"The Nightmare After Krustmas" is the tenth episode of the twenty-eighth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 606th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Rob Oliver and written by Jeff Westbrook. It aired in the United States on Fox on December 11, 2016.

References

  1. KIDS' WB! BRINGS BEST-SELLING CHILDREN'S AUTHOR R.L. STINE’S NEWEST THRILLER BOOK SERIES “THE NIGHTMARE ROOM” TO LIFE IN NETWORK’S FIRST-EVER LIVE-ACTION SERIES FOR FALL 2001 - warnerbros.com[ dead link ]
  2. "R.L. Stine's The Nightmare Room Featured All Your Favorite Early '00s Stars". MTV . - MTV.com
  3. "Kids' WB! Announces New Programming for 2001-2002 Season, Including Its First-Ever Live Action Series and Four New Animated Programs - WarnerMedia". www.warnermediagroup.com.