Bone Chillers

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Created byAdam Rifkin
Based onBone Chillers
by Betsy Haynes and Daniel Weiss
StarringLinda Cardellini
Saadia Persad
Esteban Powell
John Patrick White
Charles Fleischer
Bone Chillers
GenreComedy horror
Created byAdam Rifkin
Based onBone Chillers
by Betsy Haynes and Daniel Weiss
StarringLinda Cardellini
Saadia Persad
Esteban Powell
John Patrick White
Charles Fleischer
Theme music composerDavid Newman
ComposerChristopher Hoag
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producersFred Silverman
Willard Carroll
Thomas L. Wilthe
Adam Rifkin
ProducersCorey King
Richard G. King
Running time22 minutes
Production companiesHyperion Pictures
The Fred Silverman Company
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseSeptember 7 (1996-09-07) 
December 7, 1996 (1996-12-07)

Bone Chillers is a series of children's horror fiction novels and a TV show created and authored by Betsy Haynes.[1] This series is similar in style and tone to the Goosebumps series.[1] At the end of each television episode, author Betsy Haynes would appear in an educational segment encouraging young viewers to read, write and be creative.[2]

Four freshmen at Edgar Allan Poe High School not only have to deal with the normal pressures of competing with the cool kids and the jocks but also have to contend with all sorts of weird happenings. Similar to Goosebumps, the stories that were originally about different people in each book were all changed to the setting of a haunted high school to provide a continuing cast. [1] Assisting the main characters was Arnie the custodian, who lived in the school's basement. There was the feared cook of the school, Carl, the ditzy Miss Dewberry, and the evil Principal Percival Pussman. Only three episodes of the TV series were adapted from books; the others were all original[1] (although the episode, Romeo and Ghouliette, was later adapted into the 23rd and final entry in the book series).

Cast

Main cast

Recurring cast

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Art Intimidates Life"Rif CooganAdam RifkinSeptember 7, 1996 (1996-09-07)[2]
Drawing/sketching pictures is no fun anymore when the horror creatures that are being drawn are found in reality.
2"Teacher Creature"Rif CooganTeleplay by: Alex Zamm
Based on the novel by: Betsy Haynes
September 14, 1996 (1996-09-14)
The new teacher at school, Mr. Batrachian, turns into a frog after he accidentally digests toxic eggs that Fitz and Brian find in the swamp. Based on book #6.
3"Back to School"Rif CooganTeleplay by: Adam Rifkin
Based on the novel by: Betsy Haynes
September 21, 1996 (1996-09-21)
Hating the disgusting cafeteria food at Edgar Allan Poe High School, Fitz refuses to eat it, even when Miss Webb takes over, and when his voracious classmates start fighting for seconds, he knows something weird is happening. Based on book #3.
4"Frankenturkey"Valarie BreimanTeleplay by: Michael McDowell & Adam Rifkin
Based on the novel by: Betsy Haynes
September 28, 1996 (1996-09-28)
Fitz and Brian are supposed to stuff the school turkey so it will be a good meal for the school's Thanksgiving turkey. They don't want it to suffer, so they develop a decoy that is struck by lightning. It comes to life and becomes Frankenturkey. Can Fitz, Brian, Sarah, and Lexi outsmart him before he makes a meal out of them? Based on book #4.
5"Mummy Dearest"Richard ElfmanMatt Bates & Carl V. DupréOctober 5, 1996 (1996-10-05)
The kids at Edgar Allan Poe High School must face off with a mummy during the school play.
6"Charlotte's Revenge"Richard ElfmanMatt Bates & Carl V. DupréOctober 12, 1996 (1996-10-12)
A giant spider terrorizes the students and staff.
7"Romeo and Ghouliette"Willard CarrollRege Bulman & Clay EideOctober 19, 1996 (1996-10-19)
Lexi knows there's something weird about Julie, the new girl at Edgar Allan Poe High School. Julie was practically drooling over a worm in biology lab. Then Lexi swears she saw Julie snatch a fly out of the air in homeroom—and eat it! Now Julie is after Lexi's best friend, Fitz. And Fitz is totally falling for her. He loves everything about Julie—especially the cookies and candies she brings him. Lexi suspects Julie is fattening Fitz up for a feast... Later adapted into Book #23.
8"Gorilla My Dreams"Valarie BreimanMatt Bates & Carl V. DupréOctober 26, 1996 (1996-10-26)
A gorilla is invading the dreams of a High School student.
9."Mr. Fitz and Dr. Hyde"Richard ElfmanRege Bulman & Clay EideNovember 2, 1996 (1996-11-02)
Fitz is uncontrollably transforming into an insane monster wreaking havoc all over.
10"Root of All Evil"Willard CarrollMichael J. PrescottNovember 9, 1996 (1996-11-09)
The students of Edgar Allan Poe High School are battling against plants.
11"Edgar Allan Poe-Session"Willard CarrollMichael J. Prescott and Matt Bates & Carl DupréNovember 16, 1996 (1996-11-16)
The ghost of horror writer Edgar Allan Poe, for whom the school is named, gets angry when the principal gets rid of his bust from the school lobby.
12"Shmendel's Comet"Willard CarrollAdam RifkinNovember 30, 1996 (1996-11-30)
The return of Shmendel's Comet causes strange powers to be released at the school, which cause trouble for Kirk and his friends, who are trying to sneak in to steal the answers to a test.
13"Full Moon Goon"Christopher CoppolaMichele RifkinDecember 7, 1996 (1996-12-07)
Sarah has a new friend named Lobo but she does not know that he is a werewolf. Fitz and Brian are suspicious about Lobo's strange behaviour and they discover that Lobo, under a spell, changes into a beast and howls at the Moon on a full moon.

Development and broadcast history

Having witnessed the major success of the Goosebumps series, television executive Fred Silverman went in search of another book series in a similar vein in hopes of rivaling that show's success, eventually coming across Haynes's book series. Noting that one of the books in the series, Back to School, featured a cast of four teens in a haunted high school, he decided that these four would serve as the core of the series; he believed that the format was sure to be "a gargantuan sized hit" that bore similarities to the Scooby-Doo franchise, a series he had originally greenlit in his early career in the late 1960s.[1] Haynes took an active role in the series development, stating that the series "couldn't hurt sales" of the books.[1]

The television series was not a success and was pulled from broadcast midseason, replaced by Nightmare Ned.[3]

Home media

Buena Vista Home Video released six episodes of the series on three VHS cassettes in 1997, after the series had been cancelled.

Name Release date Episodes Format Notes
Art Imitates Life August 26, 1997 2 VHS Includes the episodes "Art Imitates Life" and "Mummy Dearest"
Back to School August 26, 1997 2 VHS Includes the episodes "Back to School" and "Teacher Creature"
Frankenturkey August 26, 1997 2 VHS Includes the episodes "Frankenturkey" and "Full Moon Goon"

Book series

References

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