Bone Chillers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bone Chillers |
|
|---|---|
| Genre | Horror fiction Comedy |
| Created by | Adam Rifkin |
| Based on | Bone Chillers by Betsy Haynes and Daniel Weiss |
| Starring | Linda Cardellini Saadia Persad Esteban Powell John Patrick White Charles Fleischer |
| Theme music composer | David Newman |
| Composer(s) | Christopher Hoag |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Fred Silverman Willard Carroll Thomas L. Wilthe Adam Rifkin |
| Producer(s) | Corey King Richard G. King |
| Running time |
|
| Production company(s) | Hyperion Pictures The Fred Silverman Company |
| Distributor | Disney–ABC Domestic Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | September 7 – December 7, 1996 |
Bone Chillers is a cool series of scary stories for kids! It started as a bunch of books by Betsy Haynes and then became a TV show. Think of it like a spooky mix of Horror fiction and Comedy.
Contents
What is Bone Chillers About?
The Bone Chillers TV show follows four friends at Edgar Allan Poe High School. These freshmen, Fitz, Brian, Sarah, and Lexi, have to deal with more than just homework. Their school is full of strange and spooky events!
Unlike the books, which had different characters in each story, the TV show kept the same main group. This helped viewers get to know the characters better. They often got help from Arnie, the school's friendly custodian. Other interesting characters included Carl, the school cook, Miss Dewberry, and the scary Principal Percival Pussman.
Only a few TV episodes were directly based on the books. Most of the TV stories were brand new! At the end of each episode, the original author, Betsy Haynes, would appear. She encouraged young viewers to use their imaginations.
Episodes of the TV Show
The Bone Chillers TV series had 13 episodes. Here's a quick look at each one:
| No. | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Art Intimidates Life" | September 7, 1996 | |
|
Drawing pictures becomes scary when the monsters you draw come to life!
|
|||
| 2 | "Teacher Creature" | September 14, 1996 | |
|
A new teacher turns into a frog after eating toxic eggs. This episode was based on one of the books.
|
|||
| 3 | "Back to School" | September 21, 1996 | |
|
Fitz hates the school food. But when his friends start fighting for more, he knows something weird is going on. This episode was also based on a book.
|
|||
| 4 | "Frankenturkey" | September 28, 1996 | |
|
Fitz and Brian create a turkey decoy that comes to life after being struck by lightning. Can they stop Frankenturkey? This story came from a book too.
|
|||
| 5 | "Mummy Dearest" | October 5, 1996 | |
|
The students face a mummy during their school play.
|
|||
| 6 | "Charlotte's Revenge" | October 12, 1996 | |
|
A giant spider causes trouble for everyone at school.
|
|||
| 7 | "Romeo and Ghouliette" | October 19, 1996 | |
|
Lexi thinks the new girl, Julie, is strange. Julie seems to be fattening up Fitz for a feast! This episode later became a book.
|
|||
| 8 | "Gorilla My Dreams" | October 26, 1996 | |
|
A gorilla starts appearing in a student's dreams.
|
|||
| 9. | "Mr. Fitz and Dr. Hyde" | November 2, 1996 | |
|
Fitz starts changing into a wild monster and causing chaos.
|
|||
| 10 | "Root of All Evil" | November 9, 1996 | |
|
The students at Edgar Allan Poe High School must fight against evil plants.
|
|||
| 11 | "Edgar Allan Poe-Session" | November 16, 1996 | |
|
The ghost of Edgar Allan Poe gets angry when his statue is removed from the school.
|
|||
| 12 | "Shmendel's Comet" | November 30, 1996 | |
|
A comet brings strange powers to the school, causing trouble for students trying to cheat on a test.
|
|||
| 13 | "Full Moon Goon" | December 7, 1996 | |
|
Sarah's new friend Lobo is a werewolf! Fitz and Brian discover his secret.
|
|||
Who are the Main Characters?
The TV show featured a fun cast of actors. Here are some of the main ones:
- Esteban Powell as Brian Holsapple
- Linda Cardellini as Sarah
- John Patrick White as Fitzgerald Crump (Fitz)
- Saadia Persad as Lexi
- Charles Fleischer as Arnie, the school custodian
- Arthur Burghardt as Principal Pussman
The Bone Chillers Book Series
Before the TV show, Bone Chillers was a popular series of scary books for kids. Betsy Haynes created the series. Some books were written by other authors too. The TV show used ideas from some of these books, like Teacher Creature and Frankenturkey.
Here are some of the exciting titles from the book series:
- Beware the Shopping Mall: Mannequins come alive and try to take over kids' bodies!
- Little Pet Shop of Horrors: A new pet shop turns kids into dogs.
- Back to School: A new school cook makes food that turns students into hungry monsters.
- Frankenturkey: A zombie turkey chases students.
- Teacher Creature: A science teacher is secretly a mutant frog who eats students.
- Romeo and Ghouliette: A new girl might be a monster, and Lexi's friend Fitz could be her next meal.
- The Thing Under the Bed: A boy battles a creature hiding under his bed.
- Tiki Doll of Doom: A necklace makes dreams come true, but it can also cause nightmares.
- Scare Bear: A teddy bear that was thrown out comes back to haunt its owner.
The books were also published in French under the name "Froid Dans le Dos," which means "Cold in the Back." The French series had a different order and even included a unique book about a lobster!
How is it Like Goosebumps?
Bone Chillers is often compared to the very popular Goosebumps series. Both series offer fun, spooky stories for young readers and viewers. In the 1990s, there were many other similar horror series for kids, like Shivers and Graveyard School.
