Goosebumps vs Are You Afraid of the Dark

This has been done before, but it’s a clash of titans so we’re doing it again. I was born in 1991, so I’m a quintessential 90s kids. These two shows were the definitive spooky shows for kids in the 90s. Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark established my love for horror and all things creepy at an early age. Without these two amazing shows, I’m likely not the horror-head that I am today, so for that I’m in their debt.

It’s generally accepted that AYAOTD has aged better than Goosebumps. The subject matter was much more mature, the tone darker, and the storylines were geared to children a little bit older than Goosebumps’ target audience. Where Goosebumps was campy, AYAOTD was serious. Even as a kid, Goosebumps felt like a different world from my own. AYAOTD felt very real, even with all the supernatural shit going down, it still felt grounded in reality. All of this culminates in a show that that would be more watchable as a 29 year-old in 2020.

However, I’m going to try to look at the show based on what I thought in the 90s. I’m channeling my 7-year-old self’s thoughts and will critique the shows based on what the 1998 version of me would’ve have thought. Here we go!

I watched waaay more of Goosebumps than AYAOTD. Even as an adult, I find myself going back to Goosebumps more often than I do AYAOTD. I’ve seen every single episode of Goosebumps multiple times. Goosebumps was more digestible than AYAOTD. It’s much more binge-able. I remember Goosebumps being on my Saturday morning show rotation. It was a can’t-miss for me. AYAOTD was great, but it was easier to turn away from than Goosebumps.

Goosebumps was a fun show. This goes back into the camp I mentioned. A lot of the episodes felt very tongue in cheek and were just fun to watch. AYAOTD had some heavy episodes. There were some that were downright tear-jerkers. Not every episode was like that, however. There were several that were definitely kid-toned, but they dealt with more serious subject-matter and often had episodes with moral lessons. 7 year - old me wasn’t trying to hear all of that. Goosebumps offered moral lessons, too, but they weren’t quite as overt as AYAOTD’s. This is an area where Goosebumps got the edge. Where AYAOTD focused on providing valuable lessons, Goosebumps went straight for entertainment and fun visuals.

Goosebumps had much more memorable characters. Slappy is pretty recognizable. I’m not sure if AYAOTD has a single character that’s comparable in terms of recognition. Goosebumps was character/monster driven where AYAOTD was story-driven. This is probably the crux of their differences if we get down to the nitty gritty. Goosebumps had better and more recognizable villains/monsters but AYAOTD had much better stories and scenarios.

In terms of scares, it’s no contest – AYAOTD hands down. Even as a kid, I was more entertained than scared by Goosebumps. The campiness kept it from getting too scary. This wasn’t the case at all for AYAOTD. Kids were often never in any serious danger in Goosebumps, but AYAOTD ain’t give a damn about their kids. Kids in AYAOTD saw unpleasant fates rather routinely. There also wasn’t much, if any camp in AYAOTD to balance out its suspense, making it a much more chilling show.

The Final Verdict: Both tv shows were absolutely amazing. I loved both and they set the foundation for the shows and movies that I watch to this day. I’m viewing through an unreliable lens, trying to channel my 7-year-old thoughts through my 29-year-old writings, but I’m going to try to come to my best determination. So, the final verdict is Goosebumps. Both were great, but in terms of pure enjoyment and entertainment, Goosebumps gets the slight edge. Goosebumps was always a wild and goofy ride. This really resonated for me as a pre-adolescent. I was very visual at that age and Goosebumps provided some visually appealing villains. AYAOTD was focused on telling an actual scary story rather than providing memorable aesthetics. This gives it more longevity, but the 90s was all about the gaudy glamor, and that’s where Goosebumps flew high.