R.L. Stine fans, it’s time to dig out those old paperbacks and start getting nervous about answering the phone. The Babysitter, one of the legendary author’s classic young-adult horror novels, is getting a live-action movie adaptation at Tubi, with the film set to arrive in 2027. The Hollywood Reporter broke the news exclusively and shared the first teaser for the upcoming thriller.
As someone who has always had a soft spot for R.L. Stine’s work, this is the kind of announcement that gets me super excited. The man behind Goosebumps and Fear Street has spent decades turning everyday childhood anxieties into nightmares, and The Babysitter taps into a fear that hits especially close to home. What if the person watching over you isn’t the one you should be worried about?
First published in 1989, The Babysitter follows Jenny, a 16-year-old trying to earn enough money to attend a prestigious writing program. She takes a babysitting job despite reports of a prowler terrorizing girls around town. Then the threatening phone calls begin, a dangerous fugitive enters the picture, and Jenny starts to suspect that someone much closer to her may be responsible for the growing danger.
If you’ve read Stine’s original novel, you know the setup has the makings of a wonderfully uncomfortable thriller. The babysitting gig is supposed to be an ordinary job, but the growing sense that something is terribly wrong turns a familiar setting into a nightmare. Stine understood how to make young readers question whether the danger was outside the house or already inside it.
The new film will be written and executive produced by Jem Garrard, who has been working with Tubi on its growing collection of R.L. Stine adaptations. Trevor Calverley is directing, with Dan Bernard, Yvonne Bernard, Tebogo Maila, Darren Cameron and Adam Friedlander serving as producers. Executive producers also include Lance Samuels, Joan Waricha, Jane Stine and Garrard.
This adaptation is part of Tubi’s expanding relationship with Stine, but it marks a notable change from the previous projects. The streamer’s recent Stine films have drawn from stories in The Haunting Hour and The Nightmare Hour. The Babysitter is the first film in the partnership to be based on one of Stine’s full-length novels.
That distinction is worth celebrating. Stine’s novels helped introduce generations of young readers to horror, giving them suspense and genuine scares without requiring them to graduate to adult horror fiction. The original The Babysitter also spawned several sequels, with The Babysitter II arriving in 1991, The Babysitter III in 1993 and The Babysitter IV in 1995. Jenny’s story had enough life in it to keep readers coming back, even after the first book’s terrifying events.
Tubi has already found a place for Stine’s brand of horror with R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead, which launched the Redhaven story, and its follow-up, R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead 2. The upcoming Afraid of Clowns, based on a story from The Nightmare Hour, is also planned for 2027.
Now, The Babysitter gives the partnership a chance to revisit one of Stine’s best-known novels. There’s no release date yet beyond the planned 2027 arrival, and additional casting details have not been announced in the initial report.
For those of us who grew up reading Stine, the prospect of seeing Jenny’s story brought to life is a welcome one. Just remember: if you’re home alone and the phone starts ringing, you might want to let it go to voicemail.
