Goosebumps: The Vanishing premiered on January 10, 2025, bringing spine-chilling thrills to audiences everywhere. This month, the Filmmaker Mixer podcast had the pleasure of sitting down with the brilliant costume designer behind this installment. Given our guest’s expertise, I paid close attention to the diverse styles showcased throughout the series. It comes as no surprise that Vanessa Porter made meticulous and inspired choices, ensuring each character’s wardrobe seamlessly complimented their role in the story.
For example, in the opening scene we meet two young adults strolling on a city sidewalk. I took note how they were similarly dressed, twinning, if you will. I chuckled to myself when beloved actor, David Schwimmer, exits a car and reveals through a phone call that he’s got the twins. Needless to say, I thought I was immensely clever for my educated guess. What’s remarkable about this opening scene is its efficiency in conveying backstory through just a few carefully chosen lines from David Schwimmer, who masterfully portrays Anthony Brewer. Anthony was the father of Devin and CeCe, the aforementioned twins, respectively portrayed by Sam McCarthy and Jayden Bartels. Kudos to the team at Goosebumps. This moment had me sold on the fact that these storytellers were going to take me on a fun ride.
I decided to pay attention to the graphic t-shirts worn by the various characters because I recalled learning from the cartoon Gravity Falls, that one character Mabel, had designs on her sweaters that were meaningful to the story. A huge shoutout to Vanessa for her keen eye in selecting standout graphic tees! Her choices added subtle yet meaningful layers to the characters, like the vine design on Devin’s shirt, a clever hint at the struggles he would face, and the silhouette of two women on CeeCee’s tee, subtly mirroring aspects of their identity. If you really want to connect the dots of various character reveals, which I love to do, the wardrobe is a great hint. Other accessories also carried meaning, like the chunky chains worn by Alex (portrayed by Francesca Noel), which hint at something deeper in their backstory. What exactly? That’s for you to uncover—I’m keeping that secret to myself!
Other cute things were done in this story that are not related to costume design but that also added depth and interest to the various characters, like Ben, portrayed by Leonard Roberts who was always eating. Speaking of food, for whatever reason, I was roaring with laughter over the line, “I think it was my kombucha!” But, you will need to watch for yourself, I don’t want to reveal any spoilers.
Overall, I considered the casting to be quite solid. I liked the fact that David Schwimmer was playing a scientist having previously played a paleontologist and this time around he is a botanist. Everyone did a great job with all their performances being naturalistic and engaging. I rooted for these characters and was glued for the next episode to air.
I noticed several elements in this series that paid homage to classic horror stories. Various moments echoed Little Shop of Horrors, Christine, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Blob, Cabin in the Woods, The Blair Witch Project, and even the more recent Stranger Things. Without a doubt, this installment of Goosebumps felt like a thrilling mash-up of those iconic titles.
Goosebumps: The Vanishing delivered a thrilling and imaginative story that kept me engaged from start to finish. While it required some suspension of disbelief—like all great supernatural tales—I found myself fully immersed in its world. And even when I caught myself wondering, “Why’d they do that?” it was all part of the fun, keeping me on my toes until the very end. The structure was clever. The decision to tell a story via nonlinear timelines was an excellent choice, which I enjoyed and found well-executed.
I believe audiences of all generations will find this series enjoyable—though its whirlwind of sci-fi elements might leave some feeling a bit dizzy. But that’s part of the thrill! They pulled it off masterfully because I was completely hooked, eager to see how it all unfolded. Maybe you will be too—enjoy the ride!
Melody Lopez, Producer, Filmmaker Mixer Podcast (posted by Madelyn, Filmmaker Mixer Correspondent)