Bone Chillers is a 1996 American comedy horror television series directed by Adam Rifkin (Director’s Cut; Psycho Cop 2; The Invisible Maniac) for Hyperion Pictures, based on a series of children’s novels by Betsy Haynes.
The thirteen episode series stars Esteban Powell, Trey Alexander, Linda Cardellini, John Patrick White and Saadia Persad.
Special effects were provided by the Alterian company (Cult of Chucky; Zombieland; The Craft; The Tommyknockers; et al).
In the US, the series was shown by ABC, whilst it was on the Disney Channel in the UK. Although released on VHS, Bone Chillers episodes have never been released on DVD.
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. Assisting the main characters was Barry 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.
At the end of each episode, original author Betsy Haynes would appear in an educational segment encouraging young viewers to exercise their imaginations…
Cast and characters:
- Esteban Powell … Brian Holsapple
- Trey Alexander … Kirk (Dahmer vs. Gacy; Charmed)
- Linda Cardellini … Sarah (Velma in the first two live-action Scooby-Doo movies)
- John Patrick White … Fitzgerald Crump (Children of the Corn 666; Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Sabrina, the Teenage Witch; Phantom Town aka Spooky Town)
- Saadia Persad … Lexi
- Danielle Weeks … Tiffany
- Erick Avari … Doctor Lumbago
- Charles Fleischer … Arnie
- Josh Hecox …Doctor Feelgood
| No. | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | “Art Intemidates Life” | September 7, 1996 |
| Drawing/Sketching pictures are no fun anymore when the horror creatures that are being drawn are found in reality. | ||
| 2 | “Teacher Creature” | September 14, 1996 |
| The new teacher at school, Mr. Batrachian, turns out to be a frog after he accidentally digests toxic eggs that Fitz and Brian find in the swamp. Based on book #6. | ||
| 3 | “Back to School” | September 21, 1996 |
| 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” | September 28, 1996 |
| 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” | October 5, 1996 |
| The kids at Edgar Allan Poe High School must face off with a mummy during the school play. | ||
| 6 | “Charlotte’s Revenge” | October 12, 1996 |
| A giant spider terrorizes the students and staff. | ||
| 7 | “Romeo and Ghouliette” | October 19, 1996 |
| 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… Based on book #23. | ||
| 8 | “Gorilla My Dreams” | October 26, 1996 |
| A Gorilla is invading the dreams of a High School student. | ||
| 9. | “Mr. Fitz and Doctor Hyde” | November 2, 1996 |
| Fitz is uncontrollably transforming into an insane monster wreaking havoc all over. | ||
| 10 | “Root of All Evil” | November 9, 1996 |
| The students of Edgar Allan Poe High School are battling against plants. | ||
| 11 | “Edgar Allan Poe-Session” | November 16, 1996 |
| 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” | November 30, 1996 |
| 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” | December 7, 1996 |
| 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… | ||
