The Nightmare Room

Forgotten TV & Film · 2001

Published

The Nightmare Room was a live-action children's horror anthology associated with R. L. Stine and broadcast by Kids' WB in 2001 and 2002. Its thirteen episodes presented self-contained supernatural stories, with James Avery introducing the series as its host.

Why It Mattered

The programme brought anthology horror to a young network audience while allowing each episode to establish a different threat and cast. Its short run survives through episode catalogues, contemporary reviews and licensed streaming records.

Broadcast Run

- One season, comprising 13 episodes - Previewed as a back-to-back first-episode double bill on WB affiliates on 31 August 2001 - Final episode aired on 16 March 2002

Anthology Format

- Based on R. L. Stine’s The Nightmare Room book series - Each story centred on a separate supernatural threat affecting young characters

James Avery

- James Avery, best known as Philip Banks in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, supplied the series’ framing voice - He was credited as “R.L. Stine” rather than portraying Stine as an on-screen character

Associated With

R. L. Stine / Kids’ WB - creator or production company

Defining Feature

13-episode live-action children’s horror anthology

Status

Discontinued - Complete 13-episode series

Primary Records

- **The Nightmare Room — Tubi US Series Catalogue** - **R.L.’s Book Lists — R. L. Stine Official Bibliography** - **Review: ‘Nightmare Room’ Scares Up Stine-Tingling Tales — Houston Chronicle** - **The Nightmare Room — TV Guide Series and Episode Record**

Image Sources

- **Image 1** - **Image 2** - **Image 3** - **Image 4** - **Image 5**

Rights Notice

Images are included for historical and archival reference. Rights holders may contact Forgotten Archive through the publishing account to request a credit correction or removal.

Gallery

Dark brown paneled door with the white and red title text “R. L. Stine’s the Nightmare Room” and a small skull-headed key graphic.
Source
Credit

The Nightmare Room television title sequence; still from the supplied opening video

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

The Nightmare Room's skull-shaped key and closed door promised a new frightening story behind each opening, carrying R. L. Stine's name into television.

Close-up color portrait of a smiling bald man with a gray beard wearing a dark tuxedo jacket, white shirt, and pale tie, with a cigarette held between his teeth.
Source
Credit

John Mathew Smith / Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com, via Wikimedia Commons; resized for display

Licence

CC BY-SA 2.0

See the licence terms for attribution, reuse and any other conditions.

Caption

James Avery, whose voice narrated The Nightmare Room, connected the series' individual stories through a recurring storyteller's presence.

Close-up color portrait of a middle-aged man wearing rectangular eyeglasses, a dark collared shirt, and an orange lanyard against a black background.
Source
Credit

Philip Romano, via Wikimedia Commons; resized for display

Licence

CC BY-SA 4.0

See the licence terms for attribution, reuse and any other conditions.

Caption

R. L. Stine at New York Comic Con in 2022. His name and children's horror writing supplied the identity behind The Nightmare Room's television anthology.

Promotional image showing a young woman’s face above green “the Nightmare Room” title lettering, with a skull-headed key, a dark house, trees, and a large birdlike creature in the background.
Source
Credit

The Nightmare Room promotional artwork; image supplied by Tubi, individual designer not identified

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

Promotional artwork joined a young protagonist to the series' key-and-door imagery, selling The Nightmare Room as horror made for a younger audience.

Open DVD case shown front and back for The Nightmare Room: Scareful What You Wish For; the front has blue artwork with a worried boy, eerie figures, and a roller coaster, while the back has yellow and white text, three small scene photographs, and a barcode.
Source
Credit

YouTube

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

The Nightmare Room’s “Scareful What You Wish For” DVD packaging preserves a home-video edition of the R. L. Stine television series.