If you were a ’90s kid, or even just happened to be alive during the decade, chances are you are very familiar with R. L. Stine. An entire generation grew up on his “Goosebumps” books, and an entire generation of parents bought them for their kids. But while the “Goosebumps” novels and the YTV television adaptation (not to mention the movies and the fun, nostalgic modern “Goosebumps” series) became a cultural phenomenon and shaped kids’ early understanding of horror, that was far from Stine’s only contribution to the genre overall.
Advertisement
The writer pumped out a frankly unbelievable amount of books aimed at multiple demographics, to the extent that Stephen King himself would go as wild as Jack Torrance were he to compare bibliographies. PBS put the total number of Stine novels at more than 350 in 2024, but other tallies reveal more than 500 books bearing the author’s name. It’s tricky because, despite his protestations, Stine has been accused of using ghostwriters, most notably by publisher Scholastic in a 1999 lawsuit. Either way, the man was and is a writing machine, and in 2004, he churned out one of his more popular non-“Goosebumps” books in “Eye Candy.”
The novel was Stine’s third book aimed at adult audiences and follows Lindy Sampson, a 23-year-old New Yorker who notices that men seem to be intimidated by her beauty. Her roommate suggests she try internet dating and writes a personal ad (because this was very much a pre-dating app age) for her, which proves so successful that Lindy finds herself dating four men at the same time. Unfortunately, things take a turn when she receives a note that reads, “Don’t say no, Lindy. Keep going out with me. I’ll mess you up if you ever say no.” Not exactly a love letter, then, but that’s the kind of note you can expect to get if you happen to be an R. L. Stone protagonist. Of course, this leaves Lindy to figure out which of her suitors is dangerous, so she continues dating them. However, her paranoia quickly builds before a big twist upends the whole ordeal.
Advertisement
All of that seemed like it might make for a good TV show to MTV, which commissioned a series loosely based on the novel in 2013. While there have been several R. L. Stine movies and TV shows, many of which have been solid, the “Eye Candy” adaptation would, lamentably, prove to be nowhere near as popular as the “Goosebumps” show or even the novel on which it was based. As a result, it was canceled after one season (much like MTV’s controversial “Skins” adaptation).
The Eye Candy pilot looked nothing like the actual show
TV pilots are often interesting to watch for the way in which they reveal a slightly different version of a show that we might have come to love. The unaired “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” pilot, for instance, is a fascinating glimpse at the now cult classic series before it had figured out all the details. Most interesting was the fact it featured an entirely different actor in the role of Willow Rosenberg, who in the show proper was played by Alyson Hannigan but in the pilot was portrayed by Riff Regan. But even the “Buffy” pilot and its alternate universe version of the final series pales in comparison to the way in which the “Eye Candy” pilot differed from the actual show.
Advertisement
In 2013, MTV ordered the pilot based on R. L. Stine’s novel from a decade prior. It was produced with Victoria Justice in the lead role of Lindy Sampson and Harvey Guillén as her coworker George Reyes, with the supporting cast rounded out by the likes of Justin Martin, Lilan Bowden, Nico Tortorella, and Olesya Rulin. MTV ultimately ordered the pilot to series, with horror maestro Jason Blum producing, but not before completely overhauling the show. As a result, the debut episode was entirely reshot, with only Justice and Guillén remaining from the original cast. Writer Emmy Grinwis and director Catherine Hardwicke also remained onboard, however, with Blum telling the Television Critics Association in 2015 (via Deadline) that he and the series’ crew designed “Eye Candy” as a way to find “the horror in the mundane.”
Advertisement
When “Eye Candy” finally premiered in January 2015, it not only looked a whole lot different from the original pilot, but it was also a dramatic departure from R. L. Stine’s source material, having clearly only been loosely based on the book.
Eye Candy was only a loose adaptation that lasted one season
When the “Eye Candy” TV show finally hit the airwaves after overhauling its original cast, it didn’t exactly prove to be a faithful adaptation of R. L. Stine’s original novel. In the show, Victoria Justice’s Lindy is a reformed hacker who’s just been paroled and celebrates by venturing into the world of online dating, signing up to the app “Flirtual” using the alias “Eye Candy.” Soon, however, she discovers a sinister lurker who has been watching her online profile. Lindy then tries to use her tech skills to track down this mysterious figure, but soon learns that they’re more formidable than she believed. In fact, her stalker turns out to be a serial killer, prompting Lindy and her friends to team up against them while also searching for Lindy’s missing sister, Sara.
Advertisement
Alongside Justice and Guillén, the series co-starred Casey Deidrick, Kiersey Clemons, and John Garet Stoker, and it was shot on-location in New York City. Again, though, it didn’t fare too well, as MTV canceled “Eye Candy” after just one season. Justice herself confirmed the news via an April 2015 post on Twitter/X, where she wrote, “I wanted you guys to hear it from me first, that the cast and I received news that ‘Eye Candy’ will not be returning for season 2.” The actor went on to praise the show’s cast and crew, reserving a “very special thank you” for Jason Blum and the Blumhouse team. Meanwhile, TVLine reported that the cancellation was simply the result of low ratings.
At the time, MTV was gearing up to launch its “Scream” series, which would ultimately run for three seasons, and “Eye Candy,” with its mediocre ratings, seemingly just wasn’t required. As such, that original cast probably doesn’t feel too bad about being replaced. Would things have been different if the show had hewed closer to the original book or kept its original ensemble in place? It’s impossible to say, but in an age of early 2000s nostalgia (not to mention the fact we generally live in the age of newstalgia), perhaps a direct adaptation might fare better today. If not, there are roughly 500 other R. L. Stine books to choose from.
Advertisement
