On October 16, the bumps are gonna goose ya in theaters across the country as Goosebumps unleashes its unique brand of kid-friendly terror on unsuspecting audiences. Based on the long-running children’s book series by R.L. Stine, the film stars Jack Black as the famous author whose creations come to life and begin terrorizing a small Delaware town. The family friendly horror-comedy delivers big laughs, tense setpieces, and more nostalgia than is medically advisable. Recently, I sat down with Black at a special Goosebumps screening for Nerdist readers to chat with the star about his latest film. As is always the case when I speak with Mr. Black, things got wild and woolly, and our conversation took more twists and turns than a sentient pretzel in a hedge maze.

In our wide-ranging conversation, we talked about why Goosebumps is his favorite project yet, what it was like making the spooky 1990s throwback jam “‘Bumps Gonna Goose Ya”, and the sequels he most wants to make. Oh, and he really hates Exorcist II: The Heretic. But you’ll just have to watch the video yourself to find out why. Then, you may as well watch “‘Bumps Gonna Goose Ya” just for good measure…

Goosebumps follows young Zach Cooper (Dylan Minnette) as he moves to a sleepy Delaware town with his mother in the wake of his father’s death. Things begin to look up when he meets his beautiful neighbor Hannah (Odeya Rush), but her father, the famous author R.L. Stine (Jack Black), wants nothing to do with the teenaged transplant. However, fate brings them all together when, in a terrifying twist, Zach accidentally unleashes all of Stine’s monstrous creations from the pages of their respective books.

What was your favorite Goosebumps book growing up? What Jack Black project do you most want a sequel to? Let us know in the comments below.

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Image: Columbia Pictures

Dan Casey is the senior editor of Nerdist and the author of books about Star Wars and the Avengers. You can follow him on Twitter (@Osteoferocious).