Tubi is expanding its catalogue of R.L. Stine adaptations with a new live-action feature based on the author’s The Babysitter series, the streamer announced at New York Comic-Con. The project, slated to debut on Tubi in 2027, continues the streamer’s recent push into nostalgic YA horror and adds another title to its growing Stine slate.
Chief Content Officer Adam Lewinson revealed the adaptation during a panel at the convention, confirming Trevor Calverley will direct from a screenplay by Jem Garrard, the creative force behind Tubi’s recent Pumpkinhead project. The announcement positions the film as Tubi’s next major genre release for 2027.
What the story will follow
The film centers on a 16-year-old named Jenny who takes a babysitting job to fund her dream of attending a prestigious writing program. As a string of threatening calls and reports of a prowler targeting local girls unsettle the neighborhood, Jenny finds herself increasingly isolated and suspicious—especially after a dangerous fugitive appears in town.
That tense, suspicion-driven premise is consistent with Stine’s original books, which combine adolescent stakes with an enclosed, claustrophobic atmosphere where trust becomes the main casualty.
Who’s behind the camera and on the credits
The production is being handled by Blue Ice. Executive producers attached include Lance Samuels, Joan Waricha, Jane Stine and Jem Garrard, while the producing team lists Dan Bernard, Yvonne Bernard, Tebogo Maila, Darren Cameron and Adam Friedlander.
- Title: The Babysitter (feature adaptation)
- Source: R.L. Stine’s The Babysitter book series (1989–1995)
- Director: Trevor Calverley
- Writer: Jem Garrard
- Production company: Blue Ice
- Platform: Tubi
- Planned release: 2027
Earlier this month Tubi unveiled another Stine adaptation: Afraid of Clowns, drawn from a short in Stine’s 1999 collection Nightmare Hour. That film—also scheduled for 2027—was written and directed by Garrard and features Frankie Honey, Ava Ferrer, Azriel Dalman, Joe Moore and Jimbo (known from RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars).
In Afraid of Clowns, a girl named Frankie grows wary of a traveling circus and its Ringmaster Rollo when she suspects the troupe’s arrival is linked to a long-ago disappearance. The story is set in Redhaven, a location that ties into Tubi’s recent Pumpkinhead release, and builds on the same small-town dread and youthful urgency that define Stine’s best-known work.
Why this matters now
Tubi’s continued investment in R.L. Stine adaptations reflects a wider streaming strategy: leveraging familiar, youth-oriented horror IP to attract subscribers and generate reliable, cross-generational interest. For viewers, the projects offer a blend of nostalgia and contemporary production values; for Tubi, they strengthen a branded content line that can be rolled out over multiple seasons and release windows.
With two Stine adaptations already on the platform and at least two more confirmed for 2027, Tubi is staking a claim in the mid-budget horror space at a time when streaming services are hunting for recognizable properties that can cut through a crowded release calendar.
Details on casting for The Babysitter and a specific release date or marketing plan are expected to follow as the production moves forward.
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Hello, I’m Declan. I share my film reviews and discoveries with you to enrich your moviegoing experience.