Ryan Gosling Appeared In Two Beloved '90s Horror Anthologies When He Was A Kid

Ryan Gosling is not only one of the best actors of his generation, but over the past decade, he's been doing some of the greatest comedic work of the past 15 years between his role in "Barbie" and his "Saturday Night Live" appearances. But before he was just Ken, and even before he became a heartthrob in "The Notebook," Gosling had a fascinating career as a young teenager. 

As a kid, he was not only part of "The All-New Mickey Mouse Club" alongside Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Keri Russell, but he also part of the "Hercules" TV cinematic universe. However, for millions of millennials out there, Ryan Gosling's biggest claim to fame as a kid was being a part of the two biggest horror shows of the 1990s, the two shows that taught a generation to fear, and to laugh. That's right, Ryan Gosling didn't have to pick between "Goosebumps" and "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" like many of us did in ferocious playground arguments, because the actor appeared in both horror anthologies.

In case you are too young or too old to remember those childhood scares, "Goosebumps" and "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" were two horror anthology shows geared towards kids that served as gateways into the spooky genre. They took a rather comedic approach to horror while still offering plenty of spooks and scares — just without going too far. Even today, they remain quite spooky.

So where can you catch Ryan Gosling in these two shows?

Ryan Gosling starred in the "Goosebumps" episode "Say Cheese and Die" (pictured just above) based on the R.L. Stine book of the same name, which followed the story of a kid who finds an instant camera that takes pictures showing future disasters that all start coming true. Like most of R.L. Stine's books, the story is a rather well-known and used a familiar premise effectively and with enough of a new take to feel fresh. 

Meanwhile, his "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" episode (pictured at the top) was titled "The Tale of Station 109.1" which follows a kid obsessed with death who discovers a radio station that takes listeners to the afterlife.

As for why Gosling appeared in both shows, the answer is simple: Both shows were filmed around the same time period. "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" filmed from 1992 to 1996 while "Goosebumps" lasted from 1995 to 1998, and both filmed in Canada. It wasn't just Gosling that was part of both shows, as they shared quite a lot of crew members and also actors. The two episodes Gosling acted in were atually directed by the same person, Ron Oliver, who directed several episodes of both horror anthologies.

Other actors who appeared in both shows include known names as Hayden Christensen. That's right, Anakin Skywalker himself once went toe to toe against Slappy on "Goosebumps."

As Ryan Gosling continues to become a comedy icon, some of us wish he would return to the horror genre. Even if it didn't work out for "Wolf Man," there's still hope for a "Say Cheese and Die" movie adaptation.