Tubi and Stine are framing this as a nostalgic return to form, positioning the streamer as the new home for childhood nightmares while highlighting the creative synergy between Stine and director Jem Garrard.
Insiders are buzzing about the casting of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 8 champion Jimbo in a straight horror role. Is Tubi trying to capture the queer audience, or is Jimbo finally breaking out of the drag bubble into mainstream scary territory?
This is the third Stine collaboration for Tubi, following 'R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead' (released Oct 2025) and 'Pumpkinhead 2' (debuting Oct. 9, 2026). Stine explicitly stated, 'Clowns have been scaring kids long before I ever got to them.'
Tubi isn't just buying rights anymore; they are building a Stine empire, and putting a Drag Race champion in a clown movie is the kind of chaotic energy we live for.
Hold onto your oversized shoes, because the horror landscape is shifting, and it’s happening on the platform you probably already have open in the background. Variety has exclusively revealed that 'R.L. Stine’s Afraid of Clowns' is coming to Tubi in 2027.
This isn't just another random adaptation; it’s the third time the 'Goosebumps' mastermind has partnered with the free ad-supported streaming service. After the release of 'R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead' in October 2025 and the upcoming debut of 'Pumpkinhead 2' on October 9, it’s clear Tubi is betting big on Stine’s brand of kid-friendly terror.
But this time, the stakes feel higher, and the cast list feels... unexpected. Let’s talk about the casting, because it is absolute chaos in the best way possible. The film stars Frankie Honey, Ava Ferrer, Azriel Dalman, and Joe Moore.
But the name that has the internet doing a double-take is Jimbo. Yes, that Jimbo. The 'RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars' Season 8 champion is stepping into a traditional horror role.
It’s a bold move that blurs the lines between drag performance and straight acting, raising the question: Is Tubi trying to corner the market on niche horror fans, or are they genuinely banking on Jimbo’s crossover appeal? Either way, seeing a drag queen go toe-to-toe with a clown troupe is the content we didn’t know we needed. The official logline drops us into the town of Redhaven, where Ringmaster Rollo and his mysterious clown troupe arrive.
The protagonist, Frankie, discovers their visit is linked to a child who vanished years ago. Convinced the clowns are now targeting her little brother, Frankie must rally her friends to uncover the truth before he disappears for good. It’s classic Stine structure: a small town, a mysterious outsider, and a group of kids who know too much.
Director Jem Garrard, who also helmed and wrote the 'Pumpkinhead' sequels, returns to the writer-director chair. With producers including James Mattagne and Joan Waricha, the team is clearly doubling down on a formula that’s already working. Adam Lewinson, Tubi’s chief content officer, was quick to frame this as a service to nostalgia, stating that Stine has been 'the first taste of fear for legions of fans.' Stine himself offered a cryptic but fitting quote: 'Clowns have been scaring kids long before I ever got to them — I just gave them a reason to be afraid of the ones in Redhaven.' With a release window set for 2027, we have a year to wait.
But given Tubi’s aggressive expansion of the Stine catalog, this might just be the start of a much larger, much scarier franchise. Keep your eyes on Redhaven; the clowns are coming.
