David Schwimmer’s ‘Goosebumps’ Debut Is Full of Dad Jokes, Hauntings and Spooky Transformations

David Schwimmer might be battling a spooky — and mysterious — evil in Goosebumps: The Vanishing , but that doesn't mean he doesn't have time for a dad joke.

During the New York City Comic Con panel for Goosebumps: The Vanishing on Sunday, October 20, Disney released the first official trailer for the second season. The sneak peek introduced Us to Schwimmer's character Anthony and his kids Devin ( Sam McCarthy ) and Cece ( Jayden Bartels ).

"I want you to have a really fun but also safe summer out here," Schwimmer's character tells his children. "I only have one rule, stay out of the basement."

Devin and Cece are later questioned about how Anthony's brother was " one of the kids who went missing " three decades prior. A chain of events is ultimately set in motion when Jen ( Ana Ortiz ) delivers Anthony's presumably deceased brother's clothes back to him.

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Anthony looks through the items and sees something he can't explain. This leads to him being dragged around his basement by vines from his plants before he notices something taking him over.

"Holy crap, there is something in my arm!" he screams before seemingly making a transformation throughout the season. Anthony doesn't tell his children what is going on, instead opting to mask the eerie events with a dad joke. "Hey, what kind of plant should you always watch out for? An ambush," he quips.

Later in the clip, Anthony is seen attacking Trey's ( Stony Blyden ) car. Trey gets revenge by trashing into Anthony's basement, which is how he goes missing once he gets sucked into something Anthony was hiding.

"Dad is behind all the crazy stuff that has been happening," Cece noted before Jen asks Anthony if he had "a kid in" his basement. Anthony denies the assumption but s omething sinister appears to be messing not only with him but his kids and their friend group too.

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"Who knows how kids get these ideas? Too many horror shows on TV, I say," Anthony says at the end of the trailer.

Goosebumps , which premiered in October 2023, takes inspiration from R.L. Stine' s popular horror novels. The horror series was introduced as a show that followed five teenagers who had to work together after accidentally releasing supernatural forces into their small town. While trying to recapture the evil spirits, the group unlocked secrets of their parents' pasts.

The Disney series initially starred Isa Briones, Ana Yi Puig, Zack Morris, Miles McKenna and Will Price as the show's protagonists. However, when the series was renewed four months later, Disney confirmed there would be a cast and story shakeup. In addition to Schwimmer, 57, the second season stars Ortiz, Bartels, McCarthy, Blyden, Elijah M. Cooper, Galilea La Salvia and Francesca Noel .

According to the synopsis, Goosebumps: The Vanishing "begins when twins Cece and Devin Brewer are sent to spend a summer in Gravesend, Brooklyn, with their divorced dad. A threat is stirring, and they quickly realize that dark secrets are among them, triggering a chain of events that unravel a profound mystery."

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The search into the unknown makes Cece, Devin and their friends realize they are "entangled in the chilling tale of four teenagers who mysteriously vanished in 1994." Based on the description of Schwimmer’s character , one of the books explored in season 2 would be Stay Out of the Basement. The novel focused on a doctor — and father of two — who did plant-testing in his basement. However, his kids quickly started to question how harmless the plants were when their father developed plantlike tendencies.

Goosebumps has previously referenced books such as Welcome to Dead House, Say Cheese and Die!, The Haunted Mask, The Cuckoo Clock of Doom, Go Eat Worms!, Night of the Living Dummy, You Can't Scare Me! and Welcome to Horrorland .

Goosebumps: The Vanishing premieres on Disney+ and Hulu Friday, January 10, 2025.