This is something screenwriters/executive producers Dan Angel and Billy Brown are more than aware of, having shepherded the GOOSEBUMPS series to TV and now bringing R.L. Stine’s slightly older skewing horror book series THE HAUNTING HOUR to life as a feature-length direct-to-DVD film titled DON’T THINK ABOUT IT. The movie also makes its TV debut tonight on Cartoon Network, 7:00 p.m. (EST).

HANNAH MONTANA’s Emily Osment plays thirteen-year old Goth girl Cassie who likes to scare people, particularly her scaredy cat younger brother Max (Alex Winzenread). When she stumbles upon a strange Halloween store run by The Stranger (SAW’s Tobin Bell), she buys a book called "The Evil Thing" that when read out loud, conjures up a decidedly nasty two-headed creature that is particularly hungry … and not for pizza. Naturally, the book is the real deal and Cassie has to put aside her own inner anger and save her baby brother from being monster kibble.

Both Angel and Brown spoke with iF MAGAZINE about their latest venture, making horror palatable for a younger audience and the prospects of a potential TV series in PART 1 of this exclusive two part interview.

iF MAGAZINE: Both of you were involved with the R.L. Stine GOOSEBUMPS TV series. What makes THE HAUNTING HOUR different from that franchise?

BILLY BROWN: Probably the main difference is that is skew a bit older. GOOSEBUMPS stayed away from girl-boy romance, but in this first HAUNTING HOUR movie there is a romantic triangle involving Cassie, Sean and Priscilla.

iF: I think parents forget that kids like to be scared as much as they do. That said, do you feel you have to be careful how far you go with horror on a project like this? Are there specific rules or guidelines?

DAN ANGEL: We have a few specific rules, no gore and violence, no sex and no bad language, but we will be scary.

BROWN: It’s more common sense rather than any strict guidelines. In general we avoid human gore. Kids don’t die. By the end of the movie, kids feel empowered.

iF: Is it a challenge to get the word out to older horror fans about THE HAUNTING HOUR? I know the GOOSEBUMPS TV series still has a rabid following in the genre community even if certain hardcore horror fans won’t admit it.

BROWN: I suppose it is a challenge. Certainly the marketing is targeted to a tween and teen audience. The hope is that as kids and teens watch it, their parents will get drawn in, too.

ANGEL: Obviously R.L. Stine is a great horror brand for family, but we are also excited that we have a wonderful cast including Emily Osment from HANNAH MONTANA that will help drive our business and viewer-ship because those fans want to see her in a leading role and they too love horror. A strong cast, R.L. Stine and great story all help towards potential success in getting the word out.

iF: What I liked about THE HAUNTING HOUR is that it doesn’t talk down to kids. It assumes they watch horror movies, they’re into Goth music and that they have normal problems like everyone else does. In a way, it’s a throwback to the way kid films were in the ‘80s, as opposed to this self-awareness, wink-at-the-camera kid’s films that have been coming out lately.

BROWN: That’s a reflection of Dan’s and my aesthetic. We generally don’t like self-referential, "wink-wink" types of effects. We believe in the reality of our character’s emotions and we try to true to that. Many of the traits of our characters are things we have witnessed with our own kids and their friends. It’s just good, basic storytelling that has worked for a thousand years.

ANGEL: We always want to entertain kids, but make sure our movies are also entertaining for the adults. Most of our projects have succeeded at entertaining the entire family. Joe Dante and [Steven] Spielberg used to make this type of movie all the time and we miss this kind of story-telling. That’s why we were excited to do THE HAUNTING HOUR and bring back those great thrill ride movies from the ‘80’s.

iF: Emily Osment is completely different in this movie than on HANNAH MONTANA -- was she excited to do something so different?

ANGEL: Not only was she excited; she escaped into this character and truly became Cassie. She is an incredibly talented actress with great range -- she is going to be a big star.

BROWN: And one could not ask for a more professional, self-motivated actor. She approaches her work with intelligence and diligence, and has the natural talent to back it up. I would love to work with her again. She also has a way with witty dialogue that reminds me of the some of the great actresses of the thirties and forties – a kind of intelligent, self-possession.

iF: Were there discussions of how Goth to make her? 

BROWN: Of course. We needed to come up with a look that was natural to Emily’s innate persona, and would also be true to the character. We didn’t want to make her over the top neurotic, but at the same time, she had to be different. I think what we came up with worked well.

iF: When did you decide to do the song "I Don’t Think About it" with Emily? Wasn’t this a late addition to the project?

ANGEL: Yes. We had heard that Emily was very interested in singing and we had a song written for her that she embraced. We very quickly recorded the song and were thrilled with the results. We decided to use it in the end credits and as bonus material and shot a music video that was also part of the bonus material features. With HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL, Miley Cyrus and other teen artists breaking out, it was clear that our audience was very interested in the pop music world. We were trilled that Emily could make a contribution to our movie by singing this song and showing that her talents don’t just stop at acting. She is a wonderful singer

iF: Any chance of this becoming a regular TV series, or is it just a yearly movie franchise?

ANGEL: We always intended THE HAUNTING HOUR to spin off into a TV series. The movie premieres on Cartoon Network tonight at 7:00 p.m. and if the ratings are strong we are hoping to build the series with that network.

CHECK BACK MONDAY FOR PART 2 OF OUR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

(Additional reporting by Anthony C. Ferrante)