For the 1995 Series episode of the same name, see "Say Cheese and Die"
"Say Cheese and Die!" is the first episode of Season 1 of the Disney+/Hulu series, Goosebumps.
Synopsis[]
Isaiah rushes to stop a cursed camera's chilling predictions from becoming reality.
Plot[]
1993
Harold Biddle leaves Port Lawrence High School and goes home. He goes down to the basement, where he puts a worm in a terrarium and then takes a picture of it. He takes another picture of a mask sitting on a desk. Then he sits at a desk and opens a book of drawings. He takes a pen and begins writing on one of the pages. After nightfall, the doorbell rings. Harold answers it, but no one is there. He closes the door and the bell rings again. He opens the door and calls out, but no one answers. When he goes back inside, the door closes behind him and then things in his house start to move on their own. When the power goes out, he lights a candle. He goes back in the basement and locks the door behind him, but he trips on the steps, which starts a fire that spreads quickly through the basement.
2023
Isaiah Howard and James Etten enter the diner where Nora Parker is working. They start to order food, but she tells them the card reader isn't working, so it's cash-only. Since they don't have any cash, she gives them a handful of saltines, which they accept.
Isaiah and James eat the saltines as they leave. Behind them, Lucas Parker, Nora's son, attempts to skateboard off the roof and falls, busting his mouth. Despite this, he insists he's fine. Nora runs out and yells at him. As they get in the car, James says that Lucas makes him nervous. Isaiah isn't sure how he's still alive.
Coach Rifkin starts a pep rally by introducing the football team, highlighting the captain, Isaiah. Isaiah leads the team onto the court and hypes the crowd while Isabella Chen-Lopez films from the sidelines. Margot Stokes is in the audience reading a book. Her father, Colin Stokes, sits with her, but she quickly reminds him that they aren't related at school. She tells him the book she's reading is her way of hiding that she has no school spirit. He tells her it's not working. Isaiah continues his speech about this being their year to be champions. James, dressed as the mascot, starts thrusting his hips. Mr. Stokes gets up to tell him not to hump the air. With Mr. Stokes' seat empty, Lucas quickly sits in it and talks to Margot, who is surprised that he's talking to her. As Isaiah finishes his speech, Isabella begs him not to drop it right as he does exactly that. Isaiah then calls his girlfriend, Allison, onto the court and kisses her.
In the hallway, Isaiah tells James he thinks the pep rally went well and he's not even nervous for Friday night. James stops him to look at Sam, who is at his locker. James tells Isaiah to be cool, but after Sam walks away, he tells Isaiah he failed. Allison comes up to them and Isaiah informs her that James still hasn't asked Sam out. She asks what's taking him so long. Allison gets a notification on her phone and shows them a video of her announcing her Halloween party, but it has the sounds of farm animals in it. Someone keeps trolling her. It's had over a thousand views. Isaiah says it's not that bad, but James knows it is. Allison is annoyed. It's clearly someone at school. She's not mean to anyone, so why is she being trolled? James asks if Sam is coming to her party. Her response is interrupted by Mr. Stokes asking to talk to Isaiah.
Mr. Stokes says Isaiah played a great game last week, but has somehow landed on academic probation and can't play in the game on Friday. Isaiah doesn't believe it. He has to play because there will be scouts at the game. Mr. Stokes says he already talked to Ms. Dowling, who said he needs to get an A on the big history test tomorrow to get off probation. Isaiah didn't even know there was a test tomorrow. Mr. Stokes says they're counting on him to get the A.
Nathan Bratt pulls up outside the Biddle house, his new home. Several workers are working outside. He goes inside and finds someone in the fireplace. He startles them and finds out it's Ben Howard. They introduce themselves. Ben is helping making the place livable, which is all Bratt needs. This house is a huge upgrade for him. He inherited as the closest living relative. He never thought he'd own a house, especially one like this, on his salary. He points to a door and asks where it goes. Ben says it's the basement. He asks if Bratt knows what happened there. Bratt does and says he knows the parents disappeared after the kid died, which he takes to mean they did it. Bratt wants to check out the basement, but Ben says the door is stuck and won't budge. He offers to panel over the door because it's best if everyone stays out. Bratt wants to see what's down there first. He takes a crowbar and tries to pry it open. He hurts himself and fails to open the door. Ben says he's going to need stitches and offers to drive him. As they leave, his blood snakes its way up the door and through the gaps in the handle. Then the door opens.
Laura and Ben are fighting about money when Isaiah comes home. Laura wants every extra dollar to go into Isaiah's educational account because they can't be certain he'll get a full ride. Ben disagrees, saying it's a sure thing. She believes in Isaiah, but they can't hang their future on his shoulders. They stop arguing when they see Isaiah watching. Ben asks how practice was and if he's feeling good about Friday. Isaiah says he is.
Isaiah is sitting outside, playing with a football when Margot approaches asking if he's okay in the secret language they used when they were kids. He insists he's fine, but she knows he isn't. She heard his parents fighting and doesn't think it's fair for them to be banking on him. He says it doesn't matter because he can't play anyway. If he doesn't get an A on the history test, he can't play and then he's no good to anyone. She says football isn't the only thing he has to offer. And this ins't a big deal. He just has to get an A. She asks how much he's read. He hasn't done any of it. He asks her to help. She's excited to help him study, but he wants her to show him her answers. She doesn't like the idea of helping him cheat, but agrees when he begs.
Margot takes her test while Isaiah fiddles with his pencil behind her. Their teacher, Ms. Dowling, is asleep. Margot puts her answer sheet where Isaiah can see it and copy it.
Margot says that that was dangerous, but she feels a rush now. She's going to journal about it. Isaiah asks her not to write down their crimes. He asks how she thinks they did. She's sure it's an A and he'll be able to play. He thanks her. She starts to ask him about doing something after school, but Allison interrupts, pulling Isaiah away and telling him the troll sent the invitation to her parents, so now she has to cancel the party. She wonders who could hate her so much. Isaiah says she just needs a new venue.
James, Isaiah, and Allison arrive at the Biddle house. They go up to the door and Isaiah puts in the code to open it. The new owner isn't moving in until tomorrow, so they're going to have the party there. They go inside and start setting things up for the party. Isaiah takes off his shirt and puts on a wig. He's Thor. When Allison and James don't get it, he takes the wig off and gives up on it. Allison asks where the kid died and Isaiah tells her it was in the basement. It caught on fire and he got trapped inside. Allison thinks the place might be haunted, but Isaiah says that makes it perfect for Halloween. He starts some music, but the power goes out. They start searching for the fuse box. They hear a door opening and Isaiah walks toward the sound over James' objection. He follows it to the basement. He thinks the fuse box is down there. Margot startles them by arriving. Allison asks what she's doing there and she says she was invited. Isaiah says he invited her because everyone was invited. Margot thought the party started at eight, but they explain that everyone normally shows up an hour late. Isaiah asks who will go down to the basement with him. Margot offers, but Allison objects and Isaiah asks James to go. James refuses and Margot is upset that Isaiah won't let her go. Isaiah goes downstairs alone.
In the basement, Isaiah looks around with his flashlight. He's scared when he sees the mask. Then he finds a camera, which he picks up.
The basement door slams shut. They think James did it, but he says it wasn't him. They knock on the door and try to open it. They hear creaking on the stairs and then Isaiah opens the door, flashing the camera at them as he comes out. Allison tells him that wasn't funny. Allison takes the picture and starts to shake it, but Margot tells her that's a myth perpetuated by the song Hey Ya. Isaiah takes a picture of Margot and the lights come back on. Margot thinks Isaiah found the fuse box, but he says it wasn't down there. Allison is just glad the lights are working now. She wants to finish setting up before people arrive.
More people arrive at the party. Margot sits alone, watching Isaiah and Allison fight. Lucas pulls down a mounted deer head. He comes up behind Margot and tells her he likes her costume, but doesn't know what she is. She tells him she's a spy. He came as a guy with brain damage. He shows her a cup of worms he found in the kitchen. He doesn't know what kind they are.
Allison says she wouldn't have cared about Margot coming, but Isaiah made it weird. Isaiah says it's not a big deal. Margot helped him with something and he invited her. Allison asks what Margot could have helped with that she couldn't, as his girlfriend. Isaiah says he and Margot are neighbors and have been forever. Allison is upset and walks away.
Margot tells Isaiah she's going to leave. She asks why he didn't tell Allison she was coming. He found it easier to avoid it. He says Allison is just stressed, but Margot says not to put it on Allison. Allison now hates her because of something Isaiah did. She tells him she's not the girl he cheats with, on his girlfriend or on tests. She leaves. Lucas asks Isaiah if he wants to see him eat a worm. Just then, the lights flicker. It's Bratt, who tells them he's the owner of the house. The teens start to run out.
As he runs out, Isaiah asks people if they've seen Allison.
Bratt watches as the teens leave.
Isaiah tries to call Allison, but the call doesn't go through.
Allison sees someone in the woods and asks if they know the way back to the road. They don't answer, so she turns and walks the other way. She sees them again and screams when they walk toward her.
Isaiah hears Allison screaming and tries to find her.
Allison runs into Harold Biddle, who bursts into flames in front of her. She screams when someone touches her, but it's Isaiah. He helps her get up.
Isaiah tells James Allison is taking a few days off, but she'll be okay. She thinks it was some kind of prank. James is glad she's okay. Isaiah asks where James was because he missed the excitement. James says he and Sam generated some excitement on their own. They were making out. Isaiah sees Bratt approaching. Bratt says he's looking for Isaiah Howard and Isaiah ignores him. Finally, James raises his hand and points Isaiah out. He leaves as Bratt approaches. He puts Isaiah's bag on the table. He left it at Bratt's house last night. Isaiah thanks him for bringing it back. Bratt was coming to the school anyway because he's their new English teacher. Isaiah says he has no idea how his bag ended up at Bratt's house. He tries to leave, but Bratt stops him. He was a teen once and knows how fun it is to make and decisions. He's not mad. No one's parents need to know and they can start fresh. In exchange, he needs Isaiah to spread the word that a person now lives in his house and they can't party there anymore. Isaiah promises to do that and gives Bratt the key to his house back. Isaiah opens his bag and finds the polaroids inside. The one of Allison shows her on the ground how he found her outside the party and the one of Margot shows her choking at the school. He is confused.
Margot puts money into a vending machine and selects her item. She doesn't notice when her selection changes and the wrong item falls out because she sees someone standing at the end of the hallway and is distracted. She grabs her snack and takes a bite as she asks the person if she can help them. The bell rings and the hallway fills with students. Margot starts to cough and someone asks if she's okay. Isaiah finds her and says she has a nut allergy and sends another student to get the nurse. He asks Margot if she has her EpiPen and when she says yes, he gets it out of her bag and injects it into her leg just as Mr. Stokes and the nurse arrive. Isaiah pulls the picture out of his pocket and sees that it matches the view in front of him.
James climbs into his jeep and starts driving. He sees Isaiah in the road and hits a barrier avoiding him. He tries to show James the pictures, but when James looks, they're blank. Isaiah tells him they showed things before they happened. He thinks the camera is haunted. James asks to see the camera. He takes a picture of Isaiah, saying there's no such thing as a haunted camera, but the scratch on his new car is real. He gets back in his car and drives away. Isaiah looks at the picture and finds an image of himself, cradling a broken arm in his football uniform.
Isaiah goes to Margot, who says she was coming to thank him for saving her life. She can't believe she picked the wrong bar. That's never happened before. She notices he seems nervous and asks if something is wrong. He shows her the picture, but, like James, it's blank when she looks at it. Isaiah yells at the camera, knowing it doesn't want him showing anyone. He tells Margot the camera is trying to ruin his future and it's the reason she choked. She says no, she ate the wrong bar. He says the same thing happened to Allison. If he plays in the game, he'll be the next victim. But if he doesn't play, the scouts won't see him and he won't get his scholarship. Either way, the camera is ruining his life. He wants Margot's help. She's upset that he's making this about himself instead of coming to check on her. She can't be the person he comes to when he has problems. He knows that, but says this is different. She says he has to solve his on his own, that she's done.
Isaiah tells the camera it can't hurt him if it doesn't exist. He takes it to the garage and breaks it with a hammer, then lights it on fire, burning the picture in the flame.
As Isaiah plays, Ben and Laura cheer from the stands. Isaiah is playing well. The first half ends with them in the lead.
In the locker room, Isaiah gives a rousing speech to the team, hyping them up for the second half. He opens his locker to find the camera there, intact, but before he can do anything, they're shepherded back to the field. Isaiah tells Rifkin to bench him, but the coach refuses. Isaiah tells the team the goal is now to protect him. The team is confused, but he is insistent that they protect him even if they lose. The referee blows the whistle and his teammates tell him to get his head in the game. They get a penalty for delaying the game. Isaiah hesitates as people tell him to call the snap. He calls for a time out, but the referee looks like Harold Biddle, who bursts into flames, lighting the field on fire. Isaiah imagines himself playing among the flames, fighting off other players.
In the crowd, Nora calls for them to stop the game. Ben and Laura notice and realize something's wrong.
As Isaiah runs, he falls and breaks his arm. Ben and Laura run to him and call for a medic. They tell him help is on the way. He sees his arm and starts screaming.
Ben goes to Isaiah's room, where Laura is by his bedside. Isaiah asks if they won and Ben tells him yes, not that that matters. He just talked to the doctor, who believes he'll make a full recovery with some physical therapy. It'll take 6-8 months if everything goes smoothly. That knocks him out for the season and ruins his chances of a scholarship. Ben tells him not to worry about that. He'll find some way to pay the tuition. Ben sees Nora out in the hallway and tells Isaiah to focus on healing. He steps out to the hallway.
In the hallway, Ben asks Nora what she's doing there. Nora says he's going to take what they did to him out on their children. She saw Biddle at the game. He's back and he's going to make them pay for what they did. It won't end with Isaiah.
Bratt is at home doing a crossword when the fire in his fireplace goes out. He thinks the teens are back. He gets up and sees Harold, whose spirit possesses Bratt. He looks up and smiles.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Zack Morris as Isaiah Howard
- Isa Briones as Margot Stokes
- Miles McKenna as James Etten
- Ana Yi Puig as Isabella Chen-Lopez
- Will Price as Lucas Parker
- Rachael Harris as Nora Parker
- Justin Long as Mr. Bratt
Guest starring[]
Co-Starring[]
- Lucia Walters as Laura Howard
- Aiden Howard as Sam
- Gardiner Millar as Coach Rifkin
- Terry O'Sullivan as Ms. Dowling
- Isaac Caverzan as Isaac
- Tyson Dornn as Tyson
- Cai Holm as High Schooler
- Gavin Langelo as Running Back
- Winson Won as Referee
- Shorya Lamba as Rando Kid
Music[]
| Song | Performer | Scene |
|---|---|---|
| "Drive" | R.E.M. |
|
| "Unholy" | Sam Smith and Kim Pietras |
|
| "Good Luck" | Abhi the Nomad |
|
| "Poppin Non-Stop" | Photronique |
|
| "Hey Ya" | Cast (Isa Briones) |
|
| "Strings" | Ark Woods, RUSL |
|
| "Vampire" | Payday, Danny Brown |
|
| "Your favorite sidekick" | underscores, 8485 |
|
| "Rosie" | Sophiya |
|
| "The Big Bang" | Stix Randolph, Bart Hendrickson |
|
| "Goosebumps (remix)" | Travis Scott & HVME |
|
Gallery[]
Episode Stills[]
