R. L. Stine’s horror stories are returning to the screen with a new movie centered on a sinister traveling clown troupe. The film will arrive as part of the streaming service’s growing partnership with the bestselling horror author.
Tubi announced R.L. Stine‘s Afraid of Clowns on Thursday, October 1. The live-action horror movie is scheduled to premiere exclusively on the platform in 2027. Frankie Honey, Ava Ferrer, Azriel Dalman, Joe Moore, and Jimbo, the Season 8 winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, are set to star in the project.
Front Street Pictures is producing the movie, which was written and directed by Jem Garrard. He previously directed both installments of Tubi’s R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead movies.
The story follows Frankie after Ringmaster Rollo and his traveling clown troupe arrive in Redhaven. She discovers that the troupe’s arrival may be connected to a child who vanished years ago. Frankie becomes worried that her younger brother might be the troupe’s next target. She attempts to convince her neighborhood friends to help investigate the performers and stop the clowns before her brother goes missing.
A new R. L. Stine movie is releasing on Tubi next week
Afraid of Clowns will be the third movie released through the streamer’s partnership with Stine. The collaboration began in October 2025 with R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead. Its sequel, R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead 2, is scheduled to premiere on Friday, October 9, as part of Tubi’s Terror on Tubi programming. For Afraid of Clowns, the story moves away from the Pumpkinhead mythology and introduces Rollo and his traveling performers as the main threat.
The partnership gives Stine another opportunity to bring original stories to the screen while Tubi continues to expand its horror-genre programming. The service has positioned its Terror on Tubi lineup as a major part of its October offerings, as its horror audience streams more than 53 million hours of the genre each month.
Tubi has not announced an exact premiere date for R.L. Stine’s Afraid of Clowns beyond its 2027 release window.