Where did R L Stine get the idea of the haunting hour?

Answer 1

I went to his web site and will quote him about his writing. " I always liked scary movies and books. When I was about 8 or 9 I started reading Horror comic books."

"My ideas come from everywhere, but most start with the title. I try to dream up really good book titles. Once I have the title it leads me to a story. I've never gotten a good idea from a dream. I have the most boring dreams."

Answer 2

R.L. Stine got the idea for "The Haunting Hour" from his own experiences with scary stories and urban legends. He wanted to create a series that would give kids a good scare just like the classic episodes of "The Twilight Zone" did for him when he was younger.