Designing Fear: How Goosebumps Costumes Shape Horror & Character - Vanessa Porter

From shy theater kid to Disney+ horror powerhouse—Goosebumps costume designer Vanessa Porter reveals how wardrobe secretly drives fear, character, and story.

In this in-depth conversation, host Catherine Baumgardner sits down with Vanessa Porter, the costume designer for Disney+'s Goosebumps, to unpack how wardrobe becomes a powerful storytelling tool in modern television and horror. Vanessa traces her journey from a quiet, shy childhood into high-school theater, CalArts training, indie film work, and eventually major studio series—highlighting how theater and film costume design overlap, and where they radically differ.

The discussion dives deep into Goosebumps: balancing grounded realism with heightened horror, designing for fast production timelines, and using color palettes, textures, silhouettes, and fit to express character arcs. Vanessa breaks down specific examples—like Cassie's shift from rigid, perfectionist outfits to looser, more casual looks—and how subtle wardrobe changes track emotional growth. She also explores genre blending (horror, comedy, coming-of-age), Easter-egg inspirations from classic films like Christine, Rosemary's Baby, and 1970s horror, and how costume can quietly influence actor performance.

Beyond Goosebumps, the conversation expands into career advice for designers, collaboration under pressure, working with young actors, defining success beyond awards, and why costume design communicates emotional truth that dialogue alone cannot. A must-listen for filmmakers, costume designers, theater artists, horror fans, and film students interested in visual storytelling and character-driven design.

The "Voice of Costume" is the first podcast created between working costume designers sharing stories, inspiration, struggles, and insights into the creative career of costume design. A behind-the-scenes podcast to showcase the voices of Costume Designers around the world. Listen in on this inspirational, one-on-one conversation with Catherine Baumgardner.

Audio available wherever you get podcasts.

https://voiceofcostume.com/