“A teenager teams up with the daughter of young adult horror author R. L. Stine after the writer’s imaginary demons are set free on the town of Madison, Delaware.” – IMDb
Starring
Jack Black, Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush
Directed by
Rob Letterman
Box Office:
$158,261,424 Worldwide
Review
I read most of the Goosebumps books as a child, and I enjoyed watching the television series. I am not a massive Jack Black fan (he’s okay but not my favorite). Nevertheless, I was really excited when a six-year-old little boy I know requested we go see the recent film release of Goosebumps. Here’s the trailer if you haven’t seen it yet!
Thoughts
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the film. While there were scenes that caused me to roll my eyes, it was still fun to watch. However, if you do bring younger children, be prepared to have them hold on to your arm until it goes numb for a few scenes. The monsters and other characters can be quite scary; I don’t blame anyone for being a bit afraid. It is rated PG though, so don’t be worried about it being too scary for children.
For anyone who has read the books as I did, you will enjoy the memories that come flooding back throughout the film.
I don’t want to give any spoilers, but they make reference to:
- The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena
- Night of the Living Dummy (Slappy the Dummy still gets to me, but that might just be due to the fact that I’ve also watched Dead Silence too many times)
- Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes
- Werewolf of Fever Swamp
- My Best Friend Is Invisible
While the characters from those books make the longest appearances, you also get to see characters from Attack of the Graveyard Ghouls, When the Ghost Dog Howls, The Horror at Chiller House, A Nightmare on Clown Street, The Creepy Creations of Professor Shock, The Haunted Mask, Vampire Breath, A Night in Terror Tower, Escape From the Carnival of Horrors, Calling All Creeps!, Deep in the Jungle of Doom, Help! We Have Strange Powers!, and Creep From the Deep.
I found the entire cast to be a good fit and yes, that includes Jack Black. They all have good chemistry and Ryan Lee does a good job of playing the “funny, geeky” kid.
I laughed several times throughout the film. “Letterman [also] stated that he tried to combine both humor and horror in the film, commenting that “[t]he books themselves are legitimately scary, but they’re legitimately funny, and we try to capture that.” Manning, Shaun (July 27, 2014). “SDCC | Sony Pictures Raises ‘Goosebumps,’ Displays ‘Pixels’”. Comic Book Resources. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
I was also delighted when at the end, R.L Stine makes a quick appearance. Danny Elfman is one of my favorite composers, and the music throughout the film was also amazing. The fact that they also featured Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix) by Yeah Yeah Yeahs & DJ A-Trak made me very happy. I love that song and it fits into the film perfectly.
Overall
It is a good family film and I would watch it again. It is receiving good reviews so far! While it is far from an amazing movie, it was entertaining in the right ways. Since the end leaves the possibility open for a sequel, I look forward to seeing if it will be materialized.
What were your favorite R.L Stine books? Are you planning on seeing this film? Let me know in the comment section below!
See also:
The Jungle Book (2016) Movie Review
