Author R.L. Stine, his daughter, and their neighbor must work fast
to save their town after every monster he ever created is set free. COMEDY/FAMILY/FANTASY
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Goosebumps (2015)Directed by Rob Letterman
Written by Darren Lemke Starring Jack Black, Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush, Ryan Lee, Amy Ryan, Jillian Bell Based on the book series by R.L. Stine |
Growing up, I was a huge fan of R.L. Stine's Goosebumps books. Naturally, when I heard they were making a movie featuring all of his terrifying creations, my inner child went insane. Luckily, Goosebumps turned out to be a highly nostalgic and exciting fright fest that was clearly made for fans of the books but can still be enjoyed by anybody.
Jack Black plays a fictional version of Goosebumps author R.L. Stine, whose freaky monsters somehow came to life when he was a teenager. The film isn't all too clear on how the monsters became real. It could be a curse, it could be a magic typewriter. Regardless, it doesn't hurt the film and makes it a lot less formulaic. Black gives a hilarious performance as Stine, playing him as a sheltered hermit who hates pretty much anybody and created these monsters so he would have friends. The main villain of the film is Slappy, the living dummy, one of Stine's scariest characters (also voiced by Black). While Slappy's potential isn't fully realized, he makes for an entertaining villain and stands out amongst the rabble that is the rest of the monsters. My one regret for the film is that we didn't get to see "The Haunted Mask" come to life. It was one of my favorite stories and I had hoped to see it. Apart from about five of the books, it isn't really clear which monsters came to life. I'd hoped for some sort of roll call, but seeing Slappy's monstrous army was good enough, I suppose. Overall, Goosebumps was an enjoyable family film that is also borderline scary, which is always what the franchise has been about. Viewers beware, you're in for a scare. |
When a Goosebumps movie was announced, I was both trepidatious and excited. As a kid growing up, I religiously read the books by R. L. Stine and watched the TV show that was made. Goosebumps was a humongous influence on my love of the horror genre, forming a deep interest to all things dark and scary in my youth. Needless to say, my expectations were high on this movie. Luckily, my fears were quickly put to rest as the movie turned out to be a nostalgic, loving homage to the immensely popular book series that will please old fans and bring in new ones.
First off, I want to give the filmmakers credit for finding a way to bring in all of Stine's creatures into one movie. Instead of adapting a single story, the filmmakers opted for a story that involves all of the author's creations being set free upon the world. As a fan, this was a great choice as I got to see some of his most famous monsters literally leap off the pages and onto the screen. Unfortunately, this leads to my only real complaint with the film, as well; which is the exclusion of some monsters. Hopefully, a sequel is made and they show the monsters they weren't able to. As for the performances, the younger actors do a great job, especially Ryan Lee as Champ. He consistently had me cracking up. Jack Black does a wonderful job as a fictionalized version of R.L. Stine. He's hilarious and does a great job with the younger actors. Black also voices the main villain of the film, legendary and iconic Goosebumps baddie, Slappy the ventriloquist dummy. The film did a great job with him and he was just as creepy in this as I remember him from the books. Aside from not being able to truly see all of the monsters from the books, Goosebumps is a wonderful adaptation of the popular book series. Longtime fans, just as myself, will find a lot to love and catch all the references. Newer fans will be entertained and, hopefully, be inspired to start reading the source material. Overall, this is an enjoyable family film that, along with the books, I hope to introduce to my future kids someday. Just like my fellow reviewer, there is only one true way to end this review: viewer beware, you're in for a scare. |