"Not the expected creepy Goosebumps story but surprisingly funny
and engaging.”
After selling 400 million copies worldwide, one of the
most popular young adult horror fiction series is finally adapted to the big
screen. Goosebumps, directed by Rob Letterman, follows a fictionalized version of the book’s author R.L. Stine and the
wondrous powers of his imagination.
After the untimely death of his father, clean-cut
teenager Zach Cooper (Dylan Minette) reluctantly moves from New York to the
small sleepy town of Madison, Delaware. His widowed mother, Gale (Amy Ryan),
accepts a job as a high school vice principal and hopes that their relocation
will be a fresh start for them. Zach has still no friends but geeky student Champ
(Ryan Lee) soon befriends him at school. Zach also strikes an interest with his vivacious
next door neighbor named Hannah (Odeya Rush). Unfortunately, Hannah’s overprotective
dad (Jack Black) is not thrilled with their friendship and orders Zach to stay away
from his daughter.
In the nights that follow, Zach observes mysterious screaming
and fighting in his neighbors. Wanting to protect Hannah, Zach enlists Champ’s
help and raids the next-door house. To their disbelief, Hannah’s father turns
out to be R.L. Stine. Worse, they discover that the monster he wrote comes to
life if the original leather-bound manuscripts are unlocked. After the the
“Abominable Snowman of Pasadena” is accidentally released, the notorious “Slappy
the Dummy” leads a rebellion and goes all over town conjuring Stine’s monsters. Working
together, Zach, Champ, Hannah and Stine rushes in to save the town from
complete annihilation.
Instead of adapting a single book, Goosebumps takes on a more inventive and wiser approach in
realizing Stine’s nastily delightful world. Here we are presented with “R.L.
Stine” himself as one of the lead characters. Three youngsters tag alongside him
as he battles not one but all of his monsters. It is a busy, noisy and chaotic
treat but equally funny and energetic. It is an endless and tireless chase as the
gang is constantly up against Slappy’s squad which includes the giant praying
mantis, wolfman, man-eating creepers, vampire poodle, demonic gnomes, blob and
aliens with freeze rays. Some sequences are also brilliantly-designed
monster-specific setpieces like the showdown with a snow man in an ice rink, the
invasion of the kitchen by the gnomes, the police precinct raided by alien
counterparts, and the rise of the dead at the cemetery.
The film is never too frightening but suspenseful enough to
make us jump off our seats. The horror is “child-friendly” that we know no one
is ever in real danger. In essence, the movie is more of an adventure fantasy
than a horror feature. Inarguably, the special
effects are awe-inspiring and overwhelming, and a right blend of both CGI and
practical effects. Plus, there are several references to horror royalty Stephen
King and his works.
As Stine stated, there is always a necessary twist to his
stories. In a heart-warming fashion, the movie also has a twist that heralds
the power of imagination and everyone’s inherent need to connect with another
person.
The cast is enthusiastic, perfectly matching the film’s
energy and wits. Black does not physically resemble Stine in real life;
nonetheless, he infuses humanity and relatability to the celebrated author. He also
strikes a comic chemistry with Lee. Minette is a good-looking and promising
star but his character is just too insipid to inspire. Rush seems the breakout
star here with her strong presence and mystic delivery.
Goosebumps is
bold when it crams in all of Stine’s monsters. It pays off and despite its
messy narrative, the film in general is dynamic, hilarious and slightly moving.
Production companies: Sony Pictures
Animation, LStar Capital, Village Roadshow Pictures, Original Film, Scholastic
Entertainment
Cast: Jack Black, Dylan Minnette, Odeya
Rush, Amy Ryan, Ryan Lee, Jillian Bell, Halston Sage, Timothy Simons, Ken Marino, Amanda Lund, R.L. Stine
Director: Rob Letterman
Screenwriter: Darren Lemke
Producers: Deborah Forte,
Neal H. Moritz
Executive producers: Tania Landau, Bill
Bannerman, Ben Waisbren, Bruce Berman, Greg Basser
Director of photography: Javier
Aguirresarobe
Production designer: Sean
Haworth
Costume designer: Judianna Makovsky
Editor: Jim May
Composer: Danny Elfman
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