Sony Pictures
The Goosebumps books by author R. L. Stine (yes, his real name) were quite omnipresent when I was young. I don’t recall them being particularly well written, but they were fun. The more you read, the more predictable they became, but a few in particular were good, especially “Night of the Living Dummy,” one of the most popular books. There was a TV series that basically adapted the books directly, but never a movie. Until now. They’ve been trying since the 90’s to make one — Tim Burton expressed interest back then — but now they finally got it down. Maybe that was the right call after all.
Goosebumps comes from director Rob Letterman, who has directed only bad movies until now. So good on ya, Rob! We start with sarcastic but sensitive teen Zach (Dylan Minnette) moving into a small town in Delaware with his mother Gale (Amy Ryan). Luckily they have family in town, a ridiculous Jillian Bell as Aunt Lorraine. She’s so absurd, it juxtaposes well with the low-key humor of Zach and Amy’s little jibes. Zach is the new kid in town, and the only one who’s talked to him is oddball Champ (Ryan Lee, from the brilliant but dead The Trophy Wife).
Until Zach spots a girl next door, Hannah (Odeya Rush) who is living with her mysterious father (Jack Black). Blah, blah, blah, misunderstandings and some funny scenes later, it turns out he’s actually the famous R. L. Stine, author of the Goosebumps books. And naturally, he’s actually really magic, having trapped all his famous ghouls, ghosts, and miscellaneous monsters in his books.
So, guess what accidentally happens?
There are some fun twists and turns, some exciting PG rated action, and pretty convincing CGI monsters. It gets a bit sappy in places, and it was certainly very oddly paced. The movie starts slow and introduces you to things, but when the monsters get out, it’s a race to the credits! That said, it’s an enjoyable movie and not too long. Jack Black also plays the voice of Slappy the demonic ventriloquist’s dummy, modeled after Jack Black himself. It’s a nice touch.
Now I wasn’t scared by the proceedings, but a few kids had some minor frights. The comedy is surprisingly mature, but not in a crude way, just well developed. A lot of laughs for adults, but not in the cheesy Dreamworks “reference” humor way. The cast works well, with Dylan Minnette and Odeya Rush as decent romantic action leads, Ryan Lee always hilarious, and even a way over-the-top Jack Black fitting in well.
I liked the idea of a sort of story about the stories, and I don’t want to spoil the specifics; suffice it to say this is one of the better family movies I’ve seen in awhile, probably the best since Paddington. This won’t be for everyone; some kids and adults may be bored by the romantic parts, and it’s a bit too intense for the very young. But for those of the right age, including those nostalgic for the old stories, this movie works quite well despite a few bumps in the road along the way.
Goosebumps has a running time of 1 hour 43 minutes and is rated PG for scary and intense creature action and images, and for some rude humor.
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