By Dash Jordan
Hey kids, it’s Dash Jordan. I hope you guys had a very fun and safe Halloween last night. I know I did. But, people seem to forget I’m weird. In other words, Everyday is Halloween! With that said, how about just one more treat for all my tricksters out there. It’s been staying under my radar for long enough. Reader, beware…
You’re in for…ehh, well it was funny.
‘Goosebumps’ is a horror-comedy released just this month, based on the children’s horror novellas of the same name by R.L. Stine. The film follows Jack Black playing a fictionalized version of the acclaimed author, his daughter Hannah and the new kid in town who accidently opens a ‘Goosebumps’ manuscript that unleashes one of the creatures from the books to life. Now the group has to save their town and capture all of the memorable monsters, all of which are lead by his most heinous and iconic villain; Slappy the ventriloquist’s dummy from ‘Night Of The Living Dummy’.
I know, we’ve seen this kind of story many, many times before. Especially, in films like ‘Jumanji’. Except for a few things…this movie is a million times more fun than ‘Jumanji’, and it was like opening up a time capsule. Admit it, most of you not only grew up with ‘Goosebumps’, but some of you have kids too. In that regard, this movie was perfect for the Halloween season. Personally, I think this movie could’ve benefited from relying more on the horror rather than the humor. On the other hand, I always feel that a horror-comedy with a perfect balance should be scarier. But that’s exactly what this film has, a perfect balance. Especially, for the children. Hey, at least they’ll have fun being scared…which was the whole point of the franchise anyway.
One thing that always been known to either make or break a kids film, is the acting. The acting is actually pretty good in this one. As much as I still love the show…do you remember the acting in the show? Good God! With the casting of Jack Black, I automatically assumed that it would basically have the actors pretending to be horrible actors and play to the tone of the franchise. But fortunately, I was surprised to find that most of the actors did a really good job. As a fan of Jack Black, I will admit that I was a little nervous with his casting as R.L. Stine. I personally, would’ve casted a more serious and subtle actor for the role. But while Jack Black’s comedic stylings may be hit-or-miss, it’s flat-out hilarious when it hits. Oh, and not only does Black play Stine, but he’s also the voice of Slappy; giving him an even wittier and sinister personality which was perfect, making him the one ‘Goosebumps’ villain that “truly” came to life. The kids in the movie were also pretty good in his film, especially Odeya Rush as R.L. Stine’s fun-loving daughter. By the way…is it just me, or wasn’t there always a girl named Hannah in the books?
I’m just gonna say this right now, this was the most fun I’ve had in theaters in a very, very, very long time. There’ve been good movies, and some bad ones. But, it’s truly been awhile since I’ve seen pure escapism at its finest. Not to mention, from a friggin’ kids movie. I couldn’t help myself, the nerd in me was coming out almost every second I saw monsters from each of the books that I’ve read, like ‘Night Of The Living Dummy’, ‘The Werewolf Of Fever Street’, ‘The Blob That Ate Everyone’, ‘The Ghost Next Door’, ‘Stay Out Of The Basement’, and ‘Attack Of The Jack O’Lanterns’, just to name a few. Sure, there’s no mention of HorrorLand and my absolute favorite villain, ‘The Haunted Mask’ is reduced to a brief cameo. But with so many monsters and villains from over 100 books, I’m not gonna complain. It was still a site to see my childhood wreaking havoc once more.
Besides, there might be a sequel.
‘Goosebumps’ is the new Halloween classic for the next generation, and one hell of a nostalgic trip back to the good old days for original fans. The highlights of the film being the effects, most of the acting, a great music from the legendary Danny Elfman(Beetlejuice, The Nightmare Before Christmas & Batman), and of course, getting to see all of R.L. Stine’s monsters again with Slappy as the ringleader of the whole thing. If the sequel does happen, I’ll be there. Because, this franchise is back with a vengeance and I would not be surprised if ‘Goosebumps’ follows the same footsteps as Trick-or-Treating and the ‘Saw’ movies, and becomes the new Halloween tradition.
Speaking of traditions, I hope you of you guys have enjoyed the last of my Halloween leftovers, I’ve certainly had a lot of fun doing this. However, it’s also been a pretty busy month and it’s time I took a little break.
Aww come on! Relax guys, I’ll be back. I promise it’ll be sooner than you’d think. Until then, I’ll give you guys just one more little gift. The one thing that would’ve given ‘Goosebumps’ a higher rating…Yep!
Until next time, Gotta Dash!
Rating: 8/10
