It’s a freezing cold January morning, and instead of being wrapped up in bed where I should be at the ungodly hour of 8am on a Sunday morning, I find myself trudging through the remains of the previous night’s snowfall, slowly making my way toward the Vue cinema in London’s Leicester Square for an advanced screening of Goosebumps, starring Jack Black.
• Director: Rob Letterman
• Exhibition: Cinema Screening
• Rating: PG
• Run Time: 1hr 43 mins
My younger brother and I had grown up reading the Goosebumps books, and later on watching the TV show (which was semi responsible for introducing Hayden Christensen to a larger audience, so you can imagine it was horrifying), so I was already well acquainted with the monsters of R.L. Stine. And, sadly, I already had preconceived ideas of how the movie was going to be.
I’ll be the first to admit that when I watched the trailer for Goosebumps any semblance of excitement I had disappeared instantly. It just looked bad. Everything from the acting to the effects seemed to be doing its best to ruin a very important part of my, and many others my age, childhoods. So when I settled in to watch it was with a sense of trepidation. Imagine my surprise, then, when I ended up loving it.
The story and set up won’t win any awards: Zach (Dylan Minnette) and his mom move to Madison, Delaware for a fresh start after Zach’s father dies. And, like any horror set up we’ve seen before, the next door neighbour is a bit spooky. Zach forms a friendship with girl next door, Hannah (Odeya Rush), but Hannah’s creepy father forbids her go near the boy.
Zach also becomes reluctant friends with the weird kid at school, Champ (Ryan Lee), who is there purely to be the wimpy side kick and offer some comic relief.
One night Zach hears a fight between Hannah and her dad, and after taking matters into his own hands (and breaking into house), Zach and reluctant Champ happen upon the original manuscripts for the Goosebumps books, and accidentally release something evil from its pages into the world.
Within minutes I was laughing, and, much to my surprise, really enjoying the antics. Instead of a two hour snooze fest reliant on cheap jokes and bargain bin CGI, I was taken on a thrilling ride along a rollercoaster of pure nostalgia, and not for the first time in 2015 (Goosebumps saw its stateside release last year so I’m totally counting it) I was a kid again.
The writing is fantastic, balancing drama and horror with just the right amount of humour to keep things fun without falling into try-hard territory, with slapstick taking a back seat ride to witty dialogue and subtlety.
Adult jokes in kids film isn’t a new practise, but Goosebumps does them oh so well. There are enough nods and suggestions here to keep the adults in the audience entertained right through to the end. I also loved the fact the writer’s not only paid respect to the source material, but the movies and books that no doubt inspired R.L. Stine’s stories too.
The chemistry between Zach and Hannah was natural and believable, and both young actors just ooze cool. Even Champ’s over the top behaviour, although annoying from time-to-time, never got old and was consistently funny.
Jack Black surprised me the most. I haven’t been a fan of his for some time. I loved him in High Fidelity, but felt like he became too over top for his own good in later years (in no small part to type casting I’m sure), and I will admit his inclusion in the movie was one of the reasons I was turned off, but he is absolutely fantastic here as series creator R.L. Stine.
His interactions with the kids are great, and his comic timing is on point. He’s just the right amount of over the top, never reaching annoying territory, and reeling it in perfectly to make the more serious moments with his character feel sincere. He really is the best he’s been in years.
The real stars of the movie, however, are the monsters themselves. The CGI monsters are cartoony enough to not scare the kids in the audience (too much), but they never go too far to look out of place, and some of the practical costumes are just plain creepy.
The standout is by far the movies main antagonist, Slappy the Dummy (also voiced by jack Black). He’s genuinely terrifying, thanks in no small part to the fact he’s a tactile prop, not CGI like he could so easily have been. He’s creepy, menacing, and his sole want in ‘life’ is to kill his creator and be free. For a kid’s movie, he’s pretty dark.
I was, and still am, genuinely surprised with how fun this movie is. I was smiling from start to finish, laughed more than I had at any comedy movie last year, and really felt for the characters and their plight.
All of the old monsters are here. I’ve seen it twice now, and on my second viewing I was noticing all these little nods and Easter eggs that had passed me by when I first saw it, and I’m sure if (see: when) I watch it again, I’ll notice even more.
The best way I can sum up Goosebumps and do it any real justice, and by far the biggest compliment I can give it is to say it is Jumanji for a new generation of kids. it isn’t perfect by any means, but calling out a kids movie for missing plot points and things like that is kind of moot. It’s nothing more than what it is, and what it is, is a lot of fun. If you have kids, or if you just remember the books and want a way to spend a rainy afternoon then I honestly recommend you go to the cinema and give yourself Goosebumps.
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Sony Pictures provided a review copy of GoosebumpsTags: beware, Goosebumps, jack black, jumanji, r.l. stine, scare, Sony Pictures
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