Goosebumps
2015 · Directed by Rob Letterman
Original language: English
- adventure
- horror
- comedy
The story
After moving to a small town, Zach Cooper finds a silver lining when he meets next door neighbor Hannah, the daughter of bestselling Goosebumps series author R.L. Stine. When Zach unintentionally unleashes real monsters from their manuscripts and they begin to terrorize the town, it’s suddenly up to Stine, Zach and Hannah to get all of them back in the books where they belong.
What it’s like
Bright, saturated suburban daylight gives way to nights of deep blue shadow and sudden lamplight, with the monsters rendered in a mix of practical costume and polished digital creature work that looks slightly glossy and cartoonish, like pages come to life. The camera moves briskly and playfully, with fast cuts, swooping handheld energy and wide, cheerful framing of a Halloween-decorated town. The score is bouncy and orchestral with stingers of spooky strings and bursts of pop, and the sound design leans into creaks, howls and comic thuds more than real dread. Its vibe is zany, bright and mischievously spooky, the kind of thing to put on for a Halloween afternoon, a family movie night, or a light, giggly watch with a sleepy kid. The pacing is quick and episodic, the comedy broad and affectionate, and the emotional arc is a sweet, slightly lonely teenager gaining a friend and learning to trust his own nerve. Intensity is mild: cartoonish monster action, slapstick peril, some jump scares and mild scary imagery, with no gore and no sexual content. It is for families and younger teens who want horror lite, and for adults who enjoy a jokey, nostalgic take on childhood scares.
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