Are you or your kids HUGE Goosebumps fans? If you are, then head on over to the theater today and see the new Goosebumps movie. Our mommy reviewer Marta had the opportunity to attend a pre-screening of the movie and this is what she has to say about the movie, check it out…
Goosebumps Movie Review
#GoosebumpsMovie
When the first Goosebumps book by R.L. Stine for Scholastic was released in 1992, I was not part of the targeted audience of 9-12 year olds. I have never read a Goosebumps book. But that doesn’t mean I have never heard of them or even glanced at the covers with the scary pictures and funny titles like “The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena” and “Bad Hare Day”. I have one child who has read a few of the books from the spooky series and was excited to see the new Goosebumps movie.
I was excited for him and I was hoping for the best – afraid I might not like the movie, thinking another book to movie that will not do the books justice. Fortunately I was wrong and the movie is, as my son would say, “Awesome”! The movie is funny but not silly, it is a mix of scares and laughs.
The movie is about a teenager named Zach (Dylan Minnette) who is not happy about moving from New York to a small town in Delaware because his mom (Amy Ryan) got a new job as the high school vice- principal at his new school. They also moved because Zach’s father recently passed away and his mom wanted to start a new life without the reminders of her late husband.
While unpacking the car, Zach meets his neighbor Hannah, played by Odeya Rush, who reminded me of a young Mila Kunis. He also meets Hannah’s father (Jack Black), who is very protective of Hannah and warns Zach to stay on the other side of the fence that separates the houses. He doesn’t want Zach near his house nor his daughter. That is hard to do when you are a teenager in love!
When Zach thinks Hannah is being abused and locked up by her father, he sneaks into the house with his new friend Champ- yes that’s his name – short for Champion! Played by Ryan Lee who is hysterical! I loved watching him when he was on the TV show Trophy Wife. While in the house they find out that Hannah’s father is Goosebumps author R.L. Stine, and that he keeps all the original manuscripts of his books locked up. Zach and Champ accidentally open a locked Goosebumps book that leads to the release of all the monsters in every book. Yes, the books come to life! All the monsters have a leader that they listen to and that is Slappy the ventriloquist dummy from The Night of the Living Dummy series from Goosebumps.
Now Zach, Hannah, Champ and Stine have to save the town and get all the monsters back into the books and lock them up again. The movie is heavy on the visual effects and it feels like the 80’s movies that I grew up liking, the movie Gremlins, especially the kitchen scene with the lawn gnomes from The Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes book. I don’t think I like lawn gnomes anymore after this movie!
The movie is PG rated for scary and intense creature action and images and some rude humor. Parents you know what your child can handle. It is not Jason or Freddy Kreuger scary at all. But there is a clown! Personally I think the movie is a great for all ages and perfect for Halloween! My whole family loved it! And I might just go back and read a Goosebumps book now!
Go see the movie today!
Scholastic has over 400 million Goosebumps books worldwide in 32 languages in print since the series introduction in 1992, earning critical acclaim and dominating global best seller lists. R.L. Stine has been recognized as one of the bestselling children’s authors in history. Now, the literary phenomenon is coming to the big screen.
GOOSEBUMPS – Official Trailer
In Goosebumps, teenager Zach Cooper (Dylan Minnette), upset about moving from a big city to a small town, finds a silver lining when he meets the beautiful girl, Hannah (Odeya Rush), living right next door, and makes a quick friend in Champ (Ryan Lee). But every silver lining has a cloud, and Zach’s comes when he learns that Hannah’s mysterious dad is in fact R.L. Stine (Jack Black), the author of the bestselling Goosebumps series. As Zach starts learning about the strange family next door, he soon discovers that Stine holds a dangerous secret: the creatures that his stories made famous are real, and Stine protects his readers by keeping them locked up in their books. When Stine’s creations are unintentionally released from their manuscripts, Zach’s life takes a turn for the weird. In a crazy night of adventure, it’s up to Zach, Hannah, Champ, and Stine to team up and get all of these figments of Stine’s imagination – including Slappy the Dummy, the girl with the haunted mask, the gnomes and many more – back in the books where they belong to save the town.
For more information visit:
- Official Site: goosebumps-movie.com
- Facebook: Facebook.com/GoosebumpsMovie
- Twitter: @GoosebumpsMovie
- Instagram: @GoosebumpsMovie
Disclosure: This review was written by Marta for Miami Mommy Savings. Complimentary pre-screening invitation was provided to facilitate this movie review. No compensation was received.
Meet Marta, our mommy movie reviewer: Marta is a mom of 2 boys and she has been married to her husband for 16 years. They enjoy movies, video games, and traveling on a budget. Above all, Marta is a avid photographer, who enjoys photographing her family.