The Goosebumps Movie Is an Unexpected Treat

You probably have low expectations when it comes to the Goosebumps movie, which is out now in halls across India, and we did too. It's a Jack Black starrer for one thing; and while Black can be a great actor, there have been a fair number of films he's acted in that should never have been made. On the other hand, it's the Goosebumps movie! Anyone who grew up in the 80s or 90s likely read his or her share of RL Stine's stories. For many of us, these stories were a gateway drug to more geek-like behaviour as we grew older.

The new Goosebumps movie stars Black as RL Stine, and it works well as a piece of metafiction. The premise is that the monsters of Stine's books come to life thanks to some stupidity from the annoying teenager who lives next door neighbour, and now Stine - along with the meddling kids - have to work together to despatch them.

The neighbour (Zach) has just moved to the small town of Madison from New York, falls for the girl next door (Hannah), but when he tries to spend time with her. Her father - Stine - is less than pleased about it, and tells Zach to keep away from Hannah. A series of misunderstandings lead to Zach breaking into Stine's house, and going through his manuscripts, which releases Stine's different monsters. There are some great sequences that follow, and if you grew up reading Goosebumps, you're going to remember some of the monsters as well, as they work together to get their revenge on Stine for locking them up in the books.

The monsters that show up to terrorise the neighbourhood include a giant praying mantis that pries off the roof of the local high school, and a teenage werewolf. There's a great sequence with a group of garden gnomes, and of course the obligatory horde of ravenous zombies. The whole group is working together under Slappy, the evil ventriloquist's dummy, whom many fans of the series will remember.

It's a nice way to work in references to multiple characters that Stine has created, instead of adapting a single book. But while the idea of bringing Stine - and his characters - to the screen is a novel one, the actual plot itself is fairly predictable. That's not a real drawback though, as the usual formula of a Stine book with chills and twists at regular intervals became a formula over the years because it works.

This is not challenging fare - it is popcorn fun that you're supposed to enjoy and then forget about. That's not to say that it is mindless or uninspired, merely that Goosebumps wisely sticks to familiar tropes, much like the books themselves. It's out to scare you, in a child-friendly fashion, and it succeeds, playing equally for chills and laughs.

Some might dismiss the film as pandering, and talking down to its audience, but that's not a fair allegation to make. If you're expecting an episode of the 90s Goosebumps TV show, then you're missing the point here. This movie is its own creature, and while there are moments when it feels like an action movie for kids, that is not all there is to this film.

Incidentally, the real RL Stine has a small cameo in the movie. He plays a teacher, who says hello to Black's character, saying, "Mr. Stine." Black, who is playing Stine, responds, "Mr. Black." The movie is full of small nods, such as characters comparing Stephen King's output to Stine's, and nods to The Shining. Small references and good performances keep this film from dragging, despite a few unnecessary plot twists that feel shoehorned in. Throughout all this, the music jingles and jangles along and has a delightful camp 90s feel, setting the tone for the movie.

Things can get fairly chaotic at times, and the action is funny while remaining accessible. It makes nods to films like Gremlins, and actually manages to - at least in part - recreate the madcap feel that those old movies (which were another staple of the 80s and 90s) had.

Black himself is another reason why the film works so well. He's not as over the top as he can be at times, and delivers a fine performance as RL Stine. The only complaint would be The strange accent he uses, which is nothing like the real Stine. Despite this, he is very enjoyable as the grumpy Stine.

The film gently makes fun of the conventions of the teen horror genre, but it's clearly intended for a slightly younger audience, as it never gets too frightening. It's geek-horror-lite, exactly like the Goosebumps books were, and whether you're feeling nostalgic about your childhood, or have a kid you want to scare (without terrorising him or her), the movie delivers.