We weren’t quite sure what to expect when news broke that a Goosebumps movie was going to be made. While this wasn’t exactly where I thought it was headed, I guess taking the spooky route might be too much for the general audience.
Instead, Rob Letterman takes a Jumanji-like adventure type film and weaves in different characters from the 62 books of the original series by R.L. Stine.
Jack Black stars as the book author Stine. He lives with his daughter Hannah (Odeya Rush), who he seems to be protecting quite strictly. Their new neighbor Zach (Dylan Minnette) takes a liking to Hannah and sees/hears some weird things happening next door. Thinking he was going to save her, Zach instead unleashed all the supernatural beings created by Stine that were trapped inside locked manuscripts and out into the world. Think dangerous gnomes, Abominable Snowman, and the invisible boy wreaking havoc.
This will appeal to kids who were too young to see Jumanji and possibly the adults who grew up reading the books. Perhaps the nostalgia that partially brought about Jurassic World‘s success will help catapult this.
Goosebumps opens in theaters on October 21, 2015.
