100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 142: Goosebumps

Director: Rob Letterman
Genre: Adventure/ Comedy/ Family/ Fanstasy/ Horror
Runtime: 103 minutes
Year: 2015
Starring: Jack Black, Amy Ryan, Jillian Bell, Ken Marino

Description: A teenager teams up with the daughter of young adult horror author R. L. Stine (Jack Black) after the writer's imaginary demons are set free on the town of Madison, Delaware.

Review: Jack Black is the perfect actor for a scary family film like “Goosebumps”, so it’s no surprise that he portrays writer R.L. Stine. He plays a fictional version of the real life author of the book series “Goosebumps”. Here he is a hermit, protecting his daughter Hannah. The new neighbor Zach is very curious about Stine and his daughter and just simply can’t accept that she can not leave the house. But when releasing Hannah, he releases a lot more.
From the beginning the movie is fast paced and has humor. Jillian Bell, as Zach’s aunt, brings some awkward family humor to the show. The young actors are solid and Jack Black is just enjoyable as R.L. Stine.
We don’t have to wait long for the first monsters to appear, that we all know from the populat books. It’s a bit like “Night at the Museum” or “Jumanji”. The horror is mild, because it’s supposed to be suitable for a younger audience. But it can get scary for the really young kids.
Zah and Hanna are the heroes of the story. Their nerdy companion Champ is not as fun. He is supposed to make it all a but lighter, but instead he’s a pretty annoying character that overreacts to every situation. At least Zach and Hannah act more realistic.
It’s actually very smart to use this story for the movie, because how do you pick from all those books. Instead the most iconic monsters from Stine’s book come to life and it works surprisingly well. I liked “Goosebumps” more than I expected and it wasn’t as bad as I thought. It’s an entertaining film, especially if you read the books as a kid.

Rating: 3/ 5