GOOSEBUMPS
US, 2016, 103 Colour.
Jack Black, Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush, Ryan Lee, Amy Ryan.
Directed by Rob Letterman.
Fantasy-writer, Robert Lawrence Stine, R.L.Stine, is a central character in one of his own stories in this dramatisation of one of his many Goosebumps tales, many seen in a television series of the same name). This film was to have a sequel, Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween.
Jack Black is Stine, with some humorous references to rivalry with Stephen King. This role suits Jack Black – though he did rather better as the eccentric magician in The House with a Clock in its Walls.
However, Dylan Minnette plays a teenager who comes to the town, is attracted to the girl next door, Odeya Rush, who happens to be Stine’s daughter.
As with Goosebumps stories, spirits and spectres are unleashed, a menace to the town, and the solution has to be to get the characters back in their book and the cover shut. There is also the ventriloquist’s doll, Slappy, who wants to control everything.
A mixture of mayhem and comedy, perhaps a bit frightening for younger audiences but, the mixture of fright comedy is the point of this kind of storytelling.
1. Popularity of the books? The author’s contribution to the film,? His horror perspectives, monsters and scares?
2. The readers and response to the themes? The title?
3. The setting, the suburbs, the streets and houses, school, the exteriors, interiors, the hall, corridors, assembly rooms, storage? The atmosphere?
4. Danny Elfman’s score, the tone? The special effects, creatures, Abominable Snowman, the Praying Mantis, the little gnomes, zombies, the importance of the puppet and his being in charge? The invisible boy? And the creation of Hannah?
5. Ordinary family people, the situation, the death, grief, moving from New York, the memories of his, the moving the phone, the house? And the next door, the severity of the father and ticking of Zach? At school, his mother’s being deputy, going in separately? The speeches, the reaction to his mother? The kids, the indifference? Meeting Champ, talking with him, Champ’s hopes? Hannah and the visit, her father’s criticism? Hearing the screams, Zach upset, calling the police, the father and his explanation of the audio system? The embarrassment for Zach and his mother?
6. The author going out, Champ arriving dressed in a suit, persuaded to go into the cellar, the bear traps, going up, the library, the books, all by Stine, opening the book, the Abominable Snowman coming out, size, attack, Champ and his trying to save the book, not saving it?
7. The puppet, the voice of Stine, getting out, the plan, creating a new town, havoc, opening all the books, gremlin-like mayhem? Icing the police? The car crashes? The blockade?
8. Zach and Hannah, the attraction, Champ and his mishaps? Zach realising Hannah was a creation?
9. Stine, his story, the rivalry with Stephen King, the type of stories, his loneliness, creating the books, creating the monsters? Locking the books? Wanting to get them back, the confrontation with the puppet? Driving, crash? Going to the school, the dance, the panic, the supermarket and the werewolf? Champ and his rescue of the young girl?
10. The plan to write another book, the search for the typewriter, the continued attacks, finishing his story, the spectacle of all the monsters being swept up in going back into the books?
11. Stine, teaching at the school, creating a new Hannah, Zach and his happiness – and the twist with the Invisible Boy not going back into the book and typing again?
