Reader beware, you're in for a scare! This is the ever so famous tagline to the Goosebumps books that I grew up reading. So you can imagine that I have a bit more than a soft spot for the children friendly thriller films.
This installment of Goosebumps is based on the unfinished novel by author R. L Stine, titled: Haunted Halloween.
Teenager Sarah Quinn (Madison Iseman) lives with her mother Kathy (Wendi McLendon-Covey) and younger brother Sonny (Jeremy Ray Taylor) in Wardenclyffe, New York.
Sarah is attempting to get into Columbia University by writing an essay about fear. Kathy agrees to watch Sonny’s friend Sam Carter (Caleel Harris) while his father goes out of town.
With Sonny and Sam making a startling discovery at the former house of author Stine, they inadvertently bring Slappy the Dummy back to life and he brings Halloween to life with thrilling consequences.
The film itself is entertaining enough. There are enough lines thrown about by Slappy (voiced by Jack Black) that are funny and witty. I did, however, feel it wasn't scary, only gasp-worthy. This perhaps could be simply because I am not the target market of the film.
The animation is quite dope. From the indomitable snowman, the witches, the garden gnomes and the walking skeleton are all done very well. I particularly enjoyed seeing the traditional carved Halloween pumpkins taking on the persona that Sam had given them earlier in the day.
The film did have a couple of storylines running concurrently. Slappy attacking Sarah's love interest was both funny and creepy.
The good news is that you can take your young ones out to watch Goosebumps for Halloween. The bad news is that while they are enjoying themselves you may run out of laughs.