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Goosebumps

  • Film
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended
Goosebumps
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Time Out says

3 out of 5 stars

A rambunctious adaptation of the bestselling series of spooky books for kids

Taking the ‘Cabin in the Woods’ approach of chucking in all the monsters and seeing what sticks, this kid-friendly spooker based on the crazy-huge-selling stories by RL Stine is more goofy fun than such a blatant cash-in ought to be. It all begins in textbook ’80s-adventure fashion, with a single-parent family – mum Gale (Amy Ryan) and teenage son Zach (Dylan Minnette) – pitching up in a sleepy small town only to discover that their neighbour is a creepy weirdo who keeps his daughter on a short leash. It’s not long before said weirdo is revealed to be retired writer Stine (Jack Black), whose spine-chilling creations have a habit of jumping off the page and wreaking havoc in the real world.

For the first hour, ‘Goosebumps’ throws in so many sparky one-liners and pell-mell action set pieces that its shortcomings – creaky plot, Black’s out-there accent, a pair of slightly dull leads – are easy to overlook. It all spins out of control in a final blowout of naff special effects and random shouting, but there’s just enough leftover goodwill to carry it through.

Written by
Tom Huddleston

Release Details

  • Release date:Friday 5 February 2016
  • Duration:103 mins

Cast and crew

  • Director:Rob Letterman
  • Screenwriter:Scott Alexander
  • Cast:
    • Odeya Rush
    • Jack Black
    • Halston Sage
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