Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'Goosebumps'

Written by Scotty

Every writer has one dream when it comes to putting out their stories, to hear that the readers see the words lifting off of the page and becoming real to them. But what if this could actually happen when someone reads your book? What if the darkest stories that have haunted you could become reality? Being able to ignite someone’s imagination is great and it's what everyone wants to have happen when reading a book, but there needs to be a stopping point, especially when the book is closed for the night. Enter Goosebumps, which does a great job of showing what might happen when words on a page become much more than that, when words become a reality. 

Zach and his mother Gale have just moved into their new home in Madison, Delaware.  As Gale has accepted the position of Assistant Principal at the high school, Zach will have to look for a way to separate himself from her. Being new in the town, Zach does not know anybody, but while at the school assembly, he is greeted by Champ who is willing to take the outsider under his wing. Preparing for the school dance, Champ has a great idea about how to meet girls so they will both be able to end the night with dates, but Zach is not planning on attending the dance after he hears something strange from his next door neighbor’s house.

After meeting Hannah on his first day in the new neighborhood, Zach wants nothing more than to know more about her, but her father will have none of it. Mr. Shivers has a very strict outlook on life and does not want his daughter to get mixed up with the wrong person, or any person for that matter. But Hannah wants to get to know people and Zach seems to be nice enough and when her father goes to sleep, she takes Zach to one of her favorite spots in town.  Seeing the world from a different perspective from the top of a shutdown Ferris Wheel, Zach finds out that there is much more to his new friend than he knew. Arriving home after the fantastic night however, Mr. Shivers is waiting for them both and when Hannah is confined to her room for all eternity, Zach hears a scream coming from the house and needs to ensure the Hannah is alright.

Calling the police to report a domestic disturbance, Zach and Gale are able to enter the Shivers residence only to find that Mr. Shivers is watching a scary movie. As the police are happy with the lack of conflict, they leave, but Zach knows that there is something else happening in the house. Calling Champ to help him break in and find out what really happened with Hannah, the two stumble upon a cache of locked books that have been hidden from the world. With all of them being original R.L. Stine books, Zach does not know what is hidden inside on the pages. Opening one book, The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena, the two boys find out quickly why the books are locked away. Hannah knows how to contain the outbreak of what the boys have released, but their story only starts there as they find out that another character that has been locked away from the world is looking to get back at his old friend. With help from R.L. Stine, Zach, Hannah and Champ are pulled into a battle that can only be ended with the help of a classic trinket, Stine’s old typewriter.

I don’t remember reading any of the Goosebumps books when I was a kid, I was more into ghost stories by the campfires and alien sightings at this point of life.  I might need to take a step back and see what R.L. Stine had brought to the page, especially after seeing all of the monsters that were released in the town of Madison. I really did enjoy this movie more than I expected to, and the garden gnomes that were brought to life, well, they brought a tear to my eye. All of the characters interactions in this movie were great, but when R.L. Stine was on the screen, you never knew what would happen next. Even in a race against time to save the town, there is still plenty of laughs to be had, I mean what else can you do when you think that the world is about to end by the hands of a ventriloquist dummy.  Stay Scared.

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