‘Goosebumps’ (2023) Recap: ‘The Cuckoo Clock of Doom’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Ana Yi Puig as Isabella in Episode 103 of ‘Goosebumps’ (2023) – ‘The Cuckoo Clock of Doom’. (Photo Courtesy of David Astorga/Disney.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Three of ‘Goosebumps’ (2023). To revisit the previous episode, click here. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.
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The true beauty of the horror genre is that it can, create nightmares untold. For there are no limitations for the horror genre, and its adaptive nature to the zeitgeist of the times, and countless offshoots and reimagining’s from a monster perspective, really does allow creative minds to do as they please and wow us every step of the way. Because the only thing holding them back is their imagination and that is why when we run into a story that just goes wild and offers up sights and sounds and scares, we’ve never seen before… we should celebrate it. For it is embracing the spirit of the genre and doing something special, and that is precisely why the next episode of Goosebumps on Disney+ and Hulu is of note. 
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For ‘The Cuckoo Clock of Doom’ simply let loose and offered up a wildly dynamic and original horror story. Shortly after providing us with some familiar moments and some familiar tropes. For this story made sure to establish further how evil the Biddle house really is, by having James encounter yet another artifact in this place that brings forth nothing but trouble. Because the Cuckoo Clock in this house, was indeed a harbinger of doom. Since it locked James in a time loop from which there appeared to be no escape. Which is… something of a standard sci-fi and horror trope, one that usually results in a need for betterment of the person trapped or an epiphany must take place for them to escape its temporal clutches and James was seemingly barreling toward that here. Since all he wanted for Halloween was to get close to Sam on this night, and he used the loop to do so. 

But that’s where the tropes ended, and inventiveness won the day. Because when Sam asked James to leave the party with him, James did something bold and broke the clock to see if by chance that would end his troubles, and well… that worked… and that nightmare ended and allowed for a new one to begin. Because he wasn’t the only James that escaped the house that night. For the clock created a new James every time the loop was reset, ones that harbored evil in their hearts. Which prompted a flock of Jameses to take the original and throw him into the family’s mine… so they could taste the life of James Prime and enjoy it to the fullest. Which led to all kinds of trouble since these evil clones didn’t have to care about consequences or feelings and well, had it not been for Isabella and the slime incident at the end of the last episode, no one would have been the wiser.

But thankfully… she pointed out the truth about these monsters and that helped Margot and Isaiah stand by her side and help her find the real James. Which they did in an intense manner that saw a lot of slime fly into the sky and thankfully, they rescued their friend and were able to go on with their lives and well… this was just amazing. Because it was bizarre and out there and everything that is indeed perfect about horror. For this story just leaned into the endless possibilities that could come forth from having an evil version of oneself made and it truly let loose and showcased some of the ugly we are capable of in a manner that was inventive and engaging. But above all, it was just an original idea and a fun one at that and it was a true delight to see this series try something so bold and so imaginative.

If anything, this episode deserves a round of applause for making the bizarre worth our while and for also… expanding further upon the whole mess involving the parents of Port Lawrence and Harold Biddle. Because they are indeed hanging onto some dark secrets, the kind that perhaps only Margot’s mother is willing to bring to light and well, hopefully we get to learn the truth about what happened between all of them, and Harold, soon. Since Biddle/Bratt is gaining in power and fury and needs to be stopped and well, the only way to know for sure if the answers are around the corner… is to hit play on the next episode and continue this incredibly refreshing journey through one creepy little town. Until next time.

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