Goosebumps

"Goosebumps," the family film based on the highly popular series of kids fright books by the prolific R.L. Stine, is not very scary, but it is a lot of fun.

The film, directed by Rob Letterman and written by Darren Lembke, stars 19-year-old Dylan Minnette as Zach, a handsome New York teen who moves to Madison, Delaware with his mother after his father dies. She's the wisecracking new assistant vice principal at the small town's high school, and he's just hoping to fit in without dying from boredom.

Zach is only in town for a few minutes when things get intriguing. He meets Hannah (Odeya Rush), a beautiful teen-next-door who unfortunately lives with her fuming, overprotective home-schooling father, Mr. Shivers (Jack Black).

Shivers, who speaks in a seething tone through clenched teeth, takes an immediate and intense disliking to Zach, warning him to stay away from his house and his daughter. But when Zach suspects that Shivers has hurt Hannah, he and goofy new best friend Champ (Ryan Lee) sneak into the house through a bear-trap filled basement and head upstairs where they discover a set of locked manuscripts - and the key, handily displayed nearby under a glass dome.

The books are, of course, the original "Goosebumps" manuscripts, and Shivers is 'actually' R.L. Stine (who briefly appears in the film as drama teacher, 'Mr. Black'). The manuscripts are kept locked because opening them results in the words inside spinning into a sort of cyclone and taking the form of whatever monster has been imagined within. In this movie at least, words really can hurt!

Soon an army of Stine's Goosebumps creatures - including murderous lawn gnomes, a raging Abominable Snowman and a huge and hungry Praying Mantis - are rampaging through Madison, with wisecracking and evil ventriloquist's dummy Slappy as their demented general leading the charge (Catchphrase? "Who you calling dummy, Dummy?")

For viewers over five, actual goose bumps are unlikely, but the film is colorful and fast-moving with a surprising number of laugh-out-loud moments thanks to Black's arch and hammy performance, as well as Jillian Bell as love-hungry Aunt Lorraine and Timothy Simons ("Veep") and Amanda Lund as bumbling police officers. Amy Ryan adds warmth and a healthy dose of sarcasm as Zach's mother, and the teen stars are an engaging trio.

"Goosebumps" is a solid choice for family movie night, and an entertaining option for grown-ups looking for something silly, too.

PRODUCT INFO
Goosebumps
Directed by Rob Letterman
Sony Pictures
$17.99