The history of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps in visual media has rarely been at the forefront of critical conversations, given the fondly remembered but cringe-inducing original TV adaptation and the commercially successful film that languished in development hell for 25 years. Director Rob Letterman got this recent movie made at last, with decent results, and now he returns as the co-creator of a disconnected TV show version. While this seems like an easy go-to for tweens looking for something new to satiate their horror appetite, there’s more to know before streaming Goosebumps.
Goosebumps Plot and Book References
Goosebumps connects the details of several R.L. Stine books to create a singular story of a town haunted by the past, with a vengeful spirit and a handful of strong-willed teens that must stop it while also dealing with the difficulties of their age. Readers of the iconic book series will quickly recognize haunted props from novels such as The Haunted Mask and The Cuckoo Clock of Doom; however, in this adaptation, the haunting is all woven together under one storyline.
Goosebumps Benefits (and Falters) From Original Adapting
Like Letterman’s 2015 film of the same name, Goosebumps takes only the concepts and themes from Stine’s written source, though the results are less meta to develop the characters’ interactions with teen troubles and the haunted items they find. Though Letterman and his co-creator Nicholas Stoller only receive teleplay credits on the first and last episodes of Goosebumps, their vision here unites a central cast of teens to play out Stine’s haunting scenarios in each episode. This manner, only loosely based on the plotlines from Stine’s books, also mirrors a similar trope from another recent horror show, The Fall of the House of Usher, with both using multiple books as a jumping-off point for an entirely original tale.
The wise decision to use several Goosebumps tales instead of one is sadly mired by what fills the gaps. We initially see the characters with individually appealing though hackneyed backstories, from a pressured quarterback to a frustrated loner to one who tries to fill the hole left by his dad’s death. Their haunting scenarios often play directly into their unique problems metaphorically (i.e., a kid with many duplicates from his haunting could be a commentary on the many faces he has to put on in his position). But as the series continues, it drifts farther into teen drama territory. Those without patience for these tropes will lose interest far before the remaining episodes appear for streaming.
‘Goosebumps’
Who Should Watch Goosebumps?
Regardless of the connected story itself, which is just successful enough to warrant continuation for the currently available episodes, the scare factor of Goosebumps certainly has the creepiness to honor the beloved book series. Young viewers interested in delving more into horror stories are the prime audience (hence the Disney+ co-release for the series), but only select adults will find it worthwhile. The Netflix R-rated adaptation of Stine’s Fear Street books will be the superior choice for older horror lovers, but those who want a creepily nostalgic watch tonight should try out Goosebumps instead.
