GOOSEBUMPS: THE BLOB THAT ATE EVERYONE
(not rated)
MOVIE: *** (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: * (out of 5)
BY KEVIN CARR
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
R.L. Stine’s wildly popular scary book series “Goosebumps” comes to life in these mid-90s television adaptations. Three episodes are featured on this disc: “The Blob That Ate Everyone,” “My Hairiest Adventure” and “Piano Lessons Can Be Murder.”
WHAT I LIKED
As a fan of horror fiction, I always respected what R.L. Stine did with the genre for children in the 90s. I was too old to enjoy the “Goosebumps” books as a child, having graduated from college in the mid-1990s. However, I broke with many educators and championed these books. Now that I have kids, I enjoyed sharing these (and the original books) with them.
“The Blob That Ate Everyone” is a simple story that seems inspired by Stephen King’s “The Word Processors of the Gods.” A twelve-year-old finds an old typewriter and discovers that anything he writes comes to life. For as all-encompassing as this story can be, this is a pretty self-contained story. It offers a pretty cool monster that eventually appears and shows off some real potential peril.
“My Hairiest Adventure” tells the story of a boy who, after using expired tanning lotion, finds himself turning into a dog-like creature. It features one of the better twists in these recent episodes released on disc, even though it follows the typical formula set out by Stine with a male protagonist and his female friend. This is my favorite story on the disc for how far it takes the psychological effects.
“Piano Lessons Can Be Murder” features a boy taking piano lessons at a music school. But something there isn’t quite right, and a ghost appears to be haunting the school. This story is cool enough for kids to enjoy. It provides a typical beware-of-adults message and actually features an interesting mix of creatures.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Because these shorts were produced on a limited budget in the mid-1990s, they feature some pretty weak special effects, and the video production quality is quite low. They’re low-budget filmmaking, and it shows. Aside from that, the only other complaint one could have would be with the predictability of the stories, which is par for the course on the “Goosebumps” front.
DVD FEATURES
No features are available on the DVD.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Kids into “Twilight Zone” stories, children’s style.