R. L. Stine’s “Goosebumps” has been made into a television series once again and just in time for the Halloween season on Disney Plus and Hulu. Many of us are familiar with the original series and hold it close to our hearts. The new series adapts the source material for the modern age.
I was raised on the original books and television series; so when I heard about a remake of this beloved series, I was hesitant yet eager to see what Disney does with the R. L. Stine classics. Now that it’s here, I can say that this newest installment into the “Goosebumps” lineage is well worth the watch.
Port Lawrence is a small town shrouded in mystery as the new English teacher, Mr. Bratt, played by horror legend Justin Long, moves into the Biddle household after their mysterious deaths and disappearances 30 years ago. We meet Isaiah, the star football player; Margot, the long-time neighbor of Isaiah and typical booksmart teen; James, played by internet celebrity Miles McKenna, the local jokester and best friend of Isaiah; Isabella, the reserved and standoffish adolescent; and Lucas, the daredevil and dim-bulb of the group as they unravel the 30 years mystery and tackle similar situations that reader and watchers of the original book and TV series will recognize.
I think the thing I love about this series the most is the originality behind it. Itt is still a remake and another installment into a well known group of works, but this series stands out for its sense of originality while still adapting these stories from the source material.
The series follows an overarching plot over every episode, with each episode having a self-contained story that explores the focused characters and adapts each episode into one main classic “Goosebumps” story.
I personally love the selection of stories Disney chose to adapt and how they chose to adapt those works, with some going in surprising directions with it having the known stories like “Say Cheese and Die!,” “The Haunted Mask” and “Night of The Living Dummy;” along with including lesser-known works like “The Cuckoo Clock of Doom,” “Go Eat Worms,” “You Can’t Scare Me” and “Welcome to Horrorland.”
And even after the 28 years since the original’s creation in 1995, I believe Disney made the right choices to adapt it for the modern era; as the new series balances the level of cheesiness and hilarity the original TV series had and the level of seriousness needed for the mystery and plot.
It’s been neat watching through it and noticing the references to the original TV and book series and being shocked by the directions the new show took; with it being incredibly nostalgic for me as a senior watching an adaptation of a show I watched religiously as a kid.
Overall I believe this new series is worth the watch to any “Goosebumps” fans or people looking for entry level horror shows.
The show had an interesting release schedule, releasing their first five episodes on Friday the 13th of October, then releasing new episodes every Friday until Nov. 17, all available on Disney Plus and Hulu.
4/5 Will watch again.
