Tag: Goosebumps

Series Review: Goosebumps – The Vanishing (Disney +)

By: Jesse Striewski

The first season of the Disney Plus Goosebumps revival in 2023 brought the franchise into more “grown-up” territory similar to Stranger Things or the other R.L. Stine-related vehicle, Fear Street, though has already become a bit of a distant memory.

This second season, aptly titled The Vanishing, finds its groove with a bit more ease than the ladder, with David Schwimmer taking the lead as a Professor/father who stumbles upon some creepy underground government cover-up that first took his older brother when they were still just teens.

With the story bouncing back and forth between the ’90s and present day, there’s plenty of references to the original series (with episodes like “Stay Out of the Basement” and “Welcome to Camp Nightmare” again taking their titles from the original book series), and just enough nostalgia for us big kids (but without over-doing it). Far from perfect, but watchable enough family entertainment nonetheless.

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Film Review: Spirit Halloween: The Movie (Strikeback Studios/Hideout Pictures)

By: Jesse Striewski

On the surface, Spirit Halloween: The Movie appears to be not much more than one long promo ad for the annual store in which it takes its name from. But despite its obvious flaws and cheesy-ness, it actually works as family entertainment in the same vein as the Goosebumps films, with a nostalgic touch similar to Stranger Things thrown in for good measure as well.

The plot is far from groundbreaking; a trio of adolescent friends (played by newcommers Donavan Colan, Jaiden J. Smith, and Dylan Frankel) faced with the pressures of growing up and the societal norms that come along with it, decide to spend Halloween night in said novelty store. But of course the ghost of a crabby old landlord (Christopher Lloyd) cursed by a witch before his demise in the 1940’s, is haunting the joint and looking for a permanent new body to possess before it’s too late.

Former ’90s babe Rachel Leigh Cook co-stars as the mother of one of the young boys, and Marla Gibbs (best known from such ’70s and ’80s staples as The Jeffersons and 227) plays the strange but wise old grandmother of one of the other children, each bringing just a tad more talent to the mostly unknown cast.

Spirit Halloween (the store) has become a pop culture staple, and an annual tradition as common as the haunted house for many. All in all, the film is harmless (perhaps even a bit shameless, depending on your viewpoint) fun, and perfect fodder for the spooky season.

Rating: 3/5 Stars