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Thursday 04 February 2016 7:08 pm

Goosebumps review: A mediocre attempt to cash in on the 90s horror series

By: Melissa York

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Dir. Rob Letterman | ★★☆☆☆

If you grew up in the 90s, the pseudonym RL Stine will conjure images of creepy critters including the egg monsters from Mars and Grool, a toothy sponge who lives under the sink.

Goosebumps books sold over 350m copies in their heyday, but that was way back in 1997. Which begs the question; why do we have a film adaptation over 20 years later and who is it for?

Jack Black plays the author Stine, who accidentally unleashes his creations on a suburban town.

Little of originality ensues, with Black’s sideways smirks and deadpan delivery of lines like, “It’s time for me to face my demons” the only thing that makes Goosebumps watchable.

 

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