"Goosebumps" Trailer Looks a Resurrection of Children's Adventure Movies

Fans of a certain age are sure to remember R.L. Stine's abundant series of Goosebumps books. With the publication of Welcome to Dead House back in 1992, Stine made a niche for himself in the genre of horror fiction aimed at young kids. His books were so popular that they even inspired a television series that ran from 1995-1998.

Within the right demographic, it's hard to find someone who hasn't heard of Goosebumps. It is for this reason that the announcement of a forthcoming Goosebumps movie was so exciting. Last week, a trailer dropped finally giving us a picture of what that movie will look like. Jack Black plays R.L. Stine, and he has a secret. Each of his manuscripts is locked up to keep the monsters inside, until they get loose. 

Some who read the books and watched the TV show may be disappointed by the trailer, but I have to suggest that your perception of this trailer will be deeply affected by your perspective. The Goosebumps movie is not for us, at least not principally. This movie is for kids, teens and preteens who may not have ever been exposed to the Goosebumps name. And the subject matter isn't the only model this movie seems to be working on. The trailer has the tone and feeling of the kind of family adventure movies that were so popular in the eighties and nineties, movies like Jumanji and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. These movies are still around, at least in form with titles like Zathura  and Journey to the Center of the Earth. Maybe this movie isn't going to be dark and ominous, but neither were the books, not really. I still think it will be worth a watch, if only for the nostalgia trip.