R.L. Stine, The Stephen King of horror stories for kids once had a TV show based on his classic "Goosebumps" books back in the 90s. If you were a kid who grew up in that era, then you might remember this show.The show is like the classic "Nickelodeon" show "Are you Afraid of the Dark?" having scary episodes with a good story but uses unknown child actors, cheap special effects, and usually having scary endings as opposed to happy endings. Since this is the month of Halloween, I thought it would be appropriate to review this show.
THE HAUNTED MASK
The Pilot Episode is about a girl named Carly Beth who gets scared very easily, and has been picked on by two boys at school named Steve and Chuck for most of her life, and is now seeking for revenge. She goes to a party store owned by a creepy man, and finds the world's scariest mask. She uses the Mask to scare people and get revenge on Steve and Chuck, but little does she know that the mask will now become a part of her for all eternity.
The kids act like regular people instead of being over the top which gives the episode a little realism to it, but there were two performances that stole the show. The girl who played Carly Beth really had me moved by all the terrible things that happen to her throughout the entire episode. She makes you feel so bad for her character is going through that you just want to hug her. When she finds that the mask is stuck to her skin, I totally got the impression that really is. Even her last scene of the episode brings a smile to my face. My only criticism for her performance is the creepy voice she uses when she's wearing the Mask, it gets annoying after a while but I can see that the actress is trying hard to make it sound creature-like.
The second performance I enjoyed is the actor who plays the shop owner. He gives me the creeps when I see him in the beginning of the episode. The actor kind of reminds me of Bela Lugosi in a way. He just does an overall solid job of creepy, mysterious and being sensitive. What I really think is his best scene is when he tells Carly Beth about the secrets of the masks he's created.
As far the episode goes it's a good start for the series. The make up design for the mask is scary and realistic; the cinematography is thrilling especially in the scenes when we see through the eyes of the mask; and the story is good and has a great moral. With that said there were parts of the episode that didn't make any sense like the Statue head of Carly Beth for example. Why is that creepy statue head alive when her mother made it in art class, it makes no sense at all and is never explained why, we the audience just have to accept the fact that it's alive with no explanation what so ever. The special effects also are kind of cheesy like the when the masks are floating and when the creepy statue head is alive, but I'd be lying if I said "They weren't scary".
This episode does a great job of being scary and emotional and is a great start to the series!
RATING 5/5
THE CUCKOO CLOCK OF DOOM
A 12 year old boy named Michael who has been picked on by his little sister Tara has the idea to frame her for wrecking his father's magic Cuckoo Clock by twisting the cuckoo head from forward to backwards. Unfortunately, his plan backfires, and Michael now finds himself going backwards in time, where if he doesn't switch the Cuckoos head to forward, he will be lost in time forever.
The kid actors do a good job with their portrayal of their characters, especially the girl who plays Tara. She's such a brat that I want to spank her for all the horrible pranks she does to her older brother, while making herself look sweet and innocent to her parents. The kid who plays 12 year old Michael is very convincing, especially when you hear his thoughts in his find about him traveling back. Sadly the kid who played the younger Michael didn't convince me, but I will admit this, I did love his "Home Alone" face and scream when he finds out he's six years old. The adult actors also do an ok job.
The story is good, but can get kind of confusing at points. The scenery for the kid running away from the cuckoo clock in the dark hall is strange and creepy; the design of the Cuckoo Clock is nice and gives the episode it's thrilling touch; and the camera angles and use of slow motion raises my suspense level higher and higher.
This episode is like an episode for "The Twilight Zone", having a good story and keeping you on the edge of your seat.
RATING 4/5
THE GIRL WHO CRIED MONSTER
Lucy is a girl who's obsessed with Monster stories and enjoys scaring her little brother, until she one day finds out a dark secret in the library that she goes too. She discovers the librarian Mr. Mortman is a monster and nobody believes her.
The characters and the acting in this episode are pretty boring and don't have too much development. The actress who plays Lucy is fair but for some reason is still as boring as the rest of the characters. However, the actor who plays Mr. Mortman gave one of the best creepiest performances in this whole season. Every scene he's in you feel uncomfortable, like you don't know what he's thinking but you can tell it means death to Lucy. The scenes when he's alone are his best scenes as you see him eat bugs and expose the monster he truly is. It really makes my heart beat fast, plus Lucy is spying on him and you don't know when he's going to turn around and spot her. The whole library chase scene is the most frightening scene in the whole episode because you're in the dark, you got book shelves at every corner (like a maze) and you hear his eerie voice calling out Lucy's name.
Even though most of the character are boring, badly acted or feel like you can run the whole episode without a few of them, it still has a nice story, as well as having one of the best plot twists in the "Goosebumps" series that makes the episode worth while. The make-up they use on Mr. Mortman as a monster is scary, along with the performance. And the camera shots are nice, especially when they censor a scene that looks extremely violent for kids.
RATING 3/5
WELCOME TO CAMP NIGHTMARE
With a set up of like that you know this episode has to be good and believe me it is good. The episode just keeps getting more intense by the minute, there's so many horrible things going on in that camp, that you might want to call it "Camp Hell", Nightmare just sounds way to light. You don't know what's going to happen; you're not sure if Uncle Al is with or against the campers; you don't know for sure if the campers will live or not; and you keep guessing and guessing until the end adding up to a very clever plot twist.
The acting is decent. Most of the kid actors are good but at times they can act cheesy or over the top in scenes when they're scared or in trouble. The kid who plays the main character is a good actor where his acting matches his character. When he's in trouble you feel his pain; when he's scared you're worried about him; and when he's trying to help his fellow campers you solute him. The character is also probably one of the best "Goosebumps" heroes I ever saw because he takes risks and does what is best for his friends. When he's in a bad situation he thinks quick, and does what he can to save his friends.
My favorite performances in the episode goes to the guy who plays Uncle Al and the guy who plays Larry. Starting with Larry, Larry is a total asshole. He's like the professional bully of the camp; he doesn't care about his campers (even if they're dying); he makes fun of them (even when they're hurt); and he nearly kills one of the campers. The guy plays this jerk him so well that I was hoping to see those kids get together and get revenge on him.The guy who plays Uncle Al gives me the creeps, I cannot tell if he's a good guy or a bad guy from the way he constantly goes through mood swings from being a kind man to a mean sergeant; he just keeps you guessing and guessing until the end. The character also makes one hell of a badass introduction.
The Monster Sabre that lurks the camp grounds is what really makes the episode scary. It's basically like the Shark from "JAWS", you never really see it, you only can get a quick glimpse of it; and when it's sneaking up on it's victim you see through it's eyes in slow motion. It's one of the best monsters of the "Goosebumps" monsters, in fact it even makes a cameo in other "Goosebumps" episodes, which I'll point out later on.
This episode is thrilling, has creepy characters, a great hero, a scary monster, and a clever plot twist
RATING 5/5
THE PHANTOM OF THE AUDITORIUM
A girl named Brooke got the lead female in a play called "The Phantom", and her prankster friend Zeke also got a lead role as the Phantom. However, the play they're about to perform is actually a cursed play. Zeke has been pullin a few pranks to scare his friend, but there have been other things going on. There's a new kid who just moved to the school; a creepy night janitor; a trap door that leads to a mysterious part of the Auditorium; and a few messages from the phantom himself. As good as the plot sounds and also being one of the many spins to the classic story "The Phantom Of The Opera", it's unfortunately one of the weakest episodes made this season.
Let's start with the characters. Brooke doesn't really interest me, for how dull she is. There is just nothing engaging about her character. The actress who plays her can be good at times, but then again her acting doesn't save this undeveloped character. Zeke is just basically the same old stereotype prankster friend that you'd see in any horror show for kids. He's predictable, he's not interesting, but for some strange reason the kid who plays him seems to be the only one who's trying to give a memorable performance, and to be honest he does look like he's having fun with the role. The supporting characters are very forgettable and the performances from the actors are played either flat out boring or way too over the top.
Is the phantom scary? Well this whole episode is more of a who is the phantom and most of the time we see him in Brooke's nightmares. The suspects in this episode are Zeke, the creepy night janitor, or the new kid. Let me tell you, it didn't take me long to figure it out, and without giving it away lets just say the real Phantom is not a grown man nor does he have a deformed face. In the nightmare sequences and when he's sneaking around the auditorium, he can be scary but then again it's not really his performance, it's just the dark setting and cinematography.
The build up to the phantom isn't all that thrilling either. The scenes where he leaves messages aren't scary, they're rather played out in a dull way. The mystery trap door scenes weren't creepy nor had any good build up to what's down that dark hall ,and when you find out, you feel cheated. However, the climatic scene when you see them actually perform the play was the best part of the whole entire episode. It was thrilling; the acting from the phantom was creepy; Brooke's facial expressions beautifully captured the thrill of it; and the dark lighting, mist and cheap special effect help add to it's creepy atmosphere.
This is one of the weakest take ons, on the story "Phantom Of The Opera" and if it wasn't for that ending I would have given it a lower rating.
RATING 2/5
PIANO LESSONS CAN BE MURDER
Jerry is an only child who lives in his own little pretend world. He and his family move into an old house, and Jerry finds an old piano that plays by itself, and discovers that there's a ghost haunting his new home. He eventually begins to take piano lessons at a high tech security school owned by a weird old teacher and a suspicious looking Janitor who uses robots to clean up for him.
This is another weak episode made in this season. I actually find our main character more freighting than the other creepy characters. In every scene you see him in, he's talking to himself and acting like his imagination is real. If it was a young kid it can work, however, if it's an older kid, that just makes things weird. The actor who plays him even gives a poor performance. He can't even make him likable or sound like he's in trouble.
The ghost that warns the kid and plays the piano went from being creepy to a silly character that's stops being creepy. The kid's teacher Dr Shreek (Who you may recognize the actor as Dr.Vink from the TV show "Are You Afraid Of The Dark") didn't scare me in the least, nor is he a weird or odd character that comes across as creepy or enjoyable. He's more of a painfully awkward and annoying over the top character, and the plot twist to his character wasn't a plot twist, it was just stupid. The creepy Janitor is just as boring and non threatening as the janitor in "The Phantom Of The Auditorium", however, he did give me chills when he grabs Jerry, but that only lasted for a few seconds.
The special effects in the episode are decent such as the effect for the creepy ghost that warns Jerry; the robot design that the janitor uses to make his job easier are silly but ok; and the creepy separate hands that play the piano. But even though the special effects are nice, it doesn't make the episode worth watching, and quite frankly those good special effects make the episode more goofy then scary.
The episode isn't thrilling nor scary, it's just flat out goofy.
RATING 1/5
RETURN OF THE MUMMY
Hold the phone for a second, "Return Of The Mummy"? This is a sequel? Then where's the first story adaption"The Curse Of The Mummy's Tomb"? Well it doesn't really matter because this episode stands on it's own, and doesn't refer to the events to the previous story. In fact, it kind of mixes both stories together. Wait if it's two stories mixed together then could the producers give the title a different name? "Return Of The Mummy" sounds like a flat out sequel. Well lets hope they don't make the same mistake again.
A kid name Gabe visits his Uncle Ben and bratty cousin Sari in Egypt where the three of them embark on an adventure in search for a mummy's tomb in an old pyramid. Gabe carry's with him a Mummy hand (That he bought at the airport) that can communicate with the dead, and a necklace (A gift from his Uncle) with a pendant made of amber with a scarab inside it. A reporter wishes to join them on their quest in the pyramid, but before they find the tomb, they find out it's cursed.
This episode has a really good set up. It takes place in a frail old cursed tomb that's a maze of rooms, halls and secret passage ways full of Spiders and Snakes; two items that the character Gabe carry's later on play an important role in the story; and there's a Mummy that chases after the characters. The set designs for the tomb are creepy looking; the special effects are decent especially for the Mummy hand that moves; and I love the eerie noises and music for whenever Gabe is alone inside the tomb.
The character Gabe is just your average kid who's going on an adventure but accidentally stumbles upon secret rooms. He's pretty much a likable character and the kid who played him is great as well. Fun fact, by the way, the kid who plays Gabe, did the voice of Carlos in the educational animated show "The Magic School Bus" and is also "Midnight Society" member Tucker in Season 3 of "Are You Afraid Of The Dark". Wouldn't it been cool if he made a reference to his character Carlos by making a bad pun and then say "Get It?". The bratty cousin Sari started out as the typical annoying sibling you'd see in most "Goosebumps" stories, but towards the end, she does become likable. Then we have Uncle Ben and every time you see him you think adventure because he is a guy who 's very adventurous and really admires what he studies, but sadly you don't see him too much.
Our main characters are great but what about the villains? The actress who plays the journalist sadly can't act for her life and when she reveals her true identity she's worse than ever. I do like the characters plot twist and back story, but for some reason I knew it was coming. The Mummy looks creepy but sadly acts as over the top as the mummy from the live action Disney flick "Under Wraps".
The episode has good characters, good acting (Well for the most part), a great set up, nice effects and adventure and horror feel, until we meet the Mummy, which is sadly where everything goes down hill.
RATING 3/5
THE NIGHT OF THE LIVING DUMMY 2
Another episode that's a sequel, but yet, there's no episode based on the first story. If you're not going to make an episode based on the first story then why I call it a sequel? I know the episode is based on the second book, and it probably wants fans of the book to know what the episode is based on, but still, make an episode based on the first book, or better yet, give it a different title! It’s TV, a whole different medium! I'm sick of episodes that call themselves sequels when they haven't made a first one yet! Despite the fact that it's a sequel, just like "The Return Of The Mummy", it doesn't talk about the past events and acts as a regular stand alone episode.
Anyway, getting to the episode's plot; a little girl named Amy gets a new Dummy named Slappy to replace her old broken dummy Dennis. However, the dummy is alive and causes mischief to get Amy in trouble. Amy tries to tell her friends and family that the dummy is doing all this but no one believes her.
This is the first episode where we first meet the famous "Goosebumps" character Slappy the living dummy. This monster is the Chucky for young kids. He frames Amy by destroying stuff; he talks rudely to people, while Amy's holding him (Making it look like Amy is saying those mean words); and makes her look crazy, which her parents might consider of sending her away. Ok, so he's not a murderer, but remember, there are so many evil things you could do to someone without hurting them, and this episode defiantly proves that. Just because he doesn't kill or hurt anyone that doesn't mean he hasn't tried. He tries to pull a little girls finger off; nearly kills Amy's dad with a guitar; and chases after our main character probably thinking of killing her. He even tells Amy he can hurt her family in a 100 ways, which not only sounds threatening, but looking at the scenes when he's sneaky around and framing Amy; it proves that he can hurt Amy's family if he felt like it. This is one villain you don't want to mess with.
The acting isn't great, but it does bring the suspense to when they're mad at Amy and don't believe her, plus Amy's crying actually makes you feel bad for her. The cinematography is thrilling especially when you see Slappy walking around in the dark; it makes you wonder what he is going to do. However, the cinematography does look similar to the film "Child's Play", but then again, the story is sort of like a mild version of "Child's Play" mixed with the horror film "Magic". I also love the special effects and design for the dummy, I find it quite freighting for kids. As for the ending lets just say that it's a scary and odd plot twist that leaves you into wondering.
Overall, it's a really suspenseful episode and a great introduction to this famous "Goosebumps" villain!
RATING 5/5
STAY OUT OF THE BASEMENT
Casey and Margret's Dad has been acting very strange lately. Ever since he lost his job, he spends night and day working in his basement to create a new kind of plant. However, Margret notices her Dad's odd behavior and wonders why he is acting so strange. She knows that the answer to her questions can be found in the basement.
This has to be one of the creepiest episodes in the "Goosebumps" series! The acting's is not Emmy worthy but it's good enough for a kids show, and is mostly top notch given the show's standards. The kids they got to play the roles of Casey and Margret are one of the better child actors that the show has to offer (even if they are bit stilted), but my real praise goes to the actor who plays the Dad. He's creepy as hell. You don't know when he's going to snap; you don't know what he's thinking or planing; and the episode keeps making you wonder why he's acting so weird. I think his best creepy moments is when he's eating plant food; serving the kids breakfast; taking the phone away from Margret; but what tops them all is when he's in the bathroom talking to himself as you see green ooze coming out of his cut and levees growing out of his hair. His facial expressions, odd behavior and eerie monotone voice keeps getting creepier and creepier as the episode moves on.
The episode also has great build-up to the basement.You're just eager as the kids are to find out what's down there. Aside from the weird behaviors from the Dad, you hear odd sounds coming from the basement; a plant grabbing one of the kids leg that's coming from the basement window; and a scientist who disappears after an argument with the Dad. I'm not going to tell you what's in the basement but I will say "Viewers Beware,You're In For A Scare".
As far as effects and atmosphere go, they work very effectively. The dark lighting and cinematography give the episode it's creepy and ominous vibe. The special effects are very impressive for a TV horror show aimed for kids, and can look quite realistic at points. The music and sound effects are also very eerie and can make you feel the thrills of the episode. The best scene with all those effects together is the basement scenes, but once again I'm not going to spoil it for you. The story is not only scary but the ending leaves you into thinking when its over.
Overall, it's a highly scary episode for kids that will make them feel as eager as the kids are to discover the secrets that are hidden in the basement.
RATING 5/5
MY HAIRIEST ADVENTURE
Meet Larry, a kid with allergies, has a fear of dogs, and is part of a garage band. One day he and his friends put on some old tanning lotion to look cool. But as a side affect, Larry has been growing hair all over his body. Not only is he getting hairy, but his parents are acting strange and his friends are disappearing. I do like the set-up to the episode. We get a narrative perspective from our main character, something weird is happening to him, and his friends one by one are disappearing. But the execution is terrible.
The acting is horrible! Every ones acting is over the top and hardly ever believable. There wasn't a single actor who did a good job. The worst one out of all them is the kid who plays our main character. He can't act at all; he's not funny; he's not likable; and above all he can't make a scene intense. Every time he worries about his friends disappearing, or when he worries about hair growing on him, it sounds like he's reading a cue card or just saying the lines. He doesn't even sound like he's trying to be intense, even his scream doesn't sound convincing. It's not just the actors that stink, the characters are also very bland and forgettable.
The effects for the hair growing are flat out phony. It looks like he's wearing a hairy sleeve to make it look like hairs growing on his arm. When it grows on it's head, it not only looks like a wig, but it also looks more silly than it is scary. The ending itself is not only odd, but it also makes you think to yourself "What The Hell"?! The episode isn't even thrilling or scary, it's just flat out goofy. To me, the most awkward and painfully unfunny scene to watch is when he tells his friend Lilly that he has hair growing in the wrong places. I'm not going to comment or talk about it, but seriously WHY? Just why? By the way remember the dog in the intro? It appears in the episode just minus the cheap but yet freaky evil eye effect.
This is sadly another failed episode
RATING 1/5
IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SINK
Kat and her family just moved to a new house that's not that far away from their old neighborhood. Kat finds a sponge under the sink but she finds out it's not just a sponge, it's a monster sponge that brings bad luck. Yes, I'm not lying, a sponge is our monster. When you have a corny title called "It Came From Beneath The Sink", chances are our monster is going to be an extremely poor payoff. Just look at it, it's not even close to scary, it looks like a monster from a campy B Movie made in the 50's. It doesn't even do anything except cause bad luck; ruin a garden; and make the audience assume it kills the family dog; and usually most of the bad luck that occurs are actually accidents caused by our main character Kat. To me that's not bad luck, she's just clumsy. By the way, when we first meet the monster, Kat thinks it's a cat because she can only see it's evil red eyes in the dark. Seriously, how dumb is this girl, if I saw red eyes under my sink, the last thing I would assume it would be is a cat.
The kid actors are decent if not great, and play their roles well. Kat maybe a dumb character but she is still likable. Her brother is the same "Goosebumps" stereotype, the annoying little sibling but surprisingly he only does that in the beginning, when in the second half he actually becomes helpful. There's also another "Goosebumps" stereotype which is the only colored neighborhood friend (Not to sound racist but hasn't anybody noticed that in the previous episodes?) who is actually more interesting than our main character. Why is he the best character in this episode, because he knows all about monsters and knows what kind of monster the sponge is. He's also very helpful and very smart, and a lot of fun to watch. I enjoy this character so much that I wish that he was the focus.
The episode also has a lot of "Goosebumps" references that are very fun and clever. In one scene when our characters are watching TV, Sabre from "Camp Nightmare" is on the screen scaring our characters. In another scene when Kat is playing music, the music that's playing is an upbeat tune of the "Goosebumps" theme song. Also when it's playing we hear the family dog bark as a reference to the evil dog barking during the shows intro. I'm not going to give away the ending but I will say a few things about it. The monster's weakness is as badly written as those campy horror flicks made in the 50's, but at the same time is played in a very fun and comedic way; and when we meet a new monster, the special effects look so cool and realistic that it looks scary, but sadly that's where the episode ends. Clearly the story should be focusing on that monster than a cheap looking sponge monster!
The episode is without a doubt the campiest episode made in the whole season, with a great supporting character and a scary new monster that only shows up in the end which in my opinion should have been the stories focus. Still as badly written and horrible the monster and the special effects are, I strangely had a lot of fun watching it. It brought me the same campy fun I get when watching an old cheesy 50's horror flick. It's not scary, but it is fun to watch.
RATING 2/5
SAY CHEESE AND DIE
Three friends find a camera in an abandon building where a creepy old man named Spidey lives. Once they use the camera, they find out the camera creates bad luck. One of the members from the trio also goes missing and the last time they saw her, she got her picture taken.
The idea sounds cool and the title sounds scary, but sadly the title is misleading, why because NO ONE DIES! All the camera does is just create accidents or make people vanish that's it! I know it's a kid show but couldn't they make the accidents more intense? The accidents in the last episode were more intense than the accidents here. Though the scene when our lead character has to ride with his family and car that's going to be damaged after when he took a picture of it was pretty tense for the time being. Another question I must ask is why does any of these characters use a freaky looking camera? It looks like it has the word evil written all over it! Plus getting a freaky camera in a freaky area where a creepy man lives, chances are there has to be something not right about it.
The main characters are down right bland and forgettable. They're also written dumb as well. All though the acting is decent, they still don't make the characters interesting at all. The supporting characters are also as dumb as the main characters. The family is over the top in the silliest and blandest way; the bullies are one of the most stupidest bullies I've ever seen (Not to mention their evil plan is to steal the camera); and the old man Spidey was creepy until he started acting. None of these characters are good, they're just horribly written.
To the episodes credit it is kind of creepy. The design for the camera is cool; the idea is creepy (If it was executed right); and there's some pretty good creepy scenes. There's the scene when our main character takes a picture of his family and the picture has them turn into skeletons, which was a scary sequence but then again sadly had a very poor and predictable pay-off. The scene that thrills me the most in this episode is when the cops question our main character because of the tense acting; the use of close-ups; and fast editing. That to me is where the episode truly shined!
The episode isn't what I hoped it would be, but it had its moments.
RATING 2/5
A NIGHT IN TERROR TOWER
Eddie and Sue are on vacation in England. Their parents left them to go on a tour bus while they're at a conference. One of the stops on the tour is "Terror Tower", and once they go into the Tower, they see some weird things and are being chased by a man dressed in black. Can they escape from him?
This episode has another extraordinary set-up. It takes place in a dark castle filled with hundreds of passages and staircases; they're being chased by a mysterious man; they see scary images and are not sure if those images are real or in their head; they can't remember anything; and they go back in time to be executed. This episode has so many scenes of thrills and scary moments, that I couldn't think of a moment when I felt at ease until the episode was wrapping. There's even a interesting and chilling back story to the Tower.
Our main characters Eddie and Sue are very likable and are the kind of characters that you pray will be alright. Again, the actors aren't the greatest, but they're enough to make the characters likable and make the audience feel as scared as they are. The man in black has to be one of the scariest "Goosebumps" villains ever. Instead of being over the top, he's more serious and threatening. He's bigger than the kids; he talks in a dark sinister voice; and will stop at nothing to kill our main characters, showing no sign or remorse or hesitation.
The supporting characters are just as great as our leads and villain. There's the sorcerer Morgred, who's just as likable as the kids and is really well acted. The only flaw in the character (And story) is why does he need three magic stones to become powerful? I know they're magic, but couldn't the writer be more creative with the idea. Oh well, it's not a terrible idea I mean there is "The Sorcerers Stone" but couldn't it be just one magic stone instead of three? Anyway getting back to the supporting characters you also have a nasty Cab Driver, scared looking peasants, a firm hotel clerk, but my favorite out of all them is the tour guide. He brings a lot of laughs in the episode and can come out as creepy every once in a while.
The effects are as creepy as ever. When the kids see weird ghostly images of people you see right through them; the make up for the actors playing the moving wax figures that the children see looks so real that you can't tell which ones the actor and which ones the wax dummy; the music is extremely eerie; and the set designs are very dark and creative. The story itself even has a nice clever plot twist that really adds up to why all this happening to our characters. I did kind of see that twist coming, but it's still a good plot twist that fits in well within the plot. The only thing I hated is the episode ends with a bit of a cliffhanger, I wouldn't mind it so much except for the fact that the writers didn't decide to make a sequel to the episode. It's a scary ending, don't get me wrong, but I wish it could have had a better ending.
In my opinion, it's definitely of the best episodes in the whole series!
RATING 5/5
THE WEREWOLF OF FEVER SWAMP
Here's our season finale! Grady and his family have moved to a swamp called "Fever Swamp" to do an animal experiment. His older sister hates the place, but Grady tries to make the best of things. However, the swamp carries a deadly disease; there's a creepy and mysterious old hermit who lives in the swamp; and there's a werewolf that haunts it and feeds on a full moon.
What can I say about the set-up and story, it's great. The idea of having a wolf in a jungle like swamp is bizarre, but it's very creepy and inventive. The cinematography really captures the thrill; the lighting and use of mist not only helps with the foreboding atmosphere but it also pays homage to those old werewolf films. Speaking of homage, look for the haunted mask, it's somewhere in this episode. The story also has tons of plot twists and even a few deaths (Not just animals). R.L. Stine even turned the tables a bit on character. Instead of the older one being smart and the little sibling being annoying, it's the other way around. R.L. Stine even throws in a dog to make the heroes parents blame the animal for the deaths to animals that's been going around, which surprisingly I did give a crap about the dog.
The build-up to the werewolf is really creepy. You don't see a werewolf until the climax. When you first see it, you see it's sharp claws, hear it howl, and see it chase its victims through its eyes in slow motion. You even don't know where it is or when it will pop out to scare you. I'm not going to tell you who the werewolf is but I think you'll be very surprised, especially when you see the person become half human and half wolf with very scary realistic make up. With all that praise on the wolf, I must honestly say when we see it fully, it not only looks cheesy but it kind of looks like a Gorilla than a werewolf. I wish Sabre was the episode's wolf.
The characters are pretty bland and uninteresting; and The acting is a bit weak too. It's not terrible but it's not good, it's ok. Even though our main character is the smart young sibling, he's still boring, and the only cool thing he does is lock his mom in the shed to keep her safe, that's it. The actress who plays the annoying sister is good but probably does the annoying part a little too well. Let's just say I find her so annoying that I'd wish the wolf would eat her! Do I really need to talk about the parents? They're just the same old regular parents you'd see in any "Goosebumps" episode.
However, I will admit, there were two characters that I did like. First there's the smart hillbilly kid Will. The actor playing him is not that good, but his character is very adventurous and seems like the person you'd go on adventures with. He's smart; knows his way around the swamp; and takes chances. Without giving away of what happens to him in the end, its pretty sad. The other guy is the creepy Swamp hermit. We don't know who he is but we do know there's something not right about him. He lives in the swamp; howls at the moon; and acts like an animal. He can sadly be laughable instead of creepy at points but mostly he's just plain creepy. I think his most freakiest scene is when he captures Grady.
Aside from the boring characters; ok acting; and gorilla like werewolf it's still a decent episode. It actually took a few more risks then any other "Goosebumps" episodes and the tone is darker and grim than any other "Goosebumps" episode I've seen this Season. I know I kind of butchered it a lot but I still think it deserves a good rating for stepping up to the plate.
RATING 4/5
CONCLUSION
It's a campy show and has it's over the top nonsense but it is still good. The stories are creative; the ideas and settings are creepy; and some of the monsters can be scary. The acting's not so great but the actors do fit their characters and make (Most of them) them likable. The special effects can be very lame and laughable at times but there are a lot of good effects as well. Is it a scary show, not too scary but it's scary enough to scare it's target audience and SOME of it can be scary to an adult as well.
RATING FOR THIS SEASON 4/5
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