TOP 8 FAVORITE GOOSEBUMPS EPISODES FROM SEASON 1

Well, I have a "Goosebumps" related review coming out this October, and even though we're months away, I'm still going to give you my...

TOP 8 FAVORITE GOOSEBUMPS EPISODES FROM SEASON 1

Join me as I not only count down my favorite episodes from the first Season, but also talk about some my childhood memories from watching some these episodes when I was a child to a kid in Middle School, as well giving you my top three favorite episodes of all time that were just coincidentally featured in this season. "Readers Beware, You're In For A Scare".

WARNING: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!

NUMBER 8

THE GIRL WHO CRIED MONSTER

I was going to put "Return Of The Mummy" on the list, and while having decent characters and an adventurous and creepy atmosphere, the twist was predictable; the climax was poorly executed; the Mummy was goofy; the acting from the Journalist is bad; and it didn't have that many twists and turns to make you find more to appreciate from it. It's still a good episode, just not one of my personal favorites. As you may have guessed, this episode is low on the list for some obvious reasons. The acting from most of the characters isn't good; there's a few useless characters like Lucy's friend and her little brother; and the characters in general are just cliche, boring, goofy, and stupid. With that said, there are two things that I really did admire about this episode, which is the villain Mr.Mortman, and the twist ending.

Mr. Mortman while being just a flat out villain with no back story or real goal except to eat Lucy, he's still one of the greatest villains and monsters from the series. When you first meet him, he looks and acts like a regular person with nothing creepy about him at all. But once Lucy sneaks inside the closed Library to get her blades (Shouldn't Mortman lock it, especially in the scene that follows), we see him acting incredibly strange while playing with his bugs, to disgustingly eating a few, to showing his true monstrous form, which looking at it again is a pretty cool transformation, and the design and make-up is frightening and unusual. When we see him again in human form, he acts like a regular guy, but he has suddenly taken an appreciation for monsters when he talks about the Frankenstein Monster as Lucy's returning the book she borrowed. When Lucy decides to take a picture of Mortman as the monster (bad idea by the way, if you're using a flash camera) Mortman discovers her presence, and we get the most thrilling and suspenseful scene in the whole episode where Lucy tries to escape from Mortman in a dark maze like library as we hear Mortman call out her name and look for her. That scene still gives me "Goosebumps" even when knowing that she does get away. The scenes that follow invovles Mortman stalking her. The best moment is when Mortman comes to her house when she's all alone, for how unsettling the tension between the two builds. Mortman is just a great monster, and every scene he's in he's brilliant. My brother Jesse when he was a kid was even frightened by the monster when he saw a picture of Mortman in his monster form on the cover of one those "Goosebumps" books that are based on the TV show's adaptation of an episode complete with pictures. And though I wasn't scared of that image as much as he was, it did stand out as something gross and frightening for how different it looks compared to other monsters that I've seen growing up.

While having a great monster, the ending is what made my jaw drop. The parents throughout the whole episode are the typical over the top goodie two shoe parents that we get in most "Goosebumps" episodes that don't believe our main character, and when the parents invite Mortman to dinner I was thinking if they are that stupid and ignorant. However, once they tell Mortman that they're having him for dinner, they start growing fangs and start eating and tearing apart the crap out of him as we see a scared Mortman through the monster's eyes, and see a brief look at the parents true monster form. In the end, it turns out the parents are monsters and that the kids are going to be monsters too, as well as knowing that Mortman was a monster. What an awesome twist ending! The twist that the parent's are monsters caught me way off guard and the sequence when they eat Mortman may be censored and show no blood, but it's the idea and imagination that make it so violent, as well as having intense shots. I also like that they're not evil or mean monsters, they're actually friendly, but still want to keep it a secret because they don't want to raise a panic. I also enjoy the episodes closing joke where we're supposed to think that the family was going to have Lucy's friend for dessert, that was thrilling until they show him the dessert which makes you laugh along with the characters in a sense of relief. By the way, I have no clue why the friend was wearing a monster mask at Lucy's house during night time.

With stupid moments, dumb characters, and bad acting aside, the episode does indeed have a few great things to offer and the things that work are what make the episode work, as well as landing on my list of favorite episodes made this season.

NUMBER 7

THE CUCKOO CLOCK OF DOOM

First of all, I'm beginning to like this episode a lot better than I did before. The acting from 6 year old Michael and the parents while over the top has gotten a bit better and convincing than it did during my first viewing of this episode. I'll talk about 6 year old Michael later and start off with the parents. While being the most over the top characters in the episode, they're still a lot of fun and I like the scenes where they don't believe Michael is time traveling and try to stop him from every chance he gets. I also love that as time goes backwards, they not only look younger, but they seem to get more and more over the top to symbolize their days of being young and to show how different that the majority of our parents have treated us as kids when compared to now. It's really not a bad way of playing up their silly personality. As for the story, well to be honest, I don't really remember why I called it "confusing" during my review on it because it makes plenty of sense now...well aside from erasing Tara's existence. I mean, if she's gone, does that mean the year is gone as well, if so, won't there be a major problem with the space time continuum, thus making Michael only 11? Ok maybe I'm reading too much into that. I guess my only complaint is I wish we saw more of his life as time went backwards like in the book, but in an episode that's less than 30 minutes, it flows and works fine. However, I'm not here to bash (I already did that in the review), I'm here to explain why I enjoy this episode so much.

The kid who plays Michael at age 12 (Who by the way plays Steve in "The Haunted Mask 2") is perfect for his role. I didn't feel like this kid was acting half of the time, I honestly felt his hate for his annoying sister, and being scared about going backwards in time, especially when hearing his thoughts. The kid who plays Michael at 6, I said in my review that "he didn't convince me", but now his performance has grown on me. Yeah, he can be over the top and his acting is not as great as the kid playing Michael at age 12, but I can tell that he's trying and putting plenty effort into the role, so I can't really fault him as much as I did before. By the way, the kid who plays 6 year old Michael played Rabbit in the show "Franklin" (another show from my childhood). I also do enjoy some of his funny moments like his "Home Alone" face, and ignoring his Birthday party clown. Even if the kids acting did stink, the atmosphere and effects help make it seem scary and legit (I'll go into detail with that much later). As for the kid playing Michael as a baby, well, I gotta say they directed the baby well, and again I like that we hear Michael thoughts while the baby does the movement which is both funny and convincing.

Now the girl who played Tara, my god do I want to spank her for just being a complete brat. First of all, I can't believe that the girl who plays her is the same girl who played Snail in "Franklin", Maggie in "Maggie And The Ferocious Beast" and Zoey in "Rolie Polie Olie", try to connect her performances as those cute characters to this huge unlikable brat. Every time I see her, I cringe and look at her in disgust. The opening scene, where we think Michael sees a monster when it turns out to be Tara, already you just want to yell at her for letting us down and for insulting and embarrassing our main character in front of her friends. Ok, you can call it a harmless prank that most siblings do on the show, but no, she expands on her prank by spraying ketchup in Michael's face, which angers Michael to spray some on Tara, but she runs to get their Mom, makes Michael look like that he's the one pranking her for no reason, acts all innocent as the Mother yells at Michael, and after the Mom leaves, Tara starts mocking him again. She even goes to further extremes as she embarrasses Michael at his own birthday party in front of his friends and love interest by telling Michael's love interest his secret love for her and what he really thinks of her gift; and purposely trips Michael as he falls face flat on the cake, and she does those things not once, but twice in the episode as Michael goes back in time, and on top of it she doesn't get punished for any of her actions...what a brat! That little moment where she sticks her tongue out at Michael, don't you just want to rip it off? Well, thank god she vanishes through time at the end of the episode thanks to Michael's mess up with the clock, which to be honest, I don't care if Michael screwed up time, as long as Tara's gone, Michael's alive, and that everything is in order, I'm fine. It does leave you wondering if Michael will save her or not, if I was him I'd let her be erased from existence, she's that mean people! Still, it's a really good performance from a cute voice actress from my childhood.

What I truly admire about this episode are the visuals, filming techniques and the thrills that this episode brings. The opening shot with Tara's prank, if you took out the title and knew nothing about the episode, this could be an opening to something totally different. There's something watching our main character; he finds blood on the ground; he hears the sound of laughter, which could be the ghost of its victim (A child); the monster pops out; we see it for a brief second; and it cuts to commercial break. During commercial break most of us were probably thinking "Holy crap, what was that, is he ok?". Of course, when we found out it was a prank, we were let down, but at the same time we accepted it because our main antagonist is just as evil as any monster that R.L. Stine could throw at us and on top of it, we were expecting a time travel episode, not an episode with a blood hungry monster. Another scene that builds thrills, suspense and atmosphere is the dream sequence that Michael has as he's running down an empty dark nightmarish like hallway as we hear an eerie noise and when he turns around, it's the Cuckoo Clock (As a metaphor of time catching up with him) and instead of the ugly Cuckoo popping out, it's Tara's face childishly laughing at Michael. The sequence is not only horrifying (For a kids show), but notice that the next scene is when we see Michael at age 6, which is before Tara's existence, and on top of it, Tara's face popping out of the cuckoo clock is the last we ever see of her. I also get freaked out by the scene when 6 year old Michael is being followed by a pedo asking him if he "has the time" and as the kid tries to get inside the locked store, he comes closer and closer towards Michael until we see a hand grab Michael. At first we're scared for a tiny second that the pedo has caught up with Michael, but once we find out it's the Dad, we're relieved, but at the same time we're not since the kid is in trouble and won't be turning time in the right direction. The design for the Cuckoo clock is great, especially for that ugly cuckoo bird inside it and I love the creepy sound effects we hear whenever we're near it such as hearing the creepy old clock ticking and an eerie wailing noise. I also love the use of darkness, slow motion, some of the sets, and the angles that were used to create the effects and atmosphere for this episode, it has like a nightmarish look and feel that gives you the feeling of time being at stake for our main character.

I really did enjoy and appreciate this episode a lot more than I did before. The casting is great (especially finding out that most of them are from my childhood), the writing is creepy, the villain is despicable, it's creative with its visuals, and has a thrilling and dark atmosphere. It's a shame that this is one of the few Goosebumps episodes that never made it to DVD, or VHS for that matter. I hope in the future they do release it on DVD, or hell make a complete Season DVD set than just DVD compilations.

NUMBER 6

THE WEREWOLF OF FEVER SWAMP

When I heard of this episode as a kid, I was isn't interested because I felt like it was going to be boring and unexciting, so I stayed away from renting it. My Dad surprised me by buying me a VHS copy of it, and I figured I might as well take a look. When the episode started, I was already bored. The characters bored me; the story didn't interest me; the atmosphere felt boring; it was just flat out dull. The only entertaining part of the episode was the Prologue and Epilogue with the author R.L. Stine, who did host some of the episodes in this Season. He gave a good introduction; he brought a cheesy, yet fun joke; and in the Epilogue, I laughed when I saw his arm turn into a Werewolf's arm. When I did my review of Season 1 and finally paid attention to the episode from beginning to end, I was actually very surprised by it.

OK, I still admit that most of the characters are boring and uninteresting; the acting feels very wooden; the Werewolf design was a let down; and the pacing did feel slow. However, with criticisms aside, I put the episode higher than the last two on the list because the many chances it took. The characters, while not interesting, I do admire the twists that R.L. Stine gave to these characters. The older Sister being an annoying brat, while the younger sibling acts more mature is a great twist on the show's character formula. And the twist of the Hill Billy kid being the Werewolf instead of the Swamp Hermit who we were led to believe was the Werewolf is perfect writing and executed really well.

Once again, I do greatly admire the creative aspects to the story. A swamp that either gives people fevers or gets them lost forever, while a crazy man lives in it and a Werewolf lurks the swamp at night is highly inventive. I also love hearing the dialogue about Werewolves and learning the history and dangers of the swamp, since it just pulled me into the story and enviornment. While the Wolf looks looks like a live action version of ManBearPig from "South Park", the effects of not seeing it and keeping it in the shadows most of the time really does work. I love the werewolf's first appearance when the bratty sister is alone in a dark house as we see it in the darkness and when it steps into the light, since we get cool shots of its claws and sharp teeth, and then see it chase the victim through its eyes in breath taking slow motion. I also adore the Make-Up job for showing the Werewolf being half Werewolf and half human as the Moon begins to fade, that was beyond cool.

The Swamp Hermit is a freaky character who really comes off as unsettling. That scene when he traps our main character as he eats like a pig; shows off his long rotten nails; and holds a gun in case if anybody comes by, is just a very uncomforting scene. While some episodes looked dark and foreboding, this episode perfected it. It was dark; it was eerie; it was gritty; it was foreboding; it had a great scary atmosphere; and it looked like a legit horror flick for adults than for kids. There are even plenty of jump scares that did indeed catch me off guard and I'm sure will scare the crap out of any kid who's watching this.

While I do find the episode overrated, I still appreciate the many updates that it brought to the series. It changed the characters around; it was darker looking than any other "Goosebumps" episode combined; it kept the childish jokes to a minimum; it had really good scary jump scares; and it even had the guts to kill off not one, but two of the supporting characters. It overall gave the show a new look and mature feel that was very rare to see. 

NUMBER 5

WELCOME TO CAMP NIGHTMARE

First of all, and as I stated in my review, I really admire the set-up. The character is miles away from any civilization at camp in the woods runned by crazy and mean Camp Counselors; there's a monster that lurks the woods; kids one by one start disappearing and dying; there's a strict policy of boys being separated from girls; and a forbidden mysterious bunker. I just love every opportunity and advantage it takes, as well as never ignoring or over doing any of those aspects I just mentioned, it just balances them all out really beautifully. Each and every one of those aspect help make the episode get  thrilling, intense, and terrifying by the minute, as well as having a great twist to these creative aspects to the story. Here are a few examples. First off, the build up to the forbidden bunker makes you wonder what the counselors are hiding. Is it haunted; are the dead bodies of the kids stored in there; does the monster live in there; no, it's worse! It's where the counselors throw away the kids' letters to their parents instead of mailing them as they promised, which means that the counselors are defiantly out of their minds and do indeed have something planned for the kids that go there. I also love that when our hero steps inside the bunker and sees the letters, we the viewers hear the voices of the kids who wrote each of the letters that our hero finds, which makes the situation very unsettling. By the way, I love that they use Elvis stamps for their letters, that was pretty cool since I'm an Elvis fan and I just happen to have two of those stamps. However, that hidden cameo doesn't make sense due to the episode's plot twist. Another twist to the one of those great scary aspects of the episode is the separation from boys and girls. If one of them leaves their grounds and heads to the opposite genders grounds, they will be shot by tranquilizer darts...at least that's what the head counselor says. Talk about a crazy, strict, and messed up camp.

The crazy counselor's and the monster are just great antagonists of the episode that leave you very terrified and paranoid. The bully counselor Larry is completely unlikable in every sense of the word. He constantly yells and makes fun of the campers; he doesn't help a little kid after being bit by a snake; he loves to tattletale on the kids who break the rules; he purposely hits a kid in the head with a baseball, which severely injures the kid; and above all he let's two campers drown, instead of saving them. He's everything to hate in a mean camp counselor and let me tell you, I've met people like him in my life, especially when I went to a regular Summer Camp where I was bullied and yes the boys were separated from the girls as well. The head of the camp Uncle Al, man is he unpredictable. First off, I love his badass entrance as he scares away the monster with a mini gun that shoots explosives (I'm guessing it's a Flare Gun) that was pretty awesome. Second, I love how he swings around from being a nice guy who cares for his Campers, to a strange guy who hides secrets that can mean life or death; to a crazy lunatic sergeant who likes to hunt down kids in a very extreme way. He's enjoyably fun, while at the same time weird, creepy, and is a character that keeps you guessing and guessing until the end. As for the Monster Sabre, I love that it's all built on atmosphere, fast editing, point of view shots, and very little show of the monster, which is what make it so scary.

I guess if I was going to fault the episode for anything is the acting since some of the scared reactions to the kids are cheesy but to be honest it's not that bad. The acting from the kids, while not fantastic, is still good enough to make our characters likable and carry their innocence. As for the kid playing our main character Michael, he's actually better than all the other kid actors of this episode. His character, is truly one of the best main characters in the series and is indeed a great role model. He cares for his friends by trying to save them from the dangers within the camp; he breaks rules when he knows it's the right thing to do; he has great courage; he's very likable; he's enjoyable and fun; he's all together a great character than being the typical main character cliche we usually get in the series. The best part is the ending when we find out that it was all a test at a government facility for him to go on a big trip with his scientist parents (How many times, have we've seen Scientist Parents in the show). Everyone was an actor; the snake was rubber; Sabre is an animatronic puppet; the kids survived from drowning by going under the canoe (HOW DID HE NOT SEE THEM WHEN HE WAS UNDERWATER LOOKING FOR THEM?!) and the parents were secretly watching him. At first, I found it to be a downer, but to be honest, I like that this was a test leading up to another incredible plot twist. The place where Michael is going to on his trip with his parents is the planet EARTH! So they were aliens the whole entire time, "What a twist" and it's also referencing the ending to the "Twilight Zone" episode "Third From The Sun" which makes it an even more incredible ending.

What more can I say about this episode? It has a great set up; it's creative; the main character rocks; the villains and monster are scary; and the twist ending is perfect! No matter how many times I see it, I still get creeped out by it and still leaves me stunned by the ending.

NUMBER 4

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DUMMY 2

As a kid, I was only introduced to Slappy through "Night Of The Living Dummy 3" and "Bride Of The Living Dummy" since they were out on video and as you may have guessed, I didn't see this episode till I saw "Cartoon Network" run a "Goosebumps" marathon for the Month of October with my little brother Jack, and out of all episodes from this show, this one scared him to the point where our parents decided to not let him see the show for a while. While I found Slappy scary to young viewers, I actually enjoyed watching him than being afraid of him as a kid. Don't get me wrong, he does have his scary moments, but for the majority, I actually get a lot of fun and laughs from this "Goosebumps" villain. In fact I personally think he's the best one out of all of them.

While disappointed that the episode carries a sequel title since this is the first time we're introduced to this villain, it's still a great debut episode for this iconic "Goosebumps" villain. As I said in my review, he's the Chucky for kids. The pranks that he commits and how he frames Amy is just grea writing. He goes from destroying stuff such as Amy's Sisters painting and her Dad's guitar; starts comically insulting Amy's friends and family whenever Amy holds him; and he goes as far as to trying to hurt and maybe even kill Amy's friends and family thus making Amy look like she's doing all this, which results with the family thinking about maybe sending her away to a mental ward which is Slappy's plan. Like I said in the review, he doesn't kill anyone in the episode (Let's be honest, there's no way this kids show can make this character into a slasher villain for kids) but the idea of making her look like a lunatic to her friends and family and having her sent away while trying to protect her loved ones is pretty dark enough for a kids show. On top of it, no matter how hard Amy tries, she can't get rid of him and in the end will always find a way to catch up with her. If I had to choose a favorite Slappy moment in this episode, it's when he's insulting the family during their family night together. It's both funny and scary at the same time since our character is getting into serious trouble for it.

The characters are likable and fun and the acting while not fantastic or anything, it's still good enough to bring us the likability to the characters; the innocence of our main character; and the suspense and drama of the scenes when our main character is in trouble and is looked at as a lunatic by her loved ones. The special effects for the Dummy still does hold up and on top of it, I enjoy it's dark and scary atmosphere and look of the episode. That scene when the Dummy's walking down the hall way with a brush in his hand, while silly, it still captures that feel to a slasher film, by seeing through it's eyes; seeing little of the Dummy; and seeing the weapon in it's hand (Which at first, you think its a bloody knife or something, than a paint brush). Speaking of slasher films, when I say Slappy's the Chucky for kids I really mean that he's the Chucky for kids. This episode literally feels like a mild version of "Child's Play". A kid gets a gift which is a doll; the doll starts causing trouble and framing the kid for it, which no one believes that the kid is telling the truth; we see it move a little, while we look at it; we don't see the doll commit most of the crimes in the beginning, but we do see the evidence from the visuals; and in the end, it finally starts walking and talking as it chases after the main character and the people that don't believe the main character. He and Chucky even share a bit of the same personality by being both scary and funny (Mostly funny) at the same time. Chucky and Slappy are also both evil souls in a dolls body. If that's not enough, they even give him red hair, when in the cover of the book he has dark hair. While sharing many similarities I don't see it as much as plagiarism since there are some major differences between both him and Chucky, and while taking influence from the "Child's Play" films, Slappy's image here is intended to be a parody and homage to the iconic slasher doll Chucky.

What I also love about the episode is the surprise ending when the first Dummy Dennis kills Slappy. Throughout the whole entire episode he's just an ordinary lifeless Dummy who keeps losing his head and is just lying around. Once he takes out Slappy, it catches us off guard and while we're relieved that the characters are safe from Slappy, it does leave us with the question if the Dummy Dennis is good or bad. Just how he says how happy he is to be in the family again, while giving a goofy laugh (Which by the way, is it me or is that Goofy's voice) rubs off as scary and menacing. I even wonder what took Dennis so long to reveal himself to be alive which only raises the interest level and mystery about the twist even more.

Slappy has always been my favorite "Goosebumps" villain and this episode is not only a great introduction to him, but also serves as a fun "Child's Play" parody for kids and adults to enjoy.

Here we go, my top three favorite "Goosebumps" episodes of all time!

NUMBER 3

STAY OUT OF THE BASEMENT

While "Night Of The Living Dummy 2" was the major episode that frightened my little brother, the major episode that scared my other brother was this episode. It scared him so badly that he never ever wanted me to rent it again. You know what, I don't blame him either. It does indeed have plenty of scares to offer to young children, and I still find it a bit tense for kids. If I remember my childhood correctly, this was also indeed my first "Goosebumps" episode. I can still remember the suspense I had as a kid when the kids sneak into the basement when they hear that moaning; and I can remember the scenes that scared my brother, while I was thinking "Cool". It was indeed a scary episode.

The kids are good (If not great) actors for how well they fit their roles. Sure the characters don't have much character to them, but they're still likable since the show treats them as regular kids than the typical stereotypes that we keep seeing on the show. The little brother Casey for example, is surprisingly not the usual bratty or annoying young sibling, he's just a regular kid who's naive but helpful to our leading character. The sister Margret is played by an up and coming singer Beki Lantos (Who's credited as Rebbecca Henderson) and if you haven't seen her work, check out the links in my shout out post, she's really incredible. Getting to her performance, while she brings the charm and innocence to her character, her acting helps support the viewer's curiosity of what's wrong with the Father and what he's hiding in the basement.

Of course, my real praise goes to the actor who plays the Father, he is absolutely perfect for the role and I honestly can't picture anyone else playing this character. I love how he starts out as an obsessed workaholic who's very serious and very drawn to his work, but still cares for his family. That thrilling scene where he firmly asks if the kids were in the basement, to forgiving them when they tell the truth as well as being happy that they're alright, does indeed show both of those characteristics. However, after that scene, the Father starts acting strange and mean. He goes from eating plant food; to having green ooze coming out of his cut arm; to wearing a baseball cap to cover up the levees on his head; to trying to feed the kids green slimy stuff (That I guess will turn them into plants); to kidnapping a Doctor who we're not sure is dead or alive; to finally having a bed filled with earthworms. All these strange behaviors that we see while being scared, just keep you wondering and wondering until the end. On top of it, I love how odd, mean, monotone and even at times vicious the Father is. Scenes like when he takes the phone away from Margret; forces them to eat the food; and yells at the kids from being near the basement window is very alarming, especially for how unnatural he behaves and acts. What I also love about the concept is that it's not a strange neighbor or a friend who's acting weird and monstrous, it's the Father, which I truly think makes the situation scarier and disturbing then it truly is. I mean, if you can't trust your parents, who can you trust?

The episode has not only good acting (at least in terms of the show), a creative and scary premise, but the atmosphere is pretty scary too. The music is ominous and builds tension; the greenly lit jungle like basement is cool; and of course the characters being alone in a dark house with a crazy Father, while it's storming out, just creates a very uncomfortable and thrilling atmosphere, not to mention that the kids are sneaking into places that they shouldn't be in and finding strange clues that lead up to the answers in the basement. The special effects for the strange plants that lurk in the basement are pretty cool and scary as well. You got plants that try to grab you; a plant in the form of a human hand; and for me the most freaky one out of all the plants is the plant with the human head inside it. We even get an intense confrontation when our main character finds two fathers in the basement and try to decide which ones the plant copy and which one is the real father (though wouldn't it be easier if Marget just sprayed both Dad's with the Weed Spray. Oh well, I don't care.). Even when she does figure it out and everything seems to end well, a bunch of flowers start talking to Margret claiming that they're her real Father. That ending scene makes you wonder if the Father who Margret discovered to be her real Father is a plant copy of her Father too, and that one of the talking flowers is actually her real Father being turned into one by the plant copy. It seems that way, or else why would the fake Father allow Margret to spray the "Real" Father? It could also be that not all of her Father's work has been destroyed? It's all left for the viewer to think for themselves and to me, that's a good conclusion to almost any horror story.

It's truly one of the greatest episodes in the whole series. The acting and characters are good; it never stops being scary or thrilling; it's atmosphere is solid; the visuals are great; and the story just keeps building and building to its climax, while giving you great twists and scares along the way. To me, this is a "Goosebump" episodes that still holds up just as great as when I saw it when I was a kid.

NUMBER 2

THE HAUNTED MASK

I didn't see this episode until I reached 9th Grade or 8th Grade because my library and my local video store "Blockbuster" (Man am I getting old) didn't have that episode at all, and I was about to get a copy from my Aunt's house when I was a little kid, but my second oldest brother didn't want me too because he was afraid of the Mask, so I reluctantly turned down the offer. My Dad, however, did get me the sequel to the episode on tape and while I enjoyed it, a little part of me inside me felt like I needed to see the first episode so I can put the pieces together. Don't get me wrong, the sequel does fill in for the newcomers who haven't seen the first episode, but I still wanted to see it then hear about it. Years have passed and I got older and during the Month of October when that Goosebumps marathon was playing as my little brother watched it, I caught a few glimpses of the episode during its second part and the scenes literally moved me and scared me. When I finally saw the episode in its entirety, I was as amazed, scared and freaked out almost as much as R.L. Stine's parents in the Epilogue with R.L. Stine. I can't believe that this episode didn't get a DVD release, It's a really amazing episode, oh well, there's always the VHS and the internet.

This is indeed one of the greatest episodes and stories of both the "Goosebumps" books and TV series. It's a creepy and heartfelt tale, and on top of it this is what started the TV series and boy was it a great story to start out with. The girl who plays Carly Beth, oh my god, she's so great at delivering those emotions whenever she's sad or scared, and she's so sweet, innocent and lovable that you just want to hug her and comfort her. Remember that scene when the Mask wouldn't come off, as she cries and looks into the mirror to discover that she has different eyes, I didn't for a second think it was acting, I actually felt like that it was real. I also admire the fun and energy that she puts into her character when she's wearing the Mask. Yeah that voice can get a little annoying at times, but it's still creepy and shows the fun that she's having, as well as her insanity of love for revenge and scaring people. In fact, I sometimes can't believe that it's her voice, I can never ever connect the two. It's probably thee best performance by a kid in the whole entire show, no one can top her performance!

The guy who owns that creepy party store, man is this guy freaky! Like I said in the review, he's really creepy and unsettling while being a sensitive character at the same time who's trying to protect and help our main character. The opening when you first see him watching Carly Beth and her friend, you don't know if this guy is going to be a villain or a savior to our main character, all you know is, he's responsible for the Mask that our character is going to wear later on. When we see him again, he freakishly tells her with anger to leave, but when the phone rings, he gives her 5 minutes to look around and purchase a Mask, but when Carly Beth finds the Haunted Mask and the shop owner catches her in the backroom, this is where he really comes off as alarming. He locks the door, walks closer towards her as she's cornered and tells her the Masks aren't for sale while also asking her name and why she would want a scary mask. While you can tell he's trying to protect her from the horrible fate that she will encounter, when seeing this for the first time and not knowing what's going to happen it looks like he wants to do something evil to her. Seeing this scene again, it's still an unsettling moment, not just for his creepy acting and the freaky atmosphere, but it does look and feel like a pedo scene as well. When we see him in the finale when he reveals his back story about why he created the masks and why his face looks like it's decaying is a very sad and touching monologue as well being very powerfully acted while still leaving you with questions about this mysterious and freaky character. On top of it, I love the reason why the masks are decaying because they're not rotting, it's because he didn't love himself and always hated himself in the inside and outside because he was ugly and as result the masks changes to reflect of how he feels. That's clever writing and does indeed go along with the story's theme, which is love ("All You Need Is Love"). The acting from him is chillingly, his facial expressions are startling and sympathetic, and is his voice is freaky yet awesome!

The supporting characters and actors playing them, good god are they so fun, likable and great in their roles. The girl who plays Carly Beth's best friend Sabrina (Who played Sue in "A Night In Terror Tower") she fits her role really well. How she sticks with her best friend no matter what goes down really shows what a great friend she is, as well as trying to help her when being bullied and when she realizes that the Mask is stuck on our main character. I also love that they give her some faults as well to make our main character seem more innocent, such as laughing when they talk about the pranks that the bullies pull on her, insults her a little bit by calling her a "scare-able" person and she too even pulls a prank on her. I also enjoy the acting from the little brother, he's not in it much, but every scene he's in, he does a natural job at teasing poor sweet Carly Beth. The Mother is also a sweetheart too, and the scenes with her and Carly Beth together (especially in the end) is very touching. However, the fun characters in the whole episode are the kids who play the bullies Steve and Chuck. Just by watching them you can tell they're having a great time playing these characters, especially the one who plays Chuck, he really goes all out with the fun that his character having. While being the typical bullies, there's still something likable about them that you just can't put your finger on why.

With characters and acting aside, I truly love the effects, atmosphere and visuals that this episode has. First off, the make-up design for the Mask looks very frightening and life like. Trying to describe it is "Just too weird for words", it's just as realistic as the Turtles in "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie", that's the best way for me to describe it and it really is a huge accomplishment especially for a TV show made for kids. The special effects themselves while cheap looking at points still work its magic and come off as spooky or hell even scary for a kids show. The statue head of our main character talking was creepy (even though I still don't understand why it's alive) and the masks floating in the air calling out her name, god do I expect kids to get nightmares from that. I also admire the shots,of seeing through the eyes of the Mask because not only does it capture that slasher horror feel, but it makes you feel just as trapped as our main character is when she's wearing the mask. Speaking of the mask, it took me time to realize that after watching this episode and doing a little reading, I realized it wasn't Carly Beth, who's changing her voice and doing those pranks, it was the evil masks doing all this as it slowly took over her body and clouded her conscience with revenge and then snapping her out of it after scaring her victim's and you know what, I actually appreciate the episode a lot more than I did before. The atmosphere authentically bring you that Halloween feel and spirit with its darkness, shadowing, dim lights, mist and creepy music. Speaking of Halloween feel and spirit, remember that creepy talking Jack-A-Lattern that the bullies use to scare Carly Beth, I actually have one of those with the same voice box that the episode uses when I was a kid.

It's overall a great episode and story and what makes it so amazing is that it's the first episode of the show. And to get the story, characters, acting, visuals, atmosphere, special effects and a few great scares all right, is quite an achievement for a pilot for a show targeted towards younger audiences, thus making it as my second favorite "Goosebumps" episode all time.

Now I know what you're thinking what episode can top this episode, well, let's not make you wait any longer.

AND MY NUMBER 1 FAVORITE EPISODE FROM "GOOSEBUMPS" SEASON 1 AND OF ALL TIME IS...

This episode was an episode I was psyched to see as a kid. When I rented it from my local Library, I was able to get passed the first part, but half way through the second part I didn't pay much attention to it. However, the episode still left an impact on me and as time went by, where I would find myself renting it a bunch of times as my enjoyment for the episode just grew and grew. I enjoyed it so much that I use to write fan fiction stories about it when I was kid for my friends to see. Yeah, I loved it that much and as an adult, I still consider it to be my all time favorite episode from the show.

First off, I love the kids. They're so likable, innocent, and well acted that I really felt attached to these characters as well as rooting for them to live and escape from our main villain. On top of it, they don't rub off as those kid stereotypes we keep seeing in the show, they're treated just as realistic as the kids in "Stay Out Of The Basement". I even admire the plot twist to these characters that they're the Prince and Princess. Yeah, I guess it was kind of obvious since it was hinted at many times in the episode, but it was still a good twist to these characters. Oh, and when they start talking in British accents, some might find it laughable, but for me, I think they did it fine. On a fun personal childhood note, I did have a small crush on the character Sue when I was a kid.

The villain in the episode is totally awesome. I'm so happy that he's not some over the top villain, I adore how maturely the episode handles this dark and sinister villain. Every time you see him, you just get Goosebumps because he's not here to play games or mess around, he means some serious business. I actually find it disturbing that he chases the kids around so he can take them back in time and chop their heads off, it's really dark and intense for a kids show and to me is darker than any of the previous episodes on the list. That scene, as they take that a long walk to be killed by the villain, is just so grim for a kids show. He's just a great and sinister villain and while Slappy is my favorite of the series, he would be my second favorite. Come on, no one can beat Slappy in the "Goosebumps" series.

What I truly love about the episode is its creative and dark atmosphere. For the majority of the episode, it's mostly dark and dramatic. Yeah, it does have its funny moments here and there, not to mention the many jokes coming from that fun tour guide who is easily my favorite supporting character in the episode, but for the majority of it, it's pretty uncomforting. After R.L. Stine's introduction (Who by the way is laughable in the episodes Epilogue due to his poor acting) the episode literally starts with a peasant being taken away to be tortured, that alone is a dark opening. Throughout the episode we get ghosts; Wax figures that move (According to the behind scenes of the episode, the wax figures are played by actors which makes them seem more scary and life like); a villain who chases kids so he can kill them; the kids having no memory and having weird hallucinations; them going back in time to be stalked and betrayed by scared villagers; a sorcerer who has magic stones (Which is what I'd like to call the original "Sorcerers' Stones"); and a climax that takes place in the torture chamber as the kids are about to be killed. Yeah, there's plenty of awesome and yet horrible things happening in this episode. Yeah, some of it is questionable, but at the same time I like that there's a mystery to it for the viewer to think for themselves. My only issue I have with the episode is the cliffhanger ending, but at the same time it was still scary, and the final shot with the villain and the Tower is a cool way to end it.

Overall, I truly love the episode more than you realize and more can my written description can explain. It gets better every time I see it and makes me feel like a kid again when watching it.

Those are my Top 8 Favorite "Goosebumps" reviews from Season 1, I hope you enjoyed the list and getting to know my childhood a little bit and be prepared for a "Goosebumps" review this October.

ROCKY 3

Well, I reviewed the first two Rocky movies which were both masterpieces, but now we head on to the 3rd film where things start getting silly and goofy. This is...


A few years after the events of the second film; Rocky goes on a winning streak which makes him a famous and rich boxing Champion. However, a new boxer named Clubber Lang (Mr.T) who has made it through the ranks as number 1, wants to defeat Rocky and become the new Champion. Rocky has, however, lost the fight and his trainer Mickey has died of a heart attack after the fight. Rocky now in complete sadness, his former opponent Apollo Creed decides to help train him for a rematch against Clubber Lang.



Sylvester Stallone as Rocky is just as great as he was in the previous films. He's likable; you feel his emotions; he has great chemistry with the characters; he just is the character and you're always rooting for him throughout the film. I like that in the first half of the film, while he still spends time with his friends and family, fame has certainly gotten to his head. When you see that montage of him training in a fancy looking Gym filled with Rocky merchandise and him posing for the cameras as he's training, while we cut to Clubber Lang training hard a few times; it truly shows how much fame as gotten into our heroes head. The second half of the film is Rocky all broken down; sad; and scared which Stallone really pulls off well, especially after seeing the events of what happened during his fight with Clubber Lang. By the way, remember how big of a plot point his bad eye was in the second film? It's completely forgotten and it's only hinted at the beginning with him and Paulie that his bad eye got surgery. Yeah, that's something you don't briefly mention in one sentence since it was a major issue for Rocky to go back into fighting in the last movie. Oh, and one other important thing I should mention is this is the first time we're ever introduced to the famous Rocky Statue which still stands today, just not in the same spot.



The whole supporting cast from the previous film, well, except for one, are back at reprising their roles just as great as they did in the last two films. Talia Shire as Rocky's wife Adrian, while she and Rocky doesn't have too many scenes together; the relationship is still there. That speech she gives Rocky when he gives up on training is so good and so powerfully acted that it shows that Adrian has indeed been fully developed from a shy person; to a worried woman; to a complete supporter for our main hero. Burt Young as Paulie, I'm glad he shows up more in this film than he did in the previous film. He's just as complex as he was in the last two films and Burt Young pulls it off just as great as he did before. He even gets a few funny moments. With that said, there are a few things that bother me. Why isn't he working for Gazzo anymore, it's never ever explained and just for the record, Joe Spinell doesn't return as Gazzo for the rest of the series. I also find it a bit disturbing that Paulie makes some harsh comments about the black people in the Gym where Apollo trains Rocky. Still with those flaws aside, Paulie is still that character you both love and hate. Burgess Meredith as Mickey is just as amazing as he was in the last two films and watching him as this great character really does make it one of his best performances of his career. Every scene he's in, in any of the Rocky films to have Mickey in, are all flat out perfect. The scene where Mickey dies in front of Rocky while the others cry is so sad that for me this is the saddest moment in the whole franchise. Carl Weathers as Apollo Creed is not only fantastic in the role, but seeing him and Rocky become buddies is overwhelming epic and enjoyable. It's just beyond awesome seeing the former opponent training our hero. Of course Apollo does ask for a favor which is never revealed until the end and without giving it away, the idea was awesome and does make a good closer to the film, but we don't ever see him perform the favor which is a giant let down. Tony Burton as Apollo's trainer also briefly makes a few appearances in this film, and he does a good job during the little screen-time he's given.



Now for Rocky's opponent played by Mr.T. It's important to know that this is not only Mr. T's film debut, but is also the first time we're ever introduced to this character actor. Yeah, this is before he was an "A Team" member. Before this film, he was just an extra for the film "The Blues Brothers" and served as a bodyguard. This is also thee first time we ever hear him say his famous line "I Pity The Fool". Mr.T is fantastic as this animalish and blood thirsty opponent. While Apollo was a tough opponent, he was still likable; Mr.T however, is flat out mean and always rough, tough and angry with no likability to his character at all. He not only defeats Balboa but he's always making harsh comments that make Apollo's harsh comments in the last film sound childish; he's always beating people and our hero with no restraint or hesitation; he hits on Adrian which pisses Rocky off; and on top of it he's the one responsible for killing Mickey by pushing him aside which gives him a heart attack. This guy is so mean, that you can't wait for Rocky to cream this guy. Mr.T is great as this character and why he was nominated for a Razzie is beyond me.



The music in the film is just as awesome as the previous films. Granted, it's not played for the most part of the film, it's mostly played during the sad moments and it does indeed carry out the sadness of those scenes. Of course, while you have the song "Gonna Fly Now" for the big Training montage, the song that steals the movie and not only introduced this classic song, but also gave the film an Oscar Nomination for Best Song is "Eye Of The Tiger" by Survivor. It's so awesome and so epic that actually I wish this song was also played for Rocky's big Training Montage than his traditional theme song. It's one of the greatest rock songs to have ever been made and it fits the Rocky film perfectly. The Montages in the film are just as great and well shot and edited as the previous films. You have the montage of Rocky not training hard while Clubber Lang is training his ass off; you have the scenes of Rocky failing at his training; and of course you have the big Training montage of Apollo training Rocky as the song "Gonna Fly Now" plays which is again really epic. While the famous running on the beach done in slow motion is cool; is it me or does this look like a gay version of Baywatch, especially that last image of them hugging? For me, the best montage in the whole entire movie is the opening montage with "Eye Of The Tiger" playing as we see Rocky on winning streak, getting famous and seeing Clubber Lang rise through the ranks. It really pulls you into the film and gets you hyped up, and with the first classic training montage from the first Rocky film aside, this is my all time favorite montage in any Rocky film.



The film has three fights and the first one is where all the goofiness in the franchise started. The first fight is Rocky versing a Wrestler named Thunder Lips played by Hulk Hogan in a charity event. What sense does that make, Boxer against Wrestler, those are two completely different sports. It's like seeing something as crazy as runner against swimmer or Soccer player against Football player; it makes little to no sense. As you may have guessed this whole entire fight sequence is not only goofy, but it's completely pointless to the whole entire film. You can cut it out and the film wouldn't make much of a difference. But with that said, I'd be lying if I said that it wasn't entertaining. Yeah, it's dumb and pointless, but at the same time it is entertaining, cool and loads of fun. I just love how it goes from Rocky getting pulverized; to having a huge riot; to Paulie jumping into the fight; to having Rocky take off his gloves to attack this guy. Again goofy and pointless, but it's solid entertainment.



Then we have the last two fights of Rocky versing Clubber Lang. The first fight is harshly depressing and sad and is indeed the first time we actually see Rocky go down in shame. The second fight holds you on the edge of your seat like the last final fights in the previous two films. You again really want to see Rocky get this guy. The fights are both choreographed great and are better than the fight in the 2nd film (Still an awesome fight though). The sound effects, sound brutal; the edits are perfect; the slow motion is cool, but not as cool as the slow motion in the 2nd film; the use of blood is realistic; and the energy and small talk from both boxers makes this fight more personal than any other fight in the previous films. This is also the first time, we ever see a fight from beginning to end without any montages in the Rocky series, which I think is what makes all the fights in this movie so awesome.

While the film has some flaws, let downs and started out the silliness of the franchise, it's still an awesome sequel! Sylvester Stallone is perfect for his role as well as doing a great job at the writing (For the most part) and directing for the movie; the supporting cast and characters are all wonderful; Mr.T in his first starring role makes a great villain for the film and is personally my favorite out of all opponents in the franchise; the montages are cool; the fight scenes are awesome; the music's kicksass; and the whole film was entertaining from beginning to end. Not as good as the first two, but it's still awesome.

RATING 4/5