One of the panels I made sure to attend at Comic-Con was Sony Pictures Entertainment, simply because they were going to talk about the new Goosebumps movie. What?! A Goosebumps movie! I am so there! I have read almost every book in the series, loved them, and still have my original copies.
Goosebumps, if you are not aware, is a highly successful (over 400 million books sold worldwide) children’s book series by R.L. Stine that were published in the 90s. The stories feature young protagonists who encounter scary monsters/creatures/situations then have to use their wits and imagination to conquer their fears or overcome evil. The stories often feature a twist ending so you could say they are Twilight Zone horror stories for kids.
There was a television series based on the books that came out in the mid 90s that did pretty well, but personally, I did not care for it. Though the books have humor, I felt the series was cheesy but not in a good way. At first I was a little skeptical of the idea of a film, but after the panel, I am looking forward to watching it!
The panel started with a video introduction by R.L. Stine himself! Instead of the film being based on one particular book in the series, it focuses on the life of R.L. Stine (in a fictional way). The plot of the film, as explained by Rob Letterman, the film’s director, is “What if all of R.L. Stine’s creatures got loose?” Who could possibly play the part of the famous writer? Well, it is going to be none other than Jack Black.
A cartoon version of R.L. Stine with some of his monsters
They actually just finished filming two days before the panel and were able to show us a teaser trailer for the film (with only super basic FX). It looked really cool! It had action, humor, creepiness and the quality looked good. Following the trailer, Jack Black and Rob Letterman answered questions from the audience. Based on the questions, fans of Goosebumps are VERY attached to the series. One kid asked Jack Black if he has read all of the books in the series to which he replied that he had “read quite a few but not all.” Then Black joked that there are a lot of books in the series and to give him some time to finish them all. Black also commented on how he enjoys the series because as an adult they are a quick read.
Jack Black talking about the film
Will this be a movie for kids? How scary did they make it? They did not “want to undercut the scares, so there will be some real tension and some humor”, said Letterman. Both Letterman and Black commented on how they have kids of their own and they wanted to make the film for kids and adults alike.
Reacting to a giant monster
Which stories will be represented in the film? Letterman said that they “…figured out the ones that were appropriate for the story they were telling.” Black and Letterman somewhat hinted at which monsters will be in the movie but they wanted to leave it a surprise. One person asked how many monsters are in film and it was funny that they could not recall exactly how many. Speaking of the monsters, some will be pure CGI, some are all makeup/practical FX and some are a hybrid of both.
A funny moment in the teaser trailer where the monsters where told it was over and to go away
Letterman and Black both said Night of the Living Dummy was their favorite in the series and, at the end of the panel, Slappy himself came out on stage! It looks like Slappy is going to be a major villain in the film and apparently he is like R.L. Stine’s alter ego. Slappy took over the panel by ushering in a bunch of monsters that dragged Jack Black away. It was a fitting ending for such a panel.
Jack Black talking to Slappy
Right before Jack Black was taken away by the monsters! There were so many of them that they covered the stage!
Beware of Slappy!
Goosebumps the film is scheduled to come out August 5th, 2015, and I know I will be checking it out!