Not superstitious about Friday the 13th? Disney will change your mind. Disney’s new series Goosebumps is streaming now on Disney+ and Hulu and it will give you goosebumps! Keep reading for a spoiler-free, and, therefore, very short review of the series, which I was able to pre-screen, thanks to Disney+ and New York Comic Con.
For the record, I have never read a Goosebumps book or seen any previous video interpretations of the books. I had no preconceived notions and no idea what the story would be. This review will be short, because I don’t want to reveal any spoilers. FULL DISCLOSURE: I saw an ad for Goosebumps and immediately felt anxious, so you know it’s good!
Disney’s Goosebumps is a classic horror story, like an urban legend (you know, the type you tell at sleepovers to scare yourselves awake for a little longer) come to life. There’s an evil object (which, from my research, appears to be an expected character for the Goosebumps series) that’s getting into someone’s head – someone vulnerable and misunderstood, of course. Like most Disney shows, there are adults who disregard the kids’ concerns (this turns out to be more sinister than expected) and the kids have to try to figure it all out themselves.
Disney’s Goosebumps is different, though, because the characters are really well-rounded. In just a few episodes, we understand them on a more personal level than you typically get in kids’ shows, where each character is one thing (the jock, the nerd, the popular girl, etc.). Those characters are there, but they are more than just their tropes. The storyline is explored not just from the kids’ perspective, so viewers young (not too young!) and old are drawn in and neither feels pandered to, though creating content for old and young to enjoy together is Disney’s forte, so that’s not too surprising.
The actors are all excellent! I never once felt like I was watching a scene being acted out. I was truly mesmerized. You don’t have to know anything about Goosebumps to understand what’s happening. There are flashbacks and plenty of exposition to bring you along, though I don’t even know if this is a continuation of an early Goosebumps story, but it certainly could have been.
This is definitely a good show to watch with your teens, maybe tweens, but I wouldn’t go much younger than that. The characters are upper high school age, and the story is pretty well-advanced for young kids, especially if they’re impressionable. I didn’t have any nightmares, but I made sure to watch early in the day. If you watch at night, don’t blame me if you have a bad night’s sleep!
*****Highly recommended!!
Interesting
Thanks for the information! I have to check this out. geometry dash