Goosebumps (film)
A film adaptation of R. L. Stine's horror series.
In 2015, the horror comedy *Goosebumps* hit theaters, drawing from R.L. Stine’s popular children’s book series. Rob Letterman directed the film, with Darren Lemke writing the screenplay. Jack Black plays a fictional, over-the-top version of Stine himself, who teams up with his teenage daughter (Odeya Rush) and his new neighbor (Dylan Minnette) to rescue their town after every monster from the *Goosebumps* books breaks free from his manuscripts and runs wild. The supporting cast includes Amy Ryan, Ryan Lee, and Jillian Bell.
Plans for a *Goosebumps* movie started in the 1990s but stalled. In early 2008, Columbia Pictures secured the rights. Filming took place from April to July 2014 in Candler Park, Atlanta. The movie came out in U.S. theaters on October 16, 2015, and earned positive reviews from critics. A sequel, *Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween*, followed on October 12, 2018.
**Plot** After his father dies, teenager Zach Cooper and his mother Gale move from New York City to Madison, Delaware, where she starts a new job as the high school’s vice-principal. Zach becomes friends with his neighbor Hannah and a fellow student named Champ. But after getting to know Hannah, her father warns Zach to stay away.
One night, Zach hears a scream from Hannah’s house and thinks she’s in danger. He calls the police, but her father convinces them nothing’s wrong. While Gale supervises a school dance, she leaves Zach with his aunt Lorraine. Worried for Hannah, Zach tricks her father into going to the police station, then sneaks into the house with Champ. Inside, they find locked manuscripts from the *Goosebumps* series. Zach opens one about *The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena*, and the monster emerges. With Hannah’s help, they track the beast to an ice rink, where her father traps it back in the book.
Hannah’s father is revealed to be R.L. Stine, the troubled creator of the *Goosebumps* books. He started writing to cope with bullying, but his vivid imagination made the monsters real, forcing him to lock them in manuscripts. Back at Stine’s house, the group meets Slappy the Dummy, who has escaped his own book. Slappy burns his manuscript, making it impossible to imprison him again, and flees with the other monsters.
As Slappy frees more monsters, causing chaos in Madison, Zach comes up with a plan: write a new story to recapture them.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Rob Letterman
- Screenplay
- Darren Lemke
- Story
- Scott Alexander / Larry Karaszewski
- Based On
- Goosebumps · R. L. Stine
- Producer
- Deborah Forte / Neal H. Moritz
- Starring
- Jack Black / Dylan Minnette / Odeya Rush / Amy Ryan / Ryan Lee / Jillian Bell
- Cinematography
- Javier Aguirresarobe
- Editing
- Jim May
- Music
- Danny Elfman
- Production Companies
- Columbia Pictures / Sony Pictures Animation / Village Roadshow Pictures / Original Film / Scholastic Entertainment / LStar Capital
- Distributor
- Sony Pictures Releasing
- Released
- 16 October 2015(United States)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Development on a Goosebumps film adaptation began in the 1990s, but the project stalled. In early 2008, Columbia Pictures acquired the rights. Principal photography lasted from April to July 2014 in Candler Park, Atlanta. The film was theatrically released in the United States on October 16, 2015, and received positive reviews from critics. A sequel titled Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween was released on October 12, 2018.
The plot follows teenager Zach Cooper and his mother Gale moving to Madison, Delaware, where Zach befriends neighbor Hannah and fellow student Champ. After a series of events, Hannah's father is revealed to be R. L. Stine, whose monsters have escaped from their manuscripts. The group must recapture the monsters, including the vengeful Slappy the Dummy, using Stine's supernatural typewriter. The film features Jack Black as R. L. Stine, with Black also providing the voices of Slappy and Brent Green.
Reader's Guide
Goosebumps (2015) is significant as the first theatrical film adaptation of R. L. Stine's popular children's horror book series, which had previously been adapted into a television series. The film's approach of creating a fictionalized version of Stine himself, whose writings come to life, allowed it to incorporate multiple monsters from the franchise rather than adapting a single book. The film received positive reviews from critics and was successful enough to spawn a sequel, Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween, released in 2018. The real R. L. Stine made a cameo appearance in the film as a drama teacher named Mr. Black, a play on Jack Black's surname. The film's development spanned nearly two decades, with early attempts in the 1990s by George A. Romero and later by Tim Burton before Columbia Pictures acquired the rights in 2008.
Did You Know?
- Jack Black provided the voices of both Slappy the Dummy and Brent Green, the eponymous invisible boy from My Best Friend Is Invisible.
- The real R. L. Stine has a cameo role as Mr. Black, the drama teacher at Madison High School.
- Development on a Goosebumps film adaptation began in the 1990s, with George A. Romero writing a script for Welcome to Dead House.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Goosebumps 2015 film?
It is a live-action horror-comedy from Columbia Pictures that adapts R.L. Stine's best-selling children's book series, hitting U.S. theaters on October 16, 2015.
Who directed and wrote the Goosebumps movie?
Rob Letterman served as director, and Darren Lemke wrote the screenplay.
What happens in the Goosebumps (2015) story?
A zany, fictionalized version of R.L. Stine (played by Jack Black) enlists his teenage daughter and a new neighbor to recapture every creature that bursts free from his manuscripts and wreaks havoc on their town.
Who stars in Goosebumps (2015)?
Jack Black headlines the cast, joined by Odeya Rush as his daughter and Dylan Minnette as the boy next door, with Amy Ryan, Ryan Lee, and Jillian Bell in key supporting roles.
Why did the Goosebumps film take so long to make?
Adaptation efforts began as early as the 1990s but kept stalling, and the project only reached completion and a 2015 release under Columbia Pictures.
More in Children's horror films 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced