GOOSEBUMPS

Jack Black stars in Columbia Pictures' "Goosebumps."

A cross between The Goonies and Gremlins, GOOSEBUMPS is a compendium of R. L. Stine’s stories that have been scaring the pants off children for decades.

Now there’s a sentence that reminds me of one of the funniest lines in the film, delivered by Amanda Lund as Officer Brooks. She and Timothy Simons as Officer Stevens give terrific support as incompetent cops in this silly scare fare that follows the tone of the books – spooky but funny.

Combining dozens of author R.L. Stine’s famous creations into one movie, a terrific conceit of this confection is having Jack Black starring as the famed writer, a hermit like character who lives with his daughter and harbours a dark secret.

The conceit is carried further by the idea that Stine’s characters are so real they have to be locked and bound in their original manuscript covers less they should escape the pages and wreak havoc in the real world.

Conceit established, the film then reverts to convention as the library is unlocked and the protagonists spill from the pages – creatures like the Abominable Snowman of Pasadena, a relatively benign monster, a rather more rapacious Werewolf, and the ultimate malevolence, Slappy, the vengeful ventriloquist dum…(dang I almost said dummy- under no circumstances say dummy to Slappy  or Slappy will get snappy!). What is it with dolls and clowns in horror movies? Or gnomes for the matter? Toys of joy transmogrified into vessels of terrortainment! Slappy is not happy lest he is making mayhem and orchestrating the creature destruction of small town America.

Jack Black is gleefully acerbic as the reclusive author and domineering parent, with the Stephen King size chip on his shoulder.

Teaming up with Jack Black in the film is a trio of young up-and-coming actors: Dylan Minnette as Zach, disgruntled teen dealing with the death of his father and relocating to a small town from the Big Apple, Odeya Rush as Stine’s daughter, Hannah, and Ryan Lee as Champ, the local high school dweeb who befriends newby Zach.

Rounding out the cast is Amy Ryan, giving great gravitas as Zach’s mum and Jillian Bell as Aunt Lorraine.

Pro book, pro reading, GOOSEBUMPS is fun fare to finish the holiday season.