Goosebumps 2015

Bill Zwecker, Chicago Sun-Times: Black gets to show us his ability to play nasty, distant and angry -- all in a way we really have never seen from him before. The bottom line is: It works perfectly. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: A special-effects extravaganza that skips over basics like coming up with an interesting origination myth for the creepy creatures who bring havoc to a sleepy suburb. Read more

Geoff Berkshire, Variety: Turns an endearing collection of silly spooky stories into a busy, noisy, soulless eyesore. Read more

A.A. Dowd, AV Club: As effects-heavy time-wasters go, Goosebumps is mostly harmless, even sporadically amusing. But it isn't likely to keep anyone up at night, out of fear or excitement. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: The film goes too wide and gets a little soft at the end, but not fatally so. It's the rare horror film - well, sort of horror - that you and your children can enjoy together. Read more

Tom Russo, Boston Globe: It's the best treat we've gotten this Halloween, and definitely not just a bigger-budgeted version of the "Goosebumps" seen on TV. Read more

Adam Graham, Detroit News: Goosebumps isn't detached or ironic, nor does it pretend to be something it's not. It's a bonus for fans who pored over the books and it celebrates the fun side of things going bump in the night. Read more

Kevin P. Sullivan, Entertainment Weekly: It's a never-boring trip to a world, where stories and imagination are powerful tools, that just might inspire kids to do the scariest thing of all: pick up a book. Read more

Britton Peele, Dallas Morning News: Goosebumps is chock full of fun moments whether they're all logical or not, and it's an adventure that should appeal to both young viewers new the series and older readers who devoured them as kids. Read more

Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter: An amusing, fearlessly over-the-top screen rendering of the book franchise. Read more

Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times: I have no idea as to the extent of the actual Stine's peculiarities, but just going from his weird, wonderful work, every scene in the movie feels authentic compared with the version I carry of him in my head. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: The pace is great, with the last hour being an all-out monster attack, as all of Stine's creatures - a werewolf, zombies, a mummy, murderous garden trolls and a particularly sarcastic ventriloquist's dummy - go on the rampage. Read more

Nicolas Rapold, New York Times: "Goosebumps" would seem to yield the serial pleasures a voracious Stineophile might desire. Read more

Molly Eichel, Philadelphia Inquirer: Goosebumps fulfills its purpose, and that's what matters. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: At a guess, I'd say that Goosebumps will satisfy its core audience - fans of R.L. Stine's popular children's books - and bore pretty much everyone else. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: Jack Black fires up a stampede of comic terrors ready made for Halloween. Sure it's exhausting. But Goosebumps, knowing its audience, lets it rip. Read more

Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle: Happily, the filmmakers build a reservoir of goodwill in the first hour. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: A tongue-in-cheek love note to spook stories of yesteryear, "Goosebumps" is a kid-friendly crowd pleaser adults can love, too. Read more

Lenika Cruz, The Atlantic: The film doesn't try hard to make the case that Hannah's as "real" as anyone else despite being from a book, though it easily could have. That's Goosebumps's implicit premise when it comes to the monsters, after all. Read more

Kate Taylor, Globe and Mail: It gently mocks the traditions of the genre -- giant preying mantis rips roof off high school -- while never getting too frightening. Read more

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: Jillian Bell's brief scenes as Zach's Bedazzling-obsessed singleton aunt are fun. So is Darren Lemke's solid script, which leans heavily on groaners and bad jokes to balance scares. Read more

Inkoo Kang, TheWrap: Goofily self-aware and wholesomely boisterous, it's a children's picture whose sense of spooky fun readily diverts from its quibble-worthy messaging. Read more

Tom Huddleston, Time Out: More goofy fun than such a blatant cash-in ought to be. Read more

Bruce Kirkland, Toronto Sun: This Goosebumps ride may be bumpy, but it works and it is worthwhile. Read more

Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice: The filmmakers, to their great credit, spend more than half the running time bending their studio tentpole release to the spirit of Stine rather than cramming Goosebumps into their template. Read more

Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine/Vulture: It's a cheerful, nasty delight. Read more

Stephanie Merry, Washington Post: The production values are better suited for a television movie, and the music, by Danny Elfman, is distractingly intrusive. Read more