MovieChat Forums > Goosebumps (1995) Discussion > My review of the show, episode by episod...

My review of the show, episode by episode


I used to watch this show when I was little. I'm 24 now and I've been watching on Netflix he past couple days. Most of these I don't remember at all but there are some I can remember just by thinking about the title. I have never read the books so I cannot compare them in my reviews unfortunately. So now, without further ado, I will be watching and reviewing every episode of Goosebumps right here. As of this point I have seen the first six episodes.

The Girl Who Cried Monster: This episode almost made me stop doing this before I had even started. This one was just...bad. I didn't enjoy it at all. First of all, the monster looks fake as heck, and the actor plays his character as more of a creepy pedophile than he does a monster...though if that subtext is what they we're going for then I just gained a serious amount of respect for this episode, because it's a great metaphor, but this is a kids show so I doubt it was intentional. Anyway, other than that creepy subtext, there's no much to say. The twist was out of left field with no build up and it was obvious that the camera would zoom in on the parents faces like that for the scare factor, but it all came across as way too cheesy. All in all, this one wasn't that good.

It Came From Beneath the Sink: This one was much better, though still not that great. I remember this one from when I was a kids, but I remember the sponge being a lot scarier back then. Seeing Katherine Isabelle as a teen was a pleasant surprise, as I had no idea she was in this. I guess the sponge's bad luck either stayed with her or came back because she eventually gets killed by Jason 7 years later. Yes, I now truly believe the sponge was behind it all. Overall, not bad, the acting was certainly better, and it made me want to continue the show, but it still didn't do a whole lot for me. Yet again the twist was dumb and pointless.

The Cucco Clock of Doom: What a cool name for an episode. Well, I have to say that this one was a massive improvement over the other two. Like, this was a really good episode, I enjoyed it a lot. The whole thing had a very Twilight Zone feel to it. First of all, that is like my worst fear waking up as a baby, but still mentally being an adult. Just knowing that when you wake up every morning you're going to be younger until you don't exist...it gives me the chills. Unlike the other two, the one had a fantastic and very morbid ending. I loved this one and I think it might be my favorite so far out of the first six (technically 5 since the next one is a two parter).

Welcome To Camp Nightmare: I'm having trouble deciding if I like this one better than the previous one or not. First of all, the build up in this episode was fantastic. It had me on the edge of seat for the entire 42 minutes wanting to know what was going to bet he big twist. Well...it was a lot better than I expected. I thought they were gonna pull some stupid monster twist, but no, the idea that this was all military training for him was brilliant. Very Twilight Zone like. I was extremely impressed with his one and if not for the last 5 seconds this would easily be my favorite so far. But...sigh...they had to put something so ridiculous, so stupid, so out of left field, random and with no sense. The idea that they are in fact aliens isn't what bothers me...that could be kind of cool. What bothers me is that YOU CAN SEE PLANET EARTH IN THE SKY ABOVE THEM. I mean...WHAT??? First of all, how is there a habitable planet with aliens on it so close to earth that we haven't seen it yet, discovered it or even know it's there? Its not Mercury or Mars...where the heck did this plant come from? This whole concept boggles my mind and makes me face palm. Seriously. What was Stine thinking when he wrote this? He already ended the story. Was one twist not good enough? Jesus Christ this ending was terrible. It literally made zero sense. Everything else was phenomenal though.

The Phantom of the Auditorium: Sigh...oh boy, here we go. This has to be the worst I have ever spent 20 minutes. Easily worse than the first episode. The acting was TERRIBLE, even for these kinds of shows. The ideas as dumb, the plot was, dumb and the ending was even worse. So...the guy was living under the stage as a homeless man...wow Stine what a twist, I never saw that coming...and then the actual phantom turned out to be a kid she had one conversation with...ok? Haha, like, I really just don't get it. I don't get how he can write something so good like the clock episode, and then make this. What the heck.



reply

Piano Lessons Can Be Murder: This one was fantastic. I remember this one really scaring me as a kid when Mr. Shreek was chasing him saying "beautiful hands". Watching it now it's actually really funny because of the way he moves when he's running...I don't know what it is but his arm and hand movements are hilarious. Stil, I can totally see the creepy factor of it when you're a kid. I don't remember the ghost at all, but they first time I saw her last night I actually got a little creeped out. Very nice effects. I think the characterisation was great in this one, as the kid was one of he most interesting characters so far in the show. The concept and ideas went a little bit darker and deeper than what Goosebumps usually does. The guy who played Shreek was very creepy looking. Also, why is the dad ALWAYS the skeptical one, even in horror movies? The only weak part of this episode was the ending with the ghost forcing the guy to play piano for eternity. That was dumb. Overall great episode.

My Hairiest Adventure: A very character driven episode. I was honestly going to say this one was just "ok" for the majority of the episode. I was kind of bored throughout most of it and I thought the idea of the tanning cream being the cause of him becoming a dog was stupid. But the twist actually turned out to be very clever. I didn't see it coming at all, but it worked out and complemented the story perfectly. The entire episode has a totally different tone when you know how it ends. I have no idea how this is considered scary, even for little kids...I thought this episode was very cute, especially if you like dogs. I'm a dog lover so I really enjoyed this one. However, it is the kind of episode that is only really good when you get to the end. The journey to get there isn't the most interesting. Still enjoyable overall, though.

Stay Out of the Basement: Ah...a classic from my childhood. Even though it must be like 15 years since I watched this episode, I still remembered some lines right before they were said, despite not remembering how it ends at all. I liked it a lot, it was just as good as I remembered, despite being completely scientifically ridiculous...they still pulled it off quite well. Now much else to say about this one, I enjoyed it quite a bit. The very last scene though...I don't get it...like, at all. I really gotta stop looking into these things too much.

reply