User reviews

I am 38 years old, the original Goosebumps books and TV show were in my prime. I enjoyed them and Fear Street as I got older. I didn't mind the movies that came out a few years ago but nothing has been "Goosebumps" to me. This attempt is the same. Is it a halfway decent show that I can watch with my son to pass some time over the weekend. They definitely called it "Goosebumps" to get more viewers but it is not really Goosebumps. They took some inspiration from some of the books and wrapped it into 1 series. I do have to say that as a gay man, I am finding the "check boxes" to get a little old. It is nice to see characters who resemble everyone, the gay kid with a straight best friend combo was cool BUT the stereotypes are getting a bit old. Not every gay kid is androgenous or flamboyant. It would be nice to see these characters but with a little less of the stereotypes. Aside from that, I've definitely seen worse things on TV.

Everything has to be redone, reimagined and recycled these days. Unfortunately goosebumps is not off-limits even though we just had two movies within the last 10 years as well as Fear Street spin offs on Netflix. No, but here we get a series that tries some new things, but just can't escape the absolutely unnecessary and forced tropes amongst the casting, the plotting, and the overall product. Justin Long being the bright spot, of course and some of the Visual horror aspects. Otherwise, I can already tell it might be difficult to make it through more than a few episodes. I'll stick with the classic books and the classic TV series.

Before you read this review I'm only two episodes into this series. However, right away a decision they made has kind of ruined the entire thing for me. It is not single one off stories, they are combining a bunch of books into a continuous arc about characters spanning one season.

A season long arc doesn't really work for Goosebumps. They might want it to because it makes it easier to create sequel episodes if they can keep bringing the same characters back, but it doesn't work with this. Each book was an entirely different vibe, some had more elements of comedy, some had elements of family, all had a horror twist thrown into the mix.

Making this a season long arc doesn't seem like it will work to me. This is just a forewarning to anyone looking to check out this series. I have no idea if they're able to pull it off well, but it seems destined to be at best mediocre to me.

As someone who grew up reading the books and giving every atrocious cinematic attempt the benefit of the doubt, I am pretty pleased with this one.

I winced when I hit play, and settled back, prepared to be disappointed.

I finished every episode in two days, and am excited for the next.

It is very much a show aimed at teenagers, so it has the high school shenanigans and drama. The acting skill varies, as does the script writing. Justin Long is Justin Long (which I love. YMMV).

Every attempt at trying to exactly duplicate the stories and spirit of the books has failed miserably, so this show went in a different direction. They used a Goosebumps villain and created a framework from it, then wove different Goosebumps stories into an episodic/serialized show.

If you're looking for Masterpiece Theater, this ain't it. If you're looking for something fun inspired by delightful Goosebumps books, enjoy!

So, Obviously I am not done watching this yet and there are two episodes of season one still yet to be released. The first episode sucked, but I am very glad I gave episode 2 a chance, because the story line gets much better. There are definitely some cheesy parts but overall, I actually enjoy this modern remake. I am a millennial so maybe I am not 100% up to date on how gen z acts now, But I can appreciate the way they made the story line catchy. I think viewers need to remember that it isn't always easy to re create cult classic that has been appreciated for years. I think they did a great job, overall.

...but I stuck with it and I'm so glad I did. The first two episodes are not the best I didn't really know why. The acting is overdone sometimes and the jokes don't land but somewhere in the 3rd or 4th episode this switches. The humor is actually landing and we get modern humor with some pop culture references but also some throwbacks to the x-files and of course MANY of the old goosebumps episodes/books.

Each episode has it's own "monster" but they are all connected through the friendgroup. At first I thought I would prefer stand alone episodes and different actors but I actually prefer it this way.

The CGI looks great even though the scenes sometimes give CW energy. Overall the Storytelling overways everything and it feels so good to be back in the goosebumps world.

The soundtrack is AMAZING too, straight up bangers in every outro.

If you are a Boomer at heart even though you grew up with goosebumps: you probably already wrote a review about how much this is a woke cashgrab that's unoriginal, but somehow your comment is. This is not for you.

This is for the people that learned the core values of shows like goosebumps and can still have fun and actually like diversity and that everyone gets a seat at the table. Don't take this show too serious because it really doesn't take itself that serious either and then you will have a great time!

Update after completing the show: No spoilers; It's still good, I still miss the old intro, it diverts expectation which I like but the PACING.. the show really needs to work on that. Some episode are just filler (episode 5? And 9).. absolutely boring. 90% talking 10% plot. We need a better balance between slow moody teen drama and action fantasy novel. Because right now the balance is off. Otherwise pretty good like I said. I'm going to lower my score from an 8 to a 7. It didn't wow me in the end but it was nice. Soundtrack is also really good.

I'm not sure why they decided to use the "Goosebumps" brand for this series, but I imagine they thought they'd get a lot more views playing the nostalgic reboot card. Had they just given it an original name, there wouldn't be as many reviews from viewers who are incapable of separating the style and format of the original series and accepting this new one. There would also be fewer viewers claiming this new show ruined their childhood, not because the show is bad, but because they grew up to become idiots who refers to everything that doesn't fit into their narrow-minded per views as woke. The good news is, if you're a decent, functioning member of modern society who can look past the fact that not every character is straight and white, and how those characters actually speak and act like people of their age in 2023, you might enjoy the creepiness and sometimes genuinely gross and chilling aspects of this series. More so, if you're intelligent, too, you might appreciate the smart writing and the metaphors woven into the specific storylines featured in each episode. As much as I'm enjoying it, I have some issues with it being derivative (Nightmare On Elm Street), predictable (I figured out what happened in the past in episode 2), and having a major plot hole (why doesn't one character's kid and their friend back up their story and prevent them from having to be taken away?) Aside from these small gripes, it's an enjoyable series, especially if you like the horror genre and you're looking for something new to watch around Halloween.

Fans of the original book series should know this show is nothing like that- it's darker and the protagonists are teenagers instead of younger kids. Zero nostalgia factor, so if that's what you were hoping for, look elsewhere.

That said, the episodes in the middle of the first season were fairly okay and overall the series had potential.

The writing is why this isn't getting a higher rating from me. The motivations behind the characters' actions- particularly those of the villains- are nonsensical to the point of frustration. The last two episodes of the first season were disappointing and fell flat in their attempt to create lore and explain the origin of the evil that had been haunting the characters.

I don't have an issue with the showmakers changing the tone of the OG series to appeal to an older, Gen Z audience but there are too many plotholes- too much about the choices characters make and about the world that just doesn't make sense within the context of the series, and that's never really explained to the point of satisfaction.

Wow. This whole thing was a contrived, cringe-inducing crapfest. Big studios need to just accept that they will never be in touch with the youngest generation and stop trying because I'm beyond tired of wasting my time on this endless fountain of multimillion dollar sewage.

The characters are shallow and stereotypical, the script is lame, the story is boring and predictable, and there is absolutely zero homage to the original series to make it even worthy of sharing the namesake.

My all means Disney & Co., continue to make this kind of excrement but stop clickbaiting us into watching it by slapping familiar names onto it. If it's not worth an original title then maybe it's not worth making.

A little darker, edgier, and more graphic version than the Goosebumps we grew up with. I was skeptical at first but after a couple episodes it grew on me. I'm sure a lot of reviewers watched one episode and decided to hate it too quickly. The acting is good, the special effects are fine, and the stories have a charm to them. It's in no way perfect, and I wouldn't let kids under 12 watch it, but it's still innocent enough with some adult themes going on. I was surprised to see an amazing adult cast and take it pretty seriously. One thing I miss is having any real score as they just seem to use songs from the 90s to convey any feeling.

I really like this series. YES, it's targeted at a slightly younger demo. Yes, it has teen drama. YES, it isn't the original series. I'm cool with that. I grew up watching and reading goosebumps. I loved it. I've re-read the books a thousand times, and watched the original series over and again. I'm glad they took a new direction with this. I'm glad it's for a younger audience. That to me is what goosebumps has always been about. Youth. If they had made a shot for shot remake, or done it in the 90's, I don't think it would be genuine to the original idea. Lots of old heads bashing on this for it being different. Chill. You can still watch the original. No one took it away, they just passed the torch. I always wished goosebumps followed a core group through an intertwined story. This delivers!

I'll be upfront and say I know very little about Goosebumps and I didn't watch the TV show from the 90's. It wasn't something I grew up with. So I also low expectations for the show, but I saw Justin Long was in the show and I'm up for anything he's in. Also also, the trailer caught my attention.

I have to say I've been pleasantly surprised by the show. The first episode was a little uneven, but it's developed in a really engaging show. The story and the mystery is good. The cast is good. The special effects are very well done in places. There's some good tension. Yes, there's somewhat of a CW vibe to the show as others have mentioned. However, overall, it's a very good show and well worth your time.

Something people are gonna have to realize is that there are so many books to the goosebumps series and would probably take more than several life times to make into a cartoon or live action. People love Goosebumps and want more, but the thing is not everything can be made perfect especially with time and money. I couldn't care less what anybody thinks this show was great each episode and probably my favorite adaptation of Goosebumps. If you're gonna cry about how it won't follow the story just stick to the short and more accurate 1990's TV show. The people who made this show did their best to bring as many books as they could into this show with a great plot, so stop saying it was bad.

MY REVIEW: Best adaptation so far, amazing acting, rushed endings for most of the episodes, great on transitioning to each character after each episode, foreshadowing was great, and was kinda upset how there wasn't too much bloody stuff but ehh still alright. I haven't watched a better Halloween movie or show since Hubie Halloween.

This is an everyday story of teenagers in their mid to late twenties who talk and behave in a way no teenager would. It's filled with every trope of the current year which aren't in any way real. So, nonsense aside, it it any good? Not really and not even close but it isn't as bad as it could be which makes it a little bit better than the crap that gets made today. In short, it's not remotely good but it exists in an amateurish world where a lot of what gets made is worse. It's difficult to imagine where they get people to write and produce this kind of stuff but until talented people turn up it provides moving images on screen which make the passage of time less boring than a sensory deprivation tank.

It's a bit darker than the original version but it's really good. It's a lot funnier than the original also the only few flaws are that they didn't use the same music as the original and every scene that isn't outside is very dark hard to see what's going on. But since I like it, it will be cancelled soon but really hope it isn't. If you don't know or like the original episodes then u probably won't like this show some people probably wanted the same original show with new actors but it's a new way of doing an old show. I really hope more people rate this and rate it high so that it sticks around.

It's okay but if you are expecting old time goosebumps, where you age 50 years from eating grandmas prune cookies. Then getting pimped out to grandmas knitting circle friends. Then this is not what you are looking for.

Or spending all of your allowance on a dust musky mask that looks like the bottom of your shoe mixed with Steve Buscemi.

Or getting stuck in a tower and then time traveling back to middle evil times when you have to save a prince and run away from a knight.

This really isn't your tv show but if you want some modern times goosebumps, only spooky if you still sleep with your baby blanket, a night light, and look under the bed before you go to bed than I suggest.

The acting is horrible. The script awful. The directing is trash. The music is annoying. The pacing is brain dead. Its really really really bad. I dont get how its this bad. Its like they are trying to make it a low budget feeling with bad acting and bad script. What a stupid waste of a fun show and premise. The old goosebumps show is even better than this. Disney + has been making the most soulless cash grab generic content lately. They make netflix look like HBO. The director, actors and writers of this show should be arrested and locked away for ever. Disney + is just masking actual trash right now.

Only a few episodes in but I feel it's really not bad. It's a fresh take on a 30+ year old book series, so if that keeps it alive for new generations, I'm all for it! I see a lot of reviews mad that it's not like the 90s series, but if it was, people would be mad that they tried to make it just like the original. It's not an anthology series like the books or original show, rather an arc across a series with different books as the source of the "big bad." There's a lot of slang and behavior that feels forced but try rewatching any teen movie from the 90s....it's not much better! Its an enjoyable enough way to pass the time as long as you don't compare it to your nostalgia.

...give it a try. So, I admit that I almost turned it off during the first episode, because there was PC casting and character connections that made me roll my eyes because I'm so very sick of it in every new movie/show, especially the remakes. Instead, I stayed the course and am okay with my decision. I did find the script a bit annoying, because I thought it came off as more college freshmen-ish or sophomore-ish, also their looks. I have tried to brainstorm other titles for the series and did not come up with one that I like, but I think maybe the current title should have included more words. In other words based on the title, I expected short, unrelated stories.

I've watched every single series, movie remake, retake, whatever you want to call the video version of forms of the books. Had a scholastic goosebumps subscription as a kid, which mean new books stickers etc.. I digress.

This was a new take. I truly wanted to hate it. But, it was like looking for small Easter eggs, that throw me back to reading the tiny books of my early adolescents. All the while getting frustrated at some of the actors. Sure Justin Long delivers as he always does. But no need to dump on"kids".

I AM ALSO WRITING THIS WITHOUT SEEING THE LAST 3 EPISODES.

If I crapped the bed, I'll fix this review, but from an avid goosebumps reader, not a movie or series watcher. It's a decent take on it.