Goosebumps (2023 TV series)

Goosebumps is an American horror comedy television series developed by Rob Letterman and Nicholas Stoller for Disney+ and Hulu. It is based on the book series of the same name by R. L. Stine.[1] The series abandons the adaptation format of the 1995 original TV series to focus on a serialized style of storytelling instead, while still featuring many of the existing Goosebumps monsters and items.

Goosebumps
Official release poster
GenreHorror comedy
Based onGoosebumps
by R. L. Stine
Developed byRob Letterman
&
Nicholas Stoller
Starring
Music byThe Newton Brothers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes7
Production
Executive producers
  • Nicholas Stoller
  • Rob Letterman
  • Hilary Winston
  • Neal H. Moritz
  • Iole Lucchese
  • Pavun Shetty
  • Conor Wrench
  • Caitlin Friedman
  • Erin O'Malley
  • Kevin Murphy
Producers
  • Justis Greene
  • Franklin Jin Rho
  • Paul M. Leonard
Cinematography
Editors
  • Christopher S. Capp
  • Tuan Quoc Le
  • Debby Germino
Running time36–48 minutes
Production companies
Release
Original network
Original releaseOctober 13, 2023 (2023-10-13) –
present (present)
Related
Goosebumps (1995 TV series)

In 2020, a series based on the Goosebumps books was announced to be in development by Sony Pictures alongside Original Film and Scholastic Entertainment, all of whom previously developed the films Goosebumps (2015) and Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018), that were both from Sony Pictures Animation, based on the books. Letterman, the first film's director, was hired by 2022 to write the series alongside Stoller. Letterman also directed the pilot episode. This was the first Sony Pictures Television series to be distributed by Disney since Hotel Transylvania: The Series that premiered on Disney Channel in 2017.

Goosebumps was released on October 13, 2023, on Disney+ and Hulu simultaneously as a part of the "Hallowstream" and "Huluween" streaming blocks, respectively.[2][3]

It received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised the story, visuals, cinematography, writing, acting and casting with a particular amount of praise going towards some of the monster designs and the darker, more serious tone, though there was some criticism for the pacing and some of the monster designs.

Synopsis

A group of five high schoolers embark on a shadowy and twisted journey to investigate the tragic passing three decades earlier of a teen named Harold Biddle — while also unearthing dark secrets from their parents’ past.[4]

Cast

Main
  • Zack Morris as Isaiah,[5] the star quarterback of the Port Lawrence High School football team
  • Isa Briones as Margot,[5] Isaiah's neighbor and friend
  • Miles McKenna as James,[5] Isaiah's best friend who is from one of the wealthiest families in Port Lawrence
  • Ana Yi Puig as Isabella,[5] a girl ignored at school and abused by her mother who lets out her frustrations by trolling people online
  • Will Price as Lucas,[5] a teenager who likes extreme sports
  • Rachael Harris as Nora,[5] Lucas's mother who was involved in Harold Biddle's death
  • Justin Long as Mr. Nathan Bratt,[5] the new English teacher at Port Lawrence High School who inherits the Biddle House and becomes possessed by Harold Biddle's spirit

Recurring
  • Rob Huebel as Colin, Margot's father and a guidance counselor at Port Lawrence High School
  • Leonard Roberts and William Chris Sumpter as Ben, Isaiah's father, who was involved in Harold Biddle's death.
  • Ben Cockell as Harold Biddle, a teenager who died in a mysterious house fire in 1993, where his angered spirit haunts the town
  • Rhinnan Payne as Allison, Isaiah's girlfriend who breaks up with him
  • Françoise Yip and Michelle Mao as Victoria, Isabella's overly strict mother and a doctor who was involved in Harold Biddle's death
  • Chris Geere as Slappy the Dummy,[6] Harold's evil ventriloquist dummy, who belonged to his great-grandfather Ephraim and manipulated him.

Episodes
No.Title [7]Directed byWritten by [8]Original air date [3]
1"Say Cheese and Die!"Rob LettermanRob Letterman & Nicholas StollerOctober 13, 2023 (2023-10-13)
In 1993, high school loner Harold Biddle mysteriously dies in a house fire. In 2023, Mr. Bratt inherits the Biddle House and moves to town as the new high school English teacher. Star high school quarterback Isaiah and his girlfriend Allison use the Biddle House for their Halloween party. Isaiah finds a polaroid camera in the basement where Harold died and takes a photo of Allison, and of Margot, his neighbor and childhood friend. When he saves Margot from an allergic reaction he saw her having on her photo, he realizes the camera depicts future bad things that will happen to the people in its photos. His photo shows him with a badly-broken arm; sure enough, Isaiah breaks his arm at the game after hallucinating the football field to be full of burning monsters. Nora, the mother of Lucas, a reckless student, sees the monsters as well and warns Isaiah's father that Biddle has returned to punish their kids for what they, the parents, did to him. At home, Bratt is possessed by Harold's spirit.
2"The Haunted Mask"Erin O'MalleyFranklin Jin RhoOctober 13, 2023 (2023-10-13)
Ignored at school, Isabella vents her frustrations by online trolling. At Allison's Halloween party at the Biddle House, she finds an unusual mask in the basement. Upon wearing it, she becomes more extroverted and confident. As time passes, the mask influences her to lash out at people, especially Lucas after he destroys her $3,000 drone. Nora passes on a photo of Harold Biddle to Isaiah, who recognizes him from the hallucination at the football game. When Isabella is punished by her mother for the drone, she wears the mask and attacks Lucas, transforming into an actual troll. When she almost attacks her little brother, she stops herself and they discard the mask while the possessed Bratt watches. Isabella accompanies her mother to the house of James, Isaiah's best friend, where Nora has gathered the other parents to discuss her belief that Harold is haunting them. As they angrily rebuff her, Isabella knocks a ball at James while playing pool and he explodes into yellow goo, horrifying her.
3"The Cuckoo Clock of Doom"Erin O'MalleyJames EaganOctober 13, 2023 (2023-10-13)
The truth about James is revealed: at the Halloween party, he had accidentally hit his head on the cuckoo clock and become stuck in a time loop, unable to leave the house. When he is finally able to turn off the clock and stop the time loop, he learns that every one of his previous attempts to leave the house created a duplicate. The "Dupes" trap him in his family's mines, impersonate him, and begin ruining his life until Isabella realizes what's happened after a Dupe explodes in front of her. She, Isaiah, and Margot work together to find the real James and destroy the Dupes. The group realizes that everything that's happened to them began at the Biddle house. Nora implies that Margot's mother Sarah has the answers. On a call, Sarah, who is in Seattle, tells Margot not to trust the other parents. A surviving Dupe retrieves a suitcase for Bratt but upon finding it empty, Bratt destroys the Dupe, angrily asking where his "friend" is.
4"Go Eat Worms"Steve BoyumCourtney Perdue & Baindu SaiduOctober 13, 2023 (2023-10-13)
Lucas' father died attempting a dangerous mountain stunt. Lucas tries to honor his father's legacy by doing the stunt but is afraid. He witnesses his mother Nora and Margot's father Colin kissing and gently informs Margot of their parents' affair. To cheer her up, he shows her the tank of worms he took from the Biddle House during the Halloween party. That night, the worms slither their way into Lucas' body. He realizes he can no longer feel pain and decides to attempt his father's stunt again. Margot realises Biddle is involved, and she and Nora stop Lucas. Nora reveals that his father was suicidal and did the stunt on purpose to die. Lucas throws up the worms, which conjoin into a monster. The trio lures it into a wood chipper and kills it. Nora lands in a psychiatric ward after telling the police about the monster. Bratt takes the eyeball trinket Lucas had dropped at the sawmill and promises that Slappy will be put back together.
5"Reader Beware"Steve BoyumMariko TamakiOctober 13, 2023 (2023-10-13)
Margot's mother Sarah comes home after months in a trial separation with Colin. She learns that Nora is sedated under the supervision of Victoria, Isabella's mother, as Victoria is afraid Nora might reveal their involvement in the Biddle incident. However, Sarah believes Nora. Isaiah and Allison break up just as Isaiah realises he has always had feelings for Margot. He is too late as Margot becomes romantically involved with Lucas. Mr. Bratt/Harold gives his old scrapbook to Margot. Upon reading it, she sees visions of Harold's high school life, and learns that he and her mother were friends. Harold's ghost takes Margot to the night of the fire, where the friends learn that all of their parents inadvertently caused Harold's death after trying to steal a suitcase from his house. Bratt/Harold invites them into his home, saying he will reveal what was inside the suitcase.
6"Night of the Living Dummy"Félix Enríquez AlcaláNick MuellerOctober 20, 2023 (2023-10-20)
In 1925, Harold's great-grandfather Ephraim bought Slappy the Dummy, an evil puppet, to revitalize his career as a magician. Slappy had Ephraim retrieve the coffin of a man named Kanduu to read a spell. After a violent vision of people dying, Ephraim hid Slappy in his basement. In 1993, Ephraim's descendants, the Biddle couple and their son Harold, inherit his house. Harold has a hard time fitting in and discovers Slappy, who isolates him from his crush, Sarah, and has him turn his own parents into puppets. After Slappy and Harold humiliate Sarah and her friends, they realize Harold changed after he found Slappy. The group breaks into his home to take Slappy away and begs Harold to come out after he locks himself in the basement, revealing that they were trying to help him. Harold believed the group was bullying him, leading to his death in an accidental fire. Ben tears Slappy apart and the friends decide to hide his remains. In the present, the children rationalize that their parents were not at fault and Harold needed help, upsetting "Bratt," who still believes the parents murdered him. Brat then sheds his appearance and reveals himself as Harold to the horrified friends.
7"Give Yourself Goosebumps"TBAHilary WinstonOctober 27, 2023 (2023-10-27)
8"You Can't Scare Me"TBANick AdamsNovember 3, 2023 (2023-11-03)
9"Night of the Living Dummy Part 2"TBAMariko TamakiNovember 10, 2023 (2023-11-10)
10"Welcome to Horrorland"TBARob Letterman & Nicholas StollerNovember 17, 2023 (2023-11-17)

Production

On April 28, 2020, it was announced that a reboot live action TV series was in the works by Scholastic Entertainment, Sony Pictures Television and Neal H. Moritz's production company Original Film who produced both the 2015 film and its sequel.[9] In March 2021, R.L. Stine had stated that the series had found a producer and a director.[10] On February 4, 2022, it was reported that Disney+ picked up the show, giving it a 10-episode order. Rob Letterman will return from the 2015 film (from Sony Pictures Animation) to direct the pilot, while he and Nicholas Stoller will write and executive-produce the series.[4]

In October, Justin Long, Ana Yi Puig, Miles McKenna, Will Price, Zack Morris, Isa Briones and Rachael Harris were cast to star in the series.[11][12][13][14] In January 2023, Rob Huebel was added to the cast in a recurring guest star role.[15]

Principal photography began in October 2022 in Vancouver, and was expected to end in March 2023,[16] with Stephen McNutt and Thomas Yatsko serving as cinematographers.[17][18] In February 2023, filming also occurred at Whistler Olympic Park.[19]

Christopher S. Capp and Tuan Quoc Le serves as editors on the series.[20][21]

Release

Goosebumps debuted on Friday, October 13, 2023, on Disney+ and Hulu. Five episodes from the ten-part series debuted as part of the streamers' annual "Hallowstream" and "Huluween" celebrations. New episodes will follow every week thereafter until November 17, when the first season concludes.[3] Additionally, the series' first two episodes aired October 13 on Freeform as part of "31 Nights of Halloween."[22]

Reception

Audience viewership

According to the streaming aggregator JustWatch, Goosebumps was the seventh most watched television series across all platforms in the United States during the week of October 9-15, 2023,[23] and the third during the week of October 16-22, 2023.[24] According to the streaming aggregator Reelgood, Goosebumps was the ninth most watched program across all platforms in the United States during the week of October 12, 2023.[25] According to Whip Media's TV Time, Goosebumps was the eighth most watched original series across all platforms in the United States during the week of October 22, 2023.[26]

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 77% with an average rating of 6.8/10, based on 35 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Wickedly inventive enough to give viewers the creeps if not nightmares, Goosebumps solidly transplants R.L. Stine's spooky stories into a serialized format."[27] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 62 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[28]

References
  1. "Goosebumps (2022)". Writers Guild of America West. December 6, 2022. Archived from the original on June 22, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  2. Goosebumps Series [@goosebumpsseries] (September 7, 2023). "Don't blink. #GoosebumpsSeries premieres Friday, October 13th on #DisneyPlus and #Hulu. #Hallowstream #Huluween". Retrieved September 7, 2023 – via Instagram.
  3. O'Rourke, Ryan (September 7, 2023). "New 'Goosebumps' Trailer Sets Spooky Release Date for R.L. Stine Reboot Series". Collider. Archived from the original on September 7, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  4. "'Goosebumps' Hulu". Hulu. October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  5. "Goosebumps Fact Sheet" (PDF). Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution. September 7, 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 14, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  6. Klein, Brennan (September 13, 2023). "Goosebumps Poster Reveals Disney+'s Revamped Slappy The Dummy (& He's Still Creepy)". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  7. Goosebumps Series [@goosebumpsseries] (September 25, 2023). "The haunting season is just getting started. Stream the first 5 episodes of #GoosebumpsSeries on October 13. New episodes Fridays, only on @DisneyPlus and @Hulu". Archived from the original on October 7, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023 – via Instagram.
  8. "Goosebumps (2022)". Writers Guild of America West. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  9. Petski, Denise (April 28, 2020). "'Goosebumps' Live-Action Series In Works By Neal H. Moritz & Scholastic". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 30, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  10. Fiduccia, Christopher (March 5, 2021). "New Goosebumps TV Show Has Found a Director, According to R.L. Stine". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  11. Otterson, Joe (October 7, 2022). "Goosebumps Disney+ Series Casts Justin Long (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  12. Otterson, Joe (October 7, 2022). "Goosebumps Disney+ Series Casts Ana Yi Puig, Miles McKenna, Will Price (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on October 10, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  13. Otterson, Joe (October 11, 2022). "Goosebumps Disney+ Series Casts Zack Morris, Isa Briones (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on October 11, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  14. Otterson, Joe (October 20, 2022). "Goosebumps Disney+ Series Rounds Out Main Cast With Rachael Harris (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  15. Otterson, Joe (January 27, 2023). "Goosebumps Disney+ Series Adds Rob Huebel to Cast (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  16. Gittins, Susan (October 18, 2022). "Disney+'s Goosebumps Series With Justin Long Starts Filming in Vancouver". Hollywood North Buzz. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  17. "Stephen McNutt Resume" (PDF). Innovative Production. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  18. "Thomas Yatsko Resume" (PDF). Squarespace. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  19. Lalonde, Megan (February 21, 2023). "'Goosebumps' production heads to Whistler Olympic Park". Pique Newsmagazine. Archived from the original on May 19, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  20. "Christopher S. Capp Resume" (PDF). Murthas Skouras. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  21. "Tuan Quoc Le Resume" (PDF). Innovative Production. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  22. Disney Branded Television PR [@disneybrandtvpr] (September 7, 2023). "JUST ANNOUNCED: "Goosebumps" premieres Friday, October 13 on @DisneyPlus and @Hulu! The 10-part series will premiere with a five-episode drop as part of #DisneyPlus' #Hallowstream and #Hulu's #Huluween celebrations, with new episodes streaming weekly. Additionally, the series' first two episodes will air October 13th on @freeform as part of #31NightsOfHalloween". Retrieved September 7, 2023 – via Instagram.
  23. Gruenwedel, Erik (October 16, 2023). "JustWatch: Another 'Totally Killer' Streaming Week". Media Play News. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  24. Gruenwedel, Erik (October 23, 2023). "JustWatch: 'Barbie,' 'The Fall of the House of Usher' Top Weekly Streaming Through Oct. 22". Media Play News. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  25. Gruenwedel, Erik (October 20, 2023). "Reelgood: 'The Fall of the House of Usher,' 'Lessons in Chemistry' Top Weekly Streaming Through Oct. 18". Media Play News. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  26. Prange, Stephanie (October 24, 2023). "'Old Dads,' 'Loki' Top Weekly Whip U.S. Streaming Charts". Media Play News. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  27. "Goosebumps: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  28. "Goosebumps: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.