Pop on the television, fire up your laptop and — naturally — take a trip to the movie theater, and without fail, society makes it very clear that this is an age run by nostalgia. As the millennials give way to the next generation, more and more focus is turning towards the past and the experiences that defined the late 1980s and 1990s. Case in point, 23 years after the initial book in the series, Welcome to Dead House, hit bookstores, Goosebumps has found new life as a big-screen adventure for the whole family.

Rather than choosing to adapt any individual story from author R.L. Stine’s children’s horror series, the film instead opts to spin an original story which sees all of the monsters from the Goosebumps books unleashed on a small town. Apparently, the film’s version of present day is revised so that the books aren’t decades-old and Stine isn’t in his 70s. Jack Black — reuniting with his Gulliver’s Travels and Shark Tale director Rob Letterman — stars as the fictionalized Stine, who teams with a band of local teens to fend off the creatures and find a way to recapture them back into the pages of their stories.

Leading the ghoulish cast of monsters is Slappy (voiced by Black), the fan-favorite baddie from the Night of the Living Dummy. The character is among the film’s highlights, nicely serving as a clever foe that serves as a dark embodiment of all Stine’s creepy creations. Many characters from the books simply appear in brief group shots, and only a few — such as revenge-driven lawn gnomes, an abominable snowman from Pasadena and an invisible boy (the third and final character played by Black) — actually get significant roles to play throughout the film.

While the novel approach to adapting the Goosebumps franchise makes for a fun and effective concept (there are, after all, 62 books in the original book series), the setup that leads to the mass monster outbreak isn’t nearly as imaginative. In fact, the small-town-full-of-monsters idea has been done time and again, and ultimately, there’s little to distinguish Goosebumps from better films like Gremlins and Small Soldiers (incidentally, both directed by Joe Dante). The comedic moments largely fall flat, offering only fleeting glimpse into a more clever sense of humor.

For the most part, the film is simply not interested in being imaginative or particularly smart in its execution. This is lowest common denominator “family fun”, complete with a hackneyed and predictable third act development that aims for the heartstrings but, ultimately, undercuts what should have just been a fun family romp. As is, the film isn’t really that funny or even that scary, and its mythology couldn’t possibly be lazier.

Still, the new faces in the cast are charming enough. Minnette and Rush offer some potential here as the teens at the center of the chaos, but more seasoned performers like Amy Ryan, Ken Marino and Jillian Bell — who stole 22 Jump Street last year — don’t have nearly enough to do. As for Black, his performance often borders on distractingly overdone, though its campy tone at least demonstrates that he understands the ridiculousness of the film he’s in. Sharp-eyed viewers may spot the real Stine in the film’s closing minutes.

For fans excited by the prospect of a Goosebumps film, there’s still enough to enjoy here. However, its real target audience is ultimately small children (don’t worry, this film shouldn’t be too much to scare them), who should get a kick out of the various creatures and misadventures here. Though it may qualify for some, Goosebumps is not worthy of becoming a household classic, but at the very least, perhaps it will lead some kids to pick up Stine’s books for the very first time.

Rating: 2 out of 5

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