 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
R.L. Stine's Mostly Ghostly
- Review Date: October 2, 2008
- PG
- Genre: Family and Kids
- 2008
Common Sense Media says
Mild tween Halloween tale could use more thrills.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this is a movie about ghosts who come out of the basement wall. Young children or sensitive viewers might be afraid of the haunted-house feeling of this movie. The ghosts have scary faces and make spooky noises. Phears is a frightening character, even if he tries to be funny.
What's the story?
Even though his tricks are corny and he trips over his cape, Max Doyle (Sterling Beaumon) wants to be a magician more than anything. And suddenly he happens upon some creepy special effects he never bargained for when a frightening demon named Phears (Brian Stepanek) plans to unlock the tunnel of ghosts on Halloween -- a tunnel which opens in Max's basement. Lucky for Max, two nice ghosts, Tara (Madison Pettis, Cory in the House) and Nicky (Luke Benward), arrive to help foil Phears' plan. An appearance by Ali Lohan as Traci, an attractive upper schooler, motivates Max to make his magic show even cooler -- albeit paranormal. When Halloween rolls around, the tricks and the treats are rolled up into a grand finale.
Is it any good?
R.L. STINE'S MOSTLY GHOSTLY does improve as it progresses, but the first 20 minutes are a disaster. The acting is stagey and the plot is pasted together. As soon as Tara and Nicky show up, things begin to rev up. And the scenes of Max being nerdy at school work better than the scenes at home. Ali Lohan's cameo as Traci feels contrived, but kids are going to enjoy the energy that she brings to the production. It's not great Halloween viewing, but it's not as frightening as other choices out there.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about whether they believe in paranormal events. Should we really be afraid of the dark? How can scary images get into our minds? What's more scary -- a ghost or a bully? Should Max have asked his mom to help him?
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AGE
boring disney movie
another boring disney movie
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AGE
Creepy-Looking Thingys
The violence wasn't really much violence, but creepy-looking things/people/elements. Other than that, there's nothing bad you should worry about.
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| Topics: | magic and fantasy, adventures, holidays, monsters, ghosts, and vampires |
| Studio: | Universal Pictures |
| Director: | Rich Correll |
| Cast: | Ali Lohan, Luke Benward, Sterling Beaumon |
| Genre: | Family and Kids |
| Run time: | 87 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | October 3, 2008 |
| DVD release date: | September 30, 2008 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | scary images, brief mild bullying, language |
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