Parents' Guide to

Goosebumps

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Action, monsters, humor in R.L. Stine adaptation.

Movie PG 2015 90 minutes
Goosebumps Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 9+

Based on 34 parent reviews

autumnschneider78
autumnschneider78 Parent of 8-year-old
April 25, 2019
age 12+

More language than what's noted

The review says "butt" and "shut up".. but they forgot to include the words "damn" "oh my god" and "hell" used out of context more than once.

This title has:

Too much swearing
2 people found this helpful.
Kourtni D.
Kourtni D. Parent of 7-year-old
March 28, 2023
age 10+

Partial nudity in a kids movie??

My son found it a little scary but not overly so. I mainly did not like that it was not disclosed in the rating that there is partial nudity. There is a topless nude statue in the graveyard while the boy and girl are talking right next to it. I was surprised that other parents did not mention this. My son luckily is too young to have noticed but I do not feel this is appropriate for young kids, even if it's on a statue! It was shown several times, front and side view, nipples erect and everything. Not ok.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
1 person found this helpful.
See all 34 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Teen Zach Cooper (Dylan Minnette) moves with his single mom (Amy Ryan) from the big city to the small town of Madison, Delaware in GOOSEBUMPS. Zach doesn't seem to fit in at school (where his mom is vice principal), and the only person he meets is a misfit named Champ (Ryan Lee). But Zach does connect with his next door neighbor, Hannah (Odeya Rush), who seems to be kept prisoner in her house by her mysterious father (Jack Black). Investigating, Zach and Champ discover that Hannah's dad is R.L. Stine, the famous author of the Goosebumps series. Unfortunately, they also discover a series of locked original manuscripts that, once opened, release real monsters into the world. Among them is the worst one of all: Slappy.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (34):
Kids say (91):

Fans of Stine's books may or may not find something to enjoy here, since the movie is less intent on being scary than on loud action, special effects, goofy humor, and a tentative teen romance. Director Rob Letterman previously made the critically slammed Gulliver's Travels -- also starring Black -- and Goosebumps brings that same kind broad, lowbrow approach to the beloved middle-grade books series.

It's all rather graceless, and yet it has a certain kind of good cheer. It harks back to a time when horror fans simply loved monsters and took pride in not being afraid of them. The movie parades an endless, imaginative array of monsters and allows viewers to make their own connections. Black is also used well -- he's more or less restrained in his role (but still funny) -- and the younger actors are likewise likable.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Goosebumps' violence and scariness. Is it exciting? Upsetting? How much scary stuff can kids handle?

  • When are movie monsters scary, and when are they not? How would you classify the ones in this movie?

  • How does the movie compare to the Goosebumps books? How does the R.L. Stine character compare to how you might have imagined him? How does he deal with fame and success? Does he seem like a famous person should?

Movie Details

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Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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