Have you ever felt the droplets of perspiration on your skin, creeping down your body, almost like the cold fingers of a skeleton, and have been frighted of a slaying gnome or a malevolent ventriloquist? Well, the movie ‘Goosebumps’ will definitely tickle your sweat glands as, R.L. Stine’s best-selling book, turned into a blockbusting movie directed by Rob Letterman, turns skulls through its capitalization on the power of imagination and attention-grabbing horror-comedy motion picture. It seems everyone is captivated into a fantasy of good vs evil that brainwashes reality. But ‘Goosebumps’ stands above the rest through an effective depiction of the similarities between reality and the fictional world of monsters. R.L. Stine (Jack Black) and his trio of up-rising stars exhibit a never to be forgotten adventure that begins with a troubled young Zach Cooper (Dylan Minnette) upset about moving from New York City to the not-so quiet town of Madison. The remarkable complication unfolds when Zach Cooper accidentally unleashes the monsters from the ‘Goosebumps’ manuscripts causing the fantastic foursome to return the monsters to the books they belong in. ‘Are monster’s real?’ - the common question frequently asked by the many aspiring young kids and doubted by the many ‘grownups’ worldwide. Letterman, throws the doubt out of the window, through the incomparable movie ‘Goosebumps’ and brings the malign monster to life by effectively representing them as formidable creatures. The film commendably manipulates aesthetic features such as computer-generated imagery (CGI), camera angles and daunting music which complements certain character representations, crossing the fine line between the fantasy world and reality.
It is almost frightening that human imagination, run wild, can be such a dangerous and lethal weapon. This concept is definitely exhibited in the tremendous movie ‘Goosebumps’ as it undoubtedly encompasses the notion of supernaturalism, through its effective and powerful representation of leading characters. A prime example of an effective character representation would be of Hannah, as the film creates an unscripted twist to first reveal her as illusionary, through lighting, CGI and dialogue, although she later uncovered to be a part of the applauded fantasy twist. An example of one of the many enticing pieces of dialogue elucidates, “You are grounded”, - Stine. “That’s so unfair”, - Hannah. Letterman has used this typical dialogue to highlight the parent-child relationship and human-like behaviors. This exceptional film technique is accompanied by predominant color of Hannah being very fair due to the position of the camera and spotlights throughout the film, illuminating her to be as pale as ghost. This not only contributes to the success of the special effects, but reveals the importance of the character to develop an appealing misconception in the storyline. Specifically, a scene foreshadowed by the rising and daunting music, reviews the effective CGI used to represent Hannah transparently fading into the bright moonlight, exposing she is not real. Does the white disc hanging in the desolate sky in truth transform a man into a wolf? The moon, is commonly represented in veracity as a superstitious paranormal and in a scene of ‘Goosebumps’ is used creatively to represent Hannah, not transforming into a wolf, but fading into the darkness of the zombie infested grave. The transparent lighting and her echoing voice, contributes to the special effects which draws the audience’s attention towards the powerful image in the scene. This discovery causes an interesting plot twist and not only changes the direction of the storyline but it successfully parallels the film from the beliefs of reality and of the fictional world. Rob Letterman, produced an attention-grabbing movie using aesthetic features representing the human imagination through characters, and its reflection on the reality of this world.
Rob Letterman through the exceptional movie ‘Goosebumps’ characterizes the monster’s as potent and dominant, and revives the beasts not only in the storyline but in the emotions and hearts of the all-ages audience. It is ironic that our imaginary creations could express such power and represent, us humans to be almost powerless. This relationship between the monsters and the motivation of fear of humans that keeps us alive, is represented through the authors use of camera angles which provide a long shot of the specific scene of the Abominable Snowman. This expression is complemented with suspenseful music and sound effects which include the loud shattering of glass, chilling screams of the main characters and the heavy petrifying grunts leading to the supremacy of the bestial being. Through the long and low shot of the large beast his power and domination over the hockey ring is remarkably expressed and effectively results in a petrifying presentation of the monster. Would you be afraid of ferocious and furry creature named ‘THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN’ relentlessly pursuing you, as you run like a headless chicken? Slappy (Mick Wingert) a popular villain and success to ‘Goosebumps’, is the main antagonist which is represented as a vindictive doll. Through the dialogue and sound effects, Letterman expresses the mastermind of the storyline as the dummy states, “So, what's the plan, friend? You must have brought me out for something fun. Terrorize the locals? Destroy the town? Let's get silly!”. This quote not only foreshadows the great danger to be faced by the heroes and his fiendish role but it is used to express the dominance of an object which remotely resembles a human being. The use of an evil and demonic voice/tone and ludicrous ideas appeals to the inner fears of the audience. Monsters embody anxiety by drawing on primordial terrors and are effectively represented in ‘Goosebumps’ as powerful creatures that essentially rule the fictional world. Only here, the monsters in ‘Goosebumps’ demonstrates a futuristic prototype in reality, that is sparked by the human imagination.
Thus, it cannot be left unsaid that ‘Goosebumps’ effectively reveals the power of the human imagination in the fictional world, and masterfully illustrates a commendable horror-comedy that is unmissable. Letterman has admirably used film techniques to display how characters can be represented by collaborating the fantasy world with reality, and the power and domination of the monster’s, which appeals to the fears of the audience. Rob Letterman through the movie ‘Goosebumps’ has enchantingly gifted a boundless and powerful imagination of the fictional world and reality, a gift countless individuals cannot imagine, more so envision.
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Review of the Movie ‘Goosebumps’.
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