Thursday, October 7, 2010

Chucktober Presents: Goosebumps At 33!

bannergoosbumps

Ah yes, Goosebumps, a Canadian made horror television show based on the ever so popular R.L. Stine book series of the same name. Seeing as I was a massive TV horror kid, and much of what shaped me as a horror fan came from the glutton of content in the 80's and part of the early 90's, Goosebumps was never a part of that. I was simply too old. Not to watch it, mind you, and it wasn't because I was too cool or anything, I mean, I was, but that's not the reason for me never watching the series.

goosebumpsdon'tgotosleep Goosebumps aired from 1995 through 1998, a time when I was discovering different types of genre films, from classics such as A Clockwork Orange and The Warriors as well as modern for the time independent films like Reservoir Dogs, El Mariachi and Man Bites Dog, for example. I didn't have time to sit back for a good cheesy horror-filled time as I was too busy becoming a man, in the cinematic sense.  

goosebumpscallingallcreepsThe show came after my time, but I always had an appreciation for what it was, which is essentially a gateway drug for future horror fans of America and beyond. That's what speaks to me and always has, and for good reason too. I appreciate the influence something like Goosebumps or Are You Afraid of the Dark? can have on their young audience, because shows similar to those influenced me as a child, as well as older shows that influenced older horror fans http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171904472l/125544.jpgin their youth. It's like the circle of life via horror.

I of course have seen bits and pieces of the show throughout the years, but I had never actually sat down to watch an episode from start to finish. So whenever I would see the cheap DVDs with a handful of episodes for a measly five bills, I knew that one day I would have to fulfill a sort of blanket nostalgia - that grows very strong during the Halloween season - by giving a few episodes a watch. That's what leads us to this, Goosebumps At 33, where throughout the month of Chucktober, I will watch and review a handful of the show's episodes. Basically, watching Goosebumps through the eyes of a 33-year-old male. With no life (can't forget that part).  

Hopefully it will make for a fun read, even if you aren't a fan of the series or have never watched it, but it does give me a good excuse to finally give the show a watch for myself. Based off the intro - with the yellow eyed dog barking the lyrics for a blissfully brief moment - I am in for quite the treat.

7 comments:

  1. This should be fun, Matt! I'm primed to do a Goosebumps series myself as Owen is a dedicated fan of the show. We've got a stack of the DVDs and we've watched them all a zillion times. Some of the stories are lame but you could say the same about (most) episodes of Tales from the Darkside. I'll be interested to read your take on the show. It'll definitely give you a case of '90s nostalgia, I'll tell you that!

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  2. I never watched Goosebumps either. I was way too into my Freddy-is-Santa-Claus phase so maybe a little past my time, but moreso pass my level of horror appreciation. But my peers loved it. But I was always more maturer and stellar than they.

    I'm interested in hearing if there is anything (re)visiting in the series.

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  3. Jeff: You really cannot go wrong with something that only takes up twenty minutes of your time, even if there are a few lame ducks here and there.
    It's awesome that you've own and have watched a bunch of the DVDs with Owen! I would have to guess that you own the one that I will be covering, which will make it all the better that someone will have seen the episodes I'm doing!

    Ashlee: HA ha, you are still the most stellar, Ashlee!

    Like I said, I was to busy with what I was getting into to watch the show, but had it come maybe three or four years earlier, I would have definitely watched it.

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  4. I think that when the Goosebumps series came out, I was also on that edge of a little too old for it, although it started when I was 12....so I think I would have enjoyed it if I wasn't in that trying-to-be-mature pre-teen stage. I know my younger brothers enjoyed it!! I was a big fan of Are You Afraid of the Dark, and I also loved the Fear Street series of books also by R.L. Stein, which I began reading around the time I was in 2nd grade. I have always wanted to queue up some of the Goosebumps collections through Netflix! I'm super-excited for your series! It sounds like it'll be a fun time :)

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  5. Well, hopefully it will be fun for everyone, I know it has been for me from what I have watched so far! Are You Afraid is another one I missed and would love to see a few episodes of, but while it sounds very familiar, I don't remember Fear Street too well.

    I did just look it up, and it actually sounds pretty awesome, like Goosebumps, but for teenagers! They should have made that a TV show.

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  6. You realize this HAS to be followed up by "Are you afraid of the dark" at 33?! I havent seen that since I was in my Huggies, cant wait to read what a decade did to Goosebumps

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  7. Yeah, I would love to check out that show too, Carl. It would make for a great sequel for next Halloween!

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