R.L. Stine’s GOOSEBUMPS books have been a success among many young kids who really like a good story to read and one that will give them a bit of chill and help them use their imagination. I see not only the books as giving kids that bridge from good old fashion horror scares to the real horror films of today. While the GOOSEBUMPS episodes are harmless, they do have some pretty spooky stories. The television show from the mid 1990’s started out in Canada and quickly spread to other countries based on the books popularity. One thing Stine did was take some of the classic monsters like Ghouls, Mummies, and Vampires and put his own twist on them so that children can relate to them. This DVD titled RETURN OF THE MUMMY has three episodes on it, two of which contain mummies while the last one has a creature known as the mud man.
The first episode on this disc called RETURN OF THE MUMMY follows a kid named Gabe who visits his archaeologist uncle in Egypt. While there his uncle unearths the tomb of a mummy. A mummy that does not want to be awaken. When the mummy is mistakenly awaken by Gabe, he seeks revenge on the person who’s disturbed him.
The second episode has a familiar horror alumni face in it, and I’m sure it was her first role in anything horror. A.J. Cook of Final Destination 2 and other horror films is in this one as the sister of our lead character Jeff who gets a 4000 thousand year old mummy from his dad. But when the mummy is awaken he will take out his anger on the whole family.
Episode three is called YOU CAN’T SCARE ME where two friends who can’t stand a smart girl from school who claims she’s not scared of anything. The two then decide to scare her by dressing up as Mud Monsters at Muddy Creek, but the joke will soon backfire when they themselves find out that their is a real mud man living in the creek.
One thing I noticed about these episodes compared to the many others that were produced is that the production value seems to be a lot better. they still have that direct to television look. The performances are not half bad and the make-up effects are actually pretty decent. Especially the mummy in DON’T WAKE THE MUMMY, he looks really cool. The Mud Monster is pretty neat looking but they do look like a guy running around in a rubber suit covered in mud. But overall the productions are fun filled.
R.L. Stine has created something that gives kids an outlet in which they can enjoy something scray. Most parents won’t let their kids see horror film today simply because of their violent nature. The good thing about the GOOSEBUMPS series is that they are done in such a way where a kid can get a scare, but all the blood, guts and violence are not present. These episodes give kids an outlet to let their minds escape into fantasy for a while, but at the same times grooms them as future horror fans.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
