The Horror Movie Answer to Jumanji Premiered 11 Years Ago, And Proved a Cult Book Series Still Had Life

Jumanji began its life as a 1981 children’s picture book about a jungle-themed game whose elements come to life when played, acting as a humble beginning for what would go on to become a shockingly massive movie franchise. The 1995 Robin Williams-led adventure film adapted Jumanji to the big screen, and it was a hit, making $263 million on a budget of $65 million. After a spiritual successor in the form of 2005’s Zathura: A Space Adventure, the franchise proper would return with 2017’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, beginning a modern trilogy that will continue with the upcoming 2026 sequel Jumanji: Open World.

The popularity of Jumanji‘s concept has led the franchise to be associated with any story where elements from an in-universe fictional game or story make their way into the real world. The formula was a proven success, so when Columbia Pictures was tasked with adapting one of the most iconic children’s horror book series of all time, they decided to take a page from Jumanji.

The Goosebumps Movie Hit Theaters 11 Years Ago, Today

The first book in author R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series was released in July 1992, with Welcome to Dead House kicking off the horror anthology franchise. Stine hopes to make a series similar to the Tales from the Crypt comics from his childhood, with each novel telling a unique story with various horror inspirations, whether they be B-movies like 1958’s The Blob, twisted takes on classic fairy tales, or real-life events. Goosebumps began a phenomenon, with it becoming one of the best-selling book series of all time. The books received several spin-off series, as well as video games, comics, and an immensley popular 1995 TV series with an unforgettable intro. However, it would take over two decades for a Goosebumps movie to ever get off the ground.

A Goosebumps movie was at various stages of development throughout the 1990s, but nothing would happen until Columbia acquired the film rights in 2008. They soon began work on a film, but rather than adapt any individual book, they decided to go a different direction. The film would follow a group of teens who discover a series of manuscripts that imprison monsters, and they discover that these manuscripts are Goosebumps books written by R.L. Stine (played by Jack Black). After accidentally freeing Slappy the Dummy, Slappy helps several more monsters escape, forcing Stine and the gang to hunt down the author’s supernatural typewriter in order to recapture them all.

Goosebumps has a lot of obvious parallels with Jumanji, with both films following kids as they free fictional characters into the real world and work with an expert in order to survive and capture them. However, this derivative formula wound up working, as 2015’s Goosebumps is one of the best modern family Halloween movies. The film was released on October 16, 2015, and it received surprisingly positive reviews across the board. The movie currently holds 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, with it being praised for its mix of horror and humor, the fun monster designs, and its charm. On top of that, the film made $158.3 million on a budget of $84 million, earning enough to get a 2018 sequel: Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween.

2015’s Goosebumps Was The Best Way To Do R.L. Stine’s Book Series Justice

Since Goosebumps is an anthology series, making a single definitive adaptation of the franchise was a difficult task, which is why it probably took so long to make a film. After all, if the film was a direct adaptation of only one book, it risks upsetting the Goosebumps fans who prefer any one of the dozens of other books. There isn’t a clear novel that is a better choice to adapt, so unless movie studios commit to making Goosebumps a feature film anthology series, telling the same stories as the novels wasn’t the best path.

While risky, the 2015 film’s decision to act as a big Goosebumps crossover event was the correct one. Yes, it isn’t as focused on horror as most of the books, a criticism that is often levied at the film. However, it still features many of the horrific elements from the most popular books, even if they are handled with a more adventurous tone than a frightening one. The film acts as a perfect love letter to Goosebumps, and Black’s performance as Stine is surprisingly great. On top of that, the real R.L. Stine is given a cameo in the film, with him hilariously playing a drama teacher named Mr. Black. 2015’s Goosebumps isn’t perfect, but there was never going to be a perfect movie adaptation of an entire anthology series. So, considering all of the hurdles, the Goosebumps movie we got is pretty great.