When Good Ghouls Go Bad

This was actually a very nice movie, Christopher Lloyd making it even more so. He does wonderful acting and is my favorite at comedy other than Will Friedle.

The plot was very well written, even though it followed the traditional Goosebumps storyline. Except for leaving you hanging at the ending, like most of R.L. Stine's books do. (I HATE that!)

Overall, very nice, well written.=)

Growing up in a small town in the Great Lakes Region, made this movie a lot of fun, as I was reminded of fun times in my hometown around Halloween. This is a movie dominated by Christopher Lloyd, who takes over the minute his character is introduced. If you enjoy this actor in movies like Back to the Future or his time on the classic TV show Taxi, you will probably enjoy this movie also. Lloyd's character is a bit eccentric, and the interaction between he and his Grandson makes for a lot of laughs. There is also the classic big bully, picking on the underdog little kid, who must overcome his fears in the end. The movie starts to drag about 30 minutes into it, but when the zombies, spooks and ghouls come out to play, the fun kicks back into gear. I strongly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys sitting with the kids and watching a fairly wholesome family show.

This is one of those films where you need to review it as if you were a child watching on it on the screen. Adults are jaded and kids enjoy much simpler things in that magical childhood haze. If you are an adult you will watch this film and won't really think much of it however it does possess a nice Halloween atmosphere and Christopher Lloyd is enjoyable enough to watch. The plot is ridiculous and the ending is equally absurd but the children will love it and might even get a nice child-like fright out of the whole thing.

It is appropriate for children, a concerned parent should of course watch the film themselves first but there are not many things which one would find offensive to a sufficiently old enough child. Cook up some popcorn and watch this one with your child. Don't be surprised if you find it to drag a little but the little ones will be fascinated.

As Halloween themed films aimed at the adolescent audience go, this one is a bit quirky, but fairly good. It is told from the grandfather's point of view (who steels every scene), but of course the main character is his adolescent grandson. That one is of the opinion that "he who runs away, lives to fight another day," but eventually that "other" day comes, and he has to learn a lesson. In that regard, the most appealing character turns out to be the young girl that comes into his life. She has a heart, but is also puckish and feisty. Although introduced as a cheerleader, she has both a dark side and a sharpness of wit uncharacteristic of the stereotype, and is anything but an air-head. Otherwise, the story is forgivably absurd, mixing up "Beetlejuice" elements with "Night of the Living Dead" hokum, and sending up the football player mentality against the underdog world of arts and ideas. It also has a rather "remarkable" ending, involving ideas straight out of Zen Buddhism!!!

I get a kick out of R.L Stine's stories, despite the fact they are written for young children, and watch them all. I expected this movie would be geared for the same audience. However, I was especially curious about this one because is was a full length movie (most are 60 minutes or so). I have to say that I am quite impressed with this! I believe this is the most creative story (movie) I have encountered by him! In the beginning it is a bit silly, but soon becomes very interesting! It keeps you wondering (and that is a great quality)! It is silly, funny, touching, romantic (trust me), and even scarry!