The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It

The cartoon network is not my normal source for Sunday night movies but when I saw the previews for this new movie based on the R.L. Stein book it reminded me of my days of reading Goosebumps and decided to give it a try. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised as it was a fun movie with its share of spooky moments that children will love around Halloween time. The acting by the kids is well done, and Emily Osment (of Hannah Montanna) is great in the lead role. I recommend this to all parents wanting to watch a spooky movie with their kids. The version of the movie I saw was a special version in which Emily Osment did commentary along with the movie so that was pretty interesting too..I am not sure if this is on the DVD version but if it is it's an added bonus.

I simply love this movie! It's a fun flick that I enjoy watching anytime of the year. I especially like the fact that it was shot here in the Pittsburgh area. The boy who plays Ralph in the movie should have had a bigger part. He should have gone to fight the evil thing with the rest of them. Anyway, you should see him now!!! He's 16 and he has grow into quite a hottie!!! He is performing now with a group called the UNDALRDS. He performs under the name Z1Nation, and one of his hits is called Black Superman. To find out more about him, you search for him on google or youtube. His videos can be found on laydash's channel.

Decent watch, probably won't watch again, but can recommend, especially for a younger audience.

Sometimes it is fun to see what they're offering to the kids, and you run into something familiar like R. L. Stine, and you even hop into the way back machine to see some surprises: like Emily Osment (Gabi, "Young and Hungry"), Brittany Curran (Fen, The Magicians), and Tobin Bell (Jigsaw, SAW).

The story itself is solid, if juvenile (it IS designed for a younger audience), and the actor is a little over the top, but I think it is a combination of good writing of silly characters for kids and quality actors.

Not only does the cast do a great job of the teen drama and typical family infighting between siblings, but the real shining moment of the movie is the "Evil Thing". It is amazing what they can do with some simple practical effects and good camera work.

If you're looking for a "scary" movie to sit down with the kids, this is a good choice.

Horror-obsessed Cassie Keller (Emily Osment) likes to scare his afraid little brother. She's the new student at Knoxville Jr High. She has a crush on Sean (Cody Linley). When she offers to help Sean on his Edgar Allan Poe book report, jealous Priscilla Wright (Brittany Curran) starts bullying her. Cassie buys a book "The Evil Thing" at a mysterious Halloween store from a mystery man (Tobin Bell). Priscilla wins Pumpkin Queen at the Halloween dance and Cassie plays a prank on her. Priscilla returns the favor on Halloween night. Cassie reads the book to her little brother despite the warning "Do Not Read Aloud" bringing forth something evil.

R.L. Stine is a widely liked kiddie horror series. It's usually similar to adult horrors without the grotesque or sexuality and at a lower horror level. This one is perfectly fine but the monsters look really cheesy. Emily Osment is able to walk the line between victim and pouty teen. It really needs to work on the creature effects. Actually, I would like mature horrors with children as protagonists. This could be that kind of horror if it's scarier with more grotesque realistic creatures.

It was in-between bad and horrible. I excepted much more from this movie, it wasn't even the least bit scary. And 'The evil thing?' come on.. couldn't they have thought of something more original? I did however enjoy a few parts, and the actresses/actors were pretty good at their roles. The thing that made me bring this movie down a few stars then i would have is the little brother, he is such an annoying pest and is scared of the silliest things. Emily Osment looked completely different in this movie compared to her character in Hannah Montana, it was pretty cool to see her dressed as a goth. The plot was unsatisfying but at least it ran smoothly. I would rate this movie 5 out of ten stars.