Featured TV on DVD Review: Goosebumps: Attack of the Mutant and Ghost Beach
September 24, 2011
Goosebumps - Buy from Amazon: Attack of the Mutant and Ghost Beach
Goosebumps, the TV series, started in 1995 and aired 74 episodes over 4 seasons. They were based on the books by R. L. Stine. Many compared the line of youth books to the works of Stephen King, in a more or less positive way. Earlier in the month, two DVDs from the Goosebumps franchise were released on the home market, Attack of the Mutant and Ghost Beach. Each discs consists of three episodes, although the first disc starts with a two-parter.
There are no extras.
Like before, there are no extras on this DVD.
Goosebumps is a fun show and should please its target audience. During its four-year run, the episodes ranged from a little cheesy, to a bit spooky, to effectively scary for the target audience. The episodes on Attack of the Mutant and Ghost Beach are better than average for the series and they are worth checking out. On the other hand, the price-per-minute is a little high, even when compared to other single-disc TV on DVD releases aimed at similar target audiences.
Attack of the Mutant
We begin the series with Skipper Mathews reading his favorite comic book, The Masked Mutant, as he does battle with his nemesis, The Galloping Gazelle. Skipper's father is not a fan of comic books, mainly because he's worried Skipper is completely obsessed with comics. That obsession grows when he starts to see evidence that The Masked Mutant has escaped comic books and broken into the real world. He begins to investigate with the help of Libby, a new girl he met on the bus. But is it real, or just the product of an over-action imagination.
When the high school drama department puts on a performance of The Phantom, Brooke Rogers wins the lead role of Esmeralda. However, Tina Powell, her understudy, warns her that the play is cursed. This play was the first the school put on when it was built 72 years ago, but the boy who was supposed to play the lead disappeared. As Tina tells her story, the Phantom attacks... Nope, it's just Zeke Matthews playing yet another prank. Despite warnings, more pranks happen, but this time Zeke swears its not him, despite all the evidence pointing to him. Could the Phantom have returned? The Extras
Ghost Beach
The Sadler twins, Jerry and Terri, are on vacation at the beach, at least Jerry wants to go to the beech, his sister Terri likes exploring the old graveyard. It's at the old graveyard where they are attacked... by Sam and Louisa Sadler, distant cousins. They hint there's a haunted cave by the beach, which is where Harrison Sadler, a 300 year old ghost, lives to this day. They claim Harrison is an evil ghost, but when they meet Harrison, he tells them the complete opposite story. Not only is he not evil, he's not a ghost. However, there are ghosts on this island.
Cooper Holmes and his family just moved into a new home, and while he was always a little jittery, his new surroundings really have him scared and he's hearing the sounds of barking dogs. It doesn't help that his big brother, Mickey, decides to pull a prank on him. When he starts to find evidence that the dogs are real, no one believes him, because he's always spooked. Well, there's one person who believes him, Fergie, their new neighbor.
Samantha Byrd wants nothing more than to be a star on the girls basketball team. Unfortunately, she's not very coordinated, to put it mildly. This makes her a target of ridicule from Judith Belwood, who is the team's best player. But when Samantha finds a magic necklace that will grant her three wishes, she wishes to be the best player on her team. There's no way this will backfire. Right? The Extras
The Verdict
- Submitted by: C.S.Strowbridge
Filed under: Video Review