History Film / Goosebumps

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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/goosebumps_4.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Viewer Beware, You're In For a Scare...]]
->''"Every story ever told can be broken down into three distinct parts: the beginning, the middle, and the '''twist'''."''
-->--'''R.L. Stine'''

''Goosebumps'' is a 2015 horror urban fantasy comedy directed by Rob Letterman (who has collaborated with Jack Black with his directing ''[[Film/GulliversTravels2010 Gulliver's Travels]]'') based off of Creator/RLStine's famous ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}'' book series. Starring Dylan Minette and Creator/JackBlack as Stine himself, who along with Stine's daughter Hannah (Creator/OdeyaRush), must combat every single one of Stine's creations after Zach (Minette) and his friend Champ (Ryan Lee) accidentally unleash them from the very books themselves.

A sequel, titled ''[[Film/Goosebumps2HauntedHalloween Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween]]'', was released in 2018. New cast members include Jeremy Ray Taylor, Caleel Harris and Madison Iseman, with Jack Black reprising his role.

'''Previews:''' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Cn716jv61s Trailer 1]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIEmUFGJPSw Trailer 2]].
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!!''Goosebumps'' contains the following scares:
* ActorAllusion: ''Film/GulliversTravels2010'', which ''Creator/JackBlack'' starred in is referenced when the lawn gnomes tie Stine down with rope.
* AdaptationalBadass:
** The monsters seem to be capable of causing a ''lot'' more damage than their book counterparts. The Lawn Gnomes, for instance, now throw knives and garden tools, and Dr. Brewer's plant monsters are seen demolishing a neighborhood.
** In the books, Slappy spent his time bullying children into being his slaves. Here, he leads the other monsters in hunting Stine, is clever enough to cut off the whole town, and casually lists off ''destroying the town'' as something fun to do.
** The giant mantis from ''Literature/AShockerOnShockStreet'' are described as three times the size of humans. While that alone was dangerous enough, the movie's incarnation portrays the mantis as a {{kaiju}}-like threat, big enough to force the heroes' bus into crashing and single-handedly collapsing a Ferris Wheel.
** As they are not technically real, all of the monsters are unkillable. If one is physically destroyed, it will just take a second to regenerate. Sealing them in a book is the only way to stop them permanently.
* AdaptationalVillainy:
** The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena was benevolent in the book. Not so in the movie, though more because it didn't want to go back in the book than because it was evil.
** The invisible boy wasn't really mischievous in the book.
** Murder the Clown (aka Uncle Theo) also was not evil in his book.
* AdaptationalWimp: The Annihilator 3000 robots, which originally came from ''Literature/ToyTerrorBatteriesIncluded'', receives a massive downgrade. The original book depicts them as ''Film/TheTerminator''-like killing machines which pursues the player hero relentlessly, and is seen as TheDreaded by the main characters. ''One'' Annihilator 3000 is enough to be a severe threat that takes up an entire storyline. But in the film these robots are portrayed as standard-issue mooks whose laser guns barely poses a threat to the heroes, and they are much smaller and less threatening than the one from the book.
* AdorableEvilMinions: The Lawn Gnomes are back... and they're throwing sharp things.
* AdultsAreUseless:
** The local cops are utterly inept -- one of them is in training, and the one training her isn't much better.
** Averted with R. L. Stine and some of the teachers at the school.
* AdvertisedExtra: The Pumpkinhead who shows up prominently on the poster (even being placed ''above'' Slappy)? Has no real relevance on the plot and only appears as a background monster.
* AlwaysChaoticEvil: All of Stine's monsters are this, though the Invisible Boy is more of an annoyance. The only real exception to this trope is [[spoiler: Hannah.]]
* AndIMustScream: If Slappy's words are any indication, the monsters were conscious during their imprisonment in the manuscripts. He even saved [[spoiler: The Blob That Ate Everyone]] just for Stine to show him what it was like.
-->'''Slappy:''' How do you like it, Papa? The world is just outside your grasp, but you can't move. You're trapped. ''That's'' what it felt like to be locked inside your books!
* AntagonisticOffSpring: The monsters recognize Stine as their creator, with Slappy at least sincerely calling him "Papa" in his debut scene. When it's clear he's trying to put them back he starts [[TermsOfEndangerment repeating it with sardonic menace]].
* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: One of the giant praying mantises from ''A Shocker on Shock Street'' makes an appearance, in a big way [[spoiler: as does The Blob That Ate Everyone]].
* ArtEvolution: Many of the monsters looks different from how they initially appeared from the original illustrations. Namely the giant mantis from ''Literature/AShockerOnShockStreet'' is now green and resembles closer to an actual praying mantis, while the blue body squeezers from ''Literature/RevengeOfTheBodySqueezers'' now wear space-suits, bubble helmets, and have a more humanoid appearance, as well as lacking the giant eyes and fangs as shown in the books.
* ArtifactOfDoom: The manuscripts for the ''Goosebumps'' books, which contain the monsters. [[spoiler: R.L. Stine's typewriter counts as well, as it's implied that its magic brought the monsters to life, in addition to Stine's own imagination.]]
* ArtisticLicenseLaw: There's a running gag about the penalty for filing a false police report being a written warning...but one of the instances is actually impersonating an officer.
* AuthorAvatar: A fictionalized R.L. Stine is a major character. [[http://www.mtv.com/news/2548169/r-l-stine-goosebumps-movie-interview/ The author himself]] was surprised to see the writers take this route.
* BatterUp: Zach dual-wields a pair of metal bats when fighting off the monsters at one point.
* BearTrap: Stine keeps a number of bear traps scattered across the basement floor.
* BerserkButton:
** Stine can't stand being compared to Stephen King, especially in an unfavorable way.
** Slappy ''does not'' like being called a dummy.
* BigBad: Slappy, who unleashes all the other monsters from their books and then leads them against Stine and the children.
* BigBadEnsemble: The movie features many villains from the series threatening the real world, including Count Nightwing, The Haunted Mask, Priestess Nila, Sarabeth, and of course, Slappy.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: The giant praying mantis
* BlatantLies: While Zach is watching a recording of he and his father, his mother (who has been listening for a bit) asks him if everything is alright. He answers that he was just watching his baby pictures.
* BlankBook: Whenever a monster escapes from one of R.L. Stine's manuscripts, the book becomes blank. Justified as the monsters are composed of the ink itself.
* BlobMonster: [[spoiler: The Blob That Ate Everyone]]
* {{Bookends}}: At the beginning, Zack goes to open a book and Hannah knocks it from his hands, releasing the monster within. At the end, [[spoiler: Hannah goes to open a book and Zack knocks it from her hands, trapping all the monsters (including Hannah) inside]].
* BrickJoke: Early in the film, Stine goes on a rant detailing how much he dislikes Creator/StephenKing. Later, as part of the climax, he sets up his typewriter to write the new book... in a school play set of ''Literature/TheShining''. Also worth noting, a MonsterClown and a haunted car make appearances afterwards. The clown in particular resembles Pennywise...
* TheBusCameBack: Priestess Nila, Count Nightwing, Sarabeth, and probably a dozen other forgotten villains return in the film.
* ButtMonkey: Champ, until he saves the girl of his dreams from being mauled by a werewolf. She had been calling him Chump every time she interacted with him.
* CallingTheOldManOut: [[spoiler: Slappy]] does this to [[spoiler: R. L. Stine for imprisoning him and the other monsters inside their manuscripts in an AndIMustScream stasis, while forgetting about them]]. Which [[spoiler: Stine]] did for good reason, admittedly.
* CanonForeigner: Zach Cooper, the protagonist. Given how infamously interchangeable the kids in the books are, this was probably for the best. However, it is interesting to note that the protagonist of "The Blob That Ate Everyone" is similarly named Zachie. Furthermore, both characters save the day using a magic typewriter that makes the stories written with it come to life. [[spoiler:Perhaps to highlight this protagonist similarity, the climax of the movie has Slappy unleash The Blob That Ate Everyone when R.L. Stine hands the magic typewriter over to Zach.]]
* CarFu: Used by Zach's aunt to smash the werewolf into a dumpster.
* CassandraTruth: While ultimately proved wrong, Zach at first does right when calling the cops on Stine, as any responsible people with good enough reasons to suspect that a [[AbusiveParent reclusive, hostile man is mistreating his daughter]].
* CastingGag: Dylan Minnette and Creator/OdeyaRush, as both are actors whose first gained recognition in a Disney family movie starring Creator/JenniferGarner (''Film/AlexanderAndTheTerribleHorribleNoGoodVeryBadDay'' for Minnette, ''Film/TheOddLifeOfTimothyGreen'' for Rush).
* CompositeCharacter: Most of the monsters in the movie are clearly based on specific ones from the books, but there are a few examples:
** The swamp monster seems to be a mix of the Bog Monster from ''Literature/HowToKillAMonster'' and the Mud Monster from ''Literature/YouCantScareMe''.
** ''Literature/TheBlobThatAteEveryone'' retains its pink and veiny appearance, but has a gelatinous complexion and the ability to eat people simply by touching them akin to Literature/MonsterBlood.
* CoolCar: The car from ''Literature/TheHauntedCar'' is the one of the first monsters Slappy releases, and he spends most of the movie sitting in it. It even has a VanityLicensePlate that reads "HAUNTED".
* CowardlyLion: Champ, as aside from Stine himself, he is the resident ''Goosebumps'' expert and knows how to take out most of the creatures, even if they scare the hell out of him.
* ChekhovsGun:
** The [[spoiler: bear traps]] in the basement.
** [[spoiler: The burning of the manuscripts counts as well]].
* ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve: apparently true of R.L. Stine and his monsters.
* CrazyPrepared: R.L. Stine keeps bear traps in his basement in order to slow down the monsters should they escape, and has trained his daughter to be able to catch them.
* CreativeClosingCredits: The film's credits serve as a tribute to Tim Jacobus, the original artist of many ''Goosebumps'' covers, animating several of them over the ending.
* CreatorCameo: [[https://twitter.com/RL_Stine/status/468907719236530178 Stine himself]] has a cameo at the end of the film, playing "Mr. Black" (doubles as a CastingGag, with Jack Black playing "Stine"), the new drama teacher at Zach's school. He's listed as "Hallway Player" in the closing credits.
* CreepyBasement: R. L. Stine's basement.
* CreepyChild: The film gives Stine a fictional backstory as one, explaining that he imagined the monsters from the books in order to scare the kids who made fun of him... and then the monsters became real.
* CreepyHighPitchedVoice: Jack Black gives the DemonicDummy Slappy a high-pitched voice reminiscent of Creator/MarkHamill's performances as ComicBook/TheJoker.
* ContinuityNod: Just one example: the Abominable Snowman of Pasadena's love of [[TrademarkFavoriteFood trail mix.]]
* ContinuityPorn: Every ''Goosebumps'' monster ever appearing on screen? The kids teaming up to use their knowledge of the books against them? Oh yeah.
* CuteGhostGirl: [[spoiler:Hannah, whose true nature is revealed when moonlight shines on her.]]
* DarkIsNotEvil:
** Stine dresses in black and generally presents himself as a creepy, hostile man even before it's revealed that he's the creator of the monsters, but this ultimately proves to be an act to keep people from discovering the manuscripts. He actively puts himself in danger to protect the kids and turns out to be more [[NoSocialSkills awkward]] and [[HairTriggerTemper ridiculously short tempered]] than genuinely sinister.
** [[spoiler:Stine's daughter, Hannah, a ghost girl and one of the heroes (and arguably the most sympathetic protagonist in any of the Goosebumps books) who is nonetheless considered a monster due to the fact that she came from a story like the rest of the creatures.]]
* DeadAllAlong: [[spoiler:Hannah turns out to be this, being the titular protagonist of ''Literature/TheGhostNextDoor''.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: Stine, Zack and Hannah.
* DefrostingIceKing: Stine becomes one after Slappy is sealed away in his manuscript again.
* DemonicDummy: Slappy is the Big Bad. The Annihilators 3000 from ''[=Toy Terror: Batteries Included=]'' also make an appearance.
* DenserAndWackier: While the books and TV series were always kid-friendly to begin with, it still had some horrifying moments. The movie focuses more on comedy.
* DescriptionCut: Zach tells the class that they have to buy Stine time to write, but not to worry because he's a very fast writer. Cut to Stine, punching up the story on a typewriter...
-->'''Stine''': The night was cold... ... No, cold was the night...
* DestructionEqualsOffSwitch: Inverted -- destroying a book doesn't destroy the escaped monster from said book but destroys the only means of getting rid of the monster. Thus, Slappy destroys all the books.
* DeusExMachina: Defied -- with the books burned, the only way to defeat the monsters is for Stine to write one new book that includes all of them, which can then be used to suck all of them in. Zach thinks this should be very easy -- all Stine has to do is write, "Monsters lose. The End." Unfortunately, Stine explains that the magic doesn't work that way -- the story has to be ''real''.
* DisappearedDad: Zach's father died a year before the events of the movie and he's still mourning him.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena is presented as this. After Stine manages to put him back in the book, he thinks everything is back to normal and gets ready to move out again with Hannah. Then it turns out [[BigBad Slappy]] got out too.
* DisneyDeath: [[spoiler: Hannah.]]
* DisproportionateRetribution: Slappy has the aliens freeze Aunt Lorraine simply because she called him a dummy.
* DragonInChief: The Blob That Ate Everyone to Slappy.
* TheDreaded: The first words out of Stine's mouth upon hearing Slappy's voice:
--> "Oh no, not ''him''."
* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: The monsters are all defeated, Champ gets together with the girl he likes, and Stine is able to write a new book allowing Hannah to exist in the real world once again, enabling her to reunite with Zach.]]
* EmbarrassingRelativeTeacher: Zach is embarrassed about being the Vice Principal's son.
* EnemyWithout: The monsters were originally imaginary creations that Stine poured all his negative emotions over his life into before they became real. Slappy stands out the most, as he regularly taunts him with [[NotSoDifferentRemark how much they think alike]] and Stine refers to confronting him as confronting his personal demons. They're even played by the same actor.
* EverytownAmerica: Of course, as usual for the series. This one is called Madison, Delaware.
* ExtranormalPrison: R.L. Stine imprisoned every monster he has ever created inside the original Goosebumps manuscripts, essentially turning his ''bookcase'' into a prison of sorts. Whenever a monster escaped, he was forced to capture it and move to a new town, much to the chagrin of his daughter Hannah.
* ExtremelyShortTimespan: Not counting the epilogue, the whole movie takes place for two days and two nights, especially on Homecoming Night.
* EyeBeams: What the Annihilators 3000 use to breach one of the barricades [[spoiler:in the school]].
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** One that only fans of the books would catch, but Hannah shares her name with the protagonist of "The Ghost Next Door" and lives next door to Zach, [[spoiler: which foreshadows TheReveal that she herself is a character from one of the books.]]
** The fact that Stine initially doesn't remember the giant praying mantis indicates that he's written so many monsters, even he can't remember all of them. [[spoiler: This becomes important at the end when he sees he left the Invisible Boy out of the new manuscript.]]
** One of the officers is surprised that the officer he's training hasn't seen ''Film/TheBlob'' after he quotes it to her. [[spoiler:Guess which monster Slappy throws at Stine and the kids in the climax?]]
* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler: Hannah, after Zach realizes he needs to trap her in the manuscript with the other monsters. She gets better, though.]]
* FoldSpindleMutilation: When the giant preying mantis is sucked down into the book, abdomen-first, its parts are compressed one by one. Its enormous head winds up sitting on top of the book, looking a bit confused, just before it disappears.
* ForTheEvulz: The only real motivation the monsters have, though Slappy also wants revenge on Stine for trapping him in his book.
* FreezeRay: The weapon of choice of the Bug-Eyed Aliens, which they use on seemingly everyone in town, particularly the two incompetent cops and [[spoiler: Zach's aunt]].
* GenreSavvy: The entire movie's premise hinges on this, as anyone who has read the books a la Champ is aware of what did or didn't do in the monsters in each novel.
* GirlNextDoor: Hannah. [[spoiler: She's also the title character of ''The Ghost Next Door''.]]
* GlamourFailure: [[spoiler: Hannah glows when under the moonlight, revealing that she's really a ghost.]]
* GulliverTieDown: The lawn gnomes quickly tie Stine up this way with electrical cords when he's knocked off his feet.
* HeroicBuild: The Werewolf of Fever Swamp is depicted with an exaggerated dorito build.
* HomeschooledKids: Hannah. [[spoiler:When she first sees a school dance, she looks overjoyed]].
* ImaginationBasedSuperpower: R.L. Stine brought every monster he ever created to life using just his imagination, though it's implied that his typewriter may have also been partially responsible.
* ImOkay: After Lorraine [[spoiler:hits a werewolf with her car]] she reassures her audience "I'm okay... ''[[DelayedSafetyFeature [airbag inflates]]]'' I'm still okay!"
* ImpossiblyTackyClothes: The garish baseball cap that Zach is given by his aunt and his mother insists he wears. He gets rid of it as soon as he can.
* IncongruouslyDressedZombie: The scariness of the Werewolf of Fever Swamp is somewhat diminished by the fact that he wears bright blue lycra jogging shorts and partly ripped-open black athletic shoes with white laces.
* IShallTauntYou: Zach deliberately presses Stine's BerserkButton to get him to admit his identity, talking about how horrible his books are.
* IWillOnlySlowYouDown: [[DeconstructiveParody Deconstructed and parodied]]. Stine does this to Champ after he is unable to get through a fence. Champ takes it a bit too literally and casually runs off.
-->'''Stine''': No...I didn't ''MEAN IT!''
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Stine.
* JuxtaposedHalvesShot: Of Stine and Slappy in the Fun House.
* LargeHam: Jack Black as R.L. Stine ... which is odd because the real R.L. Stine is the least emotive person on Earth.
* LetsSplitUpGang: Stine tries to suggest this, only for Champ to immediately point out that this is a bad idea.
-->'''Champ:''' Have you ever read your books?
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: If [[http://i.imgur.com/nSVjxns.png this shot]] is any indication, it looks like most, if not ''all'' of the villains and monsters from the books make an appearance at some point. And if that isn't enough, some of them will only be mentioned in passing, and the cast have already expressed interest in sequels.
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Zach was still mourning his father and keeping a distance from everyone else before he met Hannah, who took him in quite an adventure. [[spoiler: She's also a literal ''dream'' girl]].
* MissingMom: Hannah didn't really know her mother. [[spoiler: Because she doesn't have one]].
* MonsterClown: Murder the Clown makes a few clear appearances on-screen.
* MonsterMash: Almost every monster appears in the movie, [[spoiler: including Hannah the ghost]].
* NeverRecycleABuilding: The town of Madison, Delaware constructed an entire amusement park before running out of money to continue funding the project. Now it just sits abandoned in the middle of the woods, but it's still Hannah Stine's favorite part of the town and [[spoiler:the final battle between the protagonists and the ''Goosebumps'' monsters takes place in the area]].
* NeverTrustATrailer:
** The Abominable Snowman's release is shown in both trailers, but in the first one it charges at Champ because he screams, while in the second he charges because he knocks over a lamp.
** Some trailers also suggested that the heroes would be hunting each monster down using their weaknesses from the books, which is not the case.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Zach and Champ accidentally opening one of the manuscripts.
* NighInvulnerable: The monsters, being animated ink, simply cannot die. Anything strong to obliterate their physical forms simply forces them to spend a minute or so regenerating. The only way to ensure their defeat is to trap them in a book.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Jack Black uses his best impression of Creator/MarkHamill's [[ComicBook/TheJoker Joker]] while voicing Slappy.
* NonMaliciousMonster: [[spoiler: Hannah]]
* NoodleIncident: Zach apparently ate cotton candy in the abandoned amusement park.
--> '''Zach''': The weird thing is that it didn't taste that bad.
* NotAllowedToGrowUp: [[spoiler: Hannah, being a ghost, has had numerous sixteenth birthdays.]]
* NothingExcitingEverHappensHere: Madison, Delaware, in classic ''Goosebumps'' tradition.
* OhCrap:
** ''"Did you unlock a book??"''
** Also happens when Stine comes face to face with ''Slappy the Dummy''.
---> '''Stine''': Oh no, not him.
** Also happens with the Werewolf of Fever Swamp and The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena when they both realize [[spoiler: the bus is rigged with explosives and they just set it off]].
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted from Stine's perspective]]; Stine assumes that Champ is an example of this trope, but he's not.
* OverprotectiveDad: Stine, to Hannah. [[note]]In real life, R.L. Stine only has a son named Matthew.[[/note]]
* OurGhoulsAreCreepier: Per the books, the undead creatures rising from the cemetery are referred to as ghouls, even though it's obvious they're zombies.
* PoliceAreUseless: At least, they are in Madison, Delaware. When things get out of hand and Champ suggests calling the police, Zach retorts, "Have you ''seen'' the police in this town?" and Champ admits that he can't argue with that.
* PoorCommunicationKills: Stine's reclusive nature, his loud arguments with Hannah, and threatening Zach more than once, are all because of him trying to keep people away from discovering his secrets and to keep Hannah from hanging around with people that might find about her real nature. Until this all gets cleared it makes him seem like an AbusiveParent, which ironically ''encourages'' Zach to uncover his secrets in the name of saving Hannah.
* {{Portal Book}}s: An entire shelf full of them.
* ThePreciousPreciousCar: Stine's 1987 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. The giant mantis destroys it.
--> '''Stine''': Oh, no! My Wagoneer! .... I had such low mileage on it!
* ProductPlacement: If you see electronics, they're Sony brand. Sony made the movie, so it's expected (practically every movie they've made since the 90s has some sort of Sony product visible--they even put their logo before Columbia's now).
* PsychoPoodle: Among the monsters is a poodle (Probably the one the ''Literature/GiveYourselfGoosebumps'' book: ''Don't feed the Vampire''). It looks innocent at first, but then it starts [[GhostlyGlide floating]], and then it growls and makes a NightmareFace.
* PullingThemselvesTogether:
** The Lawn Gnomes piece themselves together when smashed.
** All the monsters can regenerate from the ink they're really made of if destroyed.
* PumpkinPerson: A Pumpkin Person makes an appearance, a reference to the book "Attack of the Jack-O' Lanterns".
* RealityWarper: R.L. Stine himself qualifies. Stine managed to write every monster he ever created off the page using nothing but a magic typewriter and his own imagination. He can also write the monsters back on the page, which Slappy continually tries to prevent.
* RefugeeFromTVLand: All the monsters from Stine's books. [[spoiler:Hannah is also one of these.]]
* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: Champ. Don't judge him.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Champ pulls this once in the graveyard when Stine tells him to go ahead and save himself. Later, he grows a pair and saves a pretty girl at school from the Werewolf of Fever Swamp after her boyfriend does the same thing.
* SealedEvilInACan: All of Stine's monstrous creations are bound within his original manuscripts.
* SelfDeprecation: The page quote pokes fun at the Goosebumps books' multiple twist endings. [[spoiler: It also acts as {{Foreshadowing}}]].
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Champ and Zach, respectively. Zach is fit, knows how to pick padlocks and [[spoiler:rig bombs]], handles himself well for a bit using [[DualWielding two bats]] against [[spoiler:the bees from Why I'm Afraid of Bees]] and generally takes the lead. Meanwhile Champ is dorky, takes his outfit very seriously, is a LovableCoward and ScreamsLikeALittleGirl. At one point Zach is able to keep walking while Champ is putting his whole weight in holding him back. Given the tone of the movie and the things they manage to do, they are as close as a couple of teenagers can get to an ActionDuo.
* SequelHook: The movie ends with one. [[spoiler:The Invisible Boy reveals he escaped being sealed and starts using the magic typewriter to write ''The Revenge of the Invisible Boy'', to Stine's horror.]]
* ShownTheirWork: While many are only very briefly seen in crowd shots, Slappy's army is made entirely of individual Goosebumps monsters, ranging from famous (The Haunted Mask) to obscure (Doctor Shock).
* SpannerInTheWorks: Usually whenever one of the Goosebumps manuscripts is unlocked and a monster escapes, Stine manages to capture it and he and his daughter are forced to move. When Zach releases the Abominable Snowman, however, the bookcase collapses and Slappy escapes as well. Slappy then proceeds to release every monster R.L. Stine ever created and burns the manuscripts for good measure.
* SpiritualSuccessor: It's ''Film/{{Jumanji}}''...with ''Goosebumps'' monsters!
* SpotlightStealingSquad: You'll have a difficult time spotting a number of fan favorite monsters, but Murder the Clown is always front and centre, despite only debuting in a book the same year the film came out. It's as if the director was determined to get an evil clown in there.
* StealthPun: The lock on the basement door and the [[spoiler: bear traps on the floor]] are hints that you should ''Stay Out of the Basement''.
* SupportingProtagonist: The movie follows Zach's perspective, but the main character arc is Stine's.
* TakeThat:
** The film pokes fun at Creator/StephenKing, especially when Zach claims that he's a better writer than Stine.
** Crosses with SelfDeprecation when Zack goads Stine into revealing his identity by insulting his books, saying, "I can't decide which one I hate more" -- specifically, ''Monster Blood'' (which has one of the most hated protagonists in the series) or ''Go Eat Worms'' (one of the least popular books in the series).
* TheEndOrIsIt: [[spoiler:Turns out the Invisible Boy is still outside the books...]]
* TitleDrop: This honor goes to Slappy, who sarcastically says that Stine gives him...
* VanityLicensePlate: Slappy's CoolCar gets one with "HAUNTED" on it.
* VillainTeleportation: Slappy can teleport in a literal flash, such as that of lightning, as apropos for a DemonicDummy; he does it in his first scene whenever the lights flicker, showing he's capable of [[ParanoiaFuel taking whatever he wants with him]] even if someone is holding it at the time. Later in the film, he's able to disappear using the flash of spotlights.
* WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld: Zach and Champ may go to high school like any other teenager can do, but they have to save the world... from monsters.
* WhenTreesAttack: Dr. Brewer's Mutant Plants are probably the most destructive of the monsters seen in the film.
----

* EnemyWithout: The monsters were originally imaginary creations that Stine poured all his negative emotions over his life into before they became real. Slappy stands out the most, as he regularly taunts him with [[NotSoDifferent how much they think alike]] and Stine refers to confronting him as confronting his personal demons. They're even played by the same actor.

* AdaptationalWimp: The Annihilator 3000 robots, which originally came from ''[=Toy Terror: Batteries Included=]'', receives a massive downgrade. The original book depicts them as ''Film/TheTerminator''-like killing machines which pursues the player hero relentlessly, and is seen as TheDreaded by the main characters. ''One'' Annihilator 3000 is enough to be a severe threat that takes up an entire storyline. But in the film these robots are portrayed as standard-issue mooks whose laser guns barely poses a threat to the heroes, and they are much smaller and less threatening than the one from the book.

** The swamp monster seems to be a mix of the Bog Monster from "How To Kill A Monster" and the Mud Monster from "You Can't Scare Me".
** The Blob that Ate Everyone retains its pink and veiny appearance, but has a gelatinous complexion and the ability to eat people simply by touching them akin to Monster Blood.
* CoolCar: The car from ''The Haunted Car'' is the one of the first monsters Slappy releases, and he spends most of the movie sitting in it. It even has a VanityLicensePlate that reads "HAUNTED".

* DeadAllAlong: [[spoiler:Hannah turns out to be this, being the titular protagonist of ''The Ghost Next Door''.]]

* RealityEnsues: While ultimately proved wrong, Zach at first does right when calling the cops on Stine, as any responsible people with good enough reasons to suspect that a [[AbusiveParent reclusive, hostile man is mistreating his daughter]].

* BrickJoke: Early in the film, Stine goes on a rant detailing how much he dislikes Creator/StephenKing. Later, as part of the climax, he sets up his typewriter to write the new book... in a school play set of ''The Shining.''
** Also worth noting, a MonsterClown and a haunted car make appearances afterwards. The clown in particular resembles Pennywise...

* TakeThat: The film pokes fun at Creator/StephenKing, especially when Zach claims that he's a better writer than Stine.

* CrazyPrepared: R.L. Stine knows full well how dangerous his monsters are, so he has a large surplus of bear traps in his basement as a precaution. He's also always ready to pack and move to another town if any of the monsters escape and cause havoc.

* ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve: apparently true of RL Stine and his monsters.
* CrazyPrepared: R.L. Stine knows full well how dangerous his monsters are, so he keeps a large surplus of bear traps in his basement as a precaution. Unfortunately, it does little to slow down the lawn gnomes.

* NeverRecycleaBuilding: The town of Madison, Delaware constructed an entire amusement park before running out of money to continue funding the project. Now it just sits abandoned in the middle of the woods, but it's still Hannah Stine's favorite part of the town and [[spoiler:the final battle between the protagonists and the ''Goosebumps'' monsters takes place in the area]].

* AbandonedArea: An entire ''amusement park'' lies abandoned in the forest, having been built by the city until they ran out of money. Most of the rides are functional, and even the cotton candy still tastes fine. This is Hannah's favorite place to visit in all of Madison, and [[spoiler:it's also where the final battle between the protagonists and Slappy's monsters takes place]].

* CrazyPrepared: R.L. Stine knows full well how dangerous his monsters are, so he kept a large collection of bear traps in his basement as a precaution. Unfortunately, it does little to slow down the lawn gnomes.

* AbandonedArea: An entire ''amusement park'' lies abandoned in the forest, complete with a ferris wheel and a funhouse. Even the cotton candy still tastes fine, which is rather unnerving in hindsight. The park is Hannah's favorite place to go exploring in all of Madison, and [[spoiler:it's also where the final battle between the protagonists and Slappy's monsters takes place]].

* DemonicDummy: Slappy is the Big Bad. The Annihilators 3000 from ''[=Toy Terror Batteries Included=]'' also make an appearance.

* AdaptationalWimp: The Annihilator 3000 robots, which originally came from ''[=Toy Terror Batteries Included=]'', receives a massive downgrade. The original book depicts them as ''Film/TheTerminator''-like killing machines which pursues the player hero relentlessly, and is seen as TheDreaded by the main characters. ''One'' Annihilator 3000 is enough to be a severe threat that takes up an entire storyline. But in the film these robots are portrayed as standard-issue mooks whose laser guns barely poses a threat to the heroes, and they are much smaller and less threatening than the one from the book.

* AdaptationalWimp: The Annihilator 3000 robots, which originally came from "[=Toy Terror Batteries Included=]", receives a massive downgrade. The original book depicts them as ''Film/TheTerminator''-like killing machines which pursues the player hero relentlessly, and is seen as TheDreaded by the main characters. ''One'' Annihilator 3000 is enough to be a severe threat that takes up an entire storyline. But in the film these robots are portrayed as standard-issue mooks whose laser guns barely poses a threat to the heroes, and they are much smaller and less threatening than the one from the book.

* DemonicDummy: Slappy is the Big Bad. The Annihilators 3000 from "[=Toy Terror Batteries Included=]" also make an appearance.