I really enjoy most shows/movies from R. L. Stine's works. And, from the trailers, this seemed to me a solidly entertaining watch (especially in October, which is when I tend to seek fresh scary content). When actually watching the show, however, what they were actually trying to do became less clear.
Let me explain. Each episode seems to have some sort of moral behind it. I can accept this because, at the end of the day, this series is aimed at teenagers. And in some episodes, namely "My Monster" and "The Treehouse", the moral is really well integrated into the story. And there were moments that actually got me scared.
But, there are episodes where the moral is more of a weakness than a strength. "Unfiltered" and "Stand Up for Yourself" were a little too preachy with their morals, to the point where anything truly scary is buried for the sake of that moral.
This is not to say that its a bad thing for these episodes to have morals. Honestly, these are morals that are important things for kids to learn. Some, like "Parents are from Mars, Kids are from Venus" and "Unfiltered" have fairly cliche morals about accepting your parents for who they are and accepting your own body, but some morals are about moving on from an ended friendship, anxiety, and even grieving the loss of a loved one.
Morals aside, I found myself genuinely enjoying most of the episodes of this series. The special effects were surprisingly good for a Disney + show, the kid's acting was mostly good (great in some places), and there were some genuinely disturbing and/or scary moments.
Bottom line, if you like R. L. Stine and can deal with a moral-driven story, then this show is worth checking out. "My Monster" is my favorite episode of the series, with "We've Got Spirits, Yes We Do" being a close second (as it seems to have the spirit (pun intended) of a classic Goosebumps book). All in all, it's worth a try!
Let me explain. Each episode seems to have some sort of moral behind it. I can accept this because, at the end of the day, this series is aimed at teenagers. And in some episodes, namely "My Monster" and "The Treehouse", the moral is really well integrated into the story. And there were moments that actually got me scared.
But, there are episodes where the moral is more of a weakness than a strength. "Unfiltered" and "Stand Up for Yourself" were a little too preachy with their morals, to the point where anything truly scary is buried for the sake of that moral.
This is not to say that its a bad thing for these episodes to have morals. Honestly, these are morals that are important things for kids to learn. Some, like "Parents are from Mars, Kids are from Venus" and "Unfiltered" have fairly cliche morals about accepting your parents for who they are and accepting your own body, but some morals are about moving on from an ended friendship, anxiety, and even grieving the loss of a loved one.
Morals aside, I found myself genuinely enjoying most of the episodes of this series. The special effects were surprisingly good for a Disney + show, the kid's acting was mostly good (great in some places), and there were some genuinely disturbing and/or scary moments.
Bottom line, if you like R. L. Stine and can deal with a moral-driven story, then this show is worth checking out. "My Monster" is my favorite episode of the series, with "We've Got Spirits, Yes We Do" being a close second (as it seems to have the spirit (pun intended) of a classic Goosebumps book). All in all, it's worth a try!