La hora del terror

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.

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.

This little gem from Halloween season 2007 has a special place in me and my family's black little hearts. I'm the "dad" raised on 1980's horror and, in 2007, and now a dad of 2 kids too young (at the time) to see some of my 70s, 80s and 90s horror favorite, was looking for alternative "family horror". Sure, there's Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown and many others, but I wanted something a little more relevant and newer for the time. Once I saw the ads for an "R. L. Stine Halloween" movie premiering on Cartoon Network! We watched it when it aired (early September mind you) and INSTANTLY, my kids wanted to watch it again! It played all throughout the season that year and it became a household favorite repeated many times the way some grew up watching "Lion King" or "Aladdin" over and over again. Now, with my kids in their very early 20s, we revisited this and, despite some things being outdated ("am I being punk'd?") it was still pure, nostalgic fun! Its got some heavy horror hitters for the creature fx (KNB fx), Tobin Bell (Saw) and Chris Hajian's music is especially eerie with a main opening theme that comes off like a creepy music box (reminded me of Dead Silence, also released in 2007). As a "starter horror" for the younger ones, its slightly more intense then the movies I mentioned above, but PERFECT for some brave kids come Halloween time!!

This movie is so very suited for Halloween, especially if you are a kid, teenager or if you got a family with kids. The movie is just the right amount of scary and thrilling to be great for family entertainment for the most spooky of Halloween eves.

From the creator of Goosebumps, R. L. Stine, comes the thrilling tale of 13-year old Cassie who is stuck with her younger brother Max on Halloween. Being fed up with her brother and his mishaps, Cassie decides to tell him a scary story from a book that she acquired from a very odd Halloween store. Being spooked out of his mind, Max's imagination runs rampart, but the Evil Thing is not only a thing of his imagination.

The acting in "The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It" was really great, and the actors/actresses really brought the story to life on the screen. Emily Osment (playing Cassie) really carried the movie. Now, not being overly familiar with Hannah Montana, then I had no pre-assumed view of her roles. So for me, she was doing a great job in this particular family movie.

"The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It" tells a really good story that will keep the entire family entertained from start till end.

The creature in the movie was great as well. Of course, it wasn't super CGI effects like in those blockbuster Hollywood movies, but still, the creature looked nice and was nicely made. It worked well enough for this kind of family movie.

I am sure that this movie will go well with most viewers, especially young teens and families. If you got 1 hour and 23 minutes to spare on Halloween, then "The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It" is well worth watching, be it alone or with your family.

I happened to catch this movie on the Cartoon Channel - a first for me -when it first came out. I remember buying the R.L. Stine books for my daughter when she was a teenager, but had never read any myself. I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. Okay, I had never seen Emily Osment, either (although I knew she was Haley Joel's sister, for which I should be awarded some points, I think), but I thought she was excellent, as was all the cast.

Guess what: when Halloween came around this year, I found myself looking for this movie again! It is silly, fun, and definitely has its scary moments. It is entertaining for kids, older kids and adults, and I recommend it highly for just about any age group (the icky monster stuff may be too much for really small kids), and as a family watch-it-together movie. I rate it 8/10 and have just bought a copy on Amazon just in case the Cartoon Network has moved on to other things in October 2009.