Review: Goosebumps "Ghost Beach"

This is definitely one of the better adaptations. And by that, I'm referring to the actual process of adapting the book into a TV episode.

Plot/Themes

The book has more back and forth as the living Sadler siblings try to decide to trust Sam and Louisa or Harrison, and the rock slide trap is actually tried twice; first on Harrison, then he explains his deal, then they trap Sam and Louisa... And Nate.

Yes, in the original story, there was also a third ghost sibling; a baby ghost that Sam and Louisa would bring around. I'd imagine the character was cut for one of two reasons.

1. The baby is pointless, and would make filming difficult if it decided to not cooperate.
2. The dead baby ghost would have a spoopy skull face like Sam and Louisa, which might be a bit more "Nu-Metal album cover" than "Goosebumps."

As for the actual story being told, the book itself isn't really your standard Goosebumps fare. It's more like an example of a spooky story written in the 1960s that you'd find next to Encyclopedia Brown or The Mad Scientists Club. With the main exception that there are actual ghosts.

As I said in the Recap, if this had been written as a 1960s children's book, everything would just be a silly misunderstanding. Sam and Louisa would have just been normal kids who thought that the creepy old man was a ghost, and the creepy old man would have just needed a friend after the years of loneliness that caused him to become paranoid and believe that Sam and Louisa were ghosts. But in the end, everybody would be on the beach together, and Jerry would look back at the cave and see a mysterious light flickering, ending the book with a final mystery as to whether or not there IS a ghost out there somewhere.

Actually, the story might work better like that. If you're familiar with the works of R.L. Stine, you might be able to spot both twists coming. "Helpful, knowledgeable stranger was the monster the whole time" is something he's used more than once, alongside "innocuous minor character turns out to be a monster." And this is one of those times where it's not hard to see the twist coming if you look to see how much is left in the episode/book when it looks like things are about to resolve.

Although this is a children's show. And while I won't accept "It's for kids" as an excuse for a TV show to be terrible in general, I will accept that in this case as an explanation for the semi-obvious twists in this story. Most children probably aren't thinking on that metafictional of a level as they watch or read Goosebumps.

This isn't one of the more... shall we say, "creative" Goosebumps stories ever written. R.L. Stine can dump up with some absolutely nuts ideas when he wants to, but he seems to have reigned himself in a bit to focus on creating atmosphere, making the story a bit plain when compared to the rest of his oeuvre.

But this is yet another Goosebumps story that preys on a natural childhood distrust of strangers/distant family members. Although the relatives that the main characters are staying with are only revealed to be supernatural in the twist ending, which is a bit different for this show. Episodes like "Werewolf Skin" and "An Old Story" use that as their primary hook, rather than the obligatory twist.

Characters Various Sadlers

Sadlers up the wazoo. Literally 100% of these characters are named "Sadler," although it's never explicitly confirmed that they're all related. That does seem to be the implication, though. Although I have to wonder exactly how the living Harrison Sadler is related to the kids. Probably their seventh cousin, once remodeled.

Jerry & Terri (Sheldon Smith & Jessica Hogeveen)

There's little point discussing Jerry and Terri. If you've seen two siblings in a Goosebumps episode, you've seen these two. They're perfectly serviceable protagonists, even if they don't have much in the way of defining characteristics. All I can really say is that Terri is interested in things. And that her actress has only two credits to her name: This episode of Goosebumps and a "Special Thanks" in Sausage Party, according to IMDb. I wouldn't be surprised if these were actually two different people.

Sam & Louisa (Bill Turnbull & Anna Majewski)

Sam is one of the hammier characters Goosebumps has had, but he pales in comparison to Louisa. Miss Majewski delivers her lines with all the melodramatic enthusiasm she can muster and it's a wonderful sight to behold.

Brad & Agatha (Jack Jessop & Dorothy Gordon)

The episode ends on a nicely creepy note as these warm, loving characters remain just as warm and inviting as ever as they talk about eating the dog that outed them as ghosts.

Although in retrospect, I can't help but wonder why they were being all weird about the Sadler kids. Is this a "The Girl Who Cried Monster" thing where they don't want any more ghosts on their turf who might reveal that they're also ghosts? Do they want to keep Jerry and Terri away from those kids because they don't want any competition when it comes to killing and eating Jerry and Terri?

Their response to hearing about Jerry and Terri running into Sam and Louisa makes more sense if Brad and Agatha are still alive, but they know about the ghost kids and don't want Jerry and Terri to come to harm. The ending twist raises a few questions.

Harrison & Harrison (Hardee T. Lineham & A Tombstone)

It wasn't until I actually started typing this out that I realized that I have no idea what Harrison's deal is.

So... He came to America and/or Canada from England a number of years ago. Presumably, to study ghosts or some such. And then he got hung up on these two possibly-murdering ghost children. Apart from that, we really know nothing about his character, motivations, et cetera. Although I do understand that this is a limitation that's bound to come up when a character is introduced at almost the end of a 20-something-minute TV episode. And all things considered, that vagueness works to the story's advantage, as it does help the idea that anyone could be a lying ghost.

Monster of the Week: Ghosts

The ghosts in this episode don’t really act like “ghosts,” per se, but a bit more like eidolons. And I’m not referring to Final Fantasy IX.

But still, they’re not the most unique thing Goosebumps has featured. Remember, this is the show where an old lady was marrying off her family members after aging them with magic prune juice.

Visuals

This wasn't an effects-heavy episode, which is probably why the spooky skull faces are shockingly good, considering that this was '90s low-budget Canadian children's TV. The fewer special effects you have, the more money you can put into them to make them look good.

Even if the teeth don't line up 100%.

Barking Dogs: Absotively

I knew there was a reason I added this to my checklist. An episode that makes a plot point out of barking. That doesn’t even happen in the episode called “The Barking Ghost.”

Boring Best Friend: No

Boring sister who’s interested in things? Yes. Boring brother? Yes.

Child Grabbing: Yes

Jerry grabs his sister to get her attention in a lame jump scare, even by Goosebumps standards.

Foliage POV Cam: No

Mad Scientist: No

Murder: Possibly?

It depends on whether killing a ghost is murder. Or if you’re counting those poor dogs that turned into meals.

Red Paint: No

Werewolves: No

X-Files Shout-Out: No

Final Thoughts

In the end, the surprising amount of atmosphere makes this a perfectly serviceable episode, even if there's not as much sheer creativity as usual. And even if it's a little bland compared to other episodes, there's still some fun to be had.

Next time, jack o'lanterns attack. Try to guess the title of the episode. See you then!