It was in-between bad and horrible. I excepted much more from this movie, it wasn't even the least bit scary. And 'The evil thing?' come on.. couldn't they have thought of something more original? I did however enjoy a few parts, and the actresses/actors were pretty good at their roles. The thing that made me bring this movie down a few stars then i would have is the little brother, he is such an annoying pest and is scared of the silliest things. Emily Osment looked completely different in this movie compared to her character in Hannah Montana, it was pretty cool to see her dressed as a goth. The plot was unsatisfying but at least it ran smoothly. I would rate this movie 5 out of ten stars.
15 Reviews
A slow plot, but where it shines it's great.
sparkletasticcookiedough31 July 2021
There are parts of this movie that are really slow. The child acting is cheesy and bad, there's a teen drama romance thing going on. But the main female is likeable. I can't say the same for her younger brother, who is incredibly annoying. The movie insists on being very clear that the younger brother is quite a coward, to the extent that it messes with the viewers experience. Overall, if you're a fan of these types of movies, go for it. If not, you can skip this.
Don't waste your time on this
Misss2525 August 2022
The movie is kind of childish and the monster was awful. Like seriously, I have to look into the release date twice as I was confused, was it really a movie of 2007? The monster was creepy and kind of like cartoon. There isn't much story in this. It's about a book and if a person reads the movie aloud then the monster arises. And then little guys fight with them that's it xD.
I won't recommend this to anyone .
I won't recommend this to anyone .
Could have been a great movie ...
michey91 November 2007
had it not been for the commentary! If Emily wasn't giving away upcoming events in the film, she was talking over dialog and killing the mood of the scene. My son and I found it very annoying. I checked Tivo to see if there were any other showings of this movie, in case they showed it without the commentary. Hopefully the DVD will give viewers a choice between watching with commentary and without. The plot was interesting. The parts were played well and the kids did a good job bringing the characters to life. Good balance of drama and edge-of-your-seat suspense. All in all, remove the commentary, and this is a very good Halloween movie!
Very good family movie
EJasonNYM29 October 2007
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.
kiddie horror
SnoopyStyle21 May 2016
Horror-obsessed Cassie Keller (Emily Osment) likes to scare his afraid little brother. She's the new student at Knoxville Jr High. She has a crush on Sean (Cody Linley). When she offers to help Sean on his Edgar Allan Poe book report, jealous Priscilla Wright (Brittany Curran) starts bullying her. Cassie buys a book "The Evil Thing" at a mysterious Halloween store from a mystery man (Tobin Bell). Priscilla wins Pumpkin Queen at the Halloween dance and Cassie plays a prank on her. Priscilla returns the favor on Halloween night. Cassie reads the book to her little brother despite the warning "Do Not Read Aloud" bringing forth something evil.
R.L. Stine is a widely liked kiddie horror series. It's usually similar to adult horrors without the grotesque or sexuality and at a lower horror level. This one is perfectly fine but the monsters look really cheesy. Emily Osment is able to walk the line between victim and pouty teen. It really needs to work on the creature effects. Actually, I would like mature horrors with children as protagonists. This could be that kind of horror if it's scarier with more grotesque realistic creatures.
R.L. Stine is a widely liked kiddie horror series. It's usually similar to adult horrors without the grotesque or sexuality and at a lower horror level. This one is perfectly fine but the monsters look really cheesy. Emily Osment is able to walk the line between victim and pouty teen. It really needs to work on the creature effects. Actually, I would like mature horrors with children as protagonists. This could be that kind of horror if it's scarier with more grotesque realistic creatures.
Great family Halloween movie...
paul_haakonsen28 April 2012
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.
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 can't tell how much I hate this movie
szesze-9871810 October 2022
The three stars are for Cassie.
I can understand the peer pressure and the revenge happened in school, but her brother and parents are so unnecessary annoying, it's almost like I'm watching a Asian documentary talking about how the parents love their male children more than female children.
Cassie doesn't deserve all of this, and I don't understand why would she likes Sean, just because he's handsome?? He is the dumbest boy I have ever seen, Cassie is smart and a typical goth girl, why would she likes a jock who don't even know how to write an essay?
The monster part is the least interesting part in the movie by the way.
I can understand the peer pressure and the revenge happened in school, but her brother and parents are so unnecessary annoying, it's almost like I'm watching a Asian documentary talking about how the parents love their male children more than female children.
Cassie doesn't deserve all of this, and I don't understand why would she likes Sean, just because he's handsome?? He is the dumbest boy I have ever seen, Cassie is smart and a typical goth girl, why would she likes a jock who don't even know how to write an essay?
The monster part is the least interesting part in the movie by the way.
"My Thing is Evil"
Kamurai2513 June 2021
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.
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.
Sean Helped Me In Real Life
byson518627 June 2015
I ought to start by saying that Halloween is my favorite holiday. It is only 4 months away. I miss being a kid where you'd go from house to house trick or treating. I haven't gone since I was 14. Over the years, they've made lots of Halloween movies, usually kids movies and you can find them on TV like on ABC Family during Halloween. You can also find some random Halloween movies you haven't heard of like at RedBox during Halloween. Most of the Halloween movies are kids movies, and a lot of them seem more cheesy than they are scary. This movie is a great Halloween movie, and I could consider it the best one. It seems like a more entertaining film to watch on a big screen than Hocus Pocus which is like the most watched Halloween movie and which made the movie theaters.
So, I watched this movie today after my work shift got cancelled because of the bad weather. It wasn't the only time I had seen it, I saw it a few years ago on my computer. I bought my own copy of the DVD at the SuperMarket during October 2013 but I hadn't watched my DVD copy of it yet and I decided to watch it today. This movie seemed to entertain me more today than when I watched it on my computer. Enough where I'd give it a 10. I even thought of the movie as a little scary, and there was a scene that made me move back on my chair and gasp. It definitely felt worth my time. I like this movie as it's an entertaining Halloween movie. The characters in the movie seem realistic. We have Cassie who is played by Emily Osment and instead of being the blonde we recognize her for she is a goth. We also have her little brother Max who wants to be close to his older sister, but she gets annoyed at him and he is scared of everything. We have Sean who is the cool guy in the school and Priscilla who is a popular school girl, but enemies with Cassie. This movie makes you feel a little at home and can even get you in the Halloween spirit early. It's also cool how this movie was filmed in my home state, Pennsylvania in Cranberry Township where my sister used to live by Pittsburgh.
I felt like this was better done than most of R.L. Stine's work. Or, I would even consider this number 1 of what he made and possibly the best Halloween movie. We seem to get to know the characters better in this one, and you can even find out which character you're like on the DVD menu by answering questions about how you'd handle scary situations. But, the real thing that helped me from this movie in a positive way. Lots of movies will try to leave you with good messages that can be helpful in life and characters that can be role models or characters we can relate to. This movie will show messages like caring for family, and bravery, but here is how the movie helped me for a more personal example. I've graduated from college, and I'll admit I'm not the best at doing homework assignments without help, at times it can be hard for me to understand the material and I've had lots of tutors over the years. Even at college, my mom had set me up with a tutor who was even younger than I am. I used to feel super embarrassed that she was my tutor feeling like none of the other students had one. I tried to keep working with her a secret and felt ashamed at myself for having tutors in life. But, then there's Sean is this movie. He is a cool handsome friendly guy that's like every girls dream in the school. He needs help on a paper coming up that he's afraid if he doesn't get it he'll fail the paper as it's one of his weaknesses. He isn't afraid to ask for help as he knows he needs it. Though, we don't really think less of Sean because of it. He doesn't even seem to have a disability just not a strength at writing papers like Cassie and Priscilla. But, that doesn't keep him from being a cool likable character. So, this R.L. Stine movie had a character who helped me out in real life where I figured if I needed help I should ask for it, and I don't have to think less of myself because of it or have to hide it anymore. It's nice if movies can impact your life that much, it's a really positive thing you get out of the movie if they do impact your life in a positive way!!
So, I watched this movie today after my work shift got cancelled because of the bad weather. It wasn't the only time I had seen it, I saw it a few years ago on my computer. I bought my own copy of the DVD at the SuperMarket during October 2013 but I hadn't watched my DVD copy of it yet and I decided to watch it today. This movie seemed to entertain me more today than when I watched it on my computer. Enough where I'd give it a 10. I even thought of the movie as a little scary, and there was a scene that made me move back on my chair and gasp. It definitely felt worth my time. I like this movie as it's an entertaining Halloween movie. The characters in the movie seem realistic. We have Cassie who is played by Emily Osment and instead of being the blonde we recognize her for she is a goth. We also have her little brother Max who wants to be close to his older sister, but she gets annoyed at him and he is scared of everything. We have Sean who is the cool guy in the school and Priscilla who is a popular school girl, but enemies with Cassie. This movie makes you feel a little at home and can even get you in the Halloween spirit early. It's also cool how this movie was filmed in my home state, Pennsylvania in Cranberry Township where my sister used to live by Pittsburgh.
I felt like this was better done than most of R.L. Stine's work. Or, I would even consider this number 1 of what he made and possibly the best Halloween movie. We seem to get to know the characters better in this one, and you can even find out which character you're like on the DVD menu by answering questions about how you'd handle scary situations. But, the real thing that helped me from this movie in a positive way. Lots of movies will try to leave you with good messages that can be helpful in life and characters that can be role models or characters we can relate to. This movie will show messages like caring for family, and bravery, but here is how the movie helped me for a more personal example. I've graduated from college, and I'll admit I'm not the best at doing homework assignments without help, at times it can be hard for me to understand the material and I've had lots of tutors over the years. Even at college, my mom had set me up with a tutor who was even younger than I am. I used to feel super embarrassed that she was my tutor feeling like none of the other students had one. I tried to keep working with her a secret and felt ashamed at myself for having tutors in life. But, then there's Sean is this movie. He is a cool handsome friendly guy that's like every girls dream in the school. He needs help on a paper coming up that he's afraid if he doesn't get it he'll fail the paper as it's one of his weaknesses. He isn't afraid to ask for help as he knows he needs it. Though, we don't really think less of Sean because of it. He doesn't even seem to have a disability just not a strength at writing papers like Cassie and Priscilla. But, that doesn't keep him from being a cool likable character. So, this R.L. Stine movie had a character who helped me out in real life where I figured if I needed help I should ask for it, and I don't have to think less of myself because of it or have to hide it anymore. It's nice if movies can impact your life that much, it's a really positive thing you get out of the movie if they do impact your life in a positive way!!
Totally entertaining Halloween movie
hawk-583 January 2009
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.
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.
Ralph Becomes Black Superman
laydash13 May 2010
I simply love this movie! It's a fun flick that I enjoy watching anytime of the year. I especially like the fact that it was shot here in the Pittsburgh area. The boy who plays Ralph in the movie should have had a bigger part. He should have gone to fight the evil thing with the rest of them. Anyway, you should see him now!!! He's 16 and he has grow into quite a hottie!!! He is performing now with a group called the UNDALRDS. He performs under the name Z1Nation, and one of his hits is called Black Superman. To find out more about him, you search for him on google or youtube. His videos can be found on laydash's channel.
Enjoyable and entertaining teeny-bopper horror effort
kannibalcorpsegrinder25 February 2013
After trying to scare her brother with a tale of a monstrous creature, a teen finds that the titular creature has been released into the world and must try to stop it before it consumes more people from their town.
This one ended being a pretty interesting teeny-bopper horror film that's quite fun. This is mostly due to the fact that it's more of teen drama in the first half before it focuses on the book and the creature being released, yet strangely none of this is really all that bad or boring. Though a majority of these scenes serve as the building of their relationship and home-life that gives their relationship a nice touch with all their teasing and tormenting, and the school troubles thrown in there's a great balance here of acceptable teen melodrama with the flirtings of a decent horror story. However, once the switch-over occurs, it's a lot more enjoyable here, starting with a creepy legend at the center of the film told within the book that's all quite fun overall. Moreover, this lead-up into a fantastic creature back-story allows for some highly enjoyable attacks scenes here which enable this one to really become worthwhile here, as the initial attack on the delivery-man and the later encounter in the park where it captures her friend with a rather tense and chilling stalking scene amidst the wooded area surrounding the park all coming off as pretty fun encounters. The creature' stalking them in the house is even more fun with some great stalking and a couple close-encounters while setting up the manner of defeating the creature found in the finale in its sewer-cave underground which is quite fun with the chilling crawl through the webbed tunnel the creature left behind, the confrontation in the pit with the hatched infants and the big confrontation with the creature that puts their knowledge learned earlier that gives this quite a fun amount of action. Along with a main creature that looks fantastic and has a lot of realism to it being a live-action creation and an overall sense of fun that arrives from the whole affair, there's not a whole lot to dislike here. However, due to the teen appearance and all of the focus surrounding them still making it entertaining despite the lack of focus on the horror angles, it doesn't have the air of danger it really should since nothing's going to get too frightening or dangerous for them and it won't really wallow in the usual trappings the genre normally dishes out, which makes for the film's one big flaw. It might make for a strained viewing getting past that once those get brought out and start holding up the plot somewhat. Otherwise, it's still not all that bad of a film.
Rated PG: Violence and children-in-jeopardy.
This one ended being a pretty interesting teeny-bopper horror film that's quite fun. This is mostly due to the fact that it's more of teen drama in the first half before it focuses on the book and the creature being released, yet strangely none of this is really all that bad or boring. Though a majority of these scenes serve as the building of their relationship and home-life that gives their relationship a nice touch with all their teasing and tormenting, and the school troubles thrown in there's a great balance here of acceptable teen melodrama with the flirtings of a decent horror story. However, once the switch-over occurs, it's a lot more enjoyable here, starting with a creepy legend at the center of the film told within the book that's all quite fun overall. Moreover, this lead-up into a fantastic creature back-story allows for some highly enjoyable attacks scenes here which enable this one to really become worthwhile here, as the initial attack on the delivery-man and the later encounter in the park where it captures her friend with a rather tense and chilling stalking scene amidst the wooded area surrounding the park all coming off as pretty fun encounters. The creature' stalking them in the house is even more fun with some great stalking and a couple close-encounters while setting up the manner of defeating the creature found in the finale in its sewer-cave underground which is quite fun with the chilling crawl through the webbed tunnel the creature left behind, the confrontation in the pit with the hatched infants and the big confrontation with the creature that puts their knowledge learned earlier that gives this quite a fun amount of action. Along with a main creature that looks fantastic and has a lot of realism to it being a live-action creation and an overall sense of fun that arrives from the whole affair, there's not a whole lot to dislike here. However, due to the teen appearance and all of the focus surrounding them still making it entertaining despite the lack of focus on the horror angles, it doesn't have the air of danger it really should since nothing's going to get too frightening or dangerous for them and it won't really wallow in the usual trappings the genre normally dishes out, which makes for the film's one big flaw. It might make for a strained viewing getting past that once those get brought out and start holding up the plot somewhat. Otherwise, it's still not all that bad of a film.
Rated PG: Violence and children-in-jeopardy.
Entertaining Halloween Movie!
BrnzReviews19 June 2021
I remember when I first stumbled upon this film, it was quite an enjoyable one despite the terrible reviews that it receives. I watched this when I was a bit younger, I found it quite as good as it is to me now, the story is interesting and engaging to the point I felt throughly entertained all the way through as well as confused by one part that you have to watch it to get, I dont include spoilers.
The vast did a remarkable job, I enjoy movies like this, the ones you can tell had a low budget nut when the writing is done right then the movie is bound to be a good watch.
All in all not scary just very entertaining as well as gruesome, highly recommend.
The vast did a remarkable job, I enjoy movies like this, the ones you can tell had a low budget nut when the writing is done right then the movie is bound to be a good watch.
All in all not scary just very entertaining as well as gruesome, highly recommend.
It's actually more of a 7/10, but this one is special!
jorgito200114 August 2023
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!!
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