| R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Alex Zamm |
| Produced by | Dan Angel Billy Brown |
| Written by | Dan Angel Billy Brown |
| Starring | Emily Osment Alex Winzenread Cody Linley Brittany Curran Tobin Bell |
| Music by | Chris Hajian |
| Cinematography | Jacques Haitkin |
| Editing by | John Gilbert Todd C. Ramsay |
| Distributed by | Universal Studios Home Entertainment |
| Release date(s) | September 4, 2007 |
| Running time | 104 min. |
| Country | Template:Country data Arizona Arizona, USA |
| Language | English |
R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It is a 2007 film based on the R. L. Stine children's book series starring Hannah Montana's Emily Osment[1] and Cody Linley.
Plot
Cassie (Emily Osment) is a thirteen-year-old Teenage goth girl who just moved to a new neighborhood and school. She loves playing tricks on the popular kids and her little brother, Max (Alex Winzenread). On the way to the library, she finds a mysterious Halloween store down an alleyway and goes inside.
She ends up finding a book called The Evil Thing the mysterious owner (Tobin Bell) suggested for her to read it. She ignores the warning at the front page "DO NOT READ ALOUD" and reads it aloud to her little brother, Max. Later that night, the Evil Thing, brought to life by Max's thoughts, and captures him, Priscilla (Brittany Curran), and a Papa Johns pizza delivery man. It is up to Cassie and Sean (Cody Linley) to save them.
At first, they try to defeat The Evil Thing on their own, but fail. Cassie then thinks about the owner of the shop, where she got the book, to ask for help. As it turns out, the owner planted the book on her so she could get the real taste of her evil deeds and left them only a riddle for help: "Two heads are better than one. That's the way to get the bloody job done." Sean brilliantly makes remarks that solve the riddle. Together, they formulate that if they get blood from a roast that Cassie's mother made and throw it on the Evil Thing it will be forced to suck up the blood and in doing so will devour itself. By using Sean's CD of monster sound-effects as a "mating call", they were able to lure the monster to the CD player; however, when the monster nudged it, it turned into hip-hop music, therefore ruining their plan.
After fumbling for the blood because neither of them,, wanted to pour the blood onto the monster, they accidentally drop the blood nearby recently-freed Max who must conquer his fears and save the day. After the monster is destroyed, Max, Sean and Cassie save Priscilla who angrily calls Cassie a witch when Sean rejects Priscilla in favor of Cassie. After she leaves, they save the pizza guy who offers free pizza in return for his release. After eating the free pizza, they burn the book and rid themselves of The Evil Thing. However, after coming home, their parents find the book singed in the fireplace. The father mockingly reads it aloud, until the point he finishes off the story, when suddenly the lights go out. Cassie awakes and realizes it is not over yet (or is it?).
The Evil Thing
This is the poem that Cassie reads to Max:
The Evil Thing is a gruesome beast.
On living flesh it loves to feast.
It's a two-headed thing whom you don't wish to greet.
One head sucks your blood, one head chews your meat.
It carries its babies in slimy eggs on its back.
The babies are hungry when they hatch for a snack,
So the Evil Thing traps some poor victim alive,
''For the babies to eat when their birthdays arrive.
But don't worry, don't cry, please don't have a fit.
The Evil Thing is not real... unless you think about it.
When Cassie recites it to Max, she adds a final line:Remember, don't think about it.
There is also another poem/riddle that the mysterious owner gave Cassie and Sean to help them defeat The Evil Thing:
Two heads are better than one,
That's the way to get the bloody job done.
Cast
- Emily Osment as Cassie Keller
- Brittany Curran as Priscilla Wright
- Alex Winzenread as Max Keller
- Cody Linley as Sean Redford
- Tobin Bell as The Stranger
- Michelle Duffy as Eileen Keller
- John Hawkinson as Jack Keller
- Suri Cruise as Lulu Keller
- Michael Dickson II as The Pizza Guy
- Nigel Ash as Ralph
- Katelyn Pippy as Erin
Release date
The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It was released straight-to-DVD from Universal Studios Home Entertainment."[2] and The Hatchery on September 4, 2007 before being released to Cartoon Network as a television film on September 7, 2007.
It was the first family direct-to-video film to be released on DVD in separate widescreen and pan and scan formats. On October 28, 2007, Cartoon Network concluded a two-day marathon of Goosebumps episodes with a special airing of The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It hosted by Emily Osment. At various points throughout the broadcast, Osment would appear on screen, superimposed over the movie in progress, and share a brief anecdote about the production of the film.
DVD Special Features
- Making of The Haunting Hour
- Think About It: R.L. Stine's Journey of Imagination*Interactive Scare'O'Meter
- "I Don't Think About It" Exclusive Music Video by Emily Osment
Production
The movie was filmed throughout Cranberry Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania and the borough of Seven Fields, Pennsylvania in October and November 2006.
Music
- "I Don't Think About It" by Emily Osment
- "Still Alright" by Adam Merrin of The 88
- "Tell Me" by Failed Flight
Reception
While Doug Bentin calls the main character Cassie as "the main attraction" of the film;[3] William David Lee describes her as merely fitting into the standard role of an outsider.[4]
The use of pizza delivery in the film has been regarded by critics as "overly integrated product placement".[5] Heather Boerner criticized the film for its over the top use of Papa John's Pizza. She wrote, "Not only is the pizza delivery guy included in more than half of the DVD, but the logo is present and the kids are shown munching ecstatically on the pizza at the end of the movie. They even say things like, 'What great pizza!' and something along the lines of 'That delivery guy sure was nice!' It's enough to make a commercial-conscious parent gag."[6]
References
- ↑ Emily Osment goths it up for Stine's Haunting Hour retrieved on Oct. 19, 2007, 2:58PM by John Rogers,Associated Press
- ↑ DVD review of R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It
- ↑ Doug Bentin, "Review of The Haunting Hour Volume One: Don’t Think About It (Universal, 2007)," The Long Saturday of the Soul: Stuff to enjoy, think about, and dream of on those days without work (October 1, 2007).
- ↑ William David Lee, "Review of R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It," DVDTown.com (Sep 3, 2007).
- ↑ Heather Boerner, "Review of R.L. Stine's Haunting House: Don't Think About: Tween-friendly, ad-happy Halloween fright fest," Common Sense Media.
- ↑ Heather Boerner, "Review of R.L. Stine's Haunting House: Don't Think About: Tween-friendly, ad-happy Halloween fright fest," Common Sense Media.
External links
- The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It on Internet Movie Database
- DVD site
- Official Movie Site
- Canadian DVD site
