Normally I stick to Netflix titles only, but this was something that really caught my eye and I wanted to talk about why the Goosebumps movie music video is more than just a catchy goofy song. Plus, the original Goosebumps series has a bunch of episodes streaming on Netflix… SO, just like I say on the podcast, if it’s on Netflix I can talk about it!
Yesterday, Nerdist posted this hip hop music video titled, “Bumps Gonna Goose Ya!” The song is just as fun as the name makes it sound, full of clips from the film, characters from the movie singing along, a wacky dance move, as well as background vocals by the film’s lead Jack Black!
When you watch the video you’ll see that I hyped this up a little too much and you’ll start questioning my judgement quickly after:
What do you think? Did I do the video justice? Did it make you feel nostalgic for the times when you would see more music videos on television? Back then, if a production company wanted to market to the young people they’d make music videos to advertise the films. Unfortunately for the past decade that art has gone down the gutter and been replaced by Anacondas not wanting none unless Nicki Minaj shakes her bum bum around.
I made a mistake by showing this to my co-workers thinking they’d be as stoked about a Goosebumps movie music video as I was… I work with a bunch of old farts who forgot that every great family friendly horror franchise comes with an equally catchy hip-hop tie in.
Think about it, Ghostbusters?
Remember gettin’ funky with The Addams Family and MC Hammer?
Even Leprechaun In Da Hood made fun of the original music tie ins…
Now try to think of a music video that’s come out recently that is an original song made for the film… other than James Bond‘s opening credit sequences what else do you got? Now focus on just horror movie songs. The only other one that comes to mind is back in 2000 from Scary Movie which was parodying all the hip hop songs of horror movies past.
When working on Nightbreed, the horror film that came out in 1990 but got a director’s cut in 2014, I would joke about making a movie music video tie-in that would have played on MTV and on the difficult days it was the thought that helped me get to the end. I can almost guarantee that it was the only music video for a horror movie to come out in 2014…
So why is it that this art has gone away? Is it because family friendly horror movies have decreased in popularity as dark and gritty super hero movies have gone up? When horror is the biggest grossing genre in the world it’s hard to believe, especially when I get tweets like this…
@NowStreamingPod @AndrewFurtaco my 12 year old is going to BE the Babadook for Halloween
— Sean Keller (@_seankeller) October 3, 2015
So clearly parents are introducing their kids to the genre they love, while some kids can handle the terror, I’m sure you’ll find some wussy kids like I was who will have nightmares after seeing Nosferatu for the first time. I’ve been an advocate for family friendly horror because that is what I grew up on. The Goosebumps movie itself is one big trip down nostalgia lane and will allow adults to introduce their kids to the horror they used to consume when they were young. Long story long, the Goosebumps movie is fully reviving the family friendly horror movie on the greatest scale possible.
I’m hoping that after the movie comes out, you’ll see a recharge in appreciation for classic family spooks like Ghostbusters as well as other films streaming on Netflix that will not just scare, but inspire your kids to find true love in the genre.
