‘Goosebumps’ Premiere Will Tingle Spine
Want some summer chills? Then check out FOX Sunday at 7. That’s when the network premieres an hourlong “Goosebumps” based on the first horror book by R.L. Stine.
It was Stine’s “Welcome to Dead House,” a “Night of the Living Dead”-like tale, that launched the “Goosebumps” phenomenon. If you haven’t heard of “Goosebumps,” find a preteen and ask.
You’ll hear about Stine’s books and TV adaptations, which do more than send chills up and down the spines of the younger set. Stine has them checking under their beds for goblins nightly.
Stine’s eerie books are filled with the stuff nightmares are made of and should be approached with caution, especially by impressionable young children.
For instance, in “Dead House,” Amanda (Amy Stewart) and her brother Josh (Ben Cook) move to Dark Falls, where the townspeople are pale, shun sunlight and are a bit too friendly.
Jokes about the town being dead are many and work as foreshadowing for the horror-filled finale. Chances are you’ll leave Dark Falls intact, but the visit will give you goosebumps.
Highlights
“Family Matters,” ABC tonight at 8: In an episode that turns serious, Laura (Kellie Shanygne Williams) faces a tough decision. Should she join a sorority where the members have named Steve Urkel (Jaleel White) star of their geek party? Repeat.
“Gridlock” (1996), NBC tonight at 9: The fast-paced yarn stars David Hasselhoff (“Baywatch”) and Kathy Ireland as a couple placed in the middle of a terrorist attack. Let’s just say that this repeat movie didn’t receive any Emmy nominations.
“The Babysitter’s Seduction” (1996), NBC Sunday at 9: All you need to know about this movie of the week is the title. Stephen Collins stars as the rich businessman in his mid-40s who, after his wife’s shocking suicide, seeks comfort in the arms of the family’s 18-year-old baby sitter (Keri Russell).
The sparks ignite too soon for a grieving widower. And because it’s clear that the young girl is innocent in every sense, you don’t have to be Mickey Spillane to figure out the death in the family was no suicide. (Phylicia Rashad plays a detective.)
Despite the murder-mystery’s copious plot gaps and a theme that panders to a societal taboo, it dashes along with a what-can-happen-next suspense.
“Children of the Dark” (1994), CBS Sunday at 9: This docudrama sheds some light on the plight of two preschoolers afflicted with a rare, inherited disease that makes exposure to sunlight potentially fatal.
In an attempt to make a statement about bigotry, the movie falls apart because of a weak script that never calls for anyone in the know to explain to scared townspeople that the disease isn’t contagious.
The movie drones on for two hours as Tracy Pollan and Peter Horton whine and bicker as the parents of the two girls.
The family eventually must flee its Illinois home after being terrorized by the locals. Illinois folks, take offense. You’re portrayed as hayseeds and fire bombers.
As for Californians, this movie shows them as understanding, sympathetic and accepting of alternative lifestyles.
It seems as if the scriptwriters had a few prejudices of their own.
Cable Calls
“Barb Wire” (1996), SHOW tonight at 8: This star vehicle for Pamela Anderson Lee (“Baywatch”) will test your attention span. It’s hard to stick by a sci-fi adventure with no plot, no decent acting and no brains.
“Tin Cup” (1996), HBO tonight at 8: You can tee off with Kevin Costner in this pleasant golf comedy in which oodles of PGA stars have cameos. The story is a standard love triangle among Costner, Don Johnson and Rene Russo, but that’s not the reason to watch.
The whole show is the golf action.
“The Mr. Vegas All-Night Party Starring Drew Carey,” HBO tonight at 10:30: Comedian Drew Carey dons his Mr. Vegas alter ego and struts around a casino stage with cigarettes and sexist quips. His guests include Wayne Newton and David Cassidy. Newton participates in comedy sketches seemingly stolen from an amateur hour. The music is the best part.
“Conspiracies,” A&E Sunday at 5 and 9: Conspiracy fans will want to tune in this documentary that profiles some of the more popular historical plots and whodunits. From Kennedy to King, the two hours review them all.
“North Shore Fish” (1997), SHOW Sunday at 9: This slice-of-life adaptation of an Israel Horovitz play about the women who work at a fish factory in Massachusetts is full of emotion, good acting and a rare look at New England blue-collar life.
Mercedes Ruehl and Peter Riegert co-star as factory workers who cope with a loudmouthed manager (Tony Danza) and neurotic co-workers.
“Breaking Ranks,” MTV Sunday at 10:30: MTV correspondent Tabitha Soren hosts this special, which profiles women attending the Citadel and Virginia Military Institute.
Movie Marquee
“The Doctor” (1991), ABC Sunday at 8:30: In this believable, fact-based tale, a surgeon (William Hurt) gets a taste of his own medicine. He becomes ill with cancer and is soon coping with apathetic doctors, frustrating bureaucracy and lots of apathetic medical professionals. Repeat.