"Goosebumps" Click (1997)

Writer:

R.L. Stine (novel)

TV Series:

"Goosebumps" (1995)

Original Air Date:

27 September 1997 (Season 3, Episode 5)

Genre:

Family | Horror | Thriller

Plot:

Seth is interested to see the catalog-ordered Verona XG-20 remote he just got appears to be universal - it works on the stereo as well as the TV...

Plot Keywords:

Warning | Fish | Best Friend | Bully | Junior High School

Cast

Dan Warry-Smith	...	Seth Gold
Trevor Ralph	...	Kevin Kertz
Tabitha Lupien	...	Jamie Gold
Gary Pearson	...	Dad
Catherine Bruce	...	Mom
David Huband	...	Tony Hutchins
Gabe Cohen	...	Mr. Graves
Matthew Lemche	...	Richard Holman

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Seth's family takes no notice of Kevin's appearance after they have been released from being on "pause" and he arrives.

Quotes:

Tony: [heard on Seth's alarm which he hits when it goes off] There are several dos and don'ts when it comes to using the Verona XG-20 remote-control. Let's review.
[he turns it off then hears the same tone coming from his computer, goes over to open his e-mail and begins to read]
Seth Gold: "Do use the XG-20 Remote Control to its full potential... Do use it for good. Don't misuse its powers... DON'T LET IT CONTROL YOU."

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Grim & Evil: Test of Time/A Kick in the Asgard (#3.11)" (2004)

Who ripped off whom?

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Many people might see this episode of GOOSEBUMPS and say "Hey, this is very much like that Adam Sandler movie called CLICK" and they'd be right. Now, before the writer of this GOOSEBUMPS episode starts thinking lawsuits, let's consider something else. The plot of the "Click" is very reminiscent of the TWILIGHT ZONE episode "A Kind of Stopwatch". Even the denouement is parallel, where the world is on pause for eternity because the mechanism breaks.

Now, they didn't have universal remote controls in the 1950s but if they did, I'm sure Rod Serling and gang would have made the best of this device. Even now, IMO, the TWILIGHT ZONE version is the superior production.

While my kids were growing up in the 1990s and I watched the GOOSEBUMPS episodes with them, I started to compile a list of episodes that were basically new versions of classic TWILIGHT ZONE episodes. One that was very popular was called NIGHT OF THE LIVING DUMMY that seemed to have been based on spooky THE DUMMY with Cliff Robertson. I hope the kids that were brought up on GOOSEBUMPS will overcome their Black and White prejudices and check out some of the old TWILIGHT ZONE episodes in syndication or on DVD and see what kind of high quality television there was in the 1950s and 1960s. Maybe someone will even say "Hey, they ripped off GOOSEBUMPS!"