Goosebumps Alive!

Audience beware…you’re in for a scare.

Most of you will remember the Goosebumps books by R.L. Stine. You know, the ones with the scary yet bright covers with the dripping font, the ones that no matter where you got them from they always looked tattered and old, and the ones that perhaps your parents shouldn’t have let you read.

Or at the very least, you remember the TV series? The one with the terrifying theme song featuring the man with the briefcase, that flies open and pages and pages fly out, one becoming the ominous and always recognisable “G” floating across an unsuspecting town, revealing the horrors in wait there.

If you do, you probably also remember being utterly terrified of them – of the PlantHuman hybrid living in the basement, of the scarecrow walking the fields at night, and especially of Slappy, the living ventriloquist doll.

Well, here’s some fantastic news; Goosebumps is back, and it’s taken the form of an interactive theatre experience under the streets of Waterloo inside The Vaults – and it’s awesome.

Goosebumps Alive opened April 6th 2016, and I was very lucky to be able to attend as a guest for the show. I was incredibly excited – I’ve been completely in love with the Goosebumps books since I was a child. They were the books that got me into reading and into the horror genre in general, and they’re a huge HUGE part of my childhood. So the thought of an interactive theatre experience based on those books was incredibly exciting to me.

Just a pointer – unless you know London super well, this is fairly difficult to find. I’ve lived here my whole life and yet ended up walking in a big circle around it – so I implore you to follow the instructions on the website, and maybe put some Google Maps in there too. (Though Google Maps does get confused and seems to think you’ve arrived when you’re actually around the corner from it.) The hint you’re getting close is a HUGE graffiti-ed tunnel – you’ll know it when you see it.

When you arrive, you’re greeted by very friendly staff who take your name, tickets and explain the next process for you – to please proceed to the waiting area, complete with gift shop, bar/food, toilets and a wall of masks from Ministry of Masks. This is your chance to grab a drink/food/potty break before the show, which you will need to do – you can’t stop or go to the toilets during the show, and it lasts for an hour and a half, so do take the chance to get that out of the way and be comfortable in the show!

You’ll also be handed a card with an animal on it – this animal will represent which group you’re part of and which tour guide you should follow. Each animal will get a different route, and different rooms – this is a good way to split out the massive groups as most of the rooms are really tiny, and it also means if you enjoyed one tour, you’ll most likely come back and try another. I got a Crow.

Then after a brief and wonderful introduction to the tour featuring the theme song and very sneaky actors, your tour will begin, and so will the reliving your childhood and the horrifying things these books inserted into those precious, impressionable years.

The tour is really great – the atmosphere of the show is absolutely wonderful. Everything is extremely creepy, but with a touch of playfulness that really captures the books. Some of the rooms are only a little creepy, while a couple absolutely nail it on the “Oh Jesus Christ No.” scale. There were a few rooms on my tour that stood out; I’ll try not to give too much away, but one involved being in a tiny dark tent with only one actor and her tiny lantern – the atmosphere was absolutely perfect, and the set and sounds combined so incredibly well to give the aura that you really are in a tent in the middle of no where.

Another personal favourite set, if just for the sheer imagination and ingenuity of it, involved two floors – one floor was the kitchen of a young couples home, and the other was the basement beneath. It was a really refreshing way to watch the show, and watch the events of this particular story unfold.

The costumes and set designs are absolutely out of this world. They’re all so intricately designed, and a tonne of work has gone into them – even the seemingly simple sets like the inside of a tent or an unnervingly average apartment room.

The acting is fantastic – they’re clearly enjoying themselves, playing up into their roles with a tonne of enthusiasm and eagerness. They make the loud, eccentric moments very boisterous, and the quiet, creepy moments incredibly intense. They’re obviously a huge, huge part of the show, and they all fit their characters beautifully.

I feel like some stories could have been a bit longer or more intense – a few had some missed potential or felt a little bit short here and there. For the majority though, I really enjoyed it.

Overall, Goosebumps Alive has a tonne of heart. You can tell it was created and executed by people who loved the books, who loved the shows and who just loved bringing all this to life. It’s an exceedingly fun night out, with jump-scares, imaginative sets and a lot of surprises. And, of course, the overwhelming, nightmare inducing nostalgia for the thrill and excitement of a good old tattered copy of a Goosebumps book.

(This post can also be found on Skatronixxx.com )