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  • Trying to overcome his tough childhood, a boy learns his house is haunted by the child ghosts of the former residents looking to prevent a sinister force from unleashing a great evil on Halloween and must band together to stop it from happening.

    This here turned out to be quite a disappointing effort as there really could've been a lot going for it. The main problem with this one is the fact that there's no real reason for the ghost to start his plan of action. It really makes no sense because it's never really hinted at and it really doesn't offer anything as to make the villain an imposing figure beyond the blatantly obvious ploy he utters and the terrorizing he does, leaving a big hole in the film if the main villain is wrapped in complete and utter confusion. Also of rather low regard is the decision in the later half to remove the one that's been captured and make it impossible to offer assistance, which effectively renders it a moot point as to it's inclusion. As well, their child-like antics in the beginning aren't that enjoyable as watching them run around the house at fast speed and knocking things over or move furniture around don't make for a particularly exciting time. That said, there's still some fun to be had here with the rather fun effects on display, which make this pretty entertaining from time-to-time as it deals with the master ghost and the different ghouls in their make-up, the high-spirited finale has some great spectacle and there's one outstanding sequence where he must evade slumbering ghosts in a congregation to retrieve a prize without them noticing that comes off fairly chilling. As a full-on horror, though, this isn't that great but it's decent enough for children.

    Rated Unrated/PG: Mild Violence.
  • Sad to say, this movie is just lame. Cheap special effects, a stupid plot and some really dull acting, especially from the adults. It's hard to know what the intended audience for this film is. It's probably a bit scary for real small kids and it is far too dumb for preteens. Maybe the demographic between those two age groups will enjoy it, if they're not too demanding. There is very little here to appeal to adults. One bright point is the young lad who plays Max. He shows a real flair for comedy; unfortunately he is given very poor direction and is allowed to over act mercilessly. I guess subtlety wasn't really something the makers of this flick were going for. The kids in this do much better than the adult 'actors' though. The adults are wooden and don't show a great deal of acting talent. I note that at least a couple of them are regular participants in this kind of production. I see that, unbelievable as it sounds, a sequel to this movie was made quite a few years later, although it stars none of the original cast. I guess they had gone onto bigger and better things. I hope the kids did anyway.
  • Mostly Ghostly(2008) Starring: Sterling Beaumon, Madison Pettis, Luke Benward, Brian Stepanek, David DeLuise, Kim Rhodes, Adam Hicks, Aliana Lohan, Sabrina Bryan, Rachel Winfree, Travis T. Flory, Juliette Cohen, Melanie Hawkins, Abby Walker, Kimberly Kevon Williams, Brandon Ellison, Todd Tucker, Harvey Lowery, Noah Lindsey Cyrus, Adriana Belan, and Dylan Tucker Directed By: Rich Correl Review Hello kiddies your pal the crypt critic is back with the first film and last review of the Mostly Ghostly series of films that have come out from Rl. Stine. You know most people wouldn't consider this children's Halloween film to be a horror film and to that I say wrong! But anyway how does this child friendly horror film sit with others, well kiddies let's see. The first film introduces to a much younger Max who is starting High School and is practicing magic. He notices a ghost hand in his basement and is still picked on by his brother. Nikki and Tara come out of no where and it's just like okay there ghosts, no explanation there just ghosts.They're looking for there parents and go back to there old home and notice that another family has moved in. Max is the only one who can see them for some reason again not explained and the villain Fierce shows up and unleashes an army which is pretty cool. The effects are horrible but considering the budget I'm not surprised, it has some pretty decent acting I liked the cast they were all very good but if it weren't for the fact that this series sounds interesting in theory but it isn't executed well. The pacing is a little slow in some areas especially the beginning I was so bored up until Nikki and Tara finally came in and the undead army was unleashed. These films aren't good but there not downright awful either or at least the first two aren't, it's pretty fun in some areas at least for just children unfortunately adults won't be as fond of the film. I'm giving Mostly Ghostly a two and a half out of five.
  • barnumo117 October 2008
    I wish people would actually read a movie's production information prior to making comments. This is not a DCOM, but rather a Universal Direct-to-DVD release based on the R.L. Stine books. Disney Channel picked up broadcasting rights as part of its Wiztober promotion (probably at a fire-sale price). With so many past DCOM and DC stars, and a DC showing, I can understand why an uninformed person would think it was produced by Disney, but even DC has some standards for production that this movie doesn't meet. Poor special effects, poor acting, poor first AND second unit directing. Ali Lohan has less acting ability at 14 than her older sister had when she was 11. Overall, a poor adaptation of a pretty popular book. Don't look for any sequels!
  • Wow, this was bad. I don't know who was in charge of this production but I hope they are long gone from anything associated with Disney. There is NO way this was up to the usual standards for something associated with Disney. Now I wasn't expecting Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings but I thought we'd at least get something fairly decent. When I saw another Halloween special on the Disney channel last week with the Mowry twins, the Twitches movies, I was very disappointed in them but no where as bad as this. Now Sterling Beauson wasn't too bad, he'd better have some talent after everything he's done but this certainly is not his best performance. I got the impression that they had no direction and no leadership in this movie. I know the two main adults are in regular Disney series so I'm very surprised at their performances. I'm not sure who thought all of this was good acting but they must live in a another dimension. This has to be some of the worst acting I've ever seen in a movie, and to have it shown on the Disney channel in prime time is so shocking that I'm still wondering if it was a mistake.
  • blondieblondze12 October 2008
    I usually look forward every couple of months to the new DCOM movie, but they are really starting to go down hill. They built an entire movie around an unknown little boy who didn't even have the "usual" cuteness factor that Disney likes to exploit. The entire supporting cast were stars from other shows except this little boy and the girl who has a supporting role. The one positive in the movie was Madison Pettis. She was cute and it was amazing to see how much she has grown up in a few short years. Other than that, the characters were stereotypical and one dimensional. I wonder what would happen if the writers visited a few high schools and did research before creating their next movie?
  • Smarties64312 October 2008
    I was not expecting some movie like this from Disney. Usually, Disney makes movies that are more detailed, interesting, and not stupid. I would have to say that this movie was horrible. The special effects, flying, and costumes were terrible. I thought this was going to be a great movie, but it turned out to be a low-budget movie that Disney had to throw together really quickly for Halloween. Last Halloween, they had Twitches 2, and that was much better then this one even though the huge black cloud hand used for the "Darkness" was garbage. Some scenes were a little bit scary I would have to say; only one. But over all this movie was a waste of my time watching. Wow Disney, with all the billions of dollars you have, you at least couldn't make a decent movie that was actually good enough to sit through for 2 hours? I rate this a 3/10. I give it a 3 because I have to give it it's props, the plot was wonderful, but how they actually made it come to life was a disaster.
  • Besides the TERRIBLE acting, it wasn't that bad. I just CAN'T get over the "ghost", having a shadow.
  • Warning: Spoilers
    Mostly Ghostly is definitely superior to any other movie based on R.L. Stine's work. The special effects weren't the best, but who can blame Disney for that? They cast was funny, and mentioned real life complications that tweens and teens go through, such as bullying and trying to impress their crush. Madison Pettis was cute, but Luke Benward was the comedian in the film. He made me laugh more than any other character, were as Ms. Pettis just brought smiles. Many people were famous, but the main character was surprisingly a new talent. Some of the acting was non-believable, but some was a joy to watch. A great movie for tweens and teens,though maybe to graphic and frightening for ages under six, or people who get scared easily. All in all, I give this movie a solid 8.3.

    ~Cloey
  • If you are a fan of R. L. Stein with his works such as Goosebumps, Fear Street, and of course Mostly Ghostly, this is one family movie that's "horror for kids" that you wouldn't want to watch. The acting is ridiculous including the jokes, the dialog is lame and the special effects are not that much compared to today's standards! If you have seen this movie once; and unlike Dinotopia and most likely the Mostly Ghostly series stick with the original books!
  • This movie has the worst CGI I have ever seen. It had bad effects, and it looked like there was a Green Screen behind everything. The plot was nice, but I am not going to spoil it for you. I get that this movie has been made in 2008, but really, could they spend a bit more money to make it look better? The acting looked kind of fake, and you can tell they are being told to say the things instead of thinking them. I'm sorry that I am so critical, but I am because my parents work in the entertainment business. It was an interesting plot, but really bad affects, and overall, just 2 stars. Thank you and have a great day!

    P.S This review was written by a 12 year old.
  • This was excellent. I have to admit the reason that made me want to watch this is because it is based on an R.L. Stein book, and I happen to be a fan of his kids horror stories. It thought the casting was great. They where able to use familiar Disney actors without them seeming like there characters from their shows. Luke Benward, Maddison Pettis,David Deluise, Kim Rhodes, they all delivered A+ performances. Let's not forget the main character Max played by a seemingly highly talented stage/movie/TV actor, Sterling Beaumon, I doubt this is the last we'll see of him (his resume is very long, even though he is only 13), he did an excellent job acting his role. This was classic R.L. Stein, from dumb bully brothers, to creepy basement creatures, to creepy children (ghosts), to a creepy ending where you know the bad guy is still out there, but he can't harm anyone any longer. I recommend this to anybody with kids, and to kids who want a good laugh, and maybe some scares. The special effects where top-notch considering it is a made-for-TV-movie. For performance, effects, and story I give it a 10/10!
  • After the poor reviews, I waited for DVD, expecting very little. But Ali Lohan had impressed me in her sheer ability to carry a bad movie by sheer talent. Here again Lohan doesn't disappoint, still managing to hold you captive with a screen presence that just doesn't quit, even when the writing or directing is not that great. The movie was funny and just slapstick enough to strain - but not break - credibility (once you accept the whole premise). I liked it for fun and enjoyment; I might even buy it. It also serves to remind us that Ali Lohan is only one good role away from an Oscar-winning performance. Pettis and Beaumon are excellent as well. I am surprised by the complete trouncing by the critics. I think it is possible that critics -and a great deal of the public - get 'mud-colored glasses' on when they smell blood in the water - as with Ali's sister Lindsay, Nicole Richie, and anyone else who appears vulnerable. They may love-to-hate, but I do know I very much enjoyed watching Ali Lohan act in this movie.
  • doctorjagger15 October 2008
    Warning: Spoilers
    This DCOM was excellent. I have to admit the reason that made me want to watch this is because it is based on an R.L. Stein book, and I happen to be a fan of his kids horror stories. It thought the casting was great. They where able to use familiar Disney actors without them seeming like there characters from their shows. Luke Benward, Maddison Pettis,David Deluise, Kim Rhodes, they all delivered A+ performances. Let's not forget the main character Max played by a seemingly highly talented stage/movie/TV actor, Sterling Beaumon, I doubt this is the last we'll see of him (his resume is very long, even though he is only 13), he did an excellent job acting his role. This was classic R.L. Stein, from dumb bully brothers, to creepy basement creatures, to creepy children (ghosts), to a creepy ending where you know the bad guy is still out there, but he can't harm anyone any longer. I recommend this to anybody with kids, and to kids who want a good laugh, and maybe some scares. The special effects where top-notch considering it is a made-for-TV-movie. For performance, effects, and story I give it a 10/10!
  • Warning: Spoilers
    The story centers around Max Doyle, an average 12 year old boy. He is not at all into sports and is often teased by his brother and father. Despite his kindness, good looks, intelligence and strong talent, he appears to have no friends. Poor kid. His own family seems to not even care about him that much. He has a strong passion for magic tricks, which gets him involved with real magic when he meets an evil ghost. At school Max is badly bullied. He is beaten up every day by a kid named Billy, who is by far my favorite character. Despite his cruelty towards Max, it is fun to watch one of the most cliche movie bullies torment the small kid, when that bully is played by Travis T. Flory, reprising the same role he played in everybody hates Chris. It's too bad he wasn't seen enough in the movie. When Max discovers two ghosts living in his house, he offers to help them defeat the evil ghost. The older ghost Nicki (Luke Benward) is not friendly toward Max and blackmails into helping. He plays constant pranks on Max and his family, but eventually comes through for Max and beats up Billy. Max gets sidetracked when he sees a girl at school, but still manages to defeat the ghost during the talent show. I'm not sure what the lesson is or how certain characters changed in this movie, but it has great acting and good comedy.
  • I watched many Disney movies and series, this was so good! It made my childhood better. I am sick of fake humor in some Disney series and movies, and all pathetics and so on. But, this was so emotional and good, I gave 9 stars because I don't like being scared hahaha. In general, in Hollywood there is a lot of junk but for me this was different, especially while watching from Europe, where we want to say for almost every movie "ah,American junk". For me this was different, sorry but this is my opinion, I respect other opinions. And it has also a good humor that wasn't forced and it is truly GOOD, no bad language, no saying bad about the others, no bad confrontations etc. A REAL CHILDREN MOVIE.
  • italyantis12 September 2021
    The acting isn't amazing and i've definitely seen better Disney movies, but it's a really fun watch. As a kid, i absolutely loved this movie and even still it's a joy to watch. The effects aren't great but no 2008 movie is. It's a kid's movie, it doesn't have to be emmy winning, groundbreaking stuff. I genuinely enjoyed this and all the other things that came from the r.l. Stein series. I watch this every halloween just for a fun, lighthearted spook. I really feel for the characters, especially nicky and tara :) if you're an adult looking for something fun for your kids to watch, put this on!! If you're just looking for some 2000's nostalgia, this is a great choice!
  • mperez-9756010 February 2021
    I like this movie a lot because it's a good movie and I also wanted to say that I know the actor his name in real life is sterling he is the one that plays max he went to school with me