R.L. Stine's Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls (2015 TV Movie) User Reviews

Enjoyable light horror with likable characters

[ODDBear · 7/10 · 14 October 2015]

I'm a big horror nut but sometimes I like the soft stuff. I've read a few R.L. Stine's "Goosebumps" novels and they're always an enjoyable read. I feel like he captures teenage life quite nicely and he creates likable characters who you root for. He's been well served by the television medium as his "Goosebumps" TV series is quite well done and I've just began watching his "The Haunting Hour" show and so far so good.

"The Cabinet of Souls" is, likewise, a very solid TV offering of light horror aimed (mainly) at kids and adults alike. The setting is good; a traveling house of horrors with a mysterious owner who collects the souls of customers and feeds off of them. It could very well be a premise for a full out gory R-rated film but it manages to generate a few creepy moments and is always entertaining.

The cast is likable and their characters as well. They do possess qualities that are admirable and that's a nice thing for a parent to know if they'd like to sit down with their kids for something a little bit on the scary side. Bad language is nicely sidestepped without the film feeling corny or something like that.

"The Cabinet of Souls" is an all around decent flick which many age groups can enjoy.

Cute film

[mariashaw · 7/10 · 26 April 2021]

I grew up reading rl stine books so this went down well. Its targeted for a younger audience yes but still enjoyable to watch.

The cabinet of souls will capture your Soul too

[amiranda-39274 · 7/10 · 30 October 2017]

When i was a kid i enjoyed goosebumps a lot, i assume that is what got me into liking horror movies. So my sister told me about this new movie, and i decided to watch it, its very likable. It got me pumped for Halloween in a nostalgic way. It captured the original formula that the original goosebumps had, with the premise being about a haunted horror house capturing visitors and turning them into monsters, only to have their souls fed on by the villains. Let me just say the practical effects and makeup look amazing, and clearly they had a bigger budget than other goosebumps. The set looks great, the horror house made me go out and find a horror house that very night.The main characters are actually likable, the main lead is played by Disney star Dove Cameron ( who i have a crush on now), but of course shes already got 2 guys who like her, one of them has a childhood crush for her and through the movie hes trying to tell her that he likes her, kind of reminded me of my own real life crush on a girl i knew. Also the villain is entertaining,kind of creepy ( he looks like the guy from "something wicked this way comes"), but is not really scary, also his introduction could have been way better and creepier. However his daughter with the sultry voice, was well played and was one of the best characters in the film. The script and dialogue was not awful, but it still felt like a Disney channel movie sometimes, despite being soft horror, there were some genuine creepy moments and a few jump scares,one of the characters turns into a very creepy clown, that looks just like the new penny wise! the plot did get overly complicated for a goosebumps movie,like their was a love rectangle happening, also the only way to turn people into monsters is to show them their deepest desires,but this did lead to the love interest for dove having the most bad ass dream sequence ever, where he, dove, and his rival are fighting in a apocalyptic punk world, i loved that scene! Other than that i didn't find too many problems with the movie, i actually kind of wish they did make it more scary but its just a goosebumps movie, its supposed to be training wheels for kids, to help them get more into the horror genre, just like i did. its certainly one of the best goosebumps I've seen, it has awesome visuals, its a great Halloween movie to get you pumped and i recommend it.

low expectations, great rewards

[annielovvorn · 2 June 2016]

I was actually looking for a different movie when I stumbled upon this through Netflix. By the time I realized my mistake, I decided to give it a shot anyway. I went in with the mentality that this was a kids movie because it is. Anyway, I saw the plot coming a mile away but it was still fun to see the character's reactions to it. Dove Cameron did a great job with her character and most of the others portrayed their intentions pretty well. I absolutely loved the dynamic between Beth and Hunter. I wanted, more than an adult woman should want, for a second movie to come out just to see what would happen if the bad guys came back. I enjoyed this more than many of the other Goosebumps movies and I say it's worth a shot as a family flick. Go in with low expectations and come out with great rewards.

Timepass

[DBLurker · 4/10 · 7 December 2015]

If you have nothing else to watch and this is the only thing on TV, watch it I guess.

The biggest problem I had was with the weird camera-work. Almost everything is blurred at the edges and I am guessing they were trying to give it a fairy-tale look with the blurring, but it just looks silly.

The second problem is that the lead male and female have no chemistry. The Hunter guy has more chemistry with the lead female and mostly because they actually are a couple in real life.. so yeah.

In the end, acting is fine, girls are fine, mood is light and I was kinda hoping for all that. But unlike Goosebumps, this movie wasn't very entertaining. Teen problems mixed with campy horror. Meh!

Surprisingly good

[rohanumpleby · 7/10 · 15 December 2021]

I liked this movie alot. I liked the set designs that the characters had. The Haunted house was creepy, dark and ultimately scary. The villains in this story were really enjoyable and overall good performances. My favourite was the Clown because he was very scary and also funny. I liked the dancing as well. It also has good mystery to it as well. Dove Cameron was good in this as she always is in movies. I wish the movie had been longer though as the demonds, which are the villains get killed off way to easily. And people should of been a bit more weary of the kids going missing as a circus arrives and the kids go missing but the police don't know that kids are???. That part of the story is dumb but other then that I had a really good time with this movie and so did my nan which was important. I also liked the ending that was Heartwarming as the friends all got back together again.

Rating Stands at: 7.1/10.

This is a fun movie to ease kids into horror movies but not a must see for horror enthusiasts

[kevin_robbins · 5/10 · 28 November 2022]

R. L. Stine's Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls (2015) is a movie my daughter and I recently watched together on Tubi. The storyline follows a group of high schoolers that notice some strange things at the local carnival in town. As they investigate the carnival owner they discover some unique history of events surrounding the carnival but they may be pointed in the wrong direction by his minions. Can the teenagers save their town and classmates?

This movie is directed by Peter DeLuise (Dark Matter) and stars Dove Cameron (Agents of SHIELD), Braeden Lemasters (Flock of Four), Katherine McNamara (Arrow), Tiffany Espensen (Spider-Man: Homecoming) and Fiona Vroom (Big Eyes).

I did love the depiction of the carnival in this. The props and sets had a cool look to them. I will also say I enjoyed the costumes, makeup and masks of the various characters. The magic scenes are fun, the witch is excellent and the werewolf was pretty cool. There's also a clown sequence I loved. However, this does have a made for television feel to it in terms of acting, storyline, dialogue and events. There's a lot of cheese here for sure.

Overall, this is a fun movie to ease kids into horror movies but not a must see for horror enthusiasts. I would score this a 4.5/10 and recommend seeing it with the appropriate expectations.

Modestly enjoyable

[iantrader · 4/10 · 18 May 2018]

I don't watch horror. Predictable. And gore is just cheap schlock.

But I love circuses and sideshows. And there are many movies about them. First main introduction was Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way comes which was made into at least two movies.

Anyway...

This one is all a bit predictable. It takes a while - i.e. too long - to get going and it changes protagonists half way through! Really! If you've one eye on the plot line it's a bit jarring.

It's def YA. Not just YA but childish YA. Sub 12 maybe. So although it has a great theme and some spooky moments, the childish parts really detract from the overall movie.

But nice characters, well played and a suitable music score by Ryan Shore.

But does the inane pop/hip hop music splattered throughout really appeal to the target audience? Really?

Yeah, I know that's twice I've said 'Really'.

I can't help but think how much better it would have been if it had aimed at a slightly higher age range or, at the very least, not been dumbed down so much. Hey ho...

So, if you're a young and unfussy YA, go watch it.

R.L. Stine's Monsterville: The Cabinet of Souls (2015)

[Spideyfan-963-246215 · 3/10 · 12 November 2016]

R.L. Stine's Monsterville: The Cabinet of Souls(2015) Starring: Dove Cmareon, Katherine McNamara, Ryan McCartan, Laine MacNeil, Briana Buckmaster, and Tiffany Espensen Directed By: Peter Deluise Review Hello Kiddies your pal the Crypt Critic is going to have a wonderful time at this Halloween Horror Nights, oh wait what this isn't Halloween Horror Nights? If not then what the hell is it?! Monsterville? What in the hell is that?! An R.L. Stine movie hmm, let me check this out. Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls revolves around a group of friends Beth,Kellan, Luke and Nicole who are invited with the rest of the town to a new theme park that has come into town called the Hall of Horrors. It's employers split them apart in attempt to use a spell to take their souls. Beth is the only who seems to notice and must resit the spell long enough to save her friends. This one seems like a fun time for the little children, the acting is decent not good but not cringe worthy. When the picture started I actually thought Kellan was going to be the hero but no it was like an adult horror film where there is a final girl, in this case Beth is that final girl. Which makes a great watch if you have a small girl to watch, what with all the feminism that's going on in television and movies these days. The effects have the budget of a ham sandwich so they are of course not good at all, but with that said what could you expect from a TV movie. Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls has a nice simple plot with a flowing narrative but with mediocre acting and no good effects, only good make-up for the monsters I'm giving this 2 and half pumpkins out of five.

Pretty great!

[brookenichole-98054 · 9/10 · 21 October 2020]

I really like this movie! It's got a wonderful message about friendship and a cute love story, with some horror tied in. I typically hate anything horror related but this was a bunch of fun. The music was good, the directing was nice, and the acting was great. Sure, it's not a perfect movie but it's one of the better movies out there. It's pretty great!

Nobody believing Dove the whole movie

[nikitries · 5/10 · 19 June 2022]

So all the goth kids' souls are stolen, boo oo stay away from everyone with black nail polish. Dove Camerln carried the movie, it was okay but if you prefer actually scary horror movies, this is not for you.

Worth giving a shot before turning it down!

[DisneySwiftie · 8/10 · 20 October 2015]

I was amazed by this movie. Thought it was gonna be just another cheesy kids horror movie, but I was surprised that it wasn't! The movie had a good plot and the "twist" in the movie was unexpected to me, which made it even better! Visual effects weren't that bad. The makeup could've been done better, but for budget wise was pretty good. Surprisingly, the guy behind the camera did pretty well! The direction of the film had some good shots but mostly just basic film capturing. Dove Cameron and Ryan McCartan were the two actors I recognized in this film. Their acting was pretty descent. I think Dove Cameron was the better actress out of this film. It seems like she works with her role and makes her character the best she can! Anyways, I really would take a shot on this film before turning it down. I really think this movie will surprise you, but probably won't scare you!

You know what you're in for with RL Stein. It's good.

[lajollabubmail · 9/10 · 17 September 2021]

It's a horror movie for kids OK? Look at all the awards. It hit it's mark "dead" on. My little guy goes running out of the room in terror at the first scene, and watches it over and over running into Daddy or Mommys arms everyone. Then he laughs. It's priceless. I agree that Dove Cameron did a great job. The kids are believable and the plot is decent.