![]() ![]() ![]() Unfortunately, neither the variation in filmmakers nor genres inspire the show to look very different from one episode to the next. A variety of directors (including Marc Webb, David Katzenberg, and Ryan Zaragoza) are behind individual installments of this season while the genres shift between sci-fi horror supernatural horror, among others. Anyone who chooses to indulge in this show all at once will find the sense of suspense, the ingredient that should drive even kid-friendly scares, dissipating rather quickly.Īlso becoming apparent from watching multiple episodes in rapid succession is the lack of visual variety in individual Just Beyond episodes. Almost immediately, the very similar story structure and dialogue rhythms of each installment become apparent. Despite dropping all eight of the first season’s episodes at once, this horror program grows repetitive even watching just three episodes in a row. This installment nicely establishes both what is and isn’t scary within the confines of the rest of the season as well the show’s welcome penchant for letting creepy scenes play out without forcing in a gag to undercut the atmosphere.įrom there, it works fine as a pleasant Halloween diversion for younger viewers, even if it’s a show not conducive to binge-watching. Even before the eventual sci-fi twist to explain why every girl at this school is so perfectly perfect comes into play, “Leave Them Kids Alone” is already a nightmare about youngsters fighting back against adults enamored with conformity. ![]() Told from the perspective of Veronica, Just Beyond smartly frames overly controlling adults who don’t like to hear kids question the system something as intimidating as any movie monster. Just Beyond clings to that approach nicely, as seen in its debut episode, “Leave Them Kids Alone,” which focuses on a teenage girl, Veronica ( McKenna Grace), getting sent to a boarding school to correct her rebellious streak. ![]() Instead, he’s tapped into universal fears specific to adolescents like social ostracization or feeling disconnected from your parents to serve as the lynchpin for his own campfire stories. Throughout his career in kid-oriented literature, Stine has never embraced gore or dismembered body parts to generate scares. None of it breaks the mold or proves revolutionary, but it does provide a welcome reminder of why Stine and adaptations of his work have proven enduringly popular. Both these graphic novels and the new small-screen program serve as a Twilight Zone for kids, serving up a host of standalone spooky stories covering all kinds of fixtures of horror storytelling ranging from witches to aliens to ghosts. Thanks to titles like Stranger Things popularizing youth-friendly horror in modern pop culture, a series of recent adaptations of Stine’s other works (which fit into that mold nicely) has reminded us all of just how many different projects Stine has written for over the years.įollowing a trio of R-rated film adaptations of his Fear Street novels this past summer, Disney+ has now delivered a kid-friendly TV show based on Stine’s Boom! Comics series Just Beyond. That used to be easy to forget about, but the entertainment landscape of 2021 has reaffirmed this longstanding truth. Stine is best known for those iconic Goosebumps books, but those aren’t the only stories he’s written over the years. ![]()
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