Goosebumps: The Vanishing review – David Schwimmer elevates middling horror-mystery

It’s a shame, then, that Disney Plus has yet to really reap the rewards of doing so thus far, with latest outing The Vanishing, which follows a group of high-schoolers as they undercover a supernatural conspiracy in their hometown of Gravesend, showing signs that it could exploit the magic recipe that made the books and the 1990s series so beloved, but not quite fulfilling its potential.

At the heart of the story is David Schwimmer’s botanist Anthony, who, after witnessing the tragic loss of his best friend to said supernatural conspiracy in the depths of New York’s sewage system, has seemingly spent his life trying to figure out just what happened that fateful night decades ago.

And it’s through the casting of Schwimmer, taking his first steps into the horror genre, that producer Sony Pictures Television really saves its bacon.

Despite being known by many simply as Ross from Friends, the New Yorker has spent much of his post-Geller career taking big swings, cropping up in everything from big-screen animations to gut-wrenching dramas, and this feels like another hit for the actor, further demonstrating his impressive range.

As the slightly goofy, subdued Anthony, Schwimmer spends the first few episodes keeping things deliberately low-key, showing a greater restraint in his performance here than when taking on rather more obnoxious characters like, say, later-seasons Ross or Jerry Bernstein from Intelligence.

Seeing this more minimalist Schwimmer is a real treat, bringing a gravitas to what could easily have become a bit of a silly series, based on the surreal premise.

Yet as the show progresses, and the horror elements really kick in, the 58-year-old gets to flex those physical-performance muscles that helped him to become such a fan favourite during his time as everyone’s favourite paleontologist.

No spoilers here, but one particular scene involving his arm is a real highlight (you’ll very much know the one when it arrives), and his commitment to these beats is made even more impressive by the fact he has never really had to work within such CGI-heavy set-ups before.

Speaking to RadioTimes.com, the star admitted he is looking for "very different" roles to what have come before, and it’s easy to get excited at that prospect – the veteran has an ability to steal scenes even within heightened situations that lends itself to genres like horror and sci-fi very well. Here’s hoping this is the start of more to come.

Anthony is also the, at times reluctant, father of the show’s key kids, Cece (Jayden Bartels) and Devin (Sam McCarthy), and their dynamic is easily the strongest in the show. Watching these excitable up-and-comers going toe-to-toe with a small-screen legend like Schwimmer is pretty fun, and their fractured relationship anchors the series in a much-needed sense of realism.

Unfortunately, it’s when these youngsters are on their own, or joining up with their wider group of friends to try and crack the show’s central mystery, that things start to fall apart.

Despite the best efforts of the cast to create grounded, lived-in characters, the hammy script (fittingly) hamstrings those efforts, a complete lack of subtlety rendering their characters as little more than caricatures, making it feel like performers pretending to be young people, rather than genuine high-schoolers in themselves.

Whenever the show strays from its core story, spending time establishing rather forced dynamics between the young crew, it’s easy for viewers' attention to drift away – that is, until some rather on-the-nose dialogue grasps your attention for all the wrong reasons.

Considering the show is based around a mystery that writers surely hope can hook people in, the season takes too long to start dropping reveals, with certain episodes sagging as a result.

In truth, there’s little reason for this season to be eight episodes; by the time we start to get some answers, or at least teases of answers, it’s easy to imagine many will have checked out of the show.

Credit should go to the production crew, particularly the special effects team, for putting together some genuinely inventive set pieces within this mystery, though – that aforementioned arm scene with Schwimmer’s Anthony genuinely sends chills down the spine.

While this is aimed largely at young adults, it really is a horror, refusing to hold back from creating original, nightmarish sequences that make this a great gateway into the wider genre.

It’s a shame, then, that less effort was put into creating a compelling story in its own right, or fresh characters within it.

The season grows in strength and confidence as it progresses, and by the end of episode 6, there is a sense of excitement around how all the secrets could be unravelled.

But the fact it takes so many episodes to get there, with extensive runtime given to dynamics that simply aren’t that interesting, is what lets this show – and its starry focus Schwimmer – down.

Goosebumps: The Vanishing is streaming on Disney Plus from Friday 10th January.

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