life thus far has been spent within the confines of Stine’s wishes and, at any time, he can just lock her back inside her book, for her ‘own safety’, and the preservation of their family secret. While she does announce at one point that she has made a habit of sneaking out at night to explore the town, she essentially has no agency beyond those brief moments. To be clear, the main female character in the film is not even a 'real' person.

Zach has fallen for her, though, and is angered by the idea that she is not real. It is also the case that, in the climax of the film, as they send all the monsters back into the pages of one giant story, Hannah is doomed to get sucked in with them. It’s all terribly tragic and, again, Hannah’s experiences are entirely defined by...

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