Playtime is over, kids. You got your treats and done your tricks but now it is Slappy the Dummy’s turn to have some fun! Are you ready to be spooked by Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween? A few days before the Halloween, Columbia Pictures had me at the advanced screening of the creepy sequel to R.L. Stine’s novels at Gateway Cineplex and I had a great spooky fun? Wanna know our take on the movie? Read up, Bingers!
Contents
Part of Your World
Who else here still remembers the first Goosebumps movie starring Jack Black? I do! I may have missed it in cinema but I caught its reruns on HBO several times! And yes, I did enjoy every rewatch. The Goosebumps movie may have been a horror movie made for children but they did not hold back on the horror factor. It worked greatly that even I, a horror fan who rarely gets spooked, got jumpy at times. Luckily, the sequel, Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween kept the tradition alive!
In the sequel, Slappy (voiced by Avery Lee Jones) returns but this time on a new town at the fictional Wardenclyffe, New York. Buddies Sonny and Sam discovered a book that brought the puppet back to life during their scrapping gig as the Junk Brothers. Oddly enough, they kept the puppet at home and even hangout with it over a night of games on PS4. But Slappy is no dummy because he wants more. He wants to be a part of the family but Sarah, Sonny’s high school senior sister, refuses. When you got a temperamental puppet with some powers who did not get what he wants, danger is about to ensue. And it sure did!
Family of Monsters
In true Goosebumps fashion, Slappy conjured his own family in the form of Halloween creatures such as a werewolf, ghouls, and even evil gummy bear! The creativity in chaos was a fun thing to watch on screen. The whimsical approach to the horror is one-of-a-kind. It is easily identifiable that it is a dark comedy! While its formula was spot-on, the overall plot felt a little shallow.
Sure, I found myself giggling and spooked at some parts but it felt like there was not really at stake in the film. The safety of the town was put in danger but similarly to the first one, it was obvious that everything is going to be resolved in the end. The simplicity of the plot felt too much that it was almost a cop-out. But hey, maybe it was just the film critic in me asking for much. After all, this is a film intended to be enjoyed by kids and kids alike who read R.L. Stine’s books.
Director: Ari Sandel
Cast: Wendi McLendon-Covey, Madison Iseman, Ken Jeong
Binge-level: 3.5 out of 5 stars
