Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018)

Director: Ari Sandel

Starring: Wendi McLendon-Covey, Madison Iseman, Jeremy Ray Taylor

Two young friends find a magic book that brings a ventriloquist’s dummy to life.

‘Goosebumps 2’ has a new cast, a new director, and a new look. Unfortunately – as a general rule, it seems – sequels never quite live up to its predecessors. ‘Goosebumps 2’ is not even half as interesting as ‘Goosebumps’.

Although I was initially reluctant to watch ‘Goosebumps’ – fearing it might be a slapstick comedy – I thoroughly enjoyed it. Unfortunately the same sentiment does not apply to ‘Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween’. This was indeed slapstick, and – despite the monsters – definitely aimed at a younger audience. The film also lacked the emotional depth which elevated the original from comedy to comedy drama. ‘Goosebumps 2’ was mostly just silly.

They tried so hard to make the film creepy via the doll, Slappy, but unfortunately it just didn’t work. It felt as if they tried to mimic Chucky from the ‘Child’s Play’ films, but it simply wasn’t as effective. The first half of the movie only revolves around Slappy. The acting is unconvincing and the humor forced and unfunny. This was so immature… I was so relieved when Jack Black arrived, but – sadly – his character didn’t contribute much to this installment and was rather dispensable, actually.

The visual effects – and monsters – only arrive after the halfway mark. By that time I already sort of lost interest, no thanks to silly dialogue and an uninteresting script. Some of the monsters from the original film are back – also my favorite, the werewolf – but they’re not given much to do here and the visuals are not nearly as good as its predecessor.

‘Goosebumps 2’ is definitely more for kids. I didn’t find this funny or exciting.

‘Goosebumps 2’ earned $93 million on a $35 million budget.

Would I watch it again? A resounding NO!