Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (LOVED IT!)

Ah Goosebumps. How do I *like* thee?

Although I wasn’t an avid reader of the Goosebumps books as a child (I did read a few of them), I really enjoyed the Goosebumps movie from 2015 and returned from seeing Goosebumps 2 with my family over the weekend with the feeling that my money was well spent.

Halloween comes to life in a brand-new comedy adventure based on R.L. Stine's 400-million-selling series of books. Watch the new #Goosebumps2Movie trailer now! Subscribe to Sony Pictures for exclusive content: http://bit.ly/SonyPicsSubscribe Follow Us On Social: https://www.facebook.com/GoosebumpsMovie/ https://www.instagram.com/GoosebumpsMovie/ https://twitter.com/GoosebumpsMovie Directed by: Ari Sandel Written by: Rob Lieber Based on the Goosebumps Books Written by: R.

Goosebumps 2 : Haunted Halloween follows friends, Sonny (Jeremy Ray Taylor) and Sam (Caleel Harris) who, as they clear out an old house for their junk business, discover a locked book and a ventriloquist dummy (Oh yeah, Slappy’s back!). After unintentionally bringing Slappy to life (and getting friendly with a talking doll for some crazy reason), the boys quickly discover that Slappy’s intentions are not as good as they thought and they, along with Sonny’s sister Sarah (Madison Iseman), have to stop Slappy’s evil plot before it is too late.

I loved the first Goosebumps movie and it was also a major hit with my kids. So when the trailers came out for a sequel, my kids started hounding me about going to see it. Sequels are often cursed with not being as well crafted as their predecessors and sometimes feel forced or thrown together and I will admit that I was worried that this would be the case with this sequel. That being said, I can honestly say that Goosebumps 2 was fun, entertaining, hilarious and creative, just as it was intended to be.

I went to this movie with 4 of my 5 kids and it might have been more fun watching them react to the film than it was to watch it. I exaggerate of course but they were so excited to be there! They loved seeing Slappy back doing his thing and loudly exclaimed their excitement when Jack Black made his appearance. They loved the monsters, the funny chases, the “jump scares” and the silly but totally comical fight scene with the Gummy Bears. I thought the dialogue once again was actually pretty witty, especially the lines from Jack Black (with his stinging remarks over that Steve King) as well as Slappy’s demented banter. This movie was definitely written for a mixed age audience and not just for kids which is seriously a blessing. The writing in some kids films just HURTs to listen to and at other times the added “adult humor” is just off putting. Thankfully, neither is the case with Goosebumps 2.  However, as my brother and sister pointed out to me later, some of the dialogue delivered by the actors in a few scenes did feel like an exposition drop or slightly forced but I hardly noticed it. I went to this movie with my kids to have fun so the little imperfections in the film escaped my notice.

I am one of those people who complains about films using “too much” CGI and I feel like this film had a decent balance of both. A good portion of the monsters and Halloween decorations were practical creations and the CGI bits in the film were on par with the first film. They were somewhat cartoonish but not garish in how they stood out against real people and sets. I felt the practical and CGI effects were creative and interesting and worked well in connection with each other.

I enjoyed the performances from Jeremy Ray Taylor and Caleel Harris as Sonny and Sam. I liked how comfortable they felt with one another on screen, like they really were best friends but they still had a sense of being middle school boys who deal with bullies, struggle with school projects and work weird jobs to earn money for themselves. The older sister Sarah, played by Madison Iseman, I wasn’t as impressed with. She didn’t feel as realistic as a high school senior as it really seemed like she was working hard to show she was acting like a stressed out high school senior, trying to balance academics with a social life and deal with the exasperation of having to take care of  her annoying little brother so Mom can work. But that might have been intentional for this character. The movie does begin with her having writer’s block over her essay to get into her dream college and wanting to get away from this little nothing town and that could make anyone feel rigid in real life. Apart from her role in Jumanji (where she also plays opposite of Jack Black), I haven’t seen her in anything else to use as a comparison of her acting skills so I really don't know how she is otherwise. For this film, I thought she and the other actors worked well in the parts they were given, even if they weren’t perfect.

Speaking of rigid, the best part of the film was the stiff ventriloquist doll, Slappy. For a doll with a very limited range of motion, he is easily the most interesting and oddly likeable character. And it’s not just because he’s voiced by Jack Black...oh wait, scratch that. He WAS voiced by Jack Black in the first film but was voiced by Mick Wingert in this one. Man he’s good, he sounds just like Jack Black!

Back to the point:  Slappy is just cool. He’s creepy in that he’s a ventriloquist dummy (which are always creepy) but his being a ventriloquist dummy also made him a comedic addition to the film that subtle and not too overwhelming. Apparently, you can be creepy and funny at the same time. He’s also an intelligent villain, he’s clever and his humor has a sarcastic bite to it. He’s like a cat toying with a mouse. His grand evil scheme was almost sad, in the most twisted sense. I won’t tell you what it is because I really want you to see this movie but based on what I know about Slappy from the first one and how he was presented in this film, his devious plot made sense and fit in with the storyline presented with Sarah and Sonny as well. It appears that Slappy is destined to be the main antagonist of the Goosebumps movie series and, as I had to explain to my daughter, we might see a different version of Slappy in each film as he is based off of whatever book he is pulled from. Could Slappy be better (or worse?!) in the next film?

Ah man. I gave myself GOOSEBUMPS!

…

I couldn’t help it.

If I have one legitimate lament about this film, it is that Jack Black just isn’t in it enough. I love Jack Black. He’s one of my very favorite actors, he’s extremely likable and he’s been in a lot of films recently that I’ve been able to enjoy with my children which is always a bonus. I wished he was on screen more in this film but the ending opens up his character, and the Goosebumps series, for a possible 3rd film. If and when there is a Goosebumps 3, you can bet your bottom that this lady and her family will be there to see it.

I know that there are some people who will go to this film and complain that the evil scheme was too easily foiled or they’ll complain about Sarah’s lines at the climax being too perfect (almost like they came from a BOOK!) and other such complaints. I advise you to ignore them. This film wasn’t made to win an Oscar or earn accolades and awards. It was made to be a fun and entertaining cinematic experience for the whole family to enjoy. Most films released around Halloween are gory and geared to a much older audience and it is seriously a great relief to me as a mother to find another family friendly film that is actually enjoyable and not just one I suffer through because my kids like it. If you’ve got kids, you KNOW they have that one movie that you can’t stand but they love.

*Groans*

Those are the worst.

If you have the chance, go see Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween. It’s totally worth the cost of a ticket and that deliciously addicting movie theater popcorn. I would also recommend The House with a Clock in its Walls which also just happens to star Jack Black. Daniel and I both really enjoyed the movie and both it and Goosebumps 2 are definitely worthy additions to your Halloween movie collection.

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