Susan Granger’s review of “Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween” (Columbia/Sony Animation)
Back in 2015, the original horror comedy starred Jack Black, Dylan Minnette and Odeya Rush. Now there’s a silly sequel with Black returning as writer R.L. Stine and the devilish voice of Slappy the Dummy.
When middle-schoolers Sonny (Jeremy Ray Taylor) and his friend Sam (Caleel Harris) go into business, clearing out junk from neighborhood homes, they discover a treasure trove in an old abandoned house.
In a hidden room, they discover a creepy chest containing an unfinished book by R.L. Stine called ‘Haunted Halloween’ and a mischievously menacing ventriloquist’s puppet known as Slappy, who not only helps the boys with their homework but humiliates Tommy (Peyton Wich), the local bully.
But sneaky Slappy, working out of an old Nicola Tesla electricity plant, hatches a sinister plot to take possession of the boys’ hometown of Wardenclyffe, New York, with the help of a monster mash of ghoulish Halloween decorations, including seed-spitting Jack-O-Lanterns, giant Gummi Bears, and a big purple spider.
So it’s up to Sonny, his older sister Sarah (Madison Iseman) and Sam to prevent an All Hallows Eve catastrophe.
Lending support, there’s Sam’s harried, single mother, Kathy (Wendi McLendon-Covey), and her admirer, the store clerk Walter (Chris Parnell), along with quirky Mr. Chu (Ken Jeong), who has a conveniently handy costume collection.
Sketchily scripted by Rob Lieber and Darren Lemke, it’s directed by Ari Sandel. Although ostensibly family-friendly PG, children under eight, who cannot separate fantasy from reality, might have nightmares.
Real-life author R.L. Stine does a brief cameo. His contribution to children’s literature is immense, dating back to the summer of 1992, when the first “Goosebumps” book – “Welcome to the Dead House” – was published.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween” is a fright-fest 5, yet paling in comparison with its predecessor.
