Review of Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018) by Matthew D — 26 Jan 2019

A tired ripoff of the original.

First of all, there is hardly any Jack Black at all in Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018). The first Goosebumps movie was carried by the charismatic and hilarious performance from Black. In this one, he's only in the finale and doing some voice over work. So right off the bat, Goosebumps 2 is instantly more dull without Black's silly charming presence.

The children and adults are all fine. There are some awkward or cringe inducing moments, but for the most part the acting is passable. The problem is that the first movie had a solid cast giving great performances. There is also no endearing romance or particularly likable characters. I guess the sister, played by Madison Iseman, is interesting, but she hardly gets an arc. The two lead boys, Jeremy Ray Taylor and Caleel Harris, are fine as the generic nerds who must overcome their fears. But they also do not stand out like the first movie's leads.

Also, Wendi McLendon-Covey is nowhere near as good of an actress as Amy Ryan from the first Goosebumps. Even the mother is a downgrade.

The CGI is sloppy, but the puppetry with Slappy is excellent and very fun. Honestly, the bits with Slappy are the most delightful parts of the movie. I wish this were better.

The direction is bare bones, the writing is dated and dumb, the acting is average, and the effects are bad. But worst of all, the entire narrative is just lamer version of the first movie's plot. It's near identical. Sequels should expand their universe or try something new, not just remake the original with something similar. I am disappointed in Goosebumps 2.