Review Summary: Meh sequel can't compare to superior original.
By all means, the first Goosebumps was one of the biggest surprises of the past decade. It was an old-school monster mash with humor, memorable characters, and surprising emotional bite. In many ways, I find it to be one I always enjoy rewatching every year. I was excited about the sequel, but had cautions going into it. I heard that Sony had two scripts to choose from. One that would bring back the characters from the first film, and a second approach that would basically ditch most of the characters and try something new. It was clear from the trailers that they went with the other approach.
After seeing the movie, I'm seriously thinking the other idea could have been better. Because while Haunted Halloween isn't a bad movie, it's not a particularly good one either (and why call it Goosebumps 2? It would have made more sense to call it Haunted Halloween: A Goosebumps Story). There's quite a bit missing here. Filmed about six months ago, you can tell this movie didn't have a lot of time to work with the visual effects. While there are a few unique creations (the gummy bears being one), some of it isn't nearly as believable and interesting as last time.
Not to mention, the story itself is only a hair or two more meaningful than anything I've seen out of a Nickelodeon sitcom. The only real sense of character development in this installment comes from older sister Sarah (Madison Iseman) and her struggles in writing a college acceptance essay on "Being Scared". This was a smart choice on the filmmakers' part, but it's not the film's main focus. Sarah, in the meantime, looks a little too much like a young Emma Swan from Once Upon a Time (she even has her red jacket).
The only returning characters from the original are Slappy and R.L. Stine. The latter I know should make people happy, but the sad part is, Jack Black is only given about 3 minutes of screentime. Now, don't get me wrong, its' great that he's actually in the movie (despite a lot of speculation that he wasn't). But his role is so inconsequential that he's not really needed. Its' not until the final scene where things really get interesting for Stine (no spoilers here). Meanwhile, Black was too busy to come back to voice Slappy. Instead, voice actor Mick Wingert (who replaced Black as Po for the Kung Fu Panda TV series) does a great job sounding like him.
The new actors do fine jobs for the most part. Perhaps the best addition to the cast is Ken Jeong. He plays an enthusiastic neighbor who also is a fanatic of Stine's books. He truly is a scene-stealer in just about any film he graces his presence in. As for the two male leads, Jeremy Ray Taylor and Caleel Harris are definitely capable. Iseman has a few solid moments too.
The film's core idea of exploring an "unfinished" book by Stine (and the book's characters trying to finish it) is an interesting idea. The action scenes are entertaining, particularly in the last 45 minutes. The first half-hour does move a little slow. But, at less than 90 minutes, it never overstays its' welcome. Without spoiling anything, the last half-hour does include an interesting twist that is both interesting and bizarre. There's also a cliffhanger moment at the very end that succeeded in getting me interested in a possible third movie. With that in mind, the overall resolution to the plot isn't exactly what you think it might would be.
All in all, Haunted Halloween is not a movie that I will own like its' predecessor. It's too TV-like in its execution to really qualify as a cinematic experience. It does manage to capture the amusement park-feel of the first film. It just never finds that film's same sense of heart or fantastic sense of whimsy.
Now...does it work as a distraction for kids? In that case, I'd definitely argue that it does. But the older crowd isn't given much here to really enjoy. Here's to hoping the next one will be more like the first film (if there is another one...)
My Score: 5.9/10
Content Concerns for Family Viewing: Goosebumps 2 is rated PG for "scary creature action and images, some thematic elements, rude humor and language". Technically, the content is about the same as the first film, which is good news for parents with older kids (these movies are more geared for ages 8 or 9 and up). There's the usual amount of mildly scary monsters (and plastic witches, and a giant spider made of balloons that comes to life), some motion simulator-style action and a few mild "jump moments". But none of it pushes PG boundaries (one character is turned into a marionette puppet thanks to some electricity is the harshest things get). The Goosebumps movies don't have an occultic basis for the magic on display here, though some weird incantations are said to bring Slappy and other monsters to life.
Besides that, the two leads are bullied a few times. The bully has his pants yanked down around his ankles a couple of times (revealing boxers). There's a quick discussion about "adult diapers", and a skeleton dog urinates on a tree. A reindeer Christmas decoration is heard passing gas. Sarah's boyfriend is a bit of a womanizer. He sneaks into her room in the middle of the night (they are caught), while her boyfriend is caught later kissing another girl. Meanwhile, we hear one use of "d---", two of "h---", and five or six uses of "oh my g**" (in addition to lots of name-calling). Glasses of wine are seen in one scene.
