Monsters, Jump Scares, and RL Stein Genius Abound in Goosebumps 2.
The movie starts with two bullied boys who clean up an old house and discover a book. A book that brings a certain ventriloquist dummy into their lives right before Halloween.
I’m not big on puppets, or haunted dolls, so most of anything that involved Slappy set me on edge, though I will admit that I thought that there were a few scares that I was expecting that never happened. Other than that, the movie was relatively harmless outside of a jump scare that even put my boys on the edge of their seats. A few smaller kids (about the age range of 4 to 6) had to leave the theater because it became too much for them. I would not recommend Goosebumps 2 for those really young kids, or any of the Goosebumps books either.
All of my boys gave the movie a resounding 5 stars out of 5 and were talking excitedly about it hours afterward. I personally gave some Halloween decorations I encountered a second and third glance (did I mention I hate scary dolls) later that night. If you’ve previously seen the first movie, or even if you haven’t (my eldest never had the chance to watch the first one), I think you and your elder elementary and up children will definitely get into this movie if you are seeking a good scare or two during the Halloween season.
What movies are you seeing this fall? Is Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween one of them? Tell me in the comments below.
Photo Credit: Columbia Pictures