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WHAT IT'S ABOUT:
Slappy’s back! The demented dummy and all his creepy pals are back for this sequel to the hit 2015 ‘Goosebumps’ movie.
WHAT WE THOUGHT:
A colleague of mine always marvels at how other reviewers can’t seem to grasp that a movie can be perfectly tailored to an audience that isn’t them. In other words, every film isn’t made for a middle-aged film aficionado. Some movies are made for modern kids to give them the rarefied opportunity to see themselves and their lives on screen.
A movie can be made to entertain and represent its audience and Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween is a perfect example of that. Of course, I am not saying that today’s tweens run around with ghosts and ghouls nipping at their heels. I am simply saying that the beating heart of this movie is a group of kids working together to face their fears and I would have loved that as a kid. It’s fun, well-made and doesn’t take itself too seriously.
As with any movie there are some aspects that could use improvement such as some of the kids’ performances are bit wooden in some scenes but that’s okay I think because I really don’t think anyone is looking for an Oscar off the back of this sequel to the 2015 original Goosebumps.
I also found a lot of the dialogue as cheesy as Niknaks, but some of it also made me laugh while I sat alone in the darkened cinema, so it essentially evened out.
The last aspect that I think could be improved is building the suspense up to a good scare which unfortunately doesn’t really happen in this film, because to me, just like the original, which had a little more bit to it.
In terms of my highlights Madison Iseman is one of my favourite actors in this flick. She’s a total badass and her character reminds me of young Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan in the now cancelled TV programme, Once Upon a Time. She even has the cool red leather jacket. I also really enjoyed Jack Black as Slappy because it gives this mostly standalone sequel a little bit of a tie in to the original.
I think you should go watch this movie during school holidays because it’s light-hearted and has a lot of good going for it.
Of course, a lot of people might be put off by the low ratings it has received on websites around the world, but the most important thing isn’t what boxes it ticks in critic’s technical boxes, but whether it’s enjoyable and it certainly is.
