Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween
for scary creature action and images, some thematic elements, rude humor and language.
Reviewed by: Blake Wilson
CONTRIBUTOR
| Moral Rating: | Average—with caution |
| Moviemaking Quality: |
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| Primary Audience: | Family |
| Genre: | Family Comedy Horror-for-Children Adventure Adaptation Sequel |
| Length: | 1 hr. 30 min. |
| Year of Release: | 2018 |
| USA Release: |
October 12, 2018 (wide release) |
What’s wrong with Halloween? Answer
HALLOWEEN—Should Christians participate in the this holiday? Answer
Good overcoming evil
Occult evil / What is the Occult? Answer
THE OCCULT—What does the Bible say about it? Answer
magic and magicians in the Bible / enchantments
Possible negative effects of fantasy magic in Hollywood films
Exposing kids to scary images and situations
AFRAID OF THE DARK—How can I help my child to trust in God’s care when she is afraid at night? Answer
FEAR, Anxiety and Worry—What does the Bible say? Answer
Monsters
| Featuring |
Jack Black … R.L Stine and the voice of Slappy the Dummy Wendi McLendon-Covey … Kathy Quinn Madison Iseman … Sarah Quinn Ken Jeong … Mr. Chu Chris Parnell … Walter Jeremy Ray Taylor … Sonny Quinn Shari Headley … Mrs. Carter Darin De Paul … Terry / Angry Pumpkin (voice) Jessi Goei … Maya Caleel Harris … Sam Carter Peyton Wich … Tommy Madigan Courtney Lauren Cummings … Jess See all » |
| Director | Ari Sandel — “The DUFF” (2015), “The X Show” TV series |
| Producer |
Columbia Pictures Corporation Original Film Scholastic Entertainment See all » |
| Distributor |
 Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures |
Halloween comes to life in a this movie based on R.L. Stine’s series of books. A ventroloquist’s dummy comes to life in the small town of Wardenclyffe on Halloween Night when it is released by two boys in an abandoned house. The evil puppet sets out to create a Halloween Apocalypse with help from his many monster allies. The boys and a sister must try to stop the plot before all is lost.
Prequel: “Goosebumps” (2015)
I was skeptical about “Goosebumps 2,” as they decided not to continue the characters and story from the original at all. Instead, this is a new story with new characters. The first film was a true surprise. It was like an amusement park ride with a few strong surprises (along with some surprising emotional depth in a few places).
This, on the other hand, is only a bit more well-plotted and developed than a television movie (the only real sense of character development involves Sarah’s hesitation to write a good college essay). If this was a Nickelodeon movie, I probably would have been a bit more impressed. There’s really nothing here that’s as compelling and memorable as the original. Even Slappy and the monsters don’t seem as fun as last time. Jack Black’s presence in the movie is limited, though I am glad they didn’t completely cut him out.
The movie’s antics are entertaining, and the idea of the kids finishing an “unfinished Goosebumps book” is an appealing idea. However, as I watched this movie, I kept thinking that it could have been much better.
As for content problems, the main concern is the magic. Unlike last time, which was clearly just monsters jumping off the pages of a book, there are incantations said to make Slappy and the monsters come to life. Now, is it rooted in witchcraft or anything truly demonic? Honestly, the film never explains how any of it is possible. But, if any of this doesn’t give you peace about the film, then by all means don’t see it. On the other hand, it avoids the explicit use of demons and rituals like in the recent “House with a Clock in Its Walls.”
Besides that, there’s a few of mild profanity (“h***,” “d***” and “oh my g**”), a few bathroom jokes, and a few mild “jump scares.” The overall action violence, in the meantime, stays well within PG boundaries.
See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.
From a Christian point of view, I see this as a bit too scary for those children who are true believers in God.
Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 3½
PLEASE share your observations and insights to be posted here.
My daughter was also upset they did not follow the cliffhanger of the first film, which left the invisible boy on the loose. I wish they had more of Ken Jeong in it. Usually he doesn’t star in family-friendly films, so to see one in it where you could laugh with his character was good. They should have made his character have a larger role.
The monsters were lacking, although the witches were the best ones. It was just… blah. Fun to see if you rent it or have a bargain day at the theater, but not as funny, entertaining and sweet as the first one.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 3