Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018)

Known as the Stephen King of children's literature, R.L. Stine created a series of scary stories from 1992 through 1997 entitled Goosebumps.  The books have a number of monsters but a ventriloquist's dummy named Slappy is prevalent in many of them.  In 2015 Slappy was brought to life when Goosebumps the movie came to theaters.  With the success of the first film a second one was approved and last year Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween was released.  Three months later the second installment has been released By Columbia Pictures on 4K, Blu-ray, DVD and digital download.

The film opens in Wardenclyffe, NY home to the abandoned Nikola Tesla's Wardenclyffe tower.  Here we meet Sarah (Madison Iseman; Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle) a high school senior who lives with her mother, Kathy (Wendi McLendon-Covey; Bridesmaids), and her younger brother Sonny (Jeremy Ray Taylor; It).  Wardenclyffe is your average suburban community with nothing much happening.  Sarah has a cheating boyfriend and a college essay deadline about fear for her application to Columbia University so when her mom asks her to watch Sonny and his best friend Sam (Caleel Harris; Castle Rock) she basically lets them go off on their own.  Sonny and Sam have a business cleaning out junk from peoples' houses and they take a job throwing away old items left in an abandoned house.

There they find a book by author R.L. Stine and open it which brings Slappy to life.  After Sonny recites the magic spell Slappy becomes an annoying nuisance in all their lives until he reveals his mischievous plot to bring all the Halloween monsters to life using Tesla's tower. The rest of the film is Sarah, Sonny, and Sam trying to stop Slappy and return the monsters to the book while trying to save their mother.  In the end, they manage to stop Slappy (or so they think).

Iseman offers a solid performance as a teenager trying to figure out her life while dealing with the supernatural.  McLendon-Covey brings her usual blend of humor and sarcasm to this role and it works well here.  Taylor and Harris are good for being young and help round out the cast nicely.  Helping out this crew is Ken Jeong (The Hangover) as Sarah's neighbor and Chris Parnell (21 Jump Street) as the manager of the local pharmacy who has a crush on Kathy.  Their performances, along as Jack Black's (Jumanjo: Welcome to the Jungle) cameo as R.L. Stine give the movie an extra level of fun and humor.  Interesting fact: The real R.L.Stine place the principal in the film.

The 4K disc has fantastic video and audio quality and the 2160p picture helps enhance the viewing experience.  The monsters can be seen in sharp detail and the colors are vibrant.  The 

Dolby Atmos audio is clean and crisp and showcases the dialogue and soundtrack beautifully.  The Combo pack has several extras that are interesting and entertaining including Deleted Scenes, Gag Reel!, Thrills & Chills - The Making of Goosebumps 2,  Meet the Monsters,  Science with Slappy, Slappy-Oke Sing-Alongs,  Junk Brothers - Call Now!,  Slappy's Audition and Previews

The plot is ok and the special effects are well done but this second film doesn't live up to the first one for the entertainment factor. It lacks some of the wonder that the first film was infused with and the story isn't as engrossing.  The movie does, however, remind us of what we liked about being spooked as little kids without frightening younger audiences too much.

If you read the Goosebumps book series and are a fan of the stories and Slappy (or know someone who is) then you will want to pick up this title for the young adult in your life.

Grade: C+