Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween review

As with the enjoyable first Goosebumps movie, this Halloween flick for kids is based on the popular RL Stine book series.

In this sequel, best friends Sam (Harris) and Sonny (Taylor) stumble upon a spooky book and a ventriloquist’s dummy in an abandoned house, little knowing that the dummy is Slappy from the original movie, who comes back to life again determined to unleash chaos in the town when he doesn’t get what he wants (which is the rather unreasonable request to live with a human family). It’s up to the boys and Sonny’s older sister (Iseman) to save the day – ideally before Sonny’s mum finds out.

Featuring a brand new cast – Jack Black, who played Stine in the first movie, only pops up briefly here – this is very similar to the first film, delivering mild scares that shouldn’t cause nightmares alongside some humorous moments.

There are some nice CGI tricks as psychopathic gummy bears are on the loose, Halloween costumes are brought to life and a balloon sculpture spider becomes mega-sized, but the movie relies too much on the effects, leaving the plot almost forgotten.

Jack Black’s Stine is sorely missed for most of the movie, and while kids who loved the original will want to take a look, for everyone else this is a mildly diverting but ultimately forgettable sequel.