Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
2015’s Goosebumps was a fun little PG Halloween film that entertained me way more than I was expecting it to. It didn’t bowl me over, but I had fun and Jack Black was rather entertaining. Now it’s 3 years later and Sony is back with a rather superfluous sequel to the hit film. This time it’s with another group of kids who happen to find R.L. Stine’s very first manuscript and happen to unleash the mother of all horrors, the evil ventriloquist dummy Slappy. Envision more mayhem, more monsters, and pretty much more of the same things with saw in the first movie, just without Jack Black helming the film. While it’s still superfluous, Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween proves that just because you’re more of the same doesn’t mean you still can’t be entertaining.

Sarah (Madison Iseman) is desperately trying to finish her college application essay so she can get out of her podunk town, but it constantly being interrupted by her snotty younger brother Sonny (Jeremy Ray Taylor) and her mother’s constant chores and other familial responsibilities. In a fit of frustration over having to babysit Sonny and his friend Sam (Caleel Harris), Sarah heads out to the club to meet up with her two timing boyfriend, leaving Sam and Sonny free to get into trouble. This trouble comes in the form of exploring in an old house that was resided in by R.L. Stine sometime in the past, and opening up a secret treasure chest with a mysterious locked book.

Yup, you guessed it. This is another one of the evil manuscripts of Stines, and unlocking the book resurrects the first and most powerful of Stine’s creations. Slappy the ventriloquist dummy. Slappy ingratiates himself into the boys lives by using his magical powers to do their homework and do their chores, but the doll has a much more subversive goal in mind. You see, the plot of the manuscript that they boys unearthed is that Slappy wants to find a family, which all seems well and good until you realize that Slappy is dissatisfied with new “siblings” unleashes the nightmares of Halloween on everyone around them. Now it’s up to Sarah, Sonny and and Sam to stop the maniacal doll before he destroys the whole world.

As I mentioned earlier in this review. Goosebumps 2 is a rather superfluous film. The movie is a decent bit weaker than the original with a plot line that basically mimics the first in terms of monster horror. Slappy wants out, Slappy gets a bunch ghouls and ghosts together on Halloween to terrorize the town, and the children use the book to suck them all back into the world of make believe. The only real difference is the backstory in the humans. Instead of a teenage romance it’s a familiar bond story. I honestly felt that the first half of the film was better than the second half, as Slappy slowly starts wheedling his way into the lives of Sarah and Sonny, seeding mischief and chaos in his wake. After they get rid of him the movie reverts back to replica of the first movie, with Slappy unleashing his chaos on the world and the same type of sacrificial ending needed.

Acting wise this is a mixed back. Sarah is ok, and so is Sonny, but the mother and the rest of the cast are rather painful at times. Ken Jeong plays a bit part as the overly enthusiastic neighbor, and but luckily his insane style of humor is kept to a minimum through minimalistic use of his character. We DO get a neat cameo in the third act (I bet you can figure out who), but he’s a big goofier and cheesier than I would have liked. The one thing about the last act that really stood out is the final moments of the film, as we get to see a twist that could bring Jack Black back to a third film is Sony so desires.




Rating:

Rated PG scary scenarios and rude humor




Video:

Sony once again pulls another stellar video release out their proverbial hats, and this digital shoot is rather great if I do say so myself. Colors are bold and vivid across the board, with neon green witches heads, blue bolts of Tesla powered electricity, and all sorts of oranges, reds and purples for varying monsters. Blacks are deep and inky across the board and I didn’t notice any real major issues with black crush or banding (which isn’t out of the ordinary for a Sony release). Fleshtones are usually pretty natural, but I noticed that in some scenes faces would look a little bit washed out and pasty, almost like they were overblown in the lighting. Usually this was at night, but when Slappy gets thrown off the cliff from the car it’s especially noticeable. There’s a few wonky bits of CGI bleed every once in a while, but overall this is a very very nice looking transfer from a digital shoot.





Audio:

Sony once again has left off the Atmos track that is found on the 4K UHD release and given a slight downgrade to the Blu-ray in the form of a 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix. Despite the downgrade, the track is rather good on it’s own, with a wide sound stage and quite a bit of sonic muscle behind it when the action gets going. Musical fidelity is crystal clear, with a spooky “haunted house” vibe to it that relies heavily on synthesizers, organs and other heavily organic sounding instruments. When the monsters attack the town the LFE channel lights up, featuring tons of powerful lightening, rumbling of elevators, and the thudding footsteps of a thousand larger than life monsters. The surrounds get sweeping activity with the hubbub, and it really puts you right into the middle of the track. Dialog is always clean and clear, locked up front, and evenly balanced with the track. While I would have loved to have seen the Atmos track on this disc, the 5.1 mix is still nothing to sneeze at.






Extras:

• Gag Reel
• Three Deleted Scenes
• Five Featurettes
- "Thrills & Chills – The Making of Goosebumps 2"
- "Meet The Monsters"
- "Science With Slappy"
- "Junk Brothers – Call Now"
- "Slappy's Audition"
• Three Slappy-Oke Sing Alongs

Final Score: ​

Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween is a weaker film than it’s predecessor, with less scope and less quality actors, but it’s still a surprisingly fun little adventure. I wouldn’t say that it opens up any new doors, but it sticks to the tried and true formula that made the first movie a success, and even has a neat little “twist” cameo in the third act. As a children’s popcorn film you can do WAAAAAAAAAAAY worse, and it entertained my nephews when I took them to the theaters to see it, so I should dare say it did it’s job. Sony’s technical specs are excellent as always, with great video, good audio, and a decent array of extras to enjoy. Makes for a fun rental at the very least.



Technical Specifications:

Starring: Wendy McLendon-Covey, Madion Iseman, Caleel Harris, Ken Jeong, Chris Parnell, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Bryce Cass, Peyton Wich
Directed by: Ari Sandel
Written by: Rob Lieber (Screenplay), R.L. Stine (books)
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, French DTS-HD MA 5.1, Spanish DD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, English, French, Spanish
Studio: Sony
Rated: PG
Runtime: 90 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: January 15th, 2019

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Fun Rental

 

[Asere]

Thanks for the review. I saw it this past weekend with the family and enjoyed it. Not like the first one but still fun to watch.

 

[Michael Scott]

agreed. it was fun enough. I thought the first was better, but I kinda liked the last minute twist at the end.