The 2015 Goosebumps movie was a hit that opened at Number 1 and took in more than $150 million worldwide. So, here is the eagerly awaited, delightfully frightful sequel.
The films are based on the series of books by the same name which have garnered a huge following over 25 years.
With over 400 million books in print and translated into 35 languages, the series has provided countless haunts, spooks, thrills and laughs for millions of kids and adults alike, making author R. L. Stine one of the bestselling children’s authors in history.
The film has grown the series’ fan base considerably, and it is expected the sequel will continue to do so.
Following the huge success of the first Goosebumps film, the filmmakers behind the new release decided that, instead of limiting themselves to the stories in the 200 books in the Goosebumps library, they would bring an original story to the screen, an adventure inspired by the cherished series.
The story begins with three regular kids who needed to be anything but average when it came to saving their town and family from certain disasters, all at the hands of one of author R. L. Stine’s most famous creations, Slappy, a memorable ringmaster of chaos.
The formula for Goosebumps is to make real kids, believable kids. Once you have that element, you can really go crazy with the plot
“No one ever taught me a formula for writing books,” says Stine. The formula for Goosebumps is to make real kids, believable kids. Once you have that element, you can really go crazy with the plot.”
As for building on his legacy, Stine expresses a gracious encouragement to the screenwriters: “It’s very exciting to write something and also get to see what other people create with that inspiration – what direction they go.”
The books always shone a spotlight on young, brave, smart heroes – kids who stepped up when the need arose to take down monsters. Writer Rob Lieber consciously honoured that element when crafting the screenplay, and the production furthered it in their casting of the central trio – high school senior Sarah (Madison Iseman), her middle school brother Sonny (Jeremy Ray Taylor) and Sonny’s best friend Sam (Caleel Harris). They fit the mould of their intrepid schoolkid heroes perfectly.
Wendi McLendon-Covey, who stars as Sarah and Sonny’s mother Kathy, says the kids in the cast were a natural inspiration for her to bring her best.
“The great thing about watching our young actors perform is that they get to play these naturally intelligent, fun characters,” says the actor. “They are so genuine and just draw you into this this crazy world they are living in, and you get to live it right there with them.”
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween follows the Quinn family into an entirely new set of spooky, exciting and funny events. Sonny and Sam have a side job as the Junk Brothers, collecting discarded stuff other people don’t want. But it’s a gig that unfortunately leads them right into the path of Slappy (Avery Lee Jones), the mischievous ventriloquist dummy from an unpublished Goosebumps book.
At first, Slappy seems to want nothing more than to be part of the Quinn family. But, when his high jinks go too far, Sarah, Sonny and Sam realise that this pernicious puppet must be stopped.
Rejected in his obsessive need to be a member of the Quinn household, Slappy decides to build his own ‘family’ by kidnapping Kathy and bringing all of his Halloween friends back to life – including new right-hand Ogre Walter (Chris Parnell).
As Halloween transforms their sleepy town into a full-on monster mash-up, boasting such hilariously freaky creatures as giant gummy bears and creepy garden gnomes, Sarah, the boys and neighbour Mr Chu (Ken Jeong) team up to save Kathy and the town from Slappy’s wicked plan.