Slappy, the evil
ventriloquist dummy from the Night of the Living Dummy books, is
back. The idea of making a standalone sequel that you can jump into at any time
and still enjoy didn’t turn out to be a good one. Compared to the
first Goosebumps movie from 2015, this one isn’t as fun.
I wish the movie
had picked up where the
last Goosebumps movie left off. The way this one ended was
too loose and dull to set up any excitement for a third part. With the
financial struggles it faced during its opening weekend and the lack of
positive response compared to the first, a third movie seems unlikely.
The plot starts
by introducing the family Slappy is going to torment. The main issue with this
plot is how it blurs the line between the supernatural and the real world. It
all feels muddled, and watching Slappy interact with humans comes off as more
silly than scary.
Our trio of main
characters are Sonny, Sarah (Sonny’s sister), and Sam (Sonny’s best friend).
Sam is dropped off at Sonny’s house to be looked after by Sonny’s mom while his
dad is out of town.
The boys start a business helping people get rid of their junk. They get a call
to clean out an old house, with the deal being they can keep anything they
find.
While clearing
out the junk, they come across a book, open it, and—surprise—Slappy appears.
They decide to keep him but accidentally bring him to life. Slappy decides he
wants to be part of their family, and his idea of helping them involves “taking
care of” their problems. The catch? Slappy’s methods are far from humane.
When the trio
realizes Slappy is evil, they try to get rid of him, but that doesn’t go well.
Slappy decides to bring things back to the way he likes them by creating his
own family of evil creatures. This time, he brings to life costumes from a
Halloween store.
In a weird and
somewhat stupid coincidence, the trio manages to dig up information online
about the events of the
first Goosebumps movie. Now, they have to find R.L. Stine
(Jack Black) and work together to stop Slappy.
The movie isn’t
amazing. Unlike the first one, where monsters were everywhere to keep you
entertained, here you have to wait until halfway through to see any real
action.
The attempt to
keep this family-friendly ended up making the movie something I wouldn’t
recommend. It lacks the fun and excitement that made the first one enjoyable.
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