I have a vague memory of getting one of the “Goosebumps” books from my local library in Brazil and getting the chills while reading it. Growing up, I do not remember the “Goosebumps” book series being too popular in Brazil. As a kid, I was a lot more scared of these types of stories than I am now.
Over a decade later, a new television adaptation of “Goosebumps” was released on Disney Plus and Hulu. I watched the new adaptation and I loved it!
The first thing that got my attention was seeing actor Justin Long as the promotional main character. I have only experienced his acting within comedic, relaxed roles, like his breakout role in the 2006 comedy “Accepted.” I had seen him in the trailer for ” Barbarian” as well (which I still did not find the courage to watch since it looks scary), and took note of this interesting shift in roles and genres for him.
In the 2023 “Goosebumps” horror-comedy television series, the main storyline weaves the books’ stories into its main plot. I love the whole “American Horror Story“-esque anthology style in which different stories are part of the same realm. Each episode brings a fresh reinvention of one of R.L. Stine’s iconic books that relate to the major plot of the story.
The books by R.L. Stine used in each episode are:
Episode 1: “Say Cheese and Die”
Episode 2: “The Haunted Mask”
Episode 3: “The Cuckoo Clock of Doom”
Episode 4: “Go Eat Worms”
Episode 5: “Reader Beware”
Episode 6: “Night of the Living Dummy”
Episode 7: “Give Yourself Goosebumps”
Episode 8: “You Can’t Scare Me”
Episode 9: “Night of the Living Dummy II”
Episode 10: “Welcome to Horrorland”
The stories were well chosen and the plot was well-thought-out. Each “Goosebumps” story had a reason to be chosen for each character-focused episode, and they fit themselves in a manner that I do not think could be different.
As you watch the show, you realize that it might have some similar themes to the long-running, widely-panned “Riverdale”. The teen protagonists live in a small town and are part of a convenience friend group, suffering from their parents’ teenage mistakes. This plot made me think of “Riverdale” Season 3, in which the protagonists’ parents played Dungeons & Dragons, leading to a storyline where the Gargoyle King attacks their now teenage sons and daughters.
I always like a good throwback when it is done right. The “Goosebumps” television writers crafted this troubled fate in a way that boosts the plot of the whole Season. For instance, the plot of the dead kid who previously possessed Justin Long’s character is all connected with the new horror tricks that are now plaguing the town. The parents’ past unfortunately connects with the present of the teen main characters.
The show made me want to revisit the books with a fresh lens and maybe even the other movies again.
Unfortunately, we reach Episode 9, “Night of the Living Dummy II,” after an adventurous, emotional, and pivotal Episode 8 (“You Can’t Scare Me”) in which the whole season would have had a pleasant ending. But in “Night of the Living Dummy II”– after all the conflicts are resolved, families are saved, and everyone lives happily ever after– we encounter “the twist.”
Personally, I think “Night of the Living Dummy II” could have been reduced to an extra five to ten minutes at the end of Episode 8, with the rest used as an opening for a whole lot that could happen in Season 2.
As an optimistic person who loved the series, however, I knew that Episode 10 would bring a bigger twist to Season 2. Episode 10, “Welcome to Horrorland,” plays on the classic horror story twist where our characters realize that the evil they met and fought is nothing compared to what is coming next.
Justin Long’s Mr. Bratt brings Slappy dummy back to life so he can finally find the perfect ending for his book series, bringing the story full circle. In the finale, the real story behind who Slappy is uncovered, threatening the lives of all the small town residents In the final moments of the season, Mr. Bratt’s reflection in a mirror reveals the real villain behind Slappy. He’s about to be possessed… again!
Season 2 might be the season bringing all those “goosebumps” back to life.
