Back to School Reads - Goosebumps: Haunted Halloween - Movie Novel

Scholastic; 154 pages; $6.99; Amazon

For the last "Back to School Reads" post this year, I'm featuring Goosebumps: Haunted Halloween - Movie Novel, which was recently released by Scholastic. It's the novelization of the upcoming movie Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween, which will be released to theaters on October 12th. The movie is a sequel to 2015 horror-comedy Goosebumps, which was inspired by a series of books of the same name by bestselling author R.L. Stine. I'm not for sure who wrote the sequel novelization, but it's based on the screenplay by Rob Lieber. R.L. Stine edited the book and wrote the introduction.

Set in Wardenclyffe, New York, Goosebumps: Haunted Halloween centers around two seventh-graders, Sonny Quinn and Sam Carter, who are starting their own business called Junk Bros. After being hired to clean out an old abandoned house, they stumble upon an old locked book and the key to go with it. The kids unlock the book, which unleashes the ventriloquist dummy, Slappy.

That was their first mistake. The second mistake was reciting the words "Karru Marri Odonna Loma Molonu Karrano" that were written on a scrap of paper that was poked in the dummy's mouth. What they don't know is the words are magical and they just brought Slappy to life!

The only person who can help them is Sonny's older sister, Sarah. On Halloween Night, Slappy uses his magical words to bring to life all the Halloween decorations in town, which includes zombies, jack-o-lanterns, gnomes, witches, and the Headless Horseman. Sarah, Sonny, and Sam must work together (along with a little help from R.L. Stine himself) to find a way to stop Slappy from taking over the entire town.

Final Thoughts

In my opinion, the first Goosebumps movie was underrated. While it did receive good reviews from critics, it wasn't exactly a blockbuster. Nevertheless, a sequel was later announced, Goosebumps: Horrorland, which was later changed to Goosebumps: Slappy's Revenge. And of course that title was eventually changed to Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween.

Being a fan of the first movie and the book series, I became interested in reading the novelization after seeing the first trailer for the sequel. Novelizations don't always go exactly by the book, as the writer has to go by the screenplay. Screenwriters sometimes make changes to the script during filming. This results in novelizations being a little different than the movies. Goosebumps 2 isn't out yet in theaters, so I have no idea whether this novelization stays with the script. However, I'm pretty sure the author added descriptions and details that weren't in the script, which would help flesh out the story.

Haunted Halloween feels more like a Goosebumps book than the first movie did. Once again Slappy is the main villain, but he has a slightly different agenda this time. Slappy wants to be part of a family, but when he doesn't get his wish, he creates chaos.Yes, he once again brings monsters to life, but only a few of them are from the Goosebumps books. Most of the monsters are Halloween decorations or candy. Yes, I said candy! There are scary gummi bears in this tale.

The main character, Sarah, is a little older for your typical Goosebumps story. She's a senior in high school, who's having a bit trouble writing her college application essay, as well as having some boyfriend problems. Now Sonny and Sam feel like your normal Goosebumps characters. While they are part of the plot, sometimes they're just there for comic relief. And yes, the fictionalized R.L. Stine returns towards the end of the book, which means actor Jack Black, will be appearing in the movie.

The book has 9 pages of color photos from the movie.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Goosebumps: Haunted Halloween - Movie Novel. It's a cute, fast-paced read that'll easy appeal to Goosebumps fans of all ages.