Goosebumps – The Vanishing Early Review

In October of 2023, there was hope and anticipation for the Goosebumps limited series which appeared to embrace a darker young adult-centered focus towards many beloved entries in the children’s horror series from writer R.L. Stine. Thankfully, due to its usage of Slappy, the anthropomorphic ventriloquist dummy come to life, as the main overarching antagonist with wonderfully woven-in episodic adventures centering around other iconic Goosebump stories, the series was a great success for Disney+. Inevitably, a second season was ordered containing a similar narrative structure where one central story is used for the series with several minor ones used within each episode.

On paper, this was an easy win, especially considering the massive stable of Stine’s narratives at the series’ disposal to choose from. Enter Goosebumps – The Vanishing which utilizes the main plot from “Stay Out of the Basement” as its main focal point while others such as, “The Haunted Car,” “Monster Blood,” and more are adapted to fit within it. Goosebumps – The Vanishing borrows from its previous entry as it balances multiple plots across several decades as a group of teens faced with supernatural occurrences, leading to one of their own disappearing, is not only left to deal with the fallout and the lack of answers but are now parents themselves who decades later are attempting to thwart history repeating itself by their children experiencing the same fate once similar events begin to occur. However, where this entry greatly differs from its predecessor is through its central villain’s lack of interaction with other characters. While there is still a build-up of suspense as to the final outcome and if the characters will make it out of this endeavor alive, but with just an ominous plant looming in the darkness ready to slowly devour its prey. In that, there is an over-reliance on other characters to carry the dramatic beats of the series who quickly lead the series into a space of apathetic resolution by the end.

While television stalwarts such as David Schwimmer and Ana Ortiz take the lead as the adult performers, delivering solid performances as parents refusing to address their pasts to solve the problems of the present, cracks in the foundation of the narrative manifest largely with the young adult leads who fail to provide the kind of emotional investment needed to continue watching. Whether it’s the material or their chemistry, they never truly carry the series to the point where any given decision or dilemma they face ever matters or demand a further watch to discover how they fare. In simpler terms, the teen characters are too whiny and their decisions too idiotic in the face of minimal or unimpressive stakes to warrant any belief or empathy that they should be spared from whatever monstrosity lurks in the dark waiting for them.

This was where the previous season excelled as each teen’s story was delivered with a narrative weight that had true consequences, while also effortlessly weaving into its larger Slappy-centered plot. To be fair, some of these missteps can also be attributed to the material selection and subsequent writing to accompany each story. After all, Slappy is easily the pinnacle of the Goosebumps cadre and once the series chooses to use its top asset along with several other major hitters it is difficult to repeat this same level of hype and expectation of success when lesser antagonists are incorporated.

While the second entry of this anthology series lacks a true punch and borrows almost exclusively from its predecessor’s narrative to tell a similar but different tale, there is still something vaguely comforting about being able to see the Goosebumps franchise attempt to evolve with a new generation of young teens who may use this as a gateway to an entire library of evergreen horror. Still, in many ways, this entry is not as strong as the first and only true fans who enjoy all forms of entertainment with book series or viewers with ample downtime and nothing else to watch will find their way to Goosebumps – The Vanishing. The majority of the series fails to outrun the shadow of its first entry but despite this futile undertaking, there is still an interestingly enough narrative to attract those seeking something simple and mildly entertaining without demanding too much emotional investment.

still courtesy of Disney

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Critics w/o Credentials

Trying my best to get all thoughts about TV and Film out of my head and onto the interweb.