Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for Goosebumps season 2.
Summary
Growing up,I loved reading the R.L. StineGoosebumpsbooks and was a huge fan ofthe creepy, campy TV show. I enjoyedStine’s Disney+Just Beyondseriesand look forward to seeingmoreFear Streetmovies. WhenGoosebumpsseason 1 premiered on Disney+ in October 2023, I was excited to see a new TV adaptation of the children’s anthology series. I wasn’t a huge fan of the first season as it felt like a generic story about teenagers in a small town. However, the second season is a different story.
I have topraiseGoosebumps season 2for being particularly spooky and fun. The story centers aroundsingle dad Anthony (David Schwimmer), a nerdy scientistwhose twins Devin (Sam McCarthy) and Cece (Jayden Bartels) move into his old Brooklyn house for the summer. The premise is about ancient family secrets and a decades-long mystery that has to be solved. ButGoosebumpsseason 2 also has some body horror scenes, and I want to talk about them.
Goosebumps Season 2 Has A Body Horror Storyline And I Think It’s Perfect
Goosebumpsseason 2 episodes 1 and 2 are called “Stay Out Of The Basement"and are based on theGoosebumpsbook and original TV show episode of the same name. In the original story, Dr. Brewer is a former botanist who experiments on plants and, like Anthony inGoosebumpsseason 2, tells his kids never to go downstairs. As their dad becomes stranger and stranger, the kids realize thata plant has created an evil clone of their dad.
While the original story isn’t gory or violent sincethe ’90s horror TV show had a children’s audience,Goosebumpsseason 2 has some body horror elements that make it stand outfrom other teen horror shows. In the first episode, Anthony realizes that something weird and eerie is happening with his plants. Then, a trellis of plants attacks Anthony and almost kills him. While he survives,a plant begins taking over his body. Anthony realizes that gruesome worm-like spores are growing out of his arm and then plucks a massive creature out of his arm a few moments later. After sending photos and videos to a colleague, he learns that it’s a carnivore animal that shouldn’t get out into the world.
Like thepractical effects in theGoosebumpsepisode “The Haunted Mask,“the effects inGoosebumpsseason 2, episode 2 areimpressive, horrifying, and bordering on too gross. Or, in other words, they’re up there withthe most disgusting body horror movie scenes.
Considering that the originalGoosebumpsis a horror series aimed at kids and perhaps pre-teens, I was surprised byhow genuinely creeped out I felt while watchingGoosebumpsseason 2. Whether watchingthe best body horror movies for those not familiar with the genreor Anthony’s scenes, it’s hard to look away. The spores in his arm look almost too real, andwhen the creature takes over Trey (Stony Blyden) and he’s covered in gooey red bumps and slime, it’s particularly memorable. I was expecting a mystery that one family has to figure out, but I had no idea that there would be such gruesome scenes. I think they makeGoosebumpsseason 2 more unforgettable than the first season.
The body horror moments inGoosebumpsseason 2 are balanced out bythe strong characters and the fact that at its core, it’s a moving story about a family coming together and dealing with the past. David Schwimmer does a great job as a dad torn between the horrifying new species that was created in his basement and making sure his kids have a great summer. Schwimmer, who is course known for comedies likeFriends, toldVarietyhe was"excited” to star in a horror project.
“I love the ‘Goosebumps’ franchise. The whole genre is really unique — this young-adult, horror-comedy action, but also grounded in real character and real emotion.”
What Did R.L. Stine Say About Goosebumps Season 2?
R.L. Stine is a fan ofGoosebumpsseason 2and shared his thoughts about these episodes in an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter. He mentioned the grown-up characters and said:
“Another thing I like, and this is true to the books, [is that] the parent is always useless. InGoosebumps, either they don’t believe the kid or they’re not around and they don’t help.”
It’s true that Anthony is distracted by his own problems and doesn’t spend as much time with his kids as he wanted to, and he also doesn’t pay that much attention to them.Stine continued thatGoosebumps season 2is “scarier"and said:
“It’s scarier. I just watched the first two episodes of the new season, and man, it’s very different, and it’s terrifying.”
