Disney+’s adaptation of the iconic R.L. Stine horror book series is back with theGoosebumpsseason 2 trailer. Co-developed by Rob Letterman, who directed the 2015 movie adaptation, and Nicholas Stoller, season 1 of the show took a serialized approach to adapting Stine’s novels and was both a critical and viewership hit for the streamer.Goosebumpsseason 2 was officially announcedin February 2024, though was revealed to be taking an anthology approach by shifting to a new setting and cast of characters with the subtitleThe Vanishing.
Now, in honor of New York Comic Con,Disney+andHuluhave released the officialGoosebumpsseason 2 trailer. The video begins by introducing twin siblings, Cece and Devin, as they meet their dad, David Schwimmer’s Anthony, to spend the summer with him in Brooklyn. After inviting the duo to have a fun and “safe” summer,Anthony delivers a fairly ominous warning to not go into his basement, though offers no explanation as to why they shouldn’t.
TheGoosebumpsseason 2 trailer then transitions into introducing the rest of the teenage cast of characters, including Elijah M. Cooper’s CJ, Galila La Salvia’s Franki, Francesca Noel’s Alex and Stony Blyden’s Trey. The group learn the central mystery of the new season, that beingAnthony’s older brother having died under mysterious circumstances when the two were teenagers, shown to have happened in a decrepit power station. Anthony has also remained hopeful to investigate the situation himself, getting his brother’s sweatshirt from the police after 30 years of requesting it.
The trailer then turns to showcasing the various horrors set to crop up throughoutGoosebumps: The Vanishing. This includesa plant coming to life and attacking both Anthony and Devin, and seemingly leaving them both afflicted in different ways before Anthony traps the plant in a freezer, as well as Trey’s car becoming possessed, Trey going missing after being attacked by the plant, and a mysterious ooze blob growing further out from Cece’s sink. Check out the trailer below:
What The Goosebumps: The Vanishing Trailer Shows For Season 2
Multiple Iconic Stine Stories Are At The Forefront
Much like season 1, theseason 2 trailer showcases that Letterman and Stoller are maintaining the same serialized approach to adapting Stine’s novels. Unlike the prior season, though,season 2 is introducing a fish-out-of-water and estranged family frame narrativeto the formula, with the disappearance of Anthony’s brother in the ’90s being the key catalyst for the season’s story. This, in turn, looks to be setting up a new means of jumping between adaptingvariousGoosebumpsstorylinesthroughout the seasons, moving on from a malevolent ghost influencing various objects with evil to the plant influencing objects.
Schwimmer’s opening warning of “Stay out of the basement” refers back to the second-ever novella of the same name…
One of the other major differences thetrailer seemingly confirms is that the primary adult character of the seasonmight not be the onlyGoosebumpsseason 2 characterafflicted by the evil presence at the heart of the story. Unlike Justin Long’s Mr. Bratt, who was possessed by Biddle, Schwimmer’s Anthony looks to have actual agency over his actions and behavior, even if he seems to be inhabiting some kind of parasitic vines. Additionally, both Devin and Cece look to be afflicted by the evil plant in some capacity, opening the door for an emotional full-circle storyline in which they come together to stop the evil.
In regard to the actual stories, theGoosebumpsseason 2 trailer confirms that multipleiconic Stine stories are being adapted forThe Vanishing.Schwimmer’s opening warning of “Stay out of the basement” refers back to the second-ever novella of the same name, in which a plant-testing parent begins transforming into one himself. Other stories that look to be getting adapted include “The Haunted Car”, aCarrie-like story of a possessed car, and “It Came from Beneath the Sink!”, in which a large living sponge brings bad luck to two siblings.
Our Take On The Goosebumps Season 2 Trailer
The Stakes Look Appropriately High
As a longtime fan of Stine’s novels, I found that season 1 found a really unique way to adapt his source material, and theGoosebumpsseason 2 trailer gives me a lot of hope that the show will continue this trend. Though I admittedly still find myself wanting a resolution toGoosebumpsseason 1’s cliffhanger ending, I do generally appreciate the show’s efforts to do something new and am curious to see just howThe Vanishingwill tie in the stories it’s adapting.
Goosebumps: The Vanishingpremieres on Disney+ and Hulu on January 10.
Goosebumps
Cast
R. L. Stine’s horror book series receives its second television adaptation with the 2023 Disney+ series Goosebumps. The new series brings in the creative minds behind the first two Goosebumps films and centers on five teenagers who haphazardly unleash evil supernatural forces on their town. As they attempt to send them back to where they came from, they learn that their parents harbor similar secrets from their younger days.
