This week, I had the opportunity to attend the advance screening of Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween with one of my sons. Given that my son is 15 years old, I’ll admit that I wasn’t certain that he’d enjoy the movie. Truth is, he only decided to attend with me because one of his friend’s Mom had won tickets and he figured he’d see the movie with his friend, which he did :).
The movie is based on R.L Stine’s 400-million-selling series of books and follows some teenagers on their misadventures when Halloween comes to life. Given that this is a movie that is targeted to the younger set, it’s not a movie that is filled with anything super-scary. If your younger child is ok with visuals of creatures and monsters ‘coming to life’ and a few ‘scary surprises’ ( I even jumped in my seat a few times), then they are likely ok to see it.
As for the teens: My son (like myself) had expected to find it too ‘baby-ish’, but following the film, he and his friend agreed that although they found it a bit ‘young’ they still enjoyed it. I spoke to a few younger teens (12-13 years old) who enjoyed the movie but confided that they found the ending ‘annoying’.
It’s worth mentioning that as an adult, there were also some funny moments which, based on the laughter in the cinema, the rest of the audience seemed to have enjoyed as much as I did 😉
All-in-all, If you have kids at different ages ‘levels’ of movie enjoyment ( if you’re there, you know exactly what I mean), then Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween could be a good choice for your family. While your older ones may not dub it their #1 choice fo the year, they may just enjoy it enough for you to be able to sit through a family movie all together again 
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Of course, even if you don’t have kids of varying ages, and you’re just looking for a fun movie to take in with the kids before Halloween, then it’s a fun choice just the same
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween opens in theatres today October 12
Wishing everyone a fabulous weekend!
Tanya
