‘Goosebumps: The Vanishing’ Brings Aliens to Brooklyn in Mediocre Season [TV REVIEW]

The works of R.L. Stine’s worldwide best-selling books Goosebumps has come back to inspire a second installment of the Hulu/Disney+ series named after the famed books. Set as an anthology series, Goosebumps: The Vanishing, which premiered Friday, January 10, brought viewers to a new setting with new characters to step into a creepy and supernatural world.

In Goosebumps: The Vanishing, a group of teens go missing in 1994. The tragedy rocked a section in Brooklyn, New York which trickled down to present day where much of the season takes place. In the present, twins Devin (Sam McCarthy) and Cece (Jayden Bartels) are sent to spend the summer in Gravesend, Brooklyn with their divorced dad, scientist Anthony Brewer (David Schwimmer). Their family’s dark past resurfaces and the Brewer’s must band together with local cop Jen (Ana Ortiz) and new friends: Frankie (Galilea La Salvia), Trey (Stony Blyden), Alex (Francesca Noel) and CJ (Elijah M. Cooper) to save the neighborhood.

(L-R) Sam McCarthy as Devin, Jayden Bartels as Cece, and David Schwimmer as Anthony Brewer in Goosebumps The Vanishing. Photo: Disney

I grew up watching the original Goosebumps series that ran from 1995-1998 and was enamored with the show, so I was a bit hesitant when the first season of the rebooted series dropped in 2023, but I ended up really enjoying it and the unique spins that season put on the classic episodes. The Vanishing lacked that for me. While the titles of the episodes are familiar, I don’t think it translated that well with the new episodes compared to how they flawlessly did it before. I was able to easily pick up the similarities between the original and revamped episodes of “Say Cheese and Die!,” “The Haunted Mask,” and “The Cuckoo Clock of Doom” in the 2023 season, but in season two episodes I could only pick up similar vibes in a few episodes. One thing these new Goosebumps episodes are going to give though is a good soundtrack. Hulu and Disney+ gave this show a big budget to have songs by Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, and Charlie XCX, among others, included. Clearly much of the budget went to licensing music because it had questionable CGI, even for a young adult show.

David Schwimmer as Anthony Brewer in Goosebumps The Vanishing. Photo: Disney

The Vanishing had good twists throughout the season, but it was giving strong Stranger Things vibes. Goosebumps hasn’t been one to steer away from supernatural themes, but it leaned way into that element. Too much for me. Maybe I would have liked it better if I wasn’t aware I was watching Goosebumps and took it as just another supernatural series. There were “aliens” in The Vanishing that had resemblance to demogorgons and an underground lair where secret experiments were happening. All they needed was a teen with special powers and I would have said “Close enough, welcome back Stranger Things.”

(L-R) Elijah M. Cooper as CJ, Francesca Noel as Alex, Jayden Bartels as Cece, Galilea La Salvia as Frankie, and Stony Blyden as Trey in Goosebumps The Vanishing. Photo: Disney

The anthology aspect of this Goosebumps series works well. I thought I would miss the season one cast, and I do, but I like bringing a new theme to life while highlighting individual stories from the original books and show each episode. I wouldn’t mind a connection though like a previous character showing up or a mention to past events. The Vanishing cast didn’t have any stand out performances but there were some laughs largely from Elijah M. Cooper’s character and David Schwimmer. The Vanishing is a good binge that could be completed in one sitting if you’re a fan of R.L. Stine’s work, but don’t expect to be blown away.

All 8 episodes of Goosebumps: The Vanishing are available to stream on Hulu and Disney+.

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Photo: Disney