After a pretty decent first season, the Goosebumps series has decided to go the anthology route and execute a full reset of the story. This season follows a new group of characters as they uncover the secrets of a decades-old mystery while a supernatural force terrorises their neighbourhood.
The blending of a YA drama with the supernatural thrills of Goosebumps is a structure that’s working better the more they explore it. While it’s no gripping thrill-ride that will leave you gobsmacked, The Vanishing makes the most of its narrative reset to tell a story free from the confines of season one. The writers and creators have also clearly taken notes and righted some wrongs that were common gripes from audiences, while still not quite nailing the pacing. From the get-go it seemed like this season was setting up some great things. The pilot episode is maybe the second best of the season – it introduces likeable new protagonists, an infuriating antagonist, and a couple of compelling mysteries to latch onto. It’s a straightforward pilot structure, but it works really well in setting up what’s to come. From there the season does what the first did – weave one of the Goosebumps novels into each episode while furthering the overarching plot. Only I believe this season executed this better. Season one took a slightly more direct approach to adapting the stories, while for the most part this season takes the themes and ideas and applies them to the overarching plot. It’s a very welcome change as it creates a more seamless narrative progression with less random shit happening.
There’s two big elements of the story that had me hooked early – the mystery surrounding the missing teenagers, and getting to see this new “team” of kids start working together. One of these is handled better than the other unfortunately. The mystery had me hooked, spending each episode looking for clues as to what this black substance is and what exactly happened to the kids. It’s a bit like a “vanishing of Will Byers” situation, with a that story takes some neat turns in the latter half as answers come to light. They drip feed just enough information about it to avoid the impression that they’re padding for runtime. On the other hand, what’s dragging the first half of the season down is the length of time it takes before we get a real team dynamic. It takes five episodes before we really get the impression that our characters are working as a team. Until then it’s a series of characters working isolated in pairs and not making a whole lot of progress. It’s quite annoying as a viewer when we know more about the mystery than the characters simply because they’re not having the right conversations.
The reluctance to link all these characters up earlier not only has a blight on the pacing, making the first half drag a little too much, but also cuts down on the entertainment factor. The team dynamic in the latter half of the season is fantastic. Seeing our crew interact and have their personalities clash produces so many fun and hilarious beats… and even a couple of emotional ones. When we finally start getting those moments, they breathe new life into the show and speed the narrative along. It also makes you realise how flat the first half seemed, and how great it could have been had they teamed up from episode two. Granted, the early episodes are still decent, but they’re lacking the personality that would get you excited to keep going.
As we’re adapting Goosebumps stories, there’s always going to be that element of horror seeping into each episode. That is in here, though I’d actually say it’s more like Goosebumps thrills over straight horror. Granted there’s some horror-like sequences, but it’s overall quite light – at least lighter than the first season. This isn’t so much a criticism – the thrills are entertaining and the brief moments of horror are effective, so nothing to complain about. This then ties in to the visuals and aesthetic of the series – another greatly improved element. The first season’s aesthetic was made with muted grey and brown tones, along with ‘day for night’ scenes that made everything dull and lifeless. It was infuriating to watch with that aesthetic. This season has a more vibrant aesthetic, adding life to the world and making it much more appealing to watch.
The new cast are great, bringing a new dynamic to the series and all playing their parts well. Taking over the Justin Long adult role, David Schwimmer makes a surprise appearance after not really having many notable acting roles in recent years. His performance here fits the tone of the series – he plays an earnest father figure with a quirky persona, contributing to the heart and serious mystery elements as well as the cheesy comedy. Within the cast of kids, Galilea La Salvia (Frankie), Sam McCarthy (Devin) and Jayden Bartels (Cece) are the standouts, mostly due to their characters having the most fleshed out arcs. La Salvia and McCarthy have a number of fun scenes together, exhibiting great chemistry that has them shine as the lead duo. Bartels has some wonderful scenes alongside Francesca Noel (Alex), but I’d have liked more of their dynamic earlier on.
In the end, Goosebumps: The Vanishing is an improvement upon the first season, blending YA drama and light supernatural thrills into an entertaining package. There’s elements of mystery and some fun character development, especially in the latter half of the season. There’s some narrative missteps and the occasional pacing issue, but it’s overall and engaging ride. It doesn’t do anything too crazy with the story, but it’s also not painfully predictable – using its Goosebumps source material well to tell a single, cohesive story. For a light, fun watch that a range of audiences can enjoy, The Vanishing is a quick and easy binge.
6.7/10
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