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Disney+ is back with the second season of Goosebumps: The Vanishing, which is believed to be adapted from R.L. Stine's horror novels.
The first season of the horror series was influenced by the stories of the popular horror novel series, Night of the Living Dummy, Eat Worms, The Haunted Mask, and The Cuckoo Clock of Doom. The second season of Goosebumps: Vanishing was based on R.L. Stine's books The Haunted Car, Monster Blood, Stay Out of the Basement, The Girl Who Cried Monster Blood, The Ghost Next Door, Welcome to Camp Nightmare, and Invasion of Body Squeezers.
Season one of the series, even though it borrowed certain characters from the novels, has a different storyline to it. In the same way, the story in Season 2 is based on several of Stine's novels. The series Goosebumps: The Vanishing failed to deliver the classic twist from R.L. Stine's The Ghost Next Door by revealing Hannah's ghostly nature too early. In the book, her true identity is a shocking late twist, while the series makes it obvious from the start, undermining the suspense and emotional impact of her character.
What twist did Goosebumps: The Vanishing fail to recreate from R.L. Stein's novels?
The Disney+ series hurriedly introduces the character Hannah (Eloise Payet) in Season 2 Episode 6 called 'The Girl Next Door.' Devin meets the character just after his breakup with his love interest, Frankie. The series could have kept some surprises to Hannah's character for later revelation.
Instead, it shows Hannah as an uncanny character, ghostly in appearance and attitude. In fact, in the next scene where she meets Deven, she tries to hypnotize him. The plot also typecasts her as a villain without even building her character as a trustworthy one as shown in the books.
This gives away to the viewers a major turn that is otherwise kept under wraps in the books. In the series, Hannah's portrayal made it too obvious that she is a supernatural being. In R. L. Stein's book 10, The Ghost Next Door Hannah is a sweet neighbor who is secretly a ghost. Hannah herself reveals her true identity at the end of the novel.
Did the 2015 Goosebumps movie have a better twist?
The 2015 live-action movie Goosebumps directed by Rob Letterman explored Hannah's character and the twists in a better way than the Disney+ series. The movie shows Hannah as a normal character for most of the runtime. She is also seen dealing with her overprotective father. The revelation of her as a ghost comes at the very end of the movie, leaving the audience in shock.
The movie shows how Hannah befriends Zach Cooper (Dylan Minnette) as he moves next door much against her father's wishes. Zach accidentally opens the Goosebumps manuscript, unleashing the Abominable Snowman of Pasadena. Thus she teams up with Zach, her father, to put a stop to the disaster that is about to happen. Only in the ending scenes does Hannah reveal herself as a supernatural being as she opens the book, sucking the monsters in it.
Hannah accepts her fate and later is imprisoned after they bid each other farewell. In a shocking twist, Hannah reappears as a human being and continues her relationship with Zach after burning the manuscript.
The Disney+ series kills Hannah's interesting plot while giving it away from the first scene itself that she is a ghost and not a normal human.
What is Goosebumps: The Vanishing all about?
Goosebumps: The Vanishing is based on the life of a botanist called Anthony Brewer (David Schwimmer), who is seen in search of his missing brother in 1994. The story opens up further as Brewer's twins Deven (Sam McCarthy) and Cece (Jayden Bartels) befriend Gravesend teens CJ (Elijah Cooper), Alex (Francesca Noel), Trey( Stony Bleden), and Frankie (Gallilea La Salvia) who discover the truth behind Brewer's brother's disappearance. They come across terrifying fictional characters like shapeshifters in the process.
Goosebumps: The Vanishing premiered on January 10, 2025, on Disney+ and Hulu.
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