Night of the Living Dummy II is a huge improvement on the original book, which is fondly remembered by many as being better than it actually is. This isn’t quite the Terminator 2 or Empire Strikes Back level of the sequel being better than the original, but kudos to Stine for pulling off the rare fete. Unlike its predecessor, Night of the Living Dummy II does not waste a full two-thirds of the book on exhausting fake scares, and it doesn’t star the same insufferable and bratty twin protagonists. In fact, the only returning character from the first book is Slappy. I liked Amy as the middle child protagonist; I don’t think I’ve seen that before in a Goosebumps book. I also thought the book did a really good job building tension and escalating the stakes up until the third act. Unfortunately, like the first book, there isn’t a lot of logic behind the living dummy or his motives. He exists to play mean pranks and has a weird obsession with making children his slaves with no obvious means of enforcing said enslavement. It was another missed opportunity to do something way scarier. I wasn’t sold on the twist in the third act, it felt too contrived for the sake of creating a twist. Overall, Night of the Living Dummy II was a mostly fun read and a vast improvement over the first book, even as it shared some of the same flaws.
Score: 3
For my full snark-filled recap with spoilers, gifs, and memes to illustrate my very important points, check it out on my website blog Fits of Nostalgia!
Hello my goosebumps fans! Welcome to this blog. On this blog you’re able to ask these….lovely characters some questions. Now for introductions!
Hello askers, I’m Aster. After recent horrific events, I’ve been stuck with monsters in my town as well as my home. The more bothersome one is a dummy.
How rude! Last I checked lab rat; YOU’RE the dummy! Now my dear slaves, I’m sure you know your beloved puppet master. Afterall, even if you foolish slaves tried like the previous ones to escape or destroy me…I’ll always haunt your dreams.
