For the 1995 Series episode of the same name, see "Stay Out of the Basement"
"Stay Out of the Basement, Part I" is the first episode of the second season of the Disney+/Hulu series, Goosebumps.
Synopsis[]
Two siblings unearth a link between a family tragedy and a long-dormant threat.
Plot[]
Brooklyn 1994
Matty, Sameer, Nicole, and Hannah enter Fort Jerome and go downstairs. Hannah is filming everything. Matty leads them to the entrance. As they go inside, they hear a noise. Sameer says it's the sound of them wasting their Friday night. Nicole is worried that someone else is in there, but Matty says there's no one. Matty leads them into a room where he says they experimented on people. All the people died. Sameer isn't buying it. He doesn't want to do the dare anymore. They can just leave and say they slept over. No one will know. Matty says everyone will because Hannah is filming everything. They all startle when they hear a loud noise and turn to see Matty's little brother, Stink. Matty ushers him toward the exit, upset that Stink followed him there and saying their mom will blame Matty for it. Sameer gets teased for being scared. They find a weird machine and investigate it. Matty rejoins the group and they show him the machine. It sparks as Matty reaches out to touch it. Nearby, a large panel on a wall also starts sparking. Then a hole opens up in the floor. It emits a gas and Matty decides that they're leaving. They hear a mysterious sound that's getting louder and then Matty's face starts to melt.
Brooklyn 2024
Cece and Devin get off the subway. Cece comments on them being far from New York, despite Devin reminding her they're still in New York. He accuses her of being a snob, while she thinks she's just honest. Gravesend isn't even cool Brooklyn. They had to leave behind everything that actually happens. Anthony Brewer, their dad, pulls up to the curb to pick them up. They load their things into the trunk and leave.
As Anthony pulls up to his house, he honks. He says he's fed up as Trey Jimenez steps out onto his porch. Trey's car is in Anthony's driveway. Trey says Anthony's mom let him park there. Anthony says that's because his mom didn't have a car. He doesn't want to have to talk to Trey's father about this. Trey goes back inside and Anthony tells them he's Joe Jr.'s son.
Anthony leads them inside and explains that he's been going through their grandma's things since putting her in the nursing home. He's really been looking forward to their aunt's brain surgery, because that means they'd be coming to visit for a while. He has their bedrooms set up with futons. They're pretty much the same, but one is more zebra-y. Cece says Devin will take that one. Before they go upstairs, Anthony says he wants them to have a fun and safe summer. He only has one rule, aside from the list of rules in their informational packets. They have to stay out of the basement. Devin asks what he has in the basement.
Anthony leads Cece and Devin down into the basement. It's filled with all kinds of plants. He tells them about a recent discovery of his that he hopes will rock the botany world. Devin taps the glass around one of the plants and Anthony tells him not to touch it. He tells them not to touch anything. Then he pulls them in for a hug, saying he's happy they're together again. Cece says she's hungry, so Anthony suggests going out to dinner to celebrate.
They go to Gwendolyn's. Anthony asks Cece about her debate camp, which starts Monday in the city, meaning she'll have to take the train. Anthony says the packet he gave her has a stun gun. Technically, as a minor, she's not allowed to have it, but as her father, he wants her protected. He's proud of her and thinks she's going to have a lot of fun. She says debate camp isn't fun. It's a room filled with a bunch of smart people who are telling you you're wrong. It's intense, but it's her thing and she has to have a thing to get into a good college. Devin thinks the point of college is to figure out your thing and graduate with a mountain of debt. Cece says not anymore. Now you have to figure out your thing to get into college. Then you pivot to a new thing. When Cece leaves to go to the bathroom, Anthony asks Devin how he's doing with everything that happened. Devin says he's coo'. Anthony doesn't think that's true because Devin got suspended for fighting. Devin defends that the other guy started it. Anthony says that's no excuse. Then they consult their menus to order.
C.J. Lewis pulls up outside on his moped as Anthony, Devin, and Cece exit. Anthony introduces them and says C.J. is working for his parents this summer. Anthony thinks Devin should also try to get a job there. Gwen steps out the door and asks where C.J. has been. People keep calling about their orders being late. She hands him the next order. He blames traffic, but she knows he's lying. C.J. pulls an egg roll out of the order he's supposed to be delivering and tells Cece and Devin that a bunch of them are going to the park tomorrow and they should come, too.
When they get home, Anthony sees Jen Diaz waiting in her car out front and tells Cece and Devin to wait inside for him. Jen tells him Joe Jr. stopped by the station today to file a harassment complaint on Trey's behalf. Anthony says Trey has been blocking his driveway. Jen mentions the deal Trey had with Anthony's mother. Jen's sorry about his mother, but Anthony says she's not dead. Jen just stopped by as a courtesy. She'll talk to Joe Jr. and calm things down. But Anthony should watch out for him because he's big on conspiracy theories. She also pulled some strings when she heard Anthony was back in town. They finally processed the request for his brother's things. She has a bag with his clothes from that night to give Anthony. Anthony says it only took 30 years. Jen tells him she's sorry, calling him Stink, a nickname he hates. She tries to talk to him about the night, but he says he should go because his kids are there. Devin and Cece watch from the window as Anthony walks up to the house. When he comes in, he tells them the bag is his brother's clothes from the night he died.
Anthony goes down to the basement and puts the bag on his desk. He is haunted by the memory of that night.
Anthony fights with Cece and Devin's mom, Tori about the stun gun. He defends his decision to buy it. He thinks she should have discussed it with him before signing Cece up for the camp. He put his entire career on hold to take care of him mother, who has dementia. He's not on vacation. He asks if Tori has a job or if she's still living off her parents' money. Tori hangs up and Anthony notices Devin listening to the conversation. He tells Devin it's okay because they can't get divorced twice. Anthony sometimes forgets that their mom wants the same things for them that he does. They just have different ways of getting there. Cece comes downstairs and Anthony says he made them waffles for breakfast. They're all burnt and both kids say they aren't hungry. Cece is going to the pharmacy to get some bath products. Devin decides to go with her. Anthony says he'll save the waffles, but then admits he won't.
Devin asks Cece about what products he should get. Cece says they're going to the park to hang out. It's not a big deal. She knows Devin is acting like this because Frankie might be there. Devin says he's attracted to Frankie and believes she'll still be attracted to him. Cece reminds him they haven't seen each other since eighth grade. Cece gives him advice not to say bussin too much around her. As they talk, the door chimes as Alex Diaz walks in. The store manager, Carmen, immediately says she has to get out. Alex begs to come in, saying she just needs Advil. When Carmen insists, Alex calls it discrimination and says she's going live. Carmen pulls out her own phone and also goes live. While the manager is distracted, Cece places some items in her purse. Alex puts her phone away and says she's good and leaves.
Devin and Cece arrive at the park. C.J. gets up to greet them, followed by Frankie, who is happy to see them. Devin ignores Cece's advice and uses the word bussin', so Cece excuses herself and walks away, taking C.J. with her. Frankie tells Devin it's been a while. He says he follows her on TikTok and she's gotten good at knitting. She's surprised he watches those videos. As they talk, Trey comes up behind Frankie and puts his arm around her. Trey recognizes Devin as "Planthony's" kid. Frankie says Trey is her boyfriend. He's in college. In turn, Frankie says Devin is her friend and they go way back. Trey asks Devin if he knits, too, then leads Frankie away.
Cece opens up her lip gloss. Alex comes up beside her and tells her she likes it. She takes the wand and puts some on. Cece says her mom says not to share makeup. Alex's mom says not to steal. Alex walks away as Devin approaches. Devin asks if Cece wants to get out of there and she says yes. C.J. comes up to them and says he wants to talk about their family history. He leads them back over to the group and tells the group that Devin and Cece's uncle was one of the kids who went missing in 1994. Frankie says the story gave her nightmares when she was younger. Alex wants to know the real story. Cece says she and Devin don't really know because they don't spent a lot of time think about their uncle tragically died, but Devin says they slept over on a dare, but they were probably not killed by ghosts. Frankie asks Devin if he's not scared of Fort Jerome. Devin says no. Trey tells him to prove it. Devin agrees.
They drive to Fort Jerome, which has a sign declaring it a restricted area. Trey uses bolt cutters to break the lock holding the gate closed and they go inside. Trey says the legend is that they did medical experiments there. C.J. asks about the lights and Trey says they put in security after what happened in 1994. He knows this because there's a 20/20 episode on YouTube from the '90s that explains it. They interviewed his dad for it. They find the tunnel leading to the room where it happened and Trey cuts another lock. He hands Devin a flashlight and says it's not too late to back out. He can just go home. C.J. says he doesn't have to do this, but admits that he's really excited for Devin to do it. Cece quietly tells Devin this isn't the way to impress a girl, but Devin thinks Frankie looks pretty impressed and he won't let Trey get the better of him. Cece tells him to let it go. Devin says he's going to walk into the room, take a few pictures, then come back out. Cece tells him to be safe.
Devin walks through the tunnel and pulls out his phone to take pictures.
Frankie says she can't believe Devin went in, calling it brave. Trey is annoyed at her for talking about it. Frankie asks Cece if they're going to be there all summer. Cece says yes, just like the first summer, when Frankie and Devin became besties. She was Devin's first kiss. When Trey hears that, he walks away. He uses his bolt cutters to get into an electrical box and then breaks things in it, causing a power outage.
Devin startles as the power goes out. He calls out for the others and gets no response. The panels on the wall behind him start sparking. Then a hole opens up in the floor. He walks toward it and sees Matty's face down there. Then the gas comes up and hits him.
Cece tells Trey to put the lights back on, but Trey busted the transformer. Frankie is also angry with him.
Devin struggles to walk as he makes his way out. Finally, he collapses on the floor. That's where Cece finds him and gets him out. Alex says he doesn't look okay. Devin thinks he fell, but C.J. notes he has multiple wounds on his face. Frankie sees that he has something coming from his eyes. Devin think it's oil. They all rush to leave.
Cece comes downstairs and asks Devin how he feels. He doesn't remember anything after going into the tunnel. He really scared Cece. She's sick of him doing things like this. He says he's sorry for not being more like she is. Anthony comes downstairs. Their grandma had a rough night, so he has to go be with her. He says they should come. Cece can't because it's her first day of camp. Cece says it's on Devin. Cece leaves and Devin decides to go with Anthony.
Anthony and Devin enter the facility. Nurse Cameron tells Anthony that she's in the lobby. It started in the middle of the night.
Anthony finds Naomi Brewer, his mother, calling out for Matty. He tries to calm her down. She says they need to find Matty. She doesn't believe he's gone. Anthony says Matty drowned. It's the only explanation. Naomi says Matty was the best swimmer, so that can't be. Anthony talks Naomi through some breathing to calm her down. Then she recognizes him. He has Devin come over. Cameron comes to get Anthony, saying the doctor wants to speak with him, so Naomi and Devin are left alone together. Devin struggles to make small talk. Naomi suddenly grabs him and says he smells like Matty. Cameron steps in and calms Naomi down. Devin goes over to his father and the doctor, who are talking about the progression of Naomi's dementia, which is making her more agitated. The doctor wants to run some tests and asks Anthony to stick around. Devin asks why Naomi was talking about Matty still being alive. Anthony says she could never accept that he was gone. He was Devin's age when he died and Devin is a lot like him. He had everything going for him, which he thinks Devin does as well. It'll just take time to find his thing. He compares Devin to the slowest-growing plant in the world. When it finally blooms, it's wonderful.
When Devin and Anthony get home, Devin says he's starving. Anthony says he can order from C.J. but it'll take forever and be half-eaten. He says Devin can order whatever he wants. Anthony's going downstairs for a minute. Devin looks through the takeout menus. Under them, he finds an album labeled Matty. He opens it.
In the basement, Anthony looks at the bag of Matty's clothes. He opens it and pulls something out. It's a Beastie Boys hoodie. Anthony finds a strange substance on it. He scrapes some of it onto a petri dish and puts it under a microscope. What he sees makes him question.
Devin flip through pictures of Matty. As he finds one of him wearing his Beastie Boys hoodie, he has a flash of seeing Matty in the tunnel. He calls out to his dad and knocks on the basement door.
Anthony watches whatever it is float around, making strands. A nearby plant snakes down toward the petri dish. Anthony grabs it as a plant starts growing from it.
Devin continues knocking, saying it's important.
The plant wraps around Anthony's hands and pulls him to the ground. It pulls him up the stairs and he calls for Devin not to come into the basement.
Devin holds his head in agony.
The plant pulls Anthony around.
Devin goes outside, still holding his head. As he walks down the street, the manhole cover behind him opens and a plant grows from it. He calls Cece, who doesn't answer. He leaves her a message as the plant wraps around him and pulls him down. The plant finally sprays something into his mouth. He grabs a pipe and throws it, which closes the grate on the plant, killing it.
Anthony's hands are released and he finds the petri dish is empty.
Devin crawls out of the plant debris and stumbles toward the exit. He sits at the edge of the manhole and asks how he got there.
Anthony finds marks all over his hand and arm. He says that's not good. then his skin turns blue and he panics. His belly then starts blowing up and the rest of him blows up until hes a 30 foot blueberry.
A picture of Devin prints out and someone pins it to a board, next to pictures of C.J., Trey, Frankie, Cece, and Alex. Above that row are pictures of Matty, Sameer, Hannah, and Nicole next to an article about them being declared dead. Ramona Pamani looks at the board.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- David Schwimmer as Anthony Brewer
- Ana Ortiz as Jen Diaz
- Jayden Bartels as Cece Brewer
- Sam McCarthy as Devin Brewer
- Elijah M. Cooper as C.J. Lewis
- Francesca Noel as Alex Diaz
- Galilea La Salvia as Frankie Garcia Bravo
Guest Starring[]
- Stony Blyden as Joseph "Trey" Jimenez III
- Sakina Jaffrey as Dr. Ramona Pamani
- Barbara Walsh as Naomi Brewer
- Christopher Paul Richards as Matty Brewer
- Eloise Payet as Hannah Parker
- Arjun Athalye as Sameer
- Kyra Tantao as Nicole
- Patrick Scott McDermott as Stink
Co-Starring[]
- Ayana George Jackson as Gwen
- Keirsten Hodgens as Nurse
- Khoa Nguyen as Doctor
- Dawn McGee as Store Manager
Music[]
| Song | Performer | Scene |
|---|---|---|
| "Pass the Mic" | Beastie Boys |
|
| "Million Dollar Baby" | Tommy Richman |
|
| "Espresso" | Sabrina Carpenter |
|
| "FE!N" | Travis Scott feat. Playboi Carti |
|
Gallery[]
Episode Stills[]
