Ernest Scared Stupid
(Touchstone Pictures, 1991)
Ernest P. Worrell. Growing up, I watched this man star in various commercials. He went to jail, to camp, and he even saved Christmas (we'll discuss that in December). And he was also scared stupid. Yes, Ernest got his own Halloween movie.
Ernest Scared Stupid is the quaint little tale of bumbling garbageman Ernest, his dog Rimshot, and soul sucking trolls. This Troll gets resurrected shortly into the movie, and he starts turning children into wood and stealing their souls. He needs the right number of souls to grow his army from the tree he was trapped under.
Only a few kids believe wacky ol' Ernest, and of course, none of the adults do until it is too late. This leads to many zany scenarios that Ernest finds himself smack in the middle of.
This movie has long been a favorite of mine to watch around this time of year. I've always loved Ernest, and this is my second favorite Ernest movie, behind Ernest Saves Christmas. This movie has some good gags and some even better one-liners. "How about a bumper sandwich, booger breath?" It's gold!
There is one other thing about this movie that has stuck with me through the years: the trolls. For a young kid, a few of them are creepy as Hell. The creature effects are well done for a kids movie. In fact, they blow away the creatures in Troll 2(which is coming to HMM soon).
If you like slapstick humor from the early '90s, you should check this one out.