RJ Writing Ink

Jay’s Month of Scares, Day 18- Regular Show III

By now, it should be clear that I really enjoy the “Terror Tales of the Park” episodes from Regular Show. They’re the “Treehouse of Horror” specials of the decade. As such, I intend to include all of them in my month of scares. In Terror Tales III, the Park Gang makes a bet on who can tell the scariest story on Halloween. Winner gets all their candy, and the loser gets stuck in their costume until Thanksgiving Dinner (*cough* Thomas *cough*). As usual, here are the stories and my thoughts on each of them.

Killer Bed

Rigby starts the special off by giving us a story about a bed that’s to die for. After carefully saving up his money all year, Rigby’s able to buy a real bed for himself! However, he soon learns that his bed’s special. It was made by a murderer who fell into a bed-making machine, and the bed comes to life and tries to kill Rigby!

I found this story to be very entertaining, as it’s similar to the backstory of Chucky the killer doll from Child’s Play. However, I enjoyed the ending the most. While it looks like the Park Gang lets the killer bed go, they wait until the next day and chop him to pieces. I thought it was a funny bait and switch.

Jacked-Up Jack-O-Lantern

In Muscle Man’s story, he, Fives, Mordecai and Rigby go around smashing all the pumpkins in the park. When they come across a pair of pumpkin scarecrows with a “do not smash” sign, they smash one anyway. As a result, the angry scarecrow comes to life and attacks the guys so he can do some smashing of his own!

This story may have been the weakest out of the three in the special. I admit, a scarecrow voiced by Mark Hamill’s scary, but his revenge’s lackluster. He turns them into pumpkins so he can smash them, take the seeds, and grow them into talking pumpkins. It’s ironic, but not really good.

Previous Owner

In Benson’s tale, the park gang makes the mistake of staying in the house on the worst possible night. Two hundred years ago lived Jebediah Townhouse, the previous owner of the house. He looked and acted like someone from the 1980’s, but his people couldn’t understand him. So he fused his soul into the house to wait to return. What up, home boys, Jebediah in the house!

When I saw this story, two things immediatley came to mind for me. Firstly, this seems a lot like that film Monster House, but funnier because uses 80s lingo. Secondly, it epitomizes all the things that were lame about the 1980s in hindsight, like the slang terms and hair styles. It’s a good thing I keep up with modern lingo and terms. Happy Halloween, Fools!

Click here to see the FANDOM Article I did for Halloween last year.

Click here to see my other animation stuff. Or here to see all holiday related posts.

Jay’s Month of Scares, Day 17- Disney’s Sleepy Hollow

After recalling the tale of the Hopping Hessian from the Rocko Halloween special, I knew what I wanted to watch tonight. I have seen many ghostly stories and ghoulish tales in our culture. Out of all of them, though, I think that my favorite has to be The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

First published by Washington Irving back in 1820, Sleepy Hollow‘s one of the most enduring stories in American fiction. Over the years, Irving’s famous story has been adapted and reimagined into many different iteration. There’s that Sleepy Hollow show a few years ago, a Johnny Depp movie, and cameos and references in all manner of shows and books. However, of all the adaptations, my personal favorite has to be the Disney cartoon. Coincidentally, the special turned 70 earlier this month.

Disney’s Sleepy Hollow Balances Scares with Silliness

I’m well aware that Disney’s version of Sleepy Hollow is far more light-hearted than the original story. Above all, it is Disney that’s making this. Most of the segment relies on the humor that Disney garnered a reputation for. It’s silly and relies on visual gags and sound effects, but nonetheless, it has that Disney charm.

However, all that largely changes in the final part of the story as a result of Brom Bones’ song. While watching Ichabod freak out was funny, it consequentially leaves viewers on edge as Ichabod makes his way home. By the time the Horseman actually appears, most of the humor is gone. Even the antics of Ichabod during the chase do little to lighten the mood.

American Gothic At Work

I took a college course on American gothic storytelling, and I remember a few things about it. Among the major themes found is the sense of isolation and fear of the other, the unknown. Disney’s Sleepy Hollow did an impressive job of matching this. From the time Ichabod rides into the Hollow, the setting serves to remind us of how utterly alone he is. Even the narrator stops talking, and aside from repeating a line from Brom’s story, there is no dialogue. As a result, everything’s conveyed through sound effects, music, and Ichabod’s screams.

I thought that this is masterful storytelling. As a result of the lack of talking, the tension continues to build as Ichabod begins seeing danger all around him. Therefore, it keeps the viewers constantly on edge, before letting that culminate with the appearance of the Horseman to create sheer terror. The entire sequence is legitimately scary, and I can see how it would scare most kids. Even the more realistic way the Horseman’s and his steed are drawn is unsettling. They had to keep Sleepy Hollow appropriate for the kids. If I saw this as a kid, I’d probably be too scared to watch. That’s awesome!

One of the Best Sleepy Hollow Adaptations

It may not be apparent, but I’m a little obsessed with The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. It’s one of my favorite Halloween stories. Remember how I said I made a text-based game for St. Patrick’s day? The original purpose was what can essentially be called fan fiction. I wanted to do a story involving the Headless Horseman, only instead of horses, we’re riding Harleys.

My point is that while there may be scarier adaptations of Sleepy Hollow out there, my favorite remains the 1949 Disney Cartoon. It brings the humor of Disney with the gothic storytelling of the story. Plus, it’s got a really catchy song.

Happy Halloween!

Click here to see the FANDOM Article I did for Halloween last year.

Click here to see my other animation stuff. Or here to see all holiday related posts.

Jay’s Month of Screams, Day 16- Rocko’s Modern Life

Ever since I started this month long event, I’ve made a conscious effort to avoid using any of the examples I used for FANDOM. Yet I can no longer put off using this next one because it’s so good. It’s Rocko’s Modern Life: Sugar Frosted Frights.

On Halloween night, everyone is excited for candy and costumes, except for Filburt. Thanks to his Halloween-hating Aunt Gretchen and her stories about the infamous Hopping Hessian, the poor turtle’s in fear of the holiday. So Rocko and Heffer decide to teach him about the joys of Halloween.

However, it turns out giving someone who’s never tasted candy before can backfire horribly. Filburt goes into what I can only describe as a G-Rated drug trip, which is something that a show like Rocko would be willing to allude to. Seeing Filburt devolve into a sugar-crazed state is disturbing, but what takes the cake is the hallucination where he turns into a giant demon. The older fans may recognize it as a parody of the famous Chernabog scene from Fantasia. It has the music for Night on Bald Mountain playing, which only adds to the scene.

Once Filburt comes down from his sugar-high, though, we get a real treat in the Hopping Hessian. One of my favorite stories to read around Halloween is Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The Hopping Hessian is a silly, yet still scary, parody of the Headless Horseman. Plus the ending is pretty funny.

I recommended this special in my article on FANDOM, and I still think that it was a good decision. Sugar Frosted Frights is awesome, and the Hopping Hessian is fun. The real lesson learned here, though, is never listen to Crazy Aunt Gretchen. Happy Halloween!

Click here to see the FANDOM Article I did for Halloween last year. Click here to see my other animation stuff. Or here to see all holiday related posts.

Jay’s Month of Screams, Day 15- Costume Quest

The reason why I do this Halloween special a day is because I can’t contain my love for the holiday to one single day. I want to get as hyped as possible, hence the specials. After all these years, though, I have found a show dedicated entirely to the best aspects of the holiday. From the studio that brought you The Fairly Oddparents and Adventure Time, and based on the cult game of the same game, comes Costume Quest!

How I found Costume Quest

I was browsing on Twitter this morning, checking up on latest celebrity news. That’s when I saw this tweet from Daron Nefcy, the creator of Star vs. The Forces of Evil:

So I followed Daron’s suggestion and looked up the show on Amazon Prime. After that, I spent the whole day binge watching it. I also looked up the guy that Daron mentioned in her thread for the tweet.

As Co-Executive Producer for Costume Quest, Bryan Caselli has an impressive resume. He started out as an intern for another show that I love by the name of Regular Show. From there, he moved on to be a writer and storyboarder for the show Sanjay and Craig. After that, he became a storyboarder for Star vs the Forces of Evil. He even has a page on the show’s wiki!

As for the studio, Frederator is known for creating quality cartoons. They’ve had a long partnership with Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, creating some of their best shows. From The Fairly Oddparents and Adventure Time to their successful YouTube channel, they bring the goods. I couldn’t think of a reason not to watch Costume Quest.

Costume Quest’s Plot

I don’t want to ruin the surprise, so I’ll try and keep spoilers to a minimum.

The show takes place in the fictional town of Auburn Hollow, renowned for its supply of mineable nougat (yes it’s a thing). With Halloween coming up, four friends, Wren, her brother Reynold, Everett, and Lucy are shopping for costumes. That’s when they come across a junk shop run by a man named Norm, whose costumes have the power to transform them into what they’re dressed as. As cool as that is, they have a powerful secret connected to the town.

The kids learn that a hundred years ago, an army of powerful monsters, the Repugnians, came to Auburn Hollow from another dimension to steal its nougat. Nougat’s like a drug for them; when they eat it, they get jacked up and turn into super-monsters. They could have conquered the universe with that power, but a group of four kids with similar costumes drove them back. With the portal to Repugnia set to open again that Halloween Night, the remaining monsters are active once more, trying to steal the nougat. Therefore, it falls to Norm and the four kids to use their costumes and imaginations to stop the Repugnians before they can conquer the universe!

Everything I love about Halloween in one Show

Part of the reason why I ended up binge watching Costume Quest is because it includes a lot of the different aspects I love about Halloween. First and foremost, it takes something fun like Halloween costumes and turns into an imaginative concept. Seeing the kids transform into all manner of creature or fictional character is entertaining, because they become almost anything. They can even turn into inanimate objects like cars and work just like a real one would. It’s like Ben 10 meets the Power Rangers.

In addition, there’s the fact that the entire show takes place in October, when Halloween is on everyone’s mind. This means the Halloween fun is spread out over an entire month, leading up to a final, giant fight on Halloween night; with giant monsters. It’s like it was made for me!

Finally, there’s the fact that show revolves around protecting a candy. In the show, it’s treated like a combination valuable ore and super-drug. That can’t disguise the fact that it’s a candy, though, and that’s one of the most important and fun parts of Halloween! That, and scary monsters.

The Repugnians

Speaking of monsters, here are the villains, the Repugnians. They’re monsters that hide amongst the people of Auburn Hollow using ridiculously good costumes. It’s almost impossible to tell them apart from humans, hence why the kids can’t rely on anyone outside of Norm. When beaten, they turn into tiny monsters called Grubbins, but that’s about it. They can’t destroy them because it’s a kids show, and because people would notice if others went missing.

They’re led by Bob, a ruthless monster who has all the hallmarks of a villain. He’s ruthless, he’s calculating, and a terrible boss to his minions. Even without nougat, he’s still a dangerous enemy, and he knows how to use every advantage possible.

A Good Halloween Inspired Show

While it’s certainly not as scary as some other Halloween shows, Costume Quest is a good show. It’s well-written, the animation is appealing, and the level of creativity is plain for all to see. I couldn’t stop watching it! If you have Amazon Prime, then go watch it right now. The second half of the first season just came out last week. Until then, Happy Halloween!

Click here to see the FANDOM Article I did for Halloween last year.

Click here to see my other animation stuff. Or here to see all holiday related posts.

Jay’s Month of Screams, Day 13- Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

When I started this month-long Halloween prep, I promised that I would get in at least a few movies. I haven’t had the time to do so, until tonight that is. While this film isn’t a Halloween film, it can put in October and tells a kid-friendly, and hilarious, version of a classic horror story. From the creators of Chicken Run, Early Man, and Shaun the Sheep comes this 2005 comedy, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

Wallace & Gromit, Anti-Pesto

The town’s annual Vegetable Competition is only a few days away, but there’s a small, furry problem in the form of a rabbit infestation. Luckily, Wallace and Gromit are on the job as Anti-Pesto. They capture the pests and lock them where they can’t cause harm, but they keep coming. After accepting a job from a wealthy noblewoman, Wallace gets the idea to rehabilitate the rabbits do they won’t hurt vegetables.

However, Wallace’s attempts backfire in more ways than one. People start making reports of a giant creature, a were-rabbit that eats all vegetables. Is the were-rabbit a mutated bunny, or a man cursed to transform into a fluffy monster? Regardless, it’s up to Wallace and Gromit to stop the beast and save the town!

Fun With Stop-Motion

I think the premise of The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is brilliant. Taking an established monster like the werewolf and recreating it into a family-friendly creature. The plot of the film and the actions of the were-rabbit would into a traditional horror film. Replace the were-rabbit with a werewolf and all the vegetables he eats with livestock or people, and bam! Instant horror story.

It’s not the best stop-motion horror film to watch for Halloween, but I think this British film works thanks to its sense of humor. It’s got a good blend of different kinds of humor. There’s snarky comments, puns, slapstick, and even a few innuendos. The whole thing’s really one series of jokes that will make kids laugh and elicit a smile or chuckle from adults.

Were-Rabbit is A Hilariously Hopping Good Movie

If you haven’t gotten the chance to see Wallace & Gromit, then I recommend you do. I know it’s not scary, but it’s a fun little film for the season. It’s free right now on HBO on demand (I think). I certainly liked it, after all. Happy Halloween

Click here to see the FANDOM Article I did for Halloween last year.

Click here to see my other animation stuff. Or here to see all holiday related posts.

Jay’s Month of Scares, Day 11- Blockhead

Since I was too busy watching the Joker movie, I couldn’t watch a Halloween special. As a compromise, I rewatched these old Halloween shorts from this guy on Newgrounds, The Swain’s Blockhead.

Blockhead’s about the titular character, and he’s this yellow, unbelievably dumb guy who annoys everyone he meets. The other main character is Blockhead’s Conscience, who say he’s the only thing standing between Blockhead and the Earth’s total destruction. Unfortunately, Blockhead never listens to his Conscience and destroys everything he touches, especially on Ghostmas Day.

Ghostmas Day is this holiday Blockhead in place of Halloween; and on a random day of the year. No one really knows what it’s about, beyond Blockhead committing random acts of vandalism. That, and singing a nonsensical song.

I liked watching these videos when I was younger, and I still think they’re good for a laugh. Blockhead always gets away with his nonsense, no matter what it may be, and seeing the back and forth between him and his Conscience is like a comedy duo at work. It’s funny, and the Ghostmas episodes are Blockhead at his best. Happy Halloween Merry Ghostmas day!

If you want to see Blockhead commit his senseless acts of vandalism, click here. You can find The Swain’s shorts on YouTube! The Ghostmas episodes are 4, 8, and 11, plus this standalone special. Thank you for your patience, and I promise I will be back tomorrow with a Halloween special. Plus something else special!

Oh, and maybe the new episode of Sword Art Online: Alicization.

Click here to see the FANDOM Article I did for Halloween last year.

Click here to see my other animation stuff. Or here to see all holiday related posts.

Jay’s Month of Scares, Day 6- Regular Show, Terror Tales of the Park

Last year when I was writing for FANDOM, I tried following up my Nicktoons Halloween post with another one. This time, it would be about Regular Show and their series of Halloween specials, Terror Tales of the Park. They didn’t approve it in time, so I scrapped it. No ones stopping me now, though!

If you haven’t seen “Terror Tales”, it follows the same formula as The Simpsons “Treehouse of Horror.” It’s a stand-alone episode that let the cast and writers do some fun short stories. It was a staple of the show until it ended.

Creepy Doll

In the first segment, Pops reunited with his childhood doll, Percy. Mordecai and Rigby try to get him to get rid of the doll, but it keeps coming back. It also wants to draw on people’s faces, so there’s that, too.

I get that this story was supposed to be a PG version of Chucky from the Child’s Play series, but this wasn’t that scary. Which was the point; this was a story that Pops was telling to the Park Gang. No one else thought the story was scary, just weird.

Death Metal Crash Pit

In Muscle Man and Hi-Five’s story, they decide to crash an old RV into the park’s crash pit. Turns out that RV is the resting place of a deceased death metal band. A really terrible death metal band, too!

I almost forgot about this story until I rewatched the episode, and it reminded me of why. The ghost band played the worst music I’ve ever heard. It explains why Muscle Man decides crash the RV into the Crash Pit with him in it. As a side note, this moment also introduced us to the Crash Pit, which plays a big role in Muscle Man and Fives friendship.

In the House

When Rigby’s refused candy on Halloween, he eggs an old wizard’s house. Furious, the wizard vows to make Rigby pay. How does he do it? By turning him into a house and attacking his friends when they try to interfere.

This was my segment on the first Terror Tales special, because it’s equal parts scary as it is absurd. The Park members end up dying gruesome deaths, or about as gruesome as a kids show allows. Then it turns into something absurdly silly when the Wizard’s ultimate payback… is to egg Rigby. I couldn’t help but laugh at how petty it was!

Of course, it helped that the Wizard was voiced by Mark Hamill, and that the episode ends with this jumpscare! Happy Halloween!

This was a good start to a new Halloween tradition: the tradition of the Terror Tales of the Park! I looked forward to seeing it every Halloween, and I still back on it fondly. Happy Halloween!

Click here to see the FANDOM Article I did for Halloween last year.

Click here to see my other animation stuff. Or here to see all holiday related posts.

Jay’s Month of Halloween, Day 3- Futurama “The Honking”

We all know how Matt Groening’s The Simpsons comes out with a Halloween special every year. Did you know that there was a Halloween special for Groening’s other hit show, Futurama? Titled “The Honking”, it aired first week of November, 2000, and it was awesome!

While staying at a castle he inherited from his deactivated Uncle Vladimir, Bender gets run over by a were-car! He then gets cursed as a were-car himself and starts making roadkill out of everyone! The only way to stop the curse is to hunt down the original were-car and destroy it!

Classic Horror Meets Sci-Fi

This episode contained a lot of the hallmarks of classic horror films. The initial setting’s in a Gothic castle in Eastern Europe. It’s appropriately scary with a cemetery, spiders, and robot ghosts. The real draw, though, was the were-car. I don’t know how the curse actually lets Bender turn into a car, but I didn’t really care. It’s like watching a Transformer!

Since Futurama’s a sci-fi show, the horror tropes got a nice adaptation to fit it. The curse is explained as a virus transmitted from robot to robot, but that wasn’t the cool part. I though the cool part was how Farnsworth explained how the robot ghosts existed. Programming leaked into an old modem and infected the castle; of course.

I may not be a big fan of The Simpsons outside of the Halloween episodes, but I’ve been a fan of Futurama for years. It’s still one of the funniest sci-fi shows ever made, and I binged it on Netflix before it got taken off. Here’s to Halloween, and to the memory of Bender and Futurama.

Click here to see the FANDOM Article I did for Halloween last year.

Click here to see my other animation stuff. Or here to see all holiday related posts