More “WTF??” Scary Scenes from Non-Scary Movies

When Halloween rolls around we like to talk about scary movies that we love. But what often gets overlooked are scary scenes from movies that were never meant to be scary. It can be a comedy or scifi or whatever else, but the movie is perfectly pleasant until one scene gives us 60 seconds of terror. Here are ten that scared me, and in the interest of full disclosure I did do a list similar to this nine years ago. However, that article omitted a lot of examples and had no video clips. And of course these are my choices, if you don't think these scenes were particularly scary than that's no problem. 

Superman III-Robo Woman

So here you have a movie which goes out of its way to say that it is a light comedy. It has goofy opening credit and of course Richard Pyor. Then as the last act finally gets going, tou get this out of nowhere moment where a woman is grabbed by the super computer and turned into a robot right in front of our eyes. I think it's the women's cries which make it scary, especially when she goes from begging for help to being subservient in the span of a millisecond. And those eyes!!

A (Brief) Look at Muppet Haunted Mansion

 

So I just watched the latest Muppet production which premiered on Disney+ a few weeks ago. Since it was a Halloween special, I had to check it out. And since it just premiered, I will keep this short and as spoiler free as I can. So what is the plot? Gonzo and Pepe accept a challenge to stay at a haunted mansion all night on Halloween. Yeah, that's about it. This special isn't really story heavy, things just kind of happen though it does try for character development toward the end. Does that mean it's bad? No but it could have been better, Pretty much every Muppet appears although most are just brief cameo's. The special does try to keep the Muppet spirit alive with homages to the Muppet Show, 4th wall jokes, and some songs. I thought the songs were unnecessary but they aren't bad. And they also did a great job with the Haunted Mansion, not only does it resemble the Disney ride but there are even lines of dialogue taken from the ride itself. You can feel them trying to be a traditional Muppet production but the creators still don't get why we loved the classic stuff. The end kind of meanders to its conclusion. Will Arnett is good and most of the cameo's are very fast and pointless. Except for Taraji Henson who comes into the story way to late and I didn't care about her at all. Another gripe is that the special continues the ongoing quest by the Muppet performers to elevate Pepe to top tier Muppet. For reasons that will forever escape me! And I continue to hate Matt Vogel's awful Kermit The Frog voice. It's just painful to listen to. All gripes aside, there is nothing really wrong with the special and it even manages some legitimately creepy imagery here and there. It's perfectly serviceable as a Muppet Halloween Special, especially compared to other Muppet productions I can name, throwing more than enough imagery and spooky atmosphere to make this a nice way to kill an hour at Halloween time. 

Ten Star Trek Characters That Were Transformed

Halloween is a great time to dress up and pretend to be something else, very often a monster or creature. This brings to mind all the time’s on Star Trek when a main character gets transformed into some kind of creature. It’s usually a strange disease, which of course is cured in the end and all is well, and other times it's a done surgically. And while these episodes are usually silly, at best, you gotta admire the special effects which turn a lovable character into a true alien!





Kirk (The Enterprise Incident)

And I couldn’t come up with a classic series example. Except maybe for when the crew were aged. I always liked this one where Kirk was surgically altered to be a Romulus. It doesn’t exactly count but this happened a few more times (as we’ll see) so may as well add it. If I am forgetting one please let me know!







Picard (Best of Both World’s)

One of the most shocking transformations ever on Trek has to be when Picard was assimilated by The Borg. As Locutus he was just plain, scary.

Top 10 Best Hershey Products

When Halloween comes around, a lot of things get discussed. We think of costumes, scary monsters, and of course Halloween TV and movies. But there is one thing that gets a lot of attention on Halloween that no one ever talks about–CANDY!

 

For me, Hershey is king. I love Hershey Bars and I have been to Hershey PA more than a few times. I spent a lot of time discussing anniversaries this year, and well there is a candy related one I couldn’t ignore. Hershey was created in 1894 making this year the 125th anniversary of the company. Founded by Milton Hershey the company is one of the largest chocolate manufactures in the world. They have made a ton of items over the years, some of course purchased by other companies, and in honor of both Halloween and the 125th anniversary, I present the 10 best. So only one variety per product, or this list would be all Hershey bars. And since it’s too obvious, the classic Hershey bar is off the table. That’s a given (I adore them)! And no, ice cream will not be in on here because its gross. And yes, non chocolate counts!

#10.Almond Joy/Mounds

Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t! Almond Joy has nuts. Mounds don’t. One of the best ads in the 80’s made it very clear which candy was which, so simple and effective. To bad the candy is coconut or I’d eat it

Five Unusual “Frankenstein Monsters”

I’ve long neglected the classic Hollywood monsters that have such long histories. So since it’s Halloween, let’s talk about them. I discussed ghosts last time but ghosts have no specific identity or backstory. Some monsters do, and there backstories are so well known that they are part of pop culture.

A lot of people are amazed Frankenstein was written by a woman. Mary Shelley of course. But the amazing thing for me is that the original novel was written in 1818! That pre-date’s Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol! What is it about the novel that captivates us so? The tale is full of so much metaphor and symbolism it’s still relatable. And then there is Frankenstein’s Monster who is a true victim, and it’s the tragedy of that character that brings us back. He doesn’t mean to harm anyone, and in almost every version it’s always him who shows he does have a heart. Even parodies remember this. This book was amazing and I never read it.

 

It is was Boris Karloff who gave us the quintessential version that most movies and TV try to imitate. Even it differed from the book. Why did he have a blazer? The Universal Monsters made such an impact that we still remember them today. And that goes for all of them not just Frankenstein. But Frankenstein may top them all. Though I think Dracula technically has more adaptations. Who doesn’t know what his bride looks like? Or recognize that iconic laboratory set up? And yes, the monster never had a name!!! Can we stop arguing about that?

So while I could list the millions of versions of Frankenstein out there, some more faithful than others to the source material, here instead are five example of taking the basic premise of Frankenstein but doing something a little more, weird with it.






Frankenberry

I know when I think Frankenstein the first to things that come to mind is pink and strawberry. Sure. Clearly inspired by Boris Karloff, we got this character to sell cereal alongside the popular vampire Count Choccula. And yes of course I know about Boo Berry I forgot to mention him last time. While I wouldn’t eat the cereal, ever, I do admire the work out into these commercials and the legacy these characters still have forty years later. While some have disappeared, like Fruit Brute, these two continue to endure.

Top 5 Favorite Movie Ghosts

Well here we are now less than two weeks from Halloween, time for a Halloween article or two. Before zombies and vampires, ghosts were the huge thing. Ghosts are always fascinating because they don’t have to be evil or mean.  Heck, they can be normal people who just can’t leave the Earth. On the other hand they can be nasty creatures who seek to torment you. Here are five of my favorite ghosts from movies.

#5.Jacob Marley

Yeah I feel funny about this one, to me this is a Christmas story. But you can’t deny the supernatural element. I mean, they are called the ghosts of Christmas! So I guess it counts. Jacob Marley is singled out because, no matter what version it is, he is always the quintessential ghost. He is a ghastly site with his chains and does what any good ghost should–scare the crap out of Scrooge!







#4.Casper

Ok he was a cartoon first but he’s been in a few movies so he counts. Casper is the friendly ghost..and I was never really been a big fan. The problem with him being so nice and kind is he’s not much of a character. He needs other ghosts around him to be interesting, because bu himself he’s kinda dull. I saw his first movie and it wasn’t bad.

Five Things I Liked in “Hocus Pocus”

Some guilty pleasures are so lame, we can’t stop loving them! I’ve mentioned this movie here and there but never did a real discussion of it. So, since it’s the 25th anniversary this year, this is a good time.

 

I saw this movie in theaters when it came out July 1993. Why did a clearly Halloween movie come out in July? Got me. Maybe Disney was so excited about it they couldn’t wait. They certainly hyped it enough, with horrible ads that didn’t explain the plot at all. Just made it sound like the three sisters were here for wacky hi jinks. And some of the stuff in this movie is definitely silly. Like the stock bullies, big plot holes, and that idiotic zombie nonsense. But what works, really works in my opinion. And in fact it’s grown such a cult following that Freeform shows over and over in October.

 

So we all agree that it’s a guilty pleasure, at best, then what is it that brings us back every year? Well, here are five reasons for me anyway :





The Music

Of course Bette Midler is in the movie so we had to have a song. And “I’ve Got a Spell on You” is pretty good. It’s got a nice beat but isn’t ridiculous. But what is often overlooked is the rest of the soundtrack, which is also damn good. The music is great and really enhances the mood. I discussed composers earlier this year one name I overlooked was John Debney who does good work. The other overlooked theme is the song Sarah sings to lure the children which is, well, mesmerizing.

Special TV-Michael Jackson’s Halloween

Well I haven’t done one of these in a very long time. But my friends, we have to talk about this one. This aired last Friday (Oct 27) and I watched it last night. Normally I would feel bad I need Wikipedia’s help with some details, but this time I really did. So here are my gut reactions after only seeing this once…..

 

I’m rushing this a bit, I admit, so forgive the lack of details. And spoilers by the way

The Plot-OK, I am going to to try to make sense of this. A young and woman cross paths on Halloween night, and the woman loses her dog. They follow him into a haunted house, and after listening to a Monkey named Bubbles (of course he’s named Bubbles) the two end up on a magical journey where they meet a scarecrow, a spider security guard. and a cat mad scientist (all three who become Michael Jackson? I missed that part) and an evil witch they all have to stop. What’s her goal? Getting ti of music and dancing. Of course it is. The thriller dance saves the day and I wont even try to talk about how the villain is defeated.  Let’s just say it was the power of love. Of course.

 

Underrated Trek:Impulse (ENT)

Welcome back to Underrated Trek, where I take a special look at Star Trek episodes that I love…which may not be the most popular or even liked by most. Today we continue our special Halloween look at scary Trek. So we’ve had Jack the Ripper, nightmares, a horror movie and ghost stories. What could be left? How does Vulcan Zombies sound?! This is….

 

Enterprise had very few scary episodes from what I could see. So it made sense to discuss the one episode that is sort of infamous for what they do. I didn’t remember this episode very much so I was interested in seeing just how good it is. Let’s take a look:

Underrated Trek:The Haunting of Deck Twelve (VOY)

Welcome back to Underrated Trek, where I take a special look at Star Trek episodes that I love…which may not be the most popular or even liked by most. Today we continue our special Halloween look at scary Trek with a look at an episode of Voyager. If last time was a classic horror movie, what would an old fashioned campfire story on Star Trek look like? Let’s discuss :

 

Voyager has several contenders, like Twisted which was just lame and The Thaw which I already discussed. Darkling was another one but I hardly remember it, it’s sort of a Jekyl and Hyde story involving the Doctor. I decided this episode was better to discuss. This episode, much like the one last time, was another homage of horror tropes. This time an old fashioned ghost story. But since it’s Voyager, it’s not quite as good.

 

Underrated Trek-Empok Nor (DS9)

Welcome back to Underrated Trek, where I take a special look at Star Trek episodes that I love…which may not be the most popular or even liked by most. Today we continue our special Halloween look at scary Trek with a look at an episode of DS9 that is scary. But unlike last time, it is a good episode too! This is:

There weren’t to many DS9 episodes to pick from. I covered Distant Voices already. And Whispers barely makes it as a scary episode. This episode is perfect, it’s basically a homage to classic horror movies. And being DS9, they do a fantastic job! Let’s take a look at it.

 

Underrated Trek-Night Terrors (TNG)

Welcome back to Underrated Trek, where I take a special look at Star Trek episodes that I love…which may not be the most popular or even liked by most. Today we continue our special Halloween look at scary Trek with a look at an episode of Next Generation that is scary. Even if it’s also a far from perfect episode. This is:

I had a few choices from TNG, such as Conspiracy which was scary at the time but is more silly today. There was also Genesis and Identity Crisis, but I already covered them. Schisms and Frame of Mind are hard one’s to talk about, being closer to Twilight Zone than horror. Though you could argue Schisms is the idea in this episode realized a lot better, the ending is a bit more satisfying but not entirely. I finally decided that this is as close as TNG would come to a genuine scary episode…which makes it more tragic that the episode basically fails. Lets to a closer look at it.

 

Underrated Trek-Wolf in the Fold (TOS)

Welcome back to Underrated Trek, where I take a special look at Star Trek episodes that I love…which may not be the most popular or even liked by most. I wanted to do something Halloween related, but I already did Catspaw. So what else can I check out? Looking at a list there are plenty of creepy Trek episodes which are perfect for the season.In fact each series has a handful. So for Halloween something a little different. Five Trek articles on scary episodes from each Trek series. I want to be clear, these are EPISODES that are creepy not just an episode that has a random creepy scene. Today we start with :

 

As I noted, I already did Catspaw. I also already covered The Man Trap, and no other Original Series episode come closer to being scary than this one. So what makes it scary? How about Jack the Ripper meets Star Trek!

 

Ten Halloween Episodes With No Halloween In Them

Here is something which annoys me, when a show happens to be set on a holiday but the plot has nothing to do with the holiday. I mean, at all. Even a lousy B story! For instance he Seinfeld episode “the Andrea Doria” is clearly set at Christmas But aside from the decorations the subject is NEVER brought up. Why bother then? Halloween is no exception to this. I think a lot of times setting it at Halloween is network mandated, because the episode is airing at that time. Other times it could be that the creators have a cute Halloween idea but it isn’t enough to carry an episode, so it gets a few scenes and then that’s it. Either way I think it’s a stretch calling them Halloween episodes.


Here are ten episodes where the show is set at Halloween, but you’d hardly know it. These aren’t bad episodes (mostly) by any means, they just aren’t good Halloween episodes in my opinion. And this is all in good fun by the way, there is no rule about what makes a good or bad Halloween episode.





The Cosby Show, “Cliff’s Mistake”

I guess this takes place on Halloween but the word is never used. There is a B story where the kids are making a haunted house (er, basement). So we get a couple scene of the kids dressed up and setting things up. But the A story takes up most of the time, and is about Cliff losing a drill he had borrowed from a neighbor. This isn’t the worst, you could watch this on Halloween and get enough to be satisfied, but I think that as far as Halloween episodes go it’s pretty weak. The syndicated episode ends with Peter being scared away by the haunted  house, the original ends with Cliff apologizing to his friend (he found the drill). The syndicated version is better.







Full House”It’s Not My Job”

This episode opens with a cute teaser scene where everybody is dressed up for Halloween. What is the rest of the episode about? Jesse deciding to resign from his job as an exterminator. Wow, scary! I am guessing that since the episode aired right before Halloween someone, the creators or the network, decided they needed some kind of nod to the holiday in there. But I hate it when the teaser promises something and you get something totally unrelated! This is one of those times when I bet it was easy to edit for syndication. There is also a Season Three episode called “Divorce Court” where Halloween (or a costume party anyway) is also very loosely connected to the plot. A little better than the season 2 episode, but not by much.

Ten Scary Sitcom Episodes Great for Halloween

Sometimes I can be picky, and for me you can’t call it a Halloween episode just because it’s scary. It has to actually have something to do with the actual holiday. Buuuttttt, maybe I am just a nitpicker. For example, one of my favorites is the "A Different World" episode called "Tales from the Exam Zone" which is a Twlight Zone spoof and the epusode goes all out with it. With strange visuals and a creepy atmosphere that makes a great Halloween episode, even though the episode is about mid term exams and not Halloween at all.



So here are episodes of TV shows which are scary enough to be Halloween episodes. Even though the holiday is never mentioned.



The Brady Bunch, “Fright Night”

This episode aired the week of Halloween so I can’t imagine that was a coincidence. It still isn’t a Halloween show per se, it’s just the kids playing pranks trying to scare each other, but it’s about as close to being a Halloween episode without actually being one that you’re going to get on this show. After the boys scare the girls into thinking there is a ghost outside, they get their revenge by daring them to sleep in the attic, and scaring them. Then all six gang up to scare Alice in a scene which is kind of a bit creepy, course having that creepy Hawaiian Idol music from the Hawaii episodes helps. The episode ends with Mike reprimanding all the kids in one of his harshest punishments. There is also a season one episode when Mike wants to sell the house so the kids dress up as ghosts to scare the potential buyers away. And of course The Slumber Party episode where the boys try ro scare the girls with costumes and silly tricks.






Laverne and Shirley, “Haunted House”

This one didn’t surprise me at all. This series covered everything from earthquakes to hurricanes. In this episode, the girls and Lenny and Squiggy go to a house for a new couch. The house is said to be haunted. And we get all the tropes from the sounds of chains being dragged through the halls to dogs barking at the moon. Even a revolving door and a piano that plays by itself. The girls get trapped and the episode is about how they can escape the crazy house. By the way I looked for Happy Days but while they had a few Halloween episodes it seems they were all set on Halloween. But either way they are worth checking out. By the way Designing Women did a haunted house episode also, logical considering they were designers. 

Top 12 Favorite Evil Villain Laugh’s

Villains are a lot of fun, and one of the coolest things that a villain does is the evil laugh. When done right, a villain laugh can send chills down your spine. Usually this comes at a moment when it looks as if they villain will win, and the right laugh shows extreme confidence. Check out this clip of Friends where Phoebe explains her plan laugh,and how the right laugh is key:

Course Friends is a sitcom, when these laughs really work is when it comes from a truly evil villain.
Here are my twelve favorite evil laughs :




#12.Cruella De vil  from 101 Dalmatians (Live)
Honestly, I hated both of these movies. But you gotta admire how much fun Glen Close has in this role. And it’s all summed up in this awesome laugh.

Analytical Episode Review:ELR, "Halloween Candy"

My plan for next year was to get back to sitcoms, since I have strayed from them especially with my excessive Star Trek focus this year. I really wanted to bring back the Analytical Episode Guide’s, and there was really only one show that made sense to discuss. Everybody Loves Raymond. I have tried to discuss it in other articles but can never say all I want to.  I have a lot to say about this series, and the best way to do it is to cover every episode. But I can talk more about that later, for now since its Halloween I figure I could do a little sneak preview and review their one and only Halloween episode.



So that being said…Halloween sitcom episodes doesn’t get the respect that horror movies and specials do, but there are tons of them out there and some are really good. Today let’s talk about a Halloween episode of Everybody Loves Raymond.






Can Ray ruin another holiday by being preoccupied with sex? He sure tries.




“Halloween Candy”

Aired October 26.1998.

Top 10 Creepiest Songs for Halloween

How is it I haven’t done this one?



So yesterday I discussed scary music that I love, it’s time today to turn to actual songs. Some are themes but most were simply songs that were recorded and released into the mainstream. I don’t even think most were intended as Halloween songs per se, they just fill the bill so perfectly by being moody and even scary that we can’t help but enjoy them when October rolls around every year.





#10.Purple People Eater
Purple People Eater is cute and silly and..I don’t know why I love it.

Top 10 Creepiest TV & Movie Themes

 It’s Halloween!!  For a special treat I have a two part article for you covering something that, much to my surprise, I have never covered before!


Halloween is a great time for scary movies, cool TV specials, and of course Halloween episodes of sitcoms and cartoons. But the one thing that makes the holiday really stand out is the music. There is something so special about Halloween music, even organ music which normally I don’t care for but this time of year just works. Now in the past I have stated that I don’t really consider something a holiday installment if it has nothing to do with the holiday. For instance a horror movie is great but what does it have to do with Halloween specifically (except the few set on that day)? But with music I am more lenient, pretty much any creepy song will fit the bill. One reason being that finding Halloween songs are a little bit harder than Christmas music which is endless.



Today my focus is on theme songs, from movies and TV, which have a scary and ominous tone. These are theme’s everyone knows, even if you’ve never seen the show or movie. They’re creepy and dark, and get you ready for the scares ahead! The big rule here, no lyrics. Just the creepy music (and visuals). I will be covering songs with lyrics tomorrow. Here are my ten favorites:




#10.Amazing Stories
This was an anthology series in the 80’s which Steven Spielberg was behind. I wish it was more remembered than it is, but it was pretty cool! I know I may be alone on this one, but I loved this theme!

My Ten Most Disturbing Star Trek Moments

As we enter the Halloween season, and begin concluding my year long celebration of Star Trek, it seemed like a good idea to discuss some of the scarier moments from this show. Yeah some may be surprised at that word but Trek can be many thing. We’ve already discussed how it can be funny and light, but it can go the other way and can be downright dark and disturbing too, with visuals which will haunt you dreams for years!



Here are ten examples of Trek moments that gave the willies!




Charlie X (TOS)
Charlie X is about a teenager who has more power than he knows what to do with. It’s pretty good especially for season one TOS. Toward the ends of the episode he begins to use that power to punish the crew. Leading to this disturbing image of a woman with no face!