Ernest Scared Stupid (1991)
Well-intentioned, eternally bumbling Ernest P. Worrell accidentally releases an evil demon from its sacred tomb. As the demon flexes its power and goes on a ruinous rampage, good-guy Ernest tries to step in to save the town from mass destruction. Trouble is, a 200-year-old curse has scared Ernest stupid, and that means hilarity all around! So, kick back and let the laugh-ridden adventures begin.
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How sad is this?
Absolutely Fantastic
Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.
The movie really just wants to entertain people.
Of all the Ernest movies, this one is my personal favorite. Everything all comes together beautifully. I love the intro as it mixes a nice mixture of old horror movies, creepy sound effects, and jaunty creepy music. Ernest's comic genius really pulls out all the stops in this one especially one scene where he plays a variety of different characters trying to convince a kid to build a tree house. I will admit the Troll is very frightening from a kid's perspective, but thankfully the humor and action offset that very well. I even like the fact they added Eartha Kitt for good measure and she adds some depth to this. Add in a great message about parental love and this one is a winner. RIP Ernest P Worrell.
While building a tree-house in the woods, garbage collector Jim Varney (as Ernest P. Worrell) unwittingly releases a treacherous troll named Trantor. The mythological little monster proceeds to kidnap Briarville's children and turn them into little wooden dolls, in a plot to unleash an army of evil demons on an unsuspecting world. When Mr. Varney proves himself too stupid to stop the onslaught, heroic young Austin Nagler (as Kenny Binder) assists. Eartha Kitt has a witchy featured role. No doubt this film was most appreciated by the very young in 1991.**** Ernest Scared Stupid (10/11/91) John Cherry ~ Jim Varney, Austin Nagler, Shay Astar, Eartha Kitt
Looking back into my memories as a child, I remember this movie being the best of the Earnest series, which was often too absurd to warrant my full-full attention. Though I was perhaps three or four at the time, my tastes had already been refined by films like Beetlejuice and Peewee's big Top. But what makes this film memorable, and perhaps all the films that I've listed, are their balanced transitions from funny to morbid-freaky. As for this film, I think the device of children being attacked by a leprechaunish troll, only to have their twisted faced immortalized in the wooden dolls they have now become. Once collected, they rest, powering the Gothic tree, lovingly tree-housed by our goofy friend Earnest for all of his friends.
Ernest movies are in general pretty terrible, except for maybe 4 year olds. However, this one was surprisingly good. The horror portion was strangely frightening in places (well, not *really* frightening as compared to a *real* horror flick, but because it's an Ernest movie and the troll was pretty ugly and menacing, it was a bit of a shock -- so this movie is not for really young kids). The denouement where Ernest (of course) defeats the troll is also pure silly Ernest but also so sweet and perhaps gets right to the core of the Ernest character -- it could not have happened any other way.All that said, I have not seen "Ernest Goes to Jail" so rate this comment accordingly.