Ernest Scared Stupid Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: Leading up to Halloween, Ernest unwittingly frees an evil troll that was captured by his ancestor.

Review: I used to really like this movie as a kid, but, unfortunately, it does not hold up well at all. This was the last entry in the Ernest franchise to make it to theaters...which is kind of shocking they even bothered after how horrific "Ernest Goes to Jail" was. Of course Jim Varney still carries the ridiculous story with utmost conviction, but the zany hijinks are a bit too moronic in this instance. Sure, the Halloween aspect cushions the fall slightly, but they don't spend nearly enough time dealing with the holiday. In fact, the original script probably just wanted to have Ernest fighting a troll, and someone in the marketing department wisely realized you could widen the appeal by including Halloween themes.

If you're wondering why is there never any continuity in this franchise...well...I have no clue. This time around Ernest is a garbageman, randomly, and, in typical fashion, is fucking everything up. We get some little kids for friends too which I'm okay with...I guess. We come to learn a troll was terrorizing the town sometime ago in which Ernest's ancestor managed to trap the fugly creature. After building the coolest treehouse ever with the kids, Ernest inadvertently awakens the troll that just so happens to be trapped under the tree they used. I do want to mention, that in fairness to Ernest's stupidity, a different idiot is the one that told him the exact way to awaken the troll so it's just as much their fault as Ernest's for freeing the beast. Anyway, the troll needs the souls of children to--here we go again--take over the world or some shit with the help of his children. No one believes Ernest other than the kids, because it's Halloween after all. The troll does manage to accomplish his goal due to no one believing Ernest, however, this little troll army is defeated laughably easy. Apparently they are weak against milk and love. Oh god. This is one of the worst take over the world schemes yet, and this isn't the first time I've made that statement! By the way, why the hell is one of those trolls a dead ringer for one of the Killer Klowns? Hmm. In the end, Ernest, with help of the townsfolk, manages to defeat the pathetic trolls and restore balance to the force I think. The movie ends abruptly with Ernest, seemingly, fucking his dog and a hag eyeing the camera because why not, right?

This may not be the worst Ernest movie, but it's probably the biggest waste of potential. How do you not utilize the holiday more than this? Worse, the comedic elements, intended to be the heart of the film, fall flat; a significant number of the jokes are embarrassingly lame, and the gags and setups aren't making out much better. If you liked other Ernest installments I'm sure this will entertain you since it's, more or less, the same shtick with a Halloween veneer. On the other hand, if you have no clue what the hell an Ernest is, or find even the better entries like "Ernest Goes to Camp" to be bad, then you will definitely want to avoid this. Objectively, this a mediocre film with little to offer and quickly forgotten once the credits roll.

Notable Moment: When those kids are using precious pizza as a weapon and wasting it! Granted, the pizza looked like shit but come on!

Final Rating: 5/10