Ernest Scared Stupid
Encyclopedia
Ernest Scared Stupid is a 1991 American comedy film
directed by John R. Cherry III
and starring Jim Varney
. It is the fifth film to feature the character Ernest P. Worrell
. The film has Ernest accidentally unleashing an army of troll
s upon a small town on Halloween
. It was shot in Nashville, Tennessee
like its predecessors Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam
, Ernest Goes to Camp
, Ernest Saves Christmas
, and Ernest Goes to Jail
. It was the last Ernest film to be distributed by Touchstone Pictures
.
a troll
named Trantor responsible for kidnapping children and turning them into wooden dolls is captured by the townsfolk led by Phineas Worrell who binds the troll under the roots of a great oak tree. But before they can complete the ritual, Trantor casts a curse on the townsfolk that he will return and once he has gathered five children, his children will be born from that very tree and overrun humanity. He also curses Phineas that each generation of Worrells would be born less and less intelligent so not to thwart his next attempt. The film then fast forwards to the 20th century, nearly one hundred years later where the legend of Trantor is being told by a girl named Elizabeth, but the story is dismissed as a folklore and fiction.
Meanwhile Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney
) works as a sanitation engineer for the town and is close friends with Elizabeth and her two friends Joey, and Kenny who is the son of the town sheriff
. After their haunted clubhouse is ruined by the Mayor's two sons who are bullying them, Ernest promises to find them a better place to build one shortly before he is ordered to clear the land of Old Lady Hackmore (Eartha Kitt
but he is frightened off by her, and when running through her lands he comes across a gigantic tree, which he and the kids decide to turn into a gigantic treehouse. Unbeknownst to them that it is the same tree under which Trantor is buried, and when Ernest accidentally incites the incantation to summon Trantor, he releases the troll. When Ernest goes to Old Lady Hackmore for help, Joey falls victim after hearing Ernest's voice and is turned into a wooden doll. Ernest is attacked by Trantor directly who runs to the sheriff's house, he doesn't believe Ernest and chides him for taking the kids out onto Hackmore's land. The next day, Joey's disappearance concerns Kenny and Elizabeth while Tom and Bobby Tulip, claiming to be the only two to believe Ernest's warnings of a troll take advantage of him by selling him fake troll-trapping devices, many of which backfire. One of them traps the Mayor's sons in a dumpster which results in his immediate firing. Meanwhile, Trantor captures a skateboarder, and early that evening Elizabeth who finds Trantor had invaded her bedroom. While trick or treating, Kenny is lured away from a friend by hearing Elizabeth's voice and his friend is taken as the fourth victim.
Ernest learns through a book that Old Lady Hackmore has that two things can destroy Trantor; "The heart of a child." and "A mother's care." an inscription of MI_K is Ernest's only clue which he thinks is "Miak" but he later learns it's Milk. And Hackmore learns that "A mother's care" is unconditional love. They arrive too late for Trantor to attack and capture the Mayor's youngest son as his final wooden doll, and out of spite transforms Rimshot as well. Kenny realizes Trantor's weakness and gathers the mayor's other son and a group of the neighborhood kids to fight Trantor with milk. They are too late to stop Trantor's pods from hitting the ground and giving birth to his children who attack the townsfolk. Kenny and the others launch a defensive and manage to destroy all of the trolls except for Trantor who becomes too powerful to be affected by milk. He turns Kenny into a wooden doll and faces Ernest down, Ernest realizes that the only weapon that will affect Trantor is the heart of a child and he showers Trantor in love and affection, dancing with him and giving him a kiss on the nose. This overload of affection causes Trantor's head to explode and disintegrate, and the people of the town celebrate and congratulate Ernest; to their joy, Trantor's spell is broken on the children he had taken, the five from that night as well as four children from the 19th century including Hackmore's sister who reunites with her now-older sister. Ernest bouts in depression, wondering if he'd get anything out of saving the town and everyone's lives when Rimshot comes running and leaping into his arms, making it a happy night for everyone.
The movie debuted at No.9 at the box office.
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by John R. Cherry III
John R. Cherry III
John R. Cherry III is an American film director and screenwriter, most notable for directing virtually every movie starring Jim Varney as Ernest P. Worrell. He based the character on a man who worked for his dad who thought that he knew everything but didn't know anything...
and starring Jim Varney
Jim Varney
James Albert "Jim" Varney, Jr. was an American stand-up comedian, actor, musician, writer, voice artist, and comedian, best known for his role as Ernest P...
. It is the fifth film to feature the character Ernest P. Worrell
Ernest P. Worrell
Ernest P. Worrell is a fictional character most principally portrayed by the late American actor Jim Varney in a series of television commercials, and later in a television series as well as a series of feature films. Ernest was created by the Nashville advertising agency Carden and Cherry and was...
. The film has Ernest accidentally unleashing an army of troll
Troll
A troll is a supernatural being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In origin, the term troll was a generally negative synonym for a jötunn , a being in Norse mythology...
s upon a small town on Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
. It was shot in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
like its predecessors Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam
Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam
Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam is a 1986 comedy/science fiction film starring Jim Varney. It was written and directed by John R. Cherry III. The film includes the Ernest P. Worrell character, but takes a slightly darker tone than his other films. The film was released on video in 1992 by...
, Ernest Goes to Camp
Ernest Goes to Camp
Ernest Goes to Camp is a 1987 Touchstone Pictures comedy film directed by John R. Cherry III and starring Jim Varney. It is the second film to feature the character of Ernest P...
, Ernest Saves Christmas
Ernest Saves Christmas
Ernest Saves Christmas is a 1988 Touchstone Pictures comedy film directed by John R. Cherry III and starring Jim Varney. It is the third film to feature the character Ernest P. Worrell, and chronicles Ernest's attempt to find a replacement for an aging Santa Claus.-Plot:A man who claims to be Santa...
, and Ernest Goes to Jail
Ernest Goes to Jail
Ernest Goes to Jail is a 1990 Touchstone Pictures comedy film directed by John R. Cherry III and starring Jim Varney. It is the fourth film to feature the character Ernest P. Worrell. It was shot in Nashville and Tennessee State Penitentiary. This is the second most successful of the Ernest films,...
. It was the last Ernest film to be distributed by Touchstone Pictures
Touchstone Pictures
Touchstone Pictures is an American film production label and is one of several film labels of the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group. Established in 1984, its releases typically feature more mature themes and darker tones than those that are released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner.Touchstone...
.
Plot
In the 19th Century MissouriMissouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
a troll
Troll
A troll is a supernatural being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In origin, the term troll was a generally negative synonym for a jötunn , a being in Norse mythology...
named Trantor responsible for kidnapping children and turning them into wooden dolls is captured by the townsfolk led by Phineas Worrell who binds the troll under the roots of a great oak tree. But before they can complete the ritual, Trantor casts a curse on the townsfolk that he will return and once he has gathered five children, his children will be born from that very tree and overrun humanity. He also curses Phineas that each generation of Worrells would be born less and less intelligent so not to thwart his next attempt. The film then fast forwards to the 20th century, nearly one hundred years later where the legend of Trantor is being told by a girl named Elizabeth, but the story is dismissed as a folklore and fiction.
Meanwhile Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney
Jim Varney
James Albert "Jim" Varney, Jr. was an American stand-up comedian, actor, musician, writer, voice artist, and comedian, best known for his role as Ernest P...
) works as a sanitation engineer for the town and is close friends with Elizabeth and her two friends Joey, and Kenny who is the son of the town sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
. After their haunted clubhouse is ruined by the Mayor's two sons who are bullying them, Ernest promises to find them a better place to build one shortly before he is ordered to clear the land of Old Lady Hackmore (Eartha Kitt
Eartha Kitt
Eartha Mae Kitt was an American singer, actress, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 hit recordings of "C'est Si Bon" and the enduring Christmas novelty smash "Santa Baby." Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the...
but he is frightened off by her, and when running through her lands he comes across a gigantic tree, which he and the kids decide to turn into a gigantic treehouse. Unbeknownst to them that it is the same tree under which Trantor is buried, and when Ernest accidentally incites the incantation to summon Trantor, he releases the troll. When Ernest goes to Old Lady Hackmore for help, Joey falls victim after hearing Ernest's voice and is turned into a wooden doll. Ernest is attacked by Trantor directly who runs to the sheriff's house, he doesn't believe Ernest and chides him for taking the kids out onto Hackmore's land. The next day, Joey's disappearance concerns Kenny and Elizabeth while Tom and Bobby Tulip, claiming to be the only two to believe Ernest's warnings of a troll take advantage of him by selling him fake troll-trapping devices, many of which backfire. One of them traps the Mayor's sons in a dumpster which results in his immediate firing. Meanwhile, Trantor captures a skateboarder, and early that evening Elizabeth who finds Trantor had invaded her bedroom. While trick or treating, Kenny is lured away from a friend by hearing Elizabeth's voice and his friend is taken as the fourth victim.
Ernest learns through a book that Old Lady Hackmore has that two things can destroy Trantor; "The heart of a child." and "A mother's care." an inscription of MI_K is Ernest's only clue which he thinks is "Miak" but he later learns it's Milk. And Hackmore learns that "A mother's care" is unconditional love. They arrive too late for Trantor to attack and capture the Mayor's youngest son as his final wooden doll, and out of spite transforms Rimshot as well. Kenny realizes Trantor's weakness and gathers the mayor's other son and a group of the neighborhood kids to fight Trantor with milk. They are too late to stop Trantor's pods from hitting the ground and giving birth to his children who attack the townsfolk. Kenny and the others launch a defensive and manage to destroy all of the trolls except for Trantor who becomes too powerful to be affected by milk. He turns Kenny into a wooden doll and faces Ernest down, Ernest realizes that the only weapon that will affect Trantor is the heart of a child and he showers Trantor in love and affection, dancing with him and giving him a kiss on the nose. This overload of affection causes Trantor's head to explode and disintegrate, and the people of the town celebrate and congratulate Ernest; to their joy, Trantor's spell is broken on the children he had taken, the five from that night as well as four children from the 19th century including Hackmore's sister who reunites with her now-older sister. Ernest bouts in depression, wondering if he'd get anything out of saving the town and everyone's lives when Rimshot comes running and leaping into his arms, making it a happy night for everyone.
Cast
- Jim VarneyJim VarneyJames Albert "Jim" Varney, Jr. was an American stand-up comedian, actor, musician, writer, voice artist, and comedian, best known for his role as Ernest P...
as Ernest P. WorrellErnest P. WorrellErnest P. Worrell is a fictional character most principally portrayed by the late American actor Jim Varney in a series of television commercials, and later in a television series as well as a series of feature films. Ernest was created by the Nashville advertising agency Carden and Cherry and was...
, Bunny Worrell, Auntie Nelda and others - Eartha KittEartha KittEartha Mae Kitt was an American singer, actress, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 hit recordings of "C'est Si Bon" and the enduring Christmas novelty smash "Santa Baby." Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the...
as Francis "Old Lady" Hackmore - Austin Nagler as Kenny
- Shay AstarShay AstarShay Astar is an American actress, singer, and songwriter, perhaps best known for her work in the late 1990s, portraying August Leffler, a semi-recurring character on the sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun...
as Elizabeth - John Cadenhead as Tom Tulip
- Bill Byrge as Bobby Tulip
- Richard Woolf as Matt
- Nick Victory as Mike
- Jonas Moscartolo as Trantor the Evil Troll
- Ernie FosseliusErnie FosseliusErnie Fosselius is an American filmmaker who has largely stayed out of the public eye. He is best known for his satirical spoofs of popular films, including the classic Star Wars parody Hardware Wars.-Film career:...
as Voice of Trantor the Evil Troll
Reception
The movie received mixed to generally negative reception in theaters.The movie debuted at No.9 at the box office.