LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES: FEAR FACTORY [2006]

 HALLOWEEN IN THE 31ST CENTURY. 

Bouncing Boy, Brainiac 5, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl and Superboy . . . .oops, sorry, SuperMAN . . . .are watching the cartoon equivalent of ALIEN when a huge cosmic storm interrupts the fun.  In the eye of the swirling storm is an old-fashioned, decrepit space station.  The heroes fly the Legion cruiser to dock with it and are greeted by a six-eyed Peter Lorre who tells them welcome and "The Master's been expecting you."  The interior of the space station (named Quavermass 12 . . . . get it?) looks basically like Dracula's Castle and the "master" is named Professor Planarus and is also vaguely Dracula-like. 

The six-eyed Peter Lorre (who is actually named Boris) says the master would love to have them for dinner (see what he did there?).  The Legionnaires join Planarus at his long dining table and are fed food specically tailored to their likes; Superman gets Ma Kent's homemade chicken noodle soup.  Boris whispers in Bouncing Boy's ear that he should get out while he still can.  Then, unfortunately, Bouncing Boy is served a bowl of eyeball soup!  Planarus then informs the Legionnaires that the docking bridge is "out" and they will have to spend the night.  Each Legionnaire is shown to a spooky bedroom where they retire for the night.  Bouncing Boy finds a cat named Whiskers who runs off causing the Legionnaire to chase it; BB winds through castle corridors, a swamp and then the Nostromo spaceship from ALIEN (or its cartoon equivalent) and is attacked by the Xenomorph (or its cartoon equivalent).  Saturn Girl is awakened by Bouncing Boy's psychic distress and the Legionnaires go help save him from the alien; however, Bouncing Boy is then sucked into a strange vortex/portal and disappears.

While searching for the missing Bouncing Boy, the Legionnaires discover a painting of their missing comrade screaming in the portrait gallery.  Mysterious closing walls shepherd the Legionnaires to Lightning Lad's bedroom.  A menacing toy clown named Captain Howdy (see what they did there?)  appears which apparently was Lightning Lad's childhood fear that lived under his bed.  The clown morphs into a monster and during the melee, Lightning Lad too disappears screaming into a portal and his screaming portrait is later found in the gallery.  The Legionnaires surmise that the ship is confronting them with their worst fears and each Legionnaire in turn will be facing it.  

The Halloweeny vibe is strongest during the first half of the episode but it all makes a fun viewing for October.