EERIE, INDIANA - AMERICA'S SCARIEST HOME VIDEO (1991)

 IT IS ONLY THIS YEAR THAT I SAW "EERIE, INDIANA" FOR THE FIRST TIME.

  I knew of it back in the day but never watched it; possibly because I was too busy road-tripping and frolicking to watch prime time shows.  At least I assume this was a prime time show.  All I know is, I finally caught up with it this year and thought it was a hoot.  Had no idea Joe Dante was so involved with the programme; in fact, directing episodes which give it more of a horror pedigree that I expected.  This episode is the actual Halloween episode; broadcast on October 20, 1991 and taking place on Halloween itself.  Our hero Marshall and his ginger-headed bud Simon are all set to head out for trick-or-treat adventures when Marshall's mom gets a call from Dad saying his car broke down.  Sadly, while Mom goes out to help, Marshall & Simon must babysit Simon's younger brother Harley.  And Harley is kinda a terror.  He bites.  Literally.  Amongst getting into a lot of other mischief.  Marshall and Simon plop Harley down in front of the boob tube to watch the old B&W horror movie "BLOODY REVENGE OF THE MUMMY'S CURSE". 

But because this is Eerie, Indiana (the weirdest town in America), Harley bites the remote control and is immediately catapulted into the movie itself.  Worse, the Mummy switches places with Harley and now exists in the real world. 

Now, Marshall and Simon have to somehow get Harley out of the movie and put the Mummy back INTO the movie.  Omri Katz as Marshall is a likeable kid throughout the series and Justin Shenkarow as Simon makes a good sidekick as the pair face the various weird terrors of Eerie.  Twins Christian and Joseph Cousins play little terror Harley effectively as well; my usual dislike of child actors didn't kick in as Harley is portrayed as just the right note of 'Dennis the Menace' without being obnoxious or saccharine.  Mom and Dad Teller (played by the reliable Mary-Margaret Humes and Francis Guinan respectively) are also really likeable as Marshall's parentsl  In fact, the whole series of EERIE, INDIANA is just that:  really likeable. 

There's also a nice turn by guest star Tony Jay as the Mummy/Sir Boris von Orloff:  the old time horror actor who stars in the movie that Harley is watching.  So, when the Mummy comes into our world it's actually Orloff in costume.  Jay has appeared in everything from TIME BANDITS and Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST to narrating the documentary H.H. HOLMES:  AMERICA'S FIRST SERIAL KILLER and it's great to see him guest-starring in this episode.  The Halloween ambience is nicely done with troops of trick-or-treaters roaming the streets and ringing the doorbell.  I think I'll put this episode of EERIE, INDIANA on semi-rotation in October.