News

‘Garfield’s Halloween Adventure’ is Better than ‘The Great Pumpkin’

Published

5 years ago

October 14, 2019

It’s that time of year again when Halloween specials from our childhood are being re-broadcast to the masses and a whole new generation will be introduced to the seminal classic It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

Few things are more synonymous with the Halloween season than Charlie Brown in his misshapen ghost costume announcing “I got a rock” while out trick or treating with his friends.

While I would never begrudge Peanuts fans their trip down memory lane–I myself take that trip at least once or twice every Halloween season–there is another, and dare I say, superior Halloween special that unfortunately does not receive the same airtime as its counterpart.

I’m talking about Garfield’s Halloween Adventure, and while it may not be the top of everyone’s list for holiday viewing, it was a brilliant Halloween special that deserves the same attention as Linus in the pumpkin patch.

I know, I know, I can actually see some of you getting ready to throw handfuls of pumpkin guts at me, but hear me out.

Garfield’s Halloween Adventure, initially titled Garfield in Disguise, was first released back in 1985, and it was the first television special featuring everyone’s favorite lasagna-loving cat based on original material rather than drawing from previous comic strips.

Garfield creator Jim Davis wrote the special and in 2014 he told the The A.V. Club that he wanted to start the special off with something familiar. Garfield being Garfield getting ready to go trick or treating obsessed with getting “candy, candy, candy.” But after that, he wanted to take it to a place that would “at least scare 4-year-olds.”

In order to do that, he had to get Garfield and Odie away from the familiarity and safety of home.

The idea worked like a charm.

Spying a creepy old house in the distance, Garfield and Odie climb onto a boat and make their way up to the old manor where they are confronted by a creepy old man who tells them a story of pirate treasure and angry spirits out to reclaim what was theirs.

Sounds a lot like The Fog to me, and soon enough, Garfield and Odie find themselves abandoned in the old house with strange and terrifying pirate ghosts surrounding them. This is where Garfield’s Halloween Adventure really begins to prove itself in the realm of Halloween specials.

While The Great Pumpkin was really quite beautifully made with a gorgeous color palette, they stuck to a much safer script. There’s trick or treating, bobbing for apples, and a healthy dose of the expected picking on Charlie Brown from his constant failure as a trick or treater to using the back of his bald head to sketch out a design for a jack o’lantern.

Aside from some rustling in the pumpkin patch, however, they never tried to conjure up the genuinely spooky spirit of the holiday they were celebrating.

Even when Garfield and Odie first set out to trick or treat, however, Davis and company were mining the creepy. The duo meets a series of fellow trick or treaters under the same ghost costume, all of which are actually monsters underneath. There’s also that incredible spooky performance by C. Lindsay Workman as the Old Man to look forward to in each viewing.

Davis also sticks to his narrative unlike The Great Pumpkin, which chose to give viewers an inexplicable interlude with Snoopy’s air-fight with the Red Baron in the center of their special.

Don’t get me wrong, that scene is iconic and for good reason, but it just never seemed to really fit and ultimately felt a bit like filler.

I’m not here to change your mind. I’m not here to tell you that It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is bad. The special has a devout following for a reason. I just think it’s undeniable that Jim Davis gave us something better with Garfield’s Halloween Adventure.

Still, while the former receives annual broadcasts, the latter hasn’t seen much airtime since 2015. Garfield fans can, however, rent/purchase the special on Amazon.

Which one will you be watching this Halloween season?

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

12 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

14 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Spirit Halloween (@spirithalloween)

Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Movies

’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

Published

16 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

**Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes**

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.