Little House on the Prairie (TV Series) The Halloween Dream (1979) User Reviews

Even the best series have some bad episodes.

[TOMASBBloodhound · 4/10 · 9 March 2010]

If you can get through this silly episode which actually has little to do with Halloween, you are a true die hard fan of this series. The story deals with Albert and Laura dressing as Indians for a Halloween party at the Olesson's. Before the party, ma makes them take a nap (when did she ever do that?) and before you know it Albert starts dreaming. He dreams that he and Laura are mistaken for real Indians by some tribes in the area looking to go on the war path. Albert is actually mistaken for the son of a prominent chief. He and Laura end up negotiating between the Indians and a detachment of Cavalry sent to rescue the local white settlers. Eventually, he and Laura find themselves in a wagon being chased by and endless supply of Indians, and using gunpowder bombs to fight them off. Boy is this dumb.

You can't blame it all on Albert. Sometimes they really did use his character well on this show. But Little House by 1979 was suffering the same fate as all long-running family shows. After a while, the kids grow up and have to move on to other things. And new kids have to be brought in to keep the show centered around the parent-child dynamic. Things would get even worse in later years when James and Cassandra had to be introduced into the Ingalls household. And worse yet when Shannen Doherty had to be added as Laura and Almanzo's child. None of these children ever existed in real life. Animated shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy don't face this problem since their kids can always stay the same age.

Little House still had quite a few good episodes left at this point. This one isn't one of them. 4 of 10 stars.

The Hound.

Unusual ep for being mostly a dream

[belanger75 · 5/10 · 21 January 2019]

There is no way the Indian depictions are derogatory--Albert was scripted to dream the whole adventure. One reminder that they are just his dream is when the excellently cast Frank DeKova (of F-Troop) sees Charles coming and remarks how It is Charles Ingalls and that Charles was a friend of his (the Indian chief's) father's. Albert's dream- impression of how Charles is so popular! Monotonous somewhat visually to some perhaps but beautifully photographed outdoors with many fun moments.

Ugh...

[mitchrmp · 5/10 · 22 August 2013]

Well...what good can I say about this episode? Um...Well...Hmmmm...Okay, I'll admit that parts are entertaining but as Alber said repeatedly...ugh!

First of all, the episode begins with can't-act-Carrie and her little baby voice and baby way of thinking. I never can stand the Carrie scenes. The fact that they discovered she can't act didn't mean she couldn't have been replaced...like with someone who could act? She was little and didn't have many parts at first so I think they could have found somebody.

Second, this is a dream. It's a very odd dream and has a stupid storyline. Not only that, but I don't see Albert dreaming something like this. He was way too intelligent for that! The fact they were trying to tug at heartstrings during the dream just made it that much worse! Charles letting Laura and Albert go back in and save the day - well maybe he could have let that happen in Albert's world since it was a dream...The whole thing was just...odd!

Dumbest episode ever

[busymom01 · 1/10 · 29 December 2021]

Not quite sure how Michael Landon could add his name to the writing credits of this disaster - it's utterly ridiculous. They were stretching for storylines at this point I'm guessing - but between this & the one with the "two" Carrie's - just awful. (And I'm a die-hard Little House fan) This is not a normal episode however.

If I could give it zero stars.

[kwendel-22620 · 1/10 · 21 June 2021]

But I have to give to give it least 1 star. One of THE worst shows for Little House and possibly one of the top 5 worst shows ever in my book. Anyone that says different is lying. This episode was listed as one of the lowest ratings episodes and was never a fan favorite. However if you are able to get through this episode without cringy, then you are a true fan.

Like 2020, what the Heck was That???

[lalager66 · 1/10 · 1 January 2021]

Pretty bad show. Not sure whose brain child this was, but it should have been scrapped.

Indians Are Funny...

[ExplorerDS6789 · 1/10 · 29 December 2010]

Halloween finds Laura and Albert dressin' up like Injuns. See, they want to win first prize at Nellie's costume contest...like they really think she'd let them win? So after Albert and Laura painfully get their costumes on, Caroline forces them to take a nap, so as to be rested up for their night, but I think it was just to get them out of her hair. So as they lay in the loft snoozin', Albert has himself a very peculiar dream... it starts with a group of Native Americans sitting around a fire where they "smokeum peace pipe". They're waiting for a strong, young brave named Son of Running Bull, who will aid them in their attack in which they will slay the white man. I guess they had nothing better to do; members of the tribe spot Laura and Albert on horseback, and bring them back to their chief, Chief Kilowatt (you read right) taking Albert to be Son of Running Bull. I think they just made heap big mistake; back at the little house, Charles and Caroline meet Commander Kaiser, who reports sightings of tribes in the area. Bloodthirsty Injuns looking to kill the white man. Naturally, the Ingalls were somewhat concerned with his news.

So after making Laura and Albert smokeum the peace pipe, Chief Kilowatt lays out their plan of attack: kill white man in one town, then move on to next, and next, until white man is no more, and they have war party...um, haven't they noticed Laura is white? As is Albert? Well, guess what? According to this episode, the Indians are freakin' idiots. Meanwhile, homes in the area were evacuated, forcing Charles and the family to be relocated, as per Kaiser's orders. All Charles could think about were his missing children, but Kaiser was less than sympathetic. Spotting his children amongst the tribes, Charles gets himself a horse and white flag and rides out. Being forced to play along, Albert exchanges Indian-speak with his Pa, but alas, the time to talk peace was over. The Indians were intent on slaying the whites regardless. But that night, Albert had a plan to help he and Laura escape. So after dressing like giggling maids, they made their way to Stoney Pass and were reunited with Charles, after scaring Kaiser half to death. So what now? Go BACK to the camp where they JUST escaped from, to try and make the chiefs believe the riflemen were captured and thus their battle could not be carried out...only to discover that not only do the Indians have the rifles, but the REAL Son of Running Bull finally showed up. Good plan, Albert, you little idiot; and so, Albert and Laura are tied to crosses, set to be burned at the stake...and please do it quickly! But no, they somehow manage to escape, stealing the wagon full of rifles and hit the trail, with over 200 Injuns and a psyched-out Son of Running Bull giving chase. But it's okay, Laura tries to stop them with a loaded rifle...this is a family show, isn't it? A kid with a gun? So, the Stoney Pass cavalrymen are set and a huge battle ensues. The cavalry wins, they drive the Injuns away, and then Albert wakes up so he and Laura can go to that damn party. And boy are they in for a surprise when they get there!

I'd say Michael Landon was taking a few hits off the peace pipe when he wrote this heap big mess! It's awful, it's stupid and it's BORING! So, so, BORING. My brain was going to sleep 10 minutes in. I remember once saying that "Divorce Walnut Grove Style" and "The Godsister" were this show's worst episodes. But with DWGS, at least they TRIED. It sucked, but they tried; "Godsister" has one redeeming quality: the Charles and Jonathan telephone pole subplot, the rest was crap. But "Halloween Dream" has no redeeming qualities at all! None! UNLESS you're having trouble sleeping. This episode will put you out faster than Ambien or NyQuil any day; To think, Michael Landon wrote AND directed this pile. What was he thinking? There was no effort put into this AT ALL. THIS is the WORST episode of Little House on the Prairie. It should never have been made, it's offensive, it's ridiculous, it's over-the-top, it's just BAD. Avoid it! Yet ANOTHER attempt at a funny episode that fell flat on its ass! You want funny Little House episodes, watch "Fred", "Alden's Dilemma", or "The Older Brothers"; You know, this episode should have starred Willie and Nellie, it would have been funnier, or better yet, if they wanted Laura, it should have been made in Season 2. This is Season 6. Laura is a little old for story lines like these. After all, she just met Almanzo and she's trying to be a teacher. Did Landon not want his Half Pint to grow up just yet? Anyway, "Halloween Dream" is crap. Pure and simple.

Derogatory Dream

[jonathan_k80 · 1/10 · 10 September 2012]

"Little House on the Prairie" would occasionally move away from its often intense drama and feature a light-hearted or comical episode. "Halloween Dream" is one of these failed attempts at humor.

The title is misleading because Albert's dream has nothing to do with the holiday other than having him and Laura dressing in costumes.

I won't bother to rehash the plot since another reviewer has already done so, but I will say that this episode isn't worth anyone's time.

The storyline is an insult to Native Americans. It utilizes every B-movie Western stereotype imaginable. It is beyond me how this was ever green-lighted. It is definitely not funny.

Funny- this episode 'had' a rating of 8+ (pre-2012)

[xtiansldr · 10/10 · 21 August 2019]

All of the old reviews are gone...deleted. Guess this site is joining the "offensive" teams...where every single thing is scrutinized. In this case it's the portrayal of "Indians". Also, imd added their own input, citing utter b.s. and falsely PUSHING their agenda of "this episode is known as the least Favorite by fans" Sorry, that's BULL 💩. Nothing was ever known as such. Stop and realize that there are no more OLDER posts to this episode. This is supposed to be a DREAM EPISODE and it lives up to the ludicrously that it was aiming for: politically incorrectness throughout, etc. IT IS A young boys DREAM - no reason for any offensive anything. It's a great episode and it was always perceived as such- prior to this site deleting all of the older positive reviews. I and 10 others I know, ranked it a 10, just to see if it would effect the current 5.3 rating and it didn't flinch. Do the research yourself- only a couple NEW reviews? Doesn't make sense after all of these years. Now I'm going to have to read comments only older than 2010 (just to be on the safe side).

One of the stupidest LH episodes ever. And that's saying something

[pstorvik · 1/10 · 17 July 2020]

Seriously. It's hard to know where to start. So stupid.

Maybe this should be watched like Mulholland Drive

[muratmihcioglu · 2 December 2023]

Even segments alone look so odd that this really is a special episode. Two other reviewers have noted that prior to 2012 it had an overall score of 8.0, but later fell down dramatically, most probably due to woke concerns.

Okay, now... I will try something here:

Little House on the Praire has proven in the past many times that Native American culture is respected and upheld by its producers, most notably by Michael Landon. They didn't even have problems glorifying the "last man standing" of his tribe, against white lawmen who had no nuance. I can't say such episodes have been written to perfection, but obviously the imagery of this particular episode does not represent how LHOTP approaches the issue.

What DOES it represent then?

This is supposed to be a dream. Though it feels weird to watch some scenes from Charles Ingalls' point of view during a dream by his stepson, let's cut it some slack... Because a "dream episode" may not exactly be "the narration of a dream via filmmaking". Think of Mulholland Drive: It's a study after all. Bizarre, mind-boggling, complicated and independent from the laws of physics.

I can hear you say "Shut up, there's nothing in this as elevated or experimental as Mulholland Drive!" And your're right. This was made for fun. But it should be okay to get into undefined territory regardless of what genre you're doing.

The subconscious is a mysterious place. Today, works of fiction like this episode are frawned upon due to allegations of "appropriation". But appropriation exists in every walk of life already. It's just a fad to neglect it due to political correctness. A married couple doing a stewardess fantasy in the bedroom are appropriating a profession alright. And I don't see anything problematic with kids putting on traditional costumes of any peoples, be it related to them or not.

Given Albert lives in the 1870s, it's more than normal that his mind is absorbed by the clichés and fears relating to Indians. There's no deliberate dehumanization or insult here. It's much better than how Israeli settlers handle Palestinians, indeed.

I don't want to give this one a score because it really does look stupid on many levels, but there has to have been some intent and audience which today we have fallen so distant from that we cannot get how the episode is supposed to make us feel.

What a horror...ble episode!

[awarlock-17703 · 1/10 · 22 March 2024]

I am so surprised they aired this episode. It was terrible. I definitely recommend passing on this one. I am sure Michael Landon held his nose while he wrote and directed it. Laura and Albert prepare to go to a costume party at Nellie's, dressing as Indians. Albert is a chief and Laura is a brave. Once they are finished dressing up in their costumes, Caroline demand both of them take a nap for 2 hours. They were going to be out late and need to be rested. At this point, the stupidity begins Albert dreams that he and Laura meet up with 3-4 Indians who escort them to their camp, where they meet with the chiefs. They think Albert is the son of running bull...yadda yadda yadda Charles wakes up Albert and the episode ends. If you really want to know more about it, watch it. I only said this much to meet the character count. The End (to the worst episode of the series).

Scary and funny Halloween episode. I love it

[kurt7825 · 10/10 · 3 July 2020]

I've watched this episode every Halloween for so many years. Watch it with your kids, they will love it. Carrie, (my favorite Ingalls child) is really good in this. Happy Halloween!