Ernest Scared Stupid (1991) User Reviews

When Halloween was fun and Ernest made us scared stupid

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 7/10 · 29 November 2003]

One of the movies I remember watching like crazy when I was a kid during Halloween was Ernest Scared Stupid. It was always on TV and one of those harmless kid's movies that they could watch with a fun scare and was pretty safe for the family. I always loved this movie, even though I liked the more intense films like Jaws and The Exorcist, Ernest Scared Stupid was something special to me. I think because I always liked the mix of horror and comedy. Jim Varney went from doing Mello Yello commercials to creating Ernest, one of the silliest but funniest characters of all time. He saved Christmas, went to prison and now he's being scared stupid. Now does the film still hold up after all these years? I think so, it's a reminder of a time when Halloween was fun and about the scares.

Ernest works as a sanitation engineer for the town and is close friends with Elizabeth and her two friends Joey, and Kenny. 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 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 tree house. Ernest accidentally incites the incantation to summon the troll. The troll now wants the children so he can bring back his other evil troll friends. But Ernest and the kids are on top of it trying to stop him before he can do this and save the town.

Ernest Scared Stupid is a harmless film that I don't know why, but people gave this movie the harshest rating. Is it because we grew up? When did we stop forgetting what it's like to be a kid? Especially during Halloween where we wore that horrible Walgreens make up, itchy costume, went trick-or-treating, coming home to get rid of the corn candy in the bag only to get to the good stuff like Snickers and Hershey bars. That's what Ernest Scared Stupid meant to me, reminding me of the good times. The acting may be bad, but it's a kid's movie for goodness sake. The kid actors do as average of a job as most actors. Ernest was hilarious though, I just love when he reunites with Rimshot at the end and is taken down by his kisses. I thought the costumes/impressions by Jim were great and just a fun laugh. This may be a silly movie, but I think people just need to let go. After all, when it comes down to it, every holiday takes us back to the time when we were kids with all those good memories.

7/10

More Innocent Than It Is Stupid

[ccthemovieman-1 · 7/10 · 29 August 2007]

This was the first "Ernest" movie, I think, that I watched and I was surprised that it wasn't as stupid as I thought it was or the title convinced me it would be. It really wasn't "stupid" until the last 20 minutes, but a lot of movies get really dumb in the last half hour.

For most of the movie, it was nice, lighthearted fun that - cliché aside - is fun for the "whole family." There is nary a bad one word in this movie and it's old-fashioned slapstick fun and about as innocent as it gets.

Having said that, I realize a lot of people would still consider the movie as a dumb one but I always liked Jim Varney and laughed at the most of the stuff he did, beginning with those famous TV commercials of his.

In the last 30 years, how many comedies do you see without a tons of sex and profanity? Almost none......so give "Ernest" some slack.

Horror Film for Kids with Plenty of Laughter

[rebeljenn · 5/10 · 16 November 2005]

'Ernest Scared Stupid' is a job well done for Ernest. This film combines the slapstick and subtle humor typical of any Ernest film, and it brings in the element of horror. The film is downright frightening for children, but it is not THAT frightening because of the reassurance that it is only a film. It's just made for children, after all.

In this film, a troll breaks free from a curse and starts capturing children and turning them into dolls. It is up to Ernest to save the day and bring Halloween back -- without frightening trolls. I was amazed at how entertaining this film was; I saw it when I was about 11, and it was my first proper 'movie' I saw at the cinema, not counting classic Disney animated films.

Halloween is mainly a children's affair anyway, and it is good to see that Ernest was able to bring it to the children: a little bit of laughter, a little bit of horror, and some child actors in important parts. It's what every child hopes for in a Halloween film.

Woa! Woa! Keep it real!!

[Jack the Ripper1888 · 15 January 2003]

I saw this movie on TV a couple years ago, but I didn't get to see the whole thing because I had to go to that one place in the world that is most pointless and very stupid----yes, school. But, when I saw it at the video store a few days ago, I bought it. And this movie is seriously one of the best comedies that are "so stupid, they're funny".

The late Jim Varney stars as Ernest as he tries to stop an evil Troll from killing all of town's children. The movie begins with a montage of classic horror film clips, some of which I recognized to be FRANKENSTEIN and the 1922 classic NOSFERATU. There are some scenes that might not be suitable for children, but otherwise this hilariously funny romp is surely a movie that everyone should watch. This film is a must-see for anyone who loves stupidly funny comedies!

Sleep tight....ERNEST SCARED STUPID gets 4/5.

Halloween time with Ernest

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 8 July 2017]

As said before, the 'Ernest' films will always garner a mixed reception, with people finding it easier than others to take them for what they are and how they execute what they set out to do (that's how my judgement on any film always fares). Rather than having any stereotypical notion of what a film of a certain genre or overall ought to do (there are no rules in film-making, people seem to forget that, not trying to be arrogant in any way, it just seems that way).

The 'Ernest' films are in no way perfect films. They are not even great films, they do have obvious flaws and it is easy to see why there are those who struggle to see the appeal in them and also the character of Ernest. However, to me, none of the films are bad and much better than reputed, though they are more guilty pleasure sort of films that still get a lot of enjoyment out of me. 'Ernest Scared Stupid' is the fourth film, this time celebrating Halloween (inevitable after 'Saves Christmas' celebrated Christmas), and celebrates it it does and in a fun way too.

Yes, there is something perfectly apt about putting stupid in the title because that is what 'Ernest Scared Stupid' is. Even for an 'Ernest' film the plot is incredibly dumb and sometimes contrived with a thin plot that would have been old-hat in the Laurel and Hardy and Three Stooges days. Like most 'Ernest' films, not all the humour works with some of the slapstick oriented scenes being tiring.

Despite great production design and surprisingly not bad special effects, the cheap camera work mars things somewhat. And apart from Jim Varney and Eartha Kitt, the cast are not particularly memorable with the performances of the children being pretty grating.

However, as aforementioned, there is some atmospheric production design that captures the spirit of Halloween really well. The special effects are surprisingly not bad, in fact they're quite good considering the budget, was in all honesty expecting them to be terrible.

'Ernest Scared Stupid's' soundtrack is full of energy and creates unsettling atmosphere and a sense of nostalgia. Most of the humour does work, with some very entertaining writing and gags, even if not sophisticated or subtle (then again who expects either of those things in an 'Ernest' film?). Pacing is bright and breezy, and the film really captures the fun of Halloween and what it's like to be a kid again.

Varney is immensely likable and a lot of fun as Ernest, and to me the character appeals to me despite potentially being the sort of character that doesn't do it for me usually to put it mildly. Ernest is the sort of the character one can relate to easily, the sort of character that is a well-intended serial bumbler with a strong heart but always finding himself messing up. Eartha Kitt is alluring and snappy support.

In conclusion, a fun Halloween time, as long as you don't expect too much and take it for what it's meant to be. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Stupid is the correct word!

[jackripper3000 · 3/10 · 29 March 2004]

Stupid! Ernest is scared stupid and I was VERY stupid for watching the entire film. Not to say that Ernest movies are oscar-worthy, but this was one of the worst...I saw this as a kid and I hated it then. Some evil troll is trapped under a tree on Eartha Kitts property and the only person in the entire world who can release him from his grave is of course, Ernest. After Ernest accidentally says the magic words that release this evil, the troll runs around the woods capturing the local kids and turning them into wooden dolls...and of course the only one that can save them is of course, Ernest. It was not interesting, not funny, and not worth your time, know-what-i-mean!

Not so stupid

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 6/10 · 31 October 2012]

This umpteenth screen appearance for Ernest P. Worrell has the bumbling handyman accidentally awaken an imprisoned troll a day before Halloween, leading to the creature going on a rampage through a small town. It's probably the most imaginative Ernest adventure and features appropriately gruesome creature effects by the Chiodo Brothers (who also created the Critters and the Killer Klowns from Outer Space). The production values are also quite good, but the kids are a little grating.

My only real complaint is the same thing that bugged with previous Ernest movies. Director John Cherry is so used to directing television and commercials that you can tell he's given every shot in the movie a maximum of two takes, giving everything a badly-rehearsed feel. Sounds like a petty grievance, but it would have made a difference to hone the acting a little more and tighten things up.

Probably not a Halloween classic, but it's hardly a time of year for family movies.

"You are the great redneck hope!"

[utgard14 · 5/10 · 20 April 2014]

Moronic garbageman Ernest (Jim Varney) inadvertently frees a troll from a centuries-long imprisonment beneath a tree. Well, it's an Ernest movie so keep expectations simple. It is funny in spots and completely earnest (no pun intended). It's something children should enjoy more than adults. There's lot of slapstick humor and face mugging. Jim Varney repeats many of the same gags that he uses in most of his movies. Eartha Kitt is fun. The troll looks pretty cool. I gotta admit I laughed when Ernest called the troll 'booger lips.' So there's some laughs to be had if you still have some kid left inside. Gets better as it goes along.

Ernest P. fights off "booger-lipped" bad guys. . .

[Iammymothersdaughter2 · 9/10 · 20 September 2001]

O.K. so this movie probably wasn't nominated for an Oscar for best original screenplay. Or best of anything else for that matter. And the film is what most folks would term "stupid" humor. So I like "stupid" humor, so sue me. Jim Varney's creation of characters like Ernest and the myriad others he pulled out of seeming thin air, in my opinion speak volumes of his talent and creativity. Sometimes it's enough just to be entertained with belly laughs and not stop and analyze every single line of dialog. If you're the intellectual type, don't bother with this movie, it'll go way over your head, or under your radar screen one. But if you're an otherwise intelligent and reasonably good humored person, and especially if you're looking for something that is decidedly NOT a gut-yanking, eyeball popping, gorey screamfest to watch with your kids on Halloween, this is a fun and easy on the brain flick.

Not that bad

[SanteeFats · 7/10 · 29 July 2013]

Ernest movies usually get bad reviews and ratings. I think that is because they are pretty sophomoric and low level for a lot of viewers. I find them to be relaxing and a movie I can watch without locking in on the plot. Just a good funny movie without a lot of fanfare. Jim Varney plays Ernest P. Worrell, a know it all with no concept of reality or responsibility. He is just a good ole boy with out a lot of smarts or knowledge. In this one Ernest must combat an evil creature that he has unknowingly released from its imprisonment. Eartha Kitt is excellent as the seeress (?) with the information that is needed. It turns out that the creature, who has captured several kids and turned them into wooden little replicates. Ernest finally figures out the riddle and tosses milk on the evil one. It shrinks down to nothing and all the people it had turned into little wooden dolls are restored to life.

At least they got the stupid part right

[Agent10 · 4/10 · 22 May 2002]

With the series beginning to take its down slide to anonymity, this simply helped usher in the end of Ernest P. Worrell. Instead of fantastic adventures, this film brought in a horrible story about goblins and magic and hooey. It seemed like everyone phoned in their performance with this film, and Jim Varney even looked disinterested throughout the movie. A sad ending to an otherwise potentially good film series.

pure ernest

[antimarcc · 9/10 · 13 March 2002]

Okay, I'll be the first to admit that the Ernest films aren't exactly Oscar-caliber movies... okay, they aren't even good movies by most peoples standards. BUT, the Ernest P. Worrell movies sure are fun, something that you can just let go and laugh at.

Ernest Scared Stupid is my favorite of these movies. It may be just because I used to watch it all the time when I was like 12 years old, but either way, I still like it. Right from the credits you can tell it is going to be hilarious. The troll makeup and costumes are very well done for an Ernest movie, and it keeps you entertained all the way through. I'm 20 years old and I can still watch this one until the very end. The real question is, when is somebody going to get off of their ass and put the late, great Jim Varney's entire Ernest collection out on DVD?

We're waiting... I know I'm not alone here... right?

I didn't have four fathers! I only had one father and I didn't know him that well

[JakeRfilmfreak · 7/10 · 26 October 2023]

Ernest Scared stupid is my second favorite film in the Ernest series. Right behind Goes To Camp, Scared Stupid is an absolute comedy classic from my childhood. Jim Varney is a comedic legend and with director John Cherry created some of the most entertaining movies that are not only hilarious, but fun for the whole family.

The plot revolves around Ernest awakening an evil troll who goes after the neighborhood children, and it's up to Ernest and the kids to stop him.

The story is a little darker than most Ernest movies but packs just as much laughter as the rest in the series. It's a nice horror movie for kids and If you're a fan of Jim and the Ernest character, then you'll love this film.

The best of the Ernest movies I've seen

[cnmirose · 5/10 · 17 September 2006]

Ernest movies are in general pretty terrible, except for maybe 4 year olds. However, this one was surprisingly good. The horror portion was strangely frightening in places (well, not *really* frightening as compared to a *real* horror flick, but because it's an Ernest movie and the troll was pretty ugly and menacing, it was a bit of a shock -- so this movie is not for really young kids). The denouement where Ernest (of course) defeats the troll is also pure silly Ernest but also so sweet and perhaps gets right to the core of the Ernest character -- it could not have happened any other way.

All that said, I have not seen "Ernest Goes to Jail" so rate this comment accordingly.

Ernest is the godfather of comedy....or something like that

[Beck97 · 24 October 1999]

Ernest Scared Stupid is by far the best Ernest movie yet. Our lovable bumbling idiot has to save the day this time from a bunch of trolls. Sounds like a cheap horror flick plot, but once you factor in Ernest......its non stop side splitting Ernest P. Worrell action. I mean, it even has his faithful dog Rimshot in it. You can't go wrong with that.

Seriously Under-Rated, Even Among Ernest Fans! This Is Clearly The Second Best Of The Line!

[FiendishDramaturgy · 7/10 · 21 January 2004]

I love Earnest. He is genuine, caring, dedicated, and about the dumbest redneck I've ever seen. (Sorry, don't mean to intentionally insult any ignorant rednecks out there.) Portrayed so excellently by Jim Varney, Earnest is the redneck you love to laugh at; a real-life, walking-around cartoon character. My favorite of his movies is Earnest Goes to Camp, followed closely by this one, and then Earnest Rides Again.

This movie contains some really good horror elements, while maintaining the classic Earnest feeling. Watch for Eartha Kitt; remember her? She was the original Cat-Woman, and the best, in my opinion.

This production, while hilarious at Earnest's expense, was also a bit tense at times, lending an excellent perfection to the elements of horror and comedy. I loved that almost-Gothic cast iron dragon with the flame in his mouth there at the entrance to Kitt's house.

Excellent touch. And then there's Kitt going after Varney's character with a flame thrower, the Murdock's (a brother team of bullies), and the trolls which Earnest, in all stupidity, sets loose upon the children of a small, middle class American town.

Way to go, Earnest.

It rates a 7.35/10 from...

the Fiend :.

Ernest Scared Stupid

[jboothmillard · 3/10 · 4 March 2021]

I recognised the poster, having seen it somewhere before, and I recognised the leading actor as the voice of Slinky the Dog in the first two Toy Story movies, it was only reading up on it that I found out more about the leading character. Ernest P. Worrell was an established long-running character from a many American commercials, before appearing in ten feature films (four straight-to-video), this was the fifth film to feature the character. Basically, in Briarville, Missouri in the late 19th century, Trantor (Jonas Moscartolo, voiced by Ernie Fosselius) is a demonic troll who transforms children into wooden dolls to feast upon their energy. He is captured by the townsfolk and sealed under an oak tree by an ancestor of the Worrell family. Out of vengeance, Trantor utters, that one day he will be released on the night before Halloween by one of the Worrell family, and that every generation of Worrells will get "dumber and dumber and dumber", until the dumbest member of the family is foolish enough to release him. One hundred years later, Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney) is a sanitation worker. He helps his middle school friends Kenny Binder (Austin Nagler), Elizabeth (Shay Astar) and Joey (Alec Klapper) to construct a tree, unknowingly in the same tree that the dormant creature is trapped beneath. Old Lady Hackmore (Eartha Kitt), who is knowledgeable about witchcraft and ancient creatures, is angry about this construction and tells Ernest the story of Trantor. Inadvertently, Ernest releases the troll. Joey is walking home from the tree house when he falls into a muddy hole and is grabbed by Trantor, who turns him into a wooden doll. Ernest finds Sheriff Cliff Binder (Daniel Butler), Kenny's father, and explains the situation but they do not believe him. After none of the townspeople will help Ernest because they are focusing on the Halloween party, he mounts a one-man (and one-dog) defence operation to go against the troll. Meanwhile, Trantor captures a boy on a skateboard who becomes his second victim. Local brothers Tom (John Cadenhead) and Bobby Tulip (Bill Byrge) take advantage of Ernest and sell him a variety of fake troll traps. One of them backfires on the sons of Mayor Murdock (Larry Black) and Ernest is fired from his job. Ernest, Kenny, and Elizabeth return to Hackmore, where they learn that "the heart of a child, and a mother's care" are the only things that can defeat the troll. Later that night, Trantor claims Elizabeth as his third victim, sneaking into her house. While Kenny and his friend Gregg (Steven Moriyon) are walking, Trantor uses Elizabeth's voice to lure Kenny away, then takes Gregg as his fourth victim. Despite parents being upset at their missing children, Mayor Murdock and Sheriff Cliff Binder go ahead with the Halloween party at the school and they believe the missing children will show up. Trantor appears there and takes the mayor's oldest son as his fifth and final wooden doll. In the ensuing fight between Trantor and Ernest, Trantor turns Ernest's dog Rimshot into a wooden doll before being driven away by ice cream on Ernest's hands. Back at the treehouse, Trantor successfully summons his army of trolls. Ernest tries and fails to stop them, and the townspeople show up. However, the trolls overwhelm and beat them up. Kenny, who has realised that "mother's care" refers to milk, has rallied a team of troll-fighting kids to destroy them. Kenny and his friends use milk in water pistols and in cartons to throw onto the monsters, causing them to disintegrate into mounds of slime. During the fight, Trantor escapes beneath the tree where he summons the powers of the underworld, making him invincible, and impervious to milk. Kenny unsuccessfully tries to destroy Trantor and is turned into a doll as well. With the rest of the townsfolk now backing him up, Ernest realises that Trantor himself would be weak against unconditional love: "the heart of a child." He takes Trantor and dances with him while the mob watches, filling him with as much love as possible and finishing it off with a kiss to his snot-ridden nose, which causes Trantor to explode. With Trantor's destroyed, the wooden children and Rimshot are restored, including folks from the early 19th century, Ernest is proclaimed a hero, and life returns to normal. Also starring Jackie Welch as Teacher. Varney is the big draw for this film, from the many amusing faces he pulls in the horror movie montage opening, to his gravelly voice, simpleton personality and impressions of stereotypical characters in costumes, while Kitt is a bit too strange to take seriously. It is a predictable story about an ugly ancient being wanting to take over the world turning kids into dolls for his collection, and the stupidest man in town is the only one who can save the day, there are slapstick and visual jokes that will give the family giggles, and the leading character is very likeable, but otherwise this is a silly comedy horror. Adequate!

Know what I mean?

[BandSAboutMovies · 7/10 · 1 October 2022]

Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney) started in a series of television commercials shot at the Nashville-area home of producer John Cherry III and Jerry Carden. Starting in 1980, they eventually did 25 different versions of each commercial and Varney would just insert the name of the company paying for the ad, then yelling for his friend Vern and saying "KnoWhutimean?"

Carden and Cherry gort requests from major national companies to use Ernest, but they already had non-compete deals with their existing clients such as Cerritos Auto Square, Audubon Chrysler Center, John L. Sullivan auto dealerships, ABC Warehouse, Braum's Ice Cream and Dairy Store, Purity Milk, Blake's Lotaburger, Tyson's Toyota and Lewis Drug. That's why Ernest started making movies with the first being Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam.

The fifth movie in six years - plus the TV series Hey Vern, It's Ernest! - but man, I have no idea what everyone was smoking. Starting with a montage of clips from Nosferatu, White Zombie, Phantom from Space, The Brain from Planet Arous, The Screaming Skull, Missile to the Moon, The Hideous Sun Demon, The Giant Gila Monster, The Killer Shrews), The Little Shop of Horrors and Battle Beyond the Sun, the movie soon moves to the secret history of Briarville, Missouri. The troll Trantor was turning children into wooden dolls before Ernest's ancestors sealed him under an oak tree. Before he is trapped, he curses the entire Worrell family, making each new generation dumber until one day, the dumbest of them all will unleash him.

Ernest has already built a treehouse for his friends - he has no adult friends and is a grown manchild - yet learns from Old Lady Hackmore (Earth Kitt) that the tree contains Trantor. Soon, the dreaded beast - looking like something out of a direct to video horror movie and not a film released by Disney - is loose and turning all the kids into wooden figures. Only Ernest and his dog Rimshot can save them.

The reason why this looks so frightening is because the Chiodo Brothers worked on the trolls and they basically built them to move and be destroyed like the Killer Klowns from Outer Space.

So why did this movie underperform when all the other Ernest movies before do so well? Could it be the fact that a troll stealing the souls of children was too much? Director, co-writer and producer John Cherry III said that Trontor "hurt the box office by $10,000,000."

If you're looking to get your kids into horror or you know an annoying child who is easily frightened and needs taken down, let me recommend this film. I missed out on Ernerst as I was too old for him, but my wife was the right age and watched this even when it wasn't Halloween. She still watches it now.

Ernest Scared Silly

[thesar-2 · 5/10 · 2 October 2013]

Oddly, Ernest Scared Stupid (or Part IV) was the movie in 1991 that made me stop watching Ernest movies and I was a huge Ernest fan. Today, October 2, 2013, watching it for the first time since that one viewing in the theatre in 1991, I actually appreciated it.

Yes. It was silly beyond belief, and the opening credits filled with Ernest acting all-scared juxtaposed with old Bmovies that were probably featured on Elvira: Mistress of the Dark or Mystery Science Theater 3000 or both, should tell you immediately what you're in for. Since I wanted to give this, and Ernest films, another shot during the correct month – October – I continued. And, I was glad I did.

There were actually a lot of funny moments and lines from Ernest. Despite being strictly a children's "scary" comedy, he had some genuinely hilarious lines. Again, the movie got more and more silly and the finale, though it worked, contained the goofiest scenes of the entire movie.

The movie begins with the background story of a troll over a hundred years prior that stole children and turned them into wooden figures for his powers and the townsfolk trap the creature and bury him. Never seems to occur to them to chop up or kill the troll before burying it alive, but then again, this is a children's PG movie.

Fast forward to present (1991) day, it is said the descendants of the person who doomed the troll, would get stupider and stupider and, well, we have Ernest, the garbage man in the same town. He's friends with the kids, as he always is, and he helps them make a tree house in the same tree that sits over the buried troll from ages past. Ernest does wake the troll, who wastes no time to collect more children and create an army of evil trolls.

Ernest doesn't sleep, stop or cease being silly to bring to an end to the troll and protect the town. The kids help, as does the fantastic little dog of Ernest's, Rimshot, who reminded me of the Wallace & Gromit animation series. Though, the dog has a suspiciously odd name for kid's movie…

Overall, it's a fun movie and, of course, never to be taken seriously. I did find myself laughing out loud because (RIP, God bless his soul) Jim Varney was a great comedian despite his lowbrow character with a vest.

* * * Final thoughts: "Remember, if anyone of us gets separated, there's an old pioneer way of finding north. The bark always grows on the outside of the tree." – Ernest P. Worrell. God, I love Ernest.

I watch this one every year.

[pmtelefon · 8/10 · 21 October 2019]

"Ernest Scared Stupid" has been a part of my Halloween movie rotation for many years. I saw this movie in the theater (Fresh Meadows, NY). I liked it then and I still like it now. It has a lot of laughs. It has a nice story with characters you care about. Its monsters are pretty scary/pretty gross. Jim Varney was one of kind. I wouldn't call him a comic genius but he comes pretty close. He created a character that is as warm as he is funny. Ernest P. Worrell is always a welcome watch in my house.

Fun movie for kids

[gmiller-18453 · 7/10 · 3 April 2024]

I loved this movie as a kid and now I'm enjoying it with my son. This is my favorite Ernest movie with jail coming in second. I think it actually Has a few moments that are a little scary for the age of the kids it's aimed at but nothing too bad. I hate to talk badly about child actors but the three main kids in this movie are pretty bad, especially the kid that plays Kenny. Obviously they're not going for an Oscar and it doesn't take away from me and my son enjoying the movie but its bad. I like Ernest's Rube Goldberge weapons in the tree house and the troll costumes were awesome. It also has my favorite quote of all his movies. My favorite character he does is the grumpy old woman. When he's talking about keeping out the Ottomans (which is weird for a kids movie. I doubt many would know who the Ottomans were), he says as the old lady "I knew an Ottoman Boy Scout. He got a merit badge in wholesale slaughter". That one cracks me up as an adult but probably went over my head as a kid which is funny to say about an Ernest movie. Check this out again if you haven't seen it in years, especially if you have kids who like Halloween a lot.

the last very funny ernest film.

[movieman-1408 · 3/10 · 7 September 2022]

Classic ernest good lines a bit darker than his other films but alot of laughs i grew up with ernest saw this at boxoffice double feature with subaerban commando. Rides again wasent too funny slam dunk was ok goes to school not too fnnny goes africa n in the army not funny at all. This was sadly the last real funny ernest film with alot of laughs in it. Best one after saves christmas. Worth watching very halloween enjoy. I know i did and i still do. Classic ernest know what i mean? I onder if jim varney were alive would he still making ernest films? Sadly we will never no. They said my review is too short so adding this line just take up space.

totally lovable, no matter how dumb it is

[lee_eisenberg · 10/10 · 17 January 2007]

The Ernest movies were ridiculous, pointless, and quite frankly, a distraction from anything realistic; and yet they were so lovable. Maybe it's just knowing that Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney) will always try his hardest to do something honest and benevolent, but always end up doing the most idiotic and embarrassing thing possible; think of him as Gilligan's successor. In "Ernest Scared Stupid", he accidentally awakens an evil troll who proceeds to go around kidnapping children with the aim of becoming indestructible.

Yes, it's total escapism, but the good kind. The perfect movie to watch with a bud. You gotta admit that some of the stuff here makes you laugh just because of its unpredictability. "Miak" is probably the best example.

Anyway, it's pretty fun. Also starring Eartha Kitt (happy birthday, Eartha!).

I asked for ir

[TheOneThatYouWanted · 6/10 · 18 August 2023]

Well, I asked for it... if you know what I mean. I saw something about this on Family Guy and just my luck I pick probably the worst out of the lot of Ernest films. But yeah, I would not even recommend this for children... If you know what I mean.. I think this was the movie that officially broke the series and they pretty much stopped making these types of film series... if you know what I mean. The plot is silly but not in a funny way. Yes, I know this is a children's film but even if you know what I mean than you know the parents will be watching it too for the knowing of what htie child or children watch.

Quite fun for an adult

[hellholehorror · 5/10 · 1 October 2017]

Not the most adventurous but nothing bad either. It is pretty silly and unimaginative. It is a children's film but it is quite fun for an adult. Ernest is the only memorable character, all the others are instantly forgettable. He's not even the best children's entertainment character in movies, Pee-Wee is my favourite!