Ernest Scared Stupid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ernest Scared Stupid |
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Theatrical release poster by John Alvin.
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| Directed by | John Cherry |
| Produced by | Stacy Williams Martin Erlichman Coke Sams (Co-producer) |
| Screenplay by | Charlie Gale Coke Sams |
| Story by | John Cherry Coke Sams |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Bruce Arntson Kirby Shelstad |
| Cinematography | Hanania Baer |
| Editing by | Craig Bassett |
| Studio | Touchstone Pictures Touchwood Pacific Partners I Emshell Producers Group |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures |
| Release date(s) | October 11, 1991 |
| Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $9.6 million |
| Money made | $14.1 million |
Ernest Scared Stupid is a fun comedy horror movie from 1991. It was directed by John R. Cherry III and stars Jim Varney. This film is the fifth one to feature the funny character Ernest P. Worrell.
In the movie, Ernest accidentally lets an evil troll loose in a small town on Halloween. He then helps the local children fight against it! The film was shot in Nashville, Tennessee. Other Ernest movies like Ernest Goes to Camp and Ernest Saves Christmas were also filmed there.
Story of the Movie
Trantor is a scary troll who turns children into wooden dolls. He does this to steal their energy. This happened in Briarville, Missouri, a long time ago. The townspeople caught Trantor and sealed him under an oak tree.
One of Ernest's ancestors, Phineas Worrell, helped seal the troll away. Trantor put a curse on the Worrell family for revenge. He said he could only be set free by a Worrell on the night before Halloween. The curse also made each Worrell generation "dumber and dumber." This led to Ernest P. Worrell being the one to accidentally free him.
Ernest's Big Mistake
One hundred years later, Ernest is a sanitation worker. He helps his friends Kenny, Elizabeth, and Joey build a tree house. They build it in the same old tree that holds the sleeping troll. An old lady named Hackmore finds out and gets very angry.
Ernest follows her and learns the scary story of Trantor. He tells the kids about it. But then, Ernest accidentally lets the troll out! Joey is walking home and hears something in the trees. Trantor grabs Joey and turns him into a wooden doll.
Ernest tries to tell Sheriff Binder, Kenny's dad, what happened. But no one believes him. The town is too busy getting ready for the Halloween party. So, Ernest decides to fight the troll by himself, with his dog Rimshot. Meanwhile, Trantor turns another boy into a doll.
Fighting the Troll
Two guys, Tom and Bobby Tulip, try to trick Ernest. They sell him fake troll traps. One of these traps causes trouble for the mayor's sons. Because of this, Ernest loses his job. Ernest, Kenny, and Elizabeth go back to Old Lady Hackmore. She tells them that "the heart of a child, and a mother's care" are the only things that can stop the troll.
Later that night, Trantor sneaks into Elizabeth's house. He turns her into a wooden doll too. Trantor then uses Elizabeth's voice to trick Kenny. He takes Kenny's friend Gregg as another victim. Even though kids are missing, the mayor and sheriff still have the Halloween party. They think the missing kids will show up there.
Trantor appears at the party and turns the mayor's oldest son into a doll. Ernest fights Trantor, and Trantor turns Ernest's dog, Rimshot, into a wooden doll. Ernest gets soft-serve ice cream on his hands, which drives Trantor away. Kenny then realizes that "mother's care" means milk! He gathers a team to fight the trolls with milk.
The Final Battle
Back at the treehouse, Trantor calls his army of trolls. Ernest tries to stop them but fails. The townspeople arrive, but the trolls are too strong. Then Kenny and his friends show up. They start destroying the trolls with milk!
During the fight, Trantor escapes under the tree. He gets stronger, making him invincible to milk. Kenny tries to stop Trantor but fails, and Trantor turns Kenny into a doll. Ernest realizes that the troll children were weak to milk. But Trantor himself needed something else: "the heart of a child," meaning unconditional love.
Ernest grabs Trantor and starts dancing with him. He fills Trantor with as much love as he can. He even gives the troll a kiss on its nose! This causes Trantor to explode.
With Trantor gone, Ernest is a hero! All the wooden dolls turn back into children, even the ones from long ago. Life goes back to normal. Sheriff Binder says sorry to Kenny for not believing him. Ernest is very happy to have his dog Rimshot back too.
Meet the Cast
- Jim Varney as Ernest P. Worrell, Bunny Worrell, Auntie Nelda, and other characters
- Eartha Kitt as Francis "Old Lady" Hackmore
- Austin Nagler as Kenny Binder
- Shay Astar as Elizabeth
- Alec Klapper as Joey
- John Cadenhead as Tom Tulip
- Bill Byrge as Bobby Tulip
- Richard Woolf as Matt Murdock
- Nick Victory as Mike Murdock
- Jonas Moscartolo as Trantor
- Ernie Fosselius as Trantor (voice)
- Daniel Butler as Sheriff Cliff Binder
- Esther Huston as Amanda Binder
- Larry Black as Mayor Murdock
- Denice Hicks as Elizabeth's mother
- Jackie Welch as Teacher
- Barkley as Rimshot
