"Bungholio: Lord of the Harvest"
Beavis and Butt-Head - Season 6 Episode 1
Originally aired Halloween Night, October 31, 1995
Bungholio: Lord of the Harvest
"Bungholio: Lord of the Harvest" was the Beavis and Butt-Head Halloween Special that aired on Halloween night in 1995. It starts out like a normal Beavis and Butt-Head episode, with the boys sitting at home watching TV. Eventually, trick-or-treaters coming to their door alert them to the fact that it is Halloween. The boys decide to throw together some quick costumes so they can go out trick-or-treating and score some candy. Beavis puts underwear on his head and says he is a "nad." Butt-Head pours hot cheese sauce over his head and says he is "nachos."
"Trick or Treat!"
What follows is some typical Beavis and Butt-Head comedy as the boys travel door-to-door and interact humorously with the people in their neighborhood, including regular characters like Mr. Van Dreissen, the hippie high school teacher, and old man Tom Anderson. But things take a dark turn into horror when Beavis ingests so much candy that the sugar rush transforms him into his alter ego "Cornholoio," and his insane meanderings lead to a series of violent incidents culminating in his own death.
Beavis is Unwilling to Share the Candy
I remember watching this when it originally aired and being very impressed by the dark turn it took towards the end, perfectly setting the mood for Halloween horror.
Cornholio Wanders Through a Graveyard
Highland Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Music videos featured in his episode:
Alice Cooper - Teenage Frankenstein
Paul Broucek - Hollywood Halloween
King Diamond - The Family Ghost
Paul Broucek - Hollywood Halloween (Commentary by Beavis and Butt-Head)
See the other music videos featured in this episode, plus more screencaps after the break...
Hanna Barbera's adventure, fantasy, sci-fi, and superhero cartoons often explored horror movie subjects, although in a generally safe, kid-friendly way. Let's enjoy a few highlights for Halloween!
Frankenstein Jr. - The Shocking Electrical Monster
"Frankenstein Jr. in: The Shocking Electrical Monster"
Frankenstein Jr. - The Shocking Electrical Monster Orignal airdate: September 10, 1966
A vampiric mad scientist named Dr. Shock turns his lab assistant Igor
into a giant electrical monster. The monster then goes on a
Godzilla-like rampage through the ocean and city before kid scientist
Buzz Conroy and his giant robot Frankenstein Jr. save the day. This has
some great looking horror movie visuals with the mad scientist, his
lab, and the monster. The scariest part however is the fact that Buzz's
Dad lets him ride around on the back of a flying robot. Think about
it... would you let a child ride on top of a moving car? Or a bus? Or
a train? Well this is actually more like riding on top of a flying
plane, and with no seat-belts, or straps, or anything. Face it, that
kid would be DEAD.
Dr. Shock and The Shocking Electrical Monster Plot Their Wave of Violence
UNSAFE AT ANY SPEED (Part 1)
More exciting screencaps from this episode await you below!
Space Ghost - Creature King
"Space Ghost in: Creature King"
Space Ghost - Creature King
Orignal airdate: September 24, 1966
This one has another crazy looking mad scientist, named "Creature King." Space Ghost's sidekicks Jan, Jace, and Blip crash land on a planet, and are soon attacked by a giant red SPACE APE. They escape the mad monkey, but then find themselves captured by SPACE BATS! They then find themselves CHAINED UP IN THE DUNGEON of Creature King, an alien mad scientist with a menagerie of weird alien monsters.
A Menagerie of Weird Alien Monsters.
Teenage Sidekicks in Bondage
More exciting screencaps from this episode await you below!
Dino Boy in the Lost Valley - The Vampire Men
"Dino Boy in the Lost Valley in: The Vampire Men"
Dino Boy in the Lost Valley - The Vampire Men
Orignal airdate: December 3, 1966
Dino Boy (a kid trapped in a "Land of the Lost" style valley where cavemen, dinosaurs, and weird monsters exist) decides to build a homemade kite and then strap himself to it an fly around for fun. Naturally he crashes in to a mountain, because of course he does. Safety tip: DO NOT STRAP YOURSELF TO A KITE AND FLY AROUND LIKE AN IDIOT. However, the story does not end with him dying on the mountain with broken bones and a cracked skull. Because the mountain is full of caves populated with VAMPIRE MEN. Half-men, half-bats! So they take them to their Vampire King to kill him and eat him, I guess. But then Dino Boy's caveman buddy Ugh shows up and "bats" the bat-people with his big wood club.
Vampire Men Out for Blood!
UNSAFE AT ANY SPEED (Part 2)
More exciting screencaps from this episode await you below!
Space Ghost - The Haunted Space Station
"Space Ghost in: The Haunted Space Station"
Space Ghost - The Haunted Space Station
Orignal airdate: September 26, 1981
Now we jump forward from the 1960s to the 1980s for the relaunched version of Space Ghost. Space Ghost and his crew get a distress call from a space station and go to investigate. The space station is shaped like a GIANT SPIDER WEB! Seriously, if you design your space station to look like a spider-web, you're pretty much begging for trouble, like being attacked by a GIANT SPACE SPIDER, or something. But in this case, the station has been attacked by a SPACE VAMPIRE, who has turned the crew of the station into ASTRO ZOMBIES! And if that sounds familiar, it's because I reviewed and episode of "Buck Rogers" earlier this month called "Space Vampire," that basically had the same plot.
Grizzled Face of an Astro Zombie
These people have only been Astro Zombies for ONE day, yet they are already dressed in rags! Man, Zombies are TOUGH on clothes.
More exciting screencaps from this episode await you below!
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians - The Fear
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians - The Fear
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians - The Fear
Orignal airdate: October 2, 1985
The Scarecrow stumbles upon Batman's greatest fear when he tries to flee down Crime Alley, the MURDER site of Bruce Wayne's parents. Batman usually uses his iron will to resist Scarecrow's Fear Rays, but in Crime Alley he breaks down in TERROR. This was the first time the murder of the Waynes was shown outside of the comic books, and it is remarkably intense and mature for an episode of The Super Friends. The episode is filled with rain, lightning, SKULLS, and shadows. It's probably the best episode of the Super Friends ever, and it was written by Alan Burnett who would later go on to produce Batman: The Animated Series, and you can definitely see the roots of that series start to develop here.
The walls close in on Wonder Woman, as seen through the mouth of a skull!
UNSAFE AT ANY SPEED (Part 3) Oh, man, now even Batman and Robin are getting in on the act, "Ghost Riding" on top of Wonder Woman's Invisible Jet! At least Robin is holding on for dear life! Batman is standing upright, not holding on to anything! Dudes, in real life, you would both be DEAD. Seriously, you two are supposed to be role models to little kids for Pete's sake! FOR SHAME.
More exciting screencaps from this episode await you below!
Powers / Skills: Mr. Camera has the ability to take photographs, although the evidence suggests he is not very good at it. He sometimes shines flashbulbs or other bright lights into people's eyes to temporarily blind them
Weird Obsession: Mr. Camera is mildly obsessed with cameras and photography, but not overpoweringly so. If there is a photography exhibit, film convention, or some other camera and photography themed event in Gotham City, he will be sure to try and rob it. But if there is not, he'll be perfectly happy robbing a jewelry store or a bank.
First Appearance: "The Boy Wonder Confesses" in Batman #81
History:
Published in 1954, "The Boy Wonder Confesses" begins with Dick Grayson revealing to his classmates that he is really Robin the Boy Wonder! At first, the kids don't believe him, but then he "proves" he is Robin, by walking a tightrope and doing some aerial gymnastics. Which doesn't really make any sense, because before Dick Grayson was orphaned, he was a trapeze artist with his family, "The Flying Graysons." So his classmates should expect him to be able to do all of that stuff anyway. The news that Grayson is Robin quickly makes the news, which is followed by reporters speculating that is Dick Grayson is Robin, then his foster parent Bruce Wayne must really be Batman!
I love those bat-shaped narration boxes. I can't help but hear the voice of William Dozier in my head when I read therm.
We are then treated to a series of flashbacks that explain just what prompted this shocking confession. It seems that Batman and Robin had been having a series of run-ins with a criminal known as "Mr. Camera," so-called because he wore a helmet shaped like a giant camera on his head. Mr. Camera committed several robberies, and escaped from the Dynamic Duo each time.
Batman anticipated that Mr. Camera would attempt to steal a new 3-D camera that was going to be demonstrated in a movie theater during the movie's intermission, so he arranged to have Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson in the audience. When Mr. Camera struck the theater, Bruce and Dick snuck into the alley behind the theater and changed their clothes, becoming Batman and Robin. They then attempted to capture Mr. Camera and his gang, but Mr. Camera escaped again. However, Batman and Robin then made a disturbing discovery. It turned out that Mr. Camera had a camera hidden in the alley, set-up to take pictures automatically, which may have gotten pictures of Bruce and Dick changing into Batman and Robin. Worse, Mr. Camera retrieved the film before he escaped. That film could prove to the world that Bruce Wayne is Batman, which would be very bad. Or, it could prove to the world that Bruce Wayne takes his clothes off with young boys in dark alleys. That would probably be pretty bad, too. Thus, the Caped Crusaders then have to race against time to capture the criminal before he has a chance to develop the film.
What's never explained is just why Mr. Camera had this camera hidden in the alley to begin with. Was he hoping to get a shot of a hobo peeing on the wall, or something? The world may never know.
Crime scene photos? Check. Photography equipment? Check. Giant movie projector and film reels? Check. Cuckoo clock? Check. Wait... a cuckoo clock? Who put that crazy thing there?
Wasting no time, Batman and Robin quickly track Mr. Camera to his hideout. His hideout is pretty interesting, it's full of camera and photography equipment, including a giant, 20 foot tall movie projector. It also has one wall labeled "Crime Gallery" that appears to be covered with framed crime scene photos. Mr. Camera does his best to defeat Batman, by shining an extra hot light bulb at him. Batman responds by punching him in the face. Mr. Camera is finally captured. He didn't have time to develop the film, but he did manage to hide it somewhere before he went to his hideout. So Batman and Robin are pretty much screwed. Even though Mr. Camera is going to jail, eventually he will get out, and when he does, he will develop the film and discover exactly what it is that Batman and Robin do in dark alleys.
Batman and Robin then spent the next nine months searching for that film, without any success. Then, Batman receives a letter from jail, written by Mr. Camera! "Dear Batman," it read. "A friend of mine gets out next month. I told him where to find the film. He knows what to do with it! So long, chump!" Signed, "Mr. Camera." The heat is on, now! Batman comes up with a bizarre plan. He will intentionally have Dick Grayson reveal to the world that he is Robin, which will convince everyone that Bruce Wayne is Batman! He will then DISPROVE that Bruce is Batman! By doing this, he believes that no one will believe Mr. Camera's photographic evidence when it is revealed in one month. Does that even make sense? No, not really, but let's see the whole plan before we decide for sure.
Step 1: Bruce Wayne will be wandering around on the streets, being hounded by reporters who think he is Batman.
Step 2: Robin will be seen standing on a nearby rooftop, when the Batplane lands on the roof of a tall building near Bruce Wayne. This will prove to the reporters that Robin is not flying the plane. WHAT THE REPORTERS DON'T KNOW: Robin is piloting the plane, using a remote control!
Don't do it, Robin!
Step 3. Batman will be seen on the top of the building that the plane landed on. Bruce Wayne then has a conversation with Batman, using a bullhorn that he just happened to be carrying. WHAT THE REPORTERS DON'T KNOW: "Batman" is really a snowman that Bruce dressed up in a Batman costume, and Batman's voice is really Bruce Wayne using ventriloquism!
Step 4: The plane flies away, and the reporters go to the rooftop, to make sure "Batman" was not really a dummy with a phonograph recording of Batman's voice. They find no evidence of a dummy with a phonograph inside it, which apparently proves that Bruce Wayne is not Batman! WHAT THE REPORTERS DON'T KNOW: The snowman had a small termite explosive inside it set to a timer, which melted it away! Plus, it was wearing a "self-disintegrating" Batman costume, which is the real reason no evidence was left behind!
Step 5: Tell the reporters that Robin and Dick Grayson teamed up on a hoax that Dick Grayson was Robin, in order for Dick to impress a girl.
Step 6:PROBLEM SOLVED. The next day, the newspaper reads, "Once again, Bruce Wayne proves conclusively he is not Batman." So when the photographs are released of Bruce and Dick in the alley, no one will believe them, because Bruce just proved he was not Batman a month earlier. Now it make sense, right? Right?
Investigative journalism is not what it used to be.
In the final twist to the story, Robin finally recovers and develops Mr. Camera's film, only to find out it was badly underexposed, and the figures in the picture could not even be made out. Because apparently Mr. Camera's love of photography didn't extend to him actually being any good at it! Come to think of it, we never did get an "origin" story for Mr. Camera, maybe his sub-par photography is at the root of his obsession. As a boy, Mr. Camera desperately wanted to be a famous photographer, but he was just terrible at it. Eventually, this triggered a full-blown mental-break, and he started wearing a camera on his head.
It seems like most Batman villains are only in jail or prison for a few days or weeks before they escape and start committing crimes again. Gotham city must have the worst guarded penal system in the USA. But I guess even a poorly guarded prison is enough for a criminal whose only skill is wearing a giant camera on his head, because that was the last anyone saw from Mr. Camera for nearly 60 years.
One of Mr. Camera's cameo appearances on Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
He reemerged in 2010 for a couple of cameos on the cartoon Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and finally returned to comic books in issue 14 of the Batman: The Brave and the Bold comic book. In "Captured by Mr. Camera," The Huntress is being stalked by Mr. Camera. In this story, Mr. Camera has upgraded his camera helmet for the 21st century, and can now use it to see the signal from any digital camera anywhere in the world. Traffic cams, cell phones, webcams, department store security cameras, etc..., they are all at his disposal. Worse, he has become obsessed with the Huntress, and has used his camera mastery to find out her secret identity of Helena Bertinelli. He attacks her in her office at Gotham University using a hypnotic flash bulb to temporarily paralyze her. He then gets down on his knees and asks her to marry him. Then Batman crashes through the window and beats the crap out of him.
Mr. Camera's helmet is smashed and broken, but he tries to use it anyway. The helmet misfires, and the video feed from every camera in the world beams directly into his brain. The information overload causes Mr. Camera to go insane. The final panels show a straight-jacketed Mr. Camera talking to himself in his cell in Arkham Asylum. His dialogue? "I... spy... I spy with... my little eye... someone... named... WAYNE." This is a great ending, setting up Mr. Camera to be a much more formidable opponent in the future. Or at least it would have, if the Brave and the Bold comic had not been cancelled. And I for one, am not looking forward to Mr. Camera being introduced into the New 52. With his camera obsession, and the New 52's need to make all of their villains "edgy" and "extreme," they'll probably turn him into a child pornographer or something. No thanks, I'll pass on that.
Final Analysis:
Even though he only made one appearance in regular Batman comics continuity (Batman: The Brave and the Bold stuff basically exists in it's own, separate universe), Mr. Camera made a big impression. It's pretty hard to forget a guy with a giant camera on his head. The fact that he wasn't particularly good at what he did, and his only "weapons" were flashbulbs, makes him even more of an oddball treat. Thus, Mr. Camera easily joins the wacky ranks of "Batman's Weirdest Villains."
BONUS! MUSIC VIDEOS:
Spoon - I Turn My Camera On
A Flock Of Seagulls - Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)
COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN 2013 The Spookiest Saturday Morning Cartoons of 1966 SATURDAY MORNING HORROR
Last year, I did a series of posts for the Countdown to Halloween about horror movies and Halloween themed music from 1966, which I tagged as "Halloween 1966." This post was originally supposed to be part of that, but I ran out of time on the countdown last year, and never finished it. So I decided to dust it off, finish it up, and post it now, for this years countdown.
1966 was a good year to be a monster kid. Classic monster movies, like Frankenstein and Dracula, were popular again due to their being shown to a new generation of fans on TV. Monster themed toys, like Marx Toys' Cinema Creatures, and Aurora Monster Model Kits, were on the toy shelves. Television had the premieres of Dark Shadows, It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Star Trek and Batman. Other shows that aired in 1966 included Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, My Favorite Martian, The Munsters, and The Addams Family.
Even the Saturday Morning Cartoons were not immune to monster-mania. I'm going to count down the top 6 spooky, scary, or monster-filled cartoons that were available to kids on 1966 Saturday mornings, starting with the least scary, and working my way up to the most horrifying!
6. FRANKENSTEIN JR.
Frankenstein Jr. was one of the co-stars of the cartoon show Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles, which paired Frankenstein Jr cartoons with cartoons about The Impossibles, a combination rock band/superhero team. Frankenstein Jr. was giant robot that looked like Frankenstein, who was controlled by a young boy and his scientist father. Together they would fight crime and disasters. Basically, it was an American version of the Japanese cartoon Gigantor. This was really more of a superhero show than a horror one, but any show that features a giant Frankenstein robot has got to be on the list.
5. SPACE GHOST
Like Frankenstein Jr., this is really a superhero show, not a horror one. But, heck, it's got "ghost" right in the title, right? Plus, Space Ghost did fight a variety of scary aliens, so the show did have it's share of monsters!
I think the closest thing to straight up horror it did was the episode "The Creature King," featuring a Doctor Moreau style mad scientist alien. Check it out:
Space Ghost - The Creature King
4. KING KONG
Here's another show that's more of an adventure show, and not really scary. It's sort of like a poorly animated version of Jonny Quest. But any show that stars King Kong, one of the greatest movie monsters of all time, has got to go on this list! Plus, this show had a great theme song:
King Kong Animated Series -1966 (Intro)
3. WINSOME WITCH
Winsome Witch was a cartoon segment of The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show. It followed the misadventures of a friendly witch who flies around on her broom getting into weird adventures. It's a bit like I Dream of Jeannie crossed with Casper the Friendly Ghost. Like most Saturday Morning Cartoons, it's not actually scary, but at least this one does have elements of the supernatural in it, so we're on the right track. Here's the cartoon's intro:
2. MILTON THE MONSTER
Milton the Monster was a friendly Frankenstein-type monster, who lived in the Haunted House on Horror Hill with his mad scientist father Professor Montgomery Weirdo, and Weirdo's gay husband (or maybe just his lab assistant?) Count Kook. This show is full on comedy horror along the lines of the Addams Family or The Munsters, and is chock full of weird monsters, skulls, bats, and Gothic imagery. This was the perfect show to warp the impressionable minds of the kiddies on Saturday mornings.
Check out the show's creeptastic theme song:
Milton the Monster (Intro)
AND NOW, CLICK BELOW TO REVEAL THE SCARIEST SATURDAY MORNING CARTOON ON THE AIR IN 1966!
Biff Bang Pow's Venture Brothers 3 3/4" Action Figures
Brock Samson and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch
Hi! Thanks for joining me for part two of my look at Bif Bang Pow's 3 3/4" plastic action figures. Last week I reviewed Hank and Dean Venture. Today, I'll be checking out Brock Samson and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch.
Brock Samson in his standard black t-shirt, and San Diego Comic-Con variant blood-spattered white t-shirt.
Appearance(Sculpt/Paint/Likeness)
Brock is the tallest of the figures released so far, standing at 5 inches. His sculpt is decent, and he's easily recognizable. I think his facial features are sculpted a bit too soft and doughy looking, although it's not so bad that out ruins the figure. The paint on his two-way Dick Tracy wrist radio is a little sloppy looking, but not too bad for a figure this size. Aside from that, there are no other obvious issues with his paint job. Brock came in two versions: a standard version in a black t-shirt, and a blood splattered 2012 San Diego Comic-Con version in a white t-shirt. The two figures are identical except for the paint jobs.
Brock Samson and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch.
Dr. Mrs. The Monarch is the smallest figure at just under 3 1/2 inches. Her height is about right compared to the other characters, as she is short on the show, but her proportions seem off. Her arms are very long, hanging down nearly to her knees. Her head is also a little small, compared to how she looks on the show. Her facial sculpt, while not soft and doughy like the Brock Samson figure, doesn't really capture her appearance from the show. She is still obviously recognizable as Dr. Mrs. The Monarch, but this is mostly due to her costume and hairstyle. Her "wings" are made from a translucent flexible rubbery material.
Dr. Mrs. The Monarch: front and back views.
Accessories
Brock has a knife that fits well in his hand and holsters in his belt when not in use. It looks especially cool with the blood-splattered version, as it looks like he's been slaughtering bad guys. Dr. Mrs. The Monarch does not have any accessories.
Brock Samson's knife in it's sheath, and his two-way Dick Tracy wrist radio.
Ratings:
Brock: 3 ½ Robots (out of 5)
Dr. Mrs the Monarch: 3 Robots (out of 5)
Hank, Dean, Brock, and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch are all the toys released in this line so far. The next wave is currently scheduled to arrive in June, with the Monarch, Phantom Limb, and Dr. Rusty Venture.
Prototype Images
During the time I bought these toys and now their price has gone up. I paid $9.99 each for them (except for the San Diego Comic-Con variant Brock), but now the price has gone up to $11.99 each. The ratings I gave these toys are based on the price I paid for them then, not what they are now.
