Roger Ebert scoffing that he "may have liked the movie when he was eight" is sort of...ironic is it not? "Oh, you mean the target audience of this movie might enjoy it, Roger? Must be terrible"

The fact Hocus Pocus gets love and this doesn’t is a crime.

The scene where the girl looks under her bed and grabs her bear, then rolls over with her eyes shut and opens them only to see the troll inches away from her face was one of the scariest moments I can remember from my childhood.

"I bet you thought I didn't know about old fashioned, homemade Miak!" "Mi-ak?"

They need to release ALL the Ernist movies in a boxset.

The "miak" scene still makes me laugh. Ernest is so confident that he's figured it out. "I bet you thought I couldn't find any this time of year..."

Ernest did portray an adult with the heart of a child very well Like he wasn’t even playing a part

I’m so glad somebody is talking about the Ernest movies. They’re so overlooked and very underrated. These movies were my childhood.

It's a real shame Jim never did any audio commentaries for his films. It would be fun to hear him riffing on them, as well as being straight with making-of information.

So sorry to hear about Stanley, Joe. He was a beautiful little guy and I'm sure you gave him a truly wonderful life!

Dude, that ending legit made me cry. So sorry for your loss. But hell yes, Ernest Scared Stupid and the series in general have always deserved far better. His endless optimism and mile-a-minute humor have been a model through my own struggle with autism; rewatching Ernest Goes to Jail this past spring was the hardest I've laughed through this whole pandemic. God bless Jim Varney and Ernest, may they amuse future generations as much as they did mine.

I’m a HUGE Ernest fan. This is the best one. I watched this and Gremlins 2 all the time as a kid. I grew up just fine. Ernest needs more love. 4K remasters!

In a strange way Ernest was ahead of his time. The way he talks and interacts with the camera so naturally is fascinating. Early vlogger. Great review as always!

The Ernest movies are excellent. It’s cool to hear you talk about Ernest Scared Stupid this year. Keep up the great work Joe!

Ernest P. Worrell and Jim Varney deserve their own stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

"Them that dies will be the lucky ones." Was also a line in a Pirates of the Caribbean movie, I wonder what that story is...

Hats Off Entertainment The moment that really pulls on my heart strings is in "Ernest in the Army" (1998) where he finds the young boy Ben-Ali character squatting in the bunk and he tearfully reveals to Ernest that he's a homeless orphan and Ernest hands him a blanket and pillow and says "I'm sorry Ben, everything's gonna be okay. I know what's like to be alone."

The “do you smell fish?” line has been forever engrained in my brain.

I've been saying this for years about how Ernest Scared Stupid don't get enough love around Halloween

I love that Ernest hangs out with kids and no one thinks anything of it.

Classic, Jim Varney was a legend

I was lucky enough to see Ernest goes to jail, scared stupid, and Rides again in the movie theater when I was a little kid. They were/are all awesome, but I remember having the most fun watching Scared stupid.

The Cherry estate still owns the character. Was trying to license Ernest for new merch

A Way underrated Actor, He was the First Reality 🌟,Rest in Paradise

Ernest goes to Jail probably the best Ernest movie. I hope Varney got paid double for that one.

I'm pushing 40 and have seen all kinds of horror movies over the years, but those trolls will always creep me out lol

hell yes. as a kid who used to dress like Ernest (even in kindergarten), I'm with you that this is Hella underrated.

This movie terrified me as a child, definitely a gem in the Ernest series.

Wow. It's been thirty years since Ernest P. Worrell's Scare Stupid came out. Good times for us that grew up with Ernest. We'll never forget the SCARE and STUPID of our beloved underdog hero and the weird charm he left for us...in our hearts.

Joe I just want to say that after watching your channel for a few months now, your content is definitely my favorite on KZfaq. You put so much time and effort and care into your videos. I am now the biggest fan of Clifford because of your channel. Thanks for doing what you do.

Well now I'm crying about a dog I didn't know existed. Also this was always my favorite of the Ernest movies. My dad was a drinking buddy of Jim, so naturally we had every one we could find on vhs.

I don't know how many times I have recreated the reaction in the scene where Ernest gets his hand smashed by the dumpster in my everyday life.

My friends parents took us to see this movie and tried to get us to leave halfway because they hated it. They ended up leaving us in the theater. We loved it!

When someone says “Halloween movie” my first thought is “Earnest Scared Stoopid”. It’s great to see so much activity on your channel, Joe.

I learned later on that most of the evil trolls were Killer Klowns repainted. That's probably due to the fact that the Chiodo Brothers worked on both films

I cry twice, at least, during this movie. A legit good film.

No one ever talks about Ernest. He is my childhood and i absolutely loved Jim Varney. Thank you for doing a video on him!

I showed this film and the other Ernest films to my wife when we first started dating. "This is where I got my sense of humor." She said it made sense after seeing them. Ernest goes to Jail is the GOAT but I love this one too. I can't wait to show my future children! I had so many nightmare's with Trantor when I was a kid.

I grew up in the early 2000's watching these films, this one terrified me as a child but Ernest as a whole was a great series Jim Varney was amazing!

“It’s a testament to Michael Eisner…” Somewhere Kevin Perjurer shudders

The Gailard Sartain stand-in for “Scared Stupid”, John Cadenhead, had a memorable bit part in Weird Al’s UHF, which also featured a Chiodo Brothers monster effect.

Showed this to a good friend last night after he said he had never seen an Ernest movie before. A true classic never dies.

I would have loved to see Ernest in a haunted house! Would have been like the Ghost and Mr. Chicken.

Thanks for making this, man. I loved Ernest Scared Stupid as a kid. I couldn't count how many times I watched it with my sister. It was definitely a big part of my childhood.

This is a movie I watched potentially hundreds of times as a child, and I watched it recently for the first time in maybe a decade and I was shocked at how much of it was still ingrained into me.

I LOVED Ernest movies as a kid, even this scary one. I get so sentimental thinking about Jim Varney and his class act comedic talent

This movie legitimately traumatized me as a kid. The scene where the kid checks under their bed for the troll and when they come back up it’s on the bed behind them was terrifying

You said it, the darker tone and troll design does make the stakes feel higher for a kids movies and it makes it good Halloween kids movie.

I love the Ernest movies, even the later direct to video films. I first saw his commercials on VHS tape. You can find a good quality copy of Scared Stupid on KZfaq

This was the movie that made me unafraid of horror movies and made me laugh at monsters

This movie has that feel where everyone who worked in it had fun.

The Chiodo Bros really deserve a lot of credit for both how horrifying and how strangely funny the trolls are; I've worked for their studio a few times and they put a LOT of work and creativity into everything they do. Definitely a perfect choice for this movie (...and damn it, Trantor is still scary!).

This movie did a good job as a scary movie for kids. It scared me as a kid. The scene with the troll in the bed scared me stupid. The movie lives up to its name.

Being thirteen when this one came out, I was just a little old to be scared by it, but I still recognized that it totally nailed the Halloween spirit. I'm also surprised it's not better regarded.

Me and my old man constantly quote the scene where he awakens the troll. “YEY I CALL THEE FORTH, TRANTOR!” Also big agree on wishing Rimshot, Chuck and Bobby were consistent supporting cast for all the films.

This was the only movie in the series I actually got into as a kid (since I was a MASSIVE horror fan at the time) and as a teenager with a wider taste, it still is the only Ernest movie I can get into without cringing at the jokes.

When I was a kid, the main baddie troll scared the hell out of me. It's hard to lose a pet man, I know hard it was when we had to put my puggle down. Dogs become family members. It's hard not having them around. I hope you can get another dog soon man.

This movie is my childhood. I would watch this one so much as a kid that the tape we had of it was ruined. Once I got old enough to get a job I found this movie online and ordered so I could watch it every Halloween. The best thing to beat Trolls is Miak. The one and only Miak. This movie is what also got me into those Ernest movies. They are classics.

The passing of a pet is a special type of pain, because the word "pet" dramatically undersells their true meaning to us. I am tearing up as I type this, and my heart genuinely goes out to you. Thanks for covering this movie. I love it with all my heart. This man was such a huge part of my childhood and I was deeply saddened later in life when I learned how little work he got outside of the Ernest films. I never realized how much effort he continued put in despite how much the movies declined in quality after Rides Again. This movie is especially near and dear to me. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday and this movie was largely responsible for that. I was five when the movie came out, so Trantor scared the hell out of me, too. And yeah, Rimshot always had R2-D2 levels of scene-stealing ability. He was always wonderful.

People love to dump on this movie as an easy target. I've always enjoyed it.

I had a Chihuahua trained much like Rimshot, though we never really got driving down. I could still talk to him like that, and get a variety of different responses as though we were talking back and forth to each other, much to the delight of anyone who watched it long enough

This is one of the movies that defined my sense of humor. It also led me to a love of horror movies and goofy comedies. I remember hearing when Ernest died, I was 4 about to turn 5 and it was my first real encounter with someone I recognized passing away. My parents had to explain to me what happened. I really wished Jim Varney would have gotten more acting roles outside of comedy. He was a master of his craft. Hey, would you ever do a video on Joe dirt?

Something so heartwarming about Ernest movies , takes me back to a great childhood

I don't think there's a week that goes by where I don't think of MIAK Every time I reach for a container of milk in the fridge LOL. Thanks for making this and bringing back the memories.

This is one of the 2 movies that scared me as a child..this one and Killer Klowns..turning kids into little wooden dolls..dear god that terrified me..I have much love for Ernest..that ending made me tear up a little sir..

When they made me think Rimshot was dead, it used to make me tear up lol. Thank god I have all of Ernest's movies, didn't realize they were hard to come by

This movie got me into horror as a kid

Michael Eisner disocvered Ernest? And Defunctland tells me he never had a good idea!

The tribute the Stanley at the end got me. I’m sorry for your loss.

Ernest Scared Stupid is a staple in my house hold every October. My wife loves it just as much as I do, and almost no grocery shopping trip is complete without one of us adding "Authentic Bulgarian Miak" to the checklist. Some might say the joke gets old after 10 years of saying it constantly. But those some, aren't us, and we still love it. EDIT: The last few minutes of the video broke me dude, so sorry for your loss 😢

this movie scared the sh!t out of me as a child, I remember having a lot of nightmares that stimed from this movie. and the ending with your own rimshot made me sad

Jim Varney in a comedic genius people just need to understand that a lot of decisions are made by writers and directors and producers not the main face of the movie.

I remember seeing at least two of them in theater and most definitely Scared Stupid was my fav. Ernest was just a great character to grow up with and for that Jim Varney will always hold a special place in my heart.

"Ernest Scared Stupid" is probably my favorite in the series ("Ernest Goes to Jail" is a close second) and I watch it every October. I love the scenes where Jim Varney plays the other characters because it shows what an amazing range he had.

The little in memoriam for Stanley was so good! I got emotional.

I was 7 years old when this movie came out. Needless to say, this movie still stays with me today

i was SO happy to see this pop up in my notifivations... i absolutely loved this movie as a kid, and i wasnt even a fan of Ernest in general... this was my only exposure and it still holds up. such a great film, and thanks for making a video on it

I loved Ernest Scared Stupid. I remember sitting on my best friend’s living room floor, watching it for the first time at 7 years old clutching a couch cushion. It is in a bit of a weird space. It is almost too scary to be a kids movie but it is way to campy and childish to be an actual scary movie, it straddles the line like no other movie of the era.

This is my favorite Ernest film. I also like the Christmas, Camp, and Ernest goes to jail as well but the Halloween one is my favorite of the bunch.

Excellent work as usual, and tip o’ the hat (TotH) to you for keeping the Ernest flame burning. Would love to hear you go “niche within niche” and dissect the post-Touchstone Ernest catalogue. Personally, for that crown, it’s a dead heat between Ernest Rides Again and Slam Dunk Ernest.

Please do a video on the character Burt Gummer from the Tremors movies, played by character actor Michael Gross. He is the only part of that franchise that has stayed great all throughout.

This movie gave me the willies as a kid; the boy getting pulled from the ditch and being turned into wood is forever tattooed into my memory as well. Loved Ernest back then, love him even more so now. RIP Jim Varney. You will always be fondly remembered and forever loved.

Jim Varney was a versatile, INCREDIBLE actor. It's why his films age vastly better than Pauly Shore's, as a kid you adore his antics, as an adult? You appreciate the man's acting talent and willingness to go all in to entertain us.

I'm blessed to have caught this in theaters as a kid. Me and my brother are still supporters of this film. It sits happily on my HDD, along with other Ernest films :) RIP Varney

As a kid, and even now as an adult, I always wanted a crossover movie with Ernest and Pee-Wee Herman.

I was already a bit older when this came out, but having liked earlier Ernest movies as a younger kid, I still fell in love with this film. It was one of those movies that I could just play in the background for comfort during homework and rewatch endlessly. It was part of my massive VHS collection which I stupidly (in hindsight) gave away back in the early 2000's. I haven't watched this in nearly 20 years now and had I known that it would be so expensive to purchase in the future, I probably would have held onto my VHS copy, which at the time I recall having purchased used when my local video store was shuttering for like $2. Any kid who wasn't alive in the late 80's and early 90's really missed out on, what I think, was probably the greatest time to be young that the human race ever has or will see, and just seeing this video takes me right back. To this day whenever I see a Bulova watch ads, I think of Bulgaria and then hear Ernst saying "Authentic Bulgarian Miak" in my head lol.

Sorry for the loss of your pet. It’s never easy when a dog dies- their love is so perfect and uncomplicated.

Hello VERNNNN! 👋🏻

My ex's mom dated him in college at U.K lol

This is without a doubt one of my all-time favorite childhood movies. The ridiculous comedy in this has made me, my family, and my friends laugh for years and years. And will continue too for years to come. Thank you Jim Varney, your devotion to making people happy has not gone in vain.

Ernest scared stupid will always be my favorite halloween movie🎃.

I'm really glad Disney asked them to tone down the snot, it honestly was still a bit much

It's great that Ernest Scared Stupid is getting the recognition that it truly deserves. It's that underrated. It was the only Ernest movie that I saw in the theater.

This is my favorite. The part with the troll in bed got me too. My dad hated the troll because he was "gross," with all the snot. lol

Ernest was always a favorite of mine, and I was in my late 30s at the time. His humor may not appeal to everyone, but his goofiness was a great bridge between children's and grownup entertainment. I did an Ernest P. Worrell outfit and imitation for Halloween in the early 90s. What great fun! Long live Ernest and Jim Varney.

Film critics are those people that you knew growing up that no one wanted to invite to a party because they would suck the life out it with their constant complaining. Ernest rocks and so do you for making this honest and heartwarming video. You really put it into words what made this movie, and Ernests other early films, great!

For fourteen wonderful years we were blessed with the life of a Jack Russell/Fox Terrier cross doggo - she was a determined escapologist, her whole back end wagged when she was excited - and was supper smart - we miss her terribly and it looks Stanley for you was a blessing too - so sad to hear of his passing. Love this video. :)

"Rare...Bulgarian...Miak!" 😂 This and Little Monsters were my favorite movies as a kid. Thanks for the review of this underrated flick!

RIP Stanley, just had the 1 year anniversary of the passing of my favorite little buddy, Starbuck. It sucks so bad, I'm sure you know by now, eventually the thoughts of him turn into smiles instead of sadness. Well done review, emphasized why I loved this as a kid, and still enjoy it now. I think I'll watch it this evening.

I've always loved this movie when I was growing up. I talked to my friends about it and they've never watched it before. It is such a hidden gem. It's so silly and fun to watch. The troll used to scare the crap out of me, and I hid under my blanket whenever it showed up, haha. The most memorable scene in the movie was the water guns! That was such a badass moment for me as a child.