When Halloween Was
Forever
Original Air date: November 1, 1986
Writers: J. Michael Straczynski
Director: Richard Raynis
Main Cast:
·
Lorenzo Music as Peter Venkman
·
Frank Welker as Raymond Stantz
·
Maurice LaMarche as Egon Spengle
·
Arsenio Hall as Winston Zeddemore
·
Laura Summer as Janine Melnitz
·
Frank Welker as Slimer
(Rating 5 of 5)
Summary: Normally
I save my commentary for the “My Take” section but there is something I want to
address right away. This episode
introduces Samhain, the Spirit of Halloween, in the introduction to the
character on the DVD set Straczynski tries to drive home the right pronunciation
as (Saw-Win). I think, I am not really sure.
Anyway when I was kid I couldn’t even attempt to pronounce it so I was
always just referred to him as “Pumpkin-head.”
It made sense he has a giant pumpkin as a head. Kind of like the Headless Horseman except
it’s not a prosthetic head, it his real head.
So I may refer to him on occasion as Pumpkin-head but I will try not to.
TV
reporter Cynthia Crawford is reporting on a mission of the Ghostbusters. Both she and the Ghostbusters are surprised
it is taking them so long for the Ghostbusters are only fighting minor ghosts. After the Ghostbusters get back to the
Firehouse they are wondering why it took them so long to do the job, and Egon
thinks it has something to do with recently arrived Irish relics and the coming of Halloween.
Turns
out Egon is right as always. Two goblins
find the relics and break out Punpkin-head. (Sorry, I mean, Samhain)! Pumpkin-head Samhain (sorry) flies across the city animating a clock tower and some
gargoyles. He summons all the ghosts to
him including Slimer. When Slimer
arrives Pumpkin-head Samhain (oops!) clearly sees him as a traitor and threatens him harm if he
doesn’t aid them.
 |
| Free our Leader! |
Two of
Pumkin-head’s (I mean) Samhain's goblins terrorize Janine. The Ghostbusters respond by chasing after them on foot. As they chase them around the city
they gradually realize a number of the things.
They see that this a full blown attack from the Netherworld with lots of
ghosts running around. They have also
noticed time has stopped. It’s still
only ten past eight; in addition to that other cities all over the world, according
to the news, are having a dark cloud blacken the sky.
 |
| "I am the Pumpkin King" No, wrong movie. |
 |
| Someone is in trouble. |
That’s
when the power in the city goes out.
Egon has a plan but he needs the other Ghostbusters to battle Pumpkin-head Samhain (I should say) as a distraction. The other Ghostbusters
go to do that while Egon goes and commandeers some stadium lights from some
ghosts.
As the
three Ghostbusters move to battle Pumpkin-head Samhain (one of these days I'll get it right), Pumpkin-head (not today) Samhain reveals that he
has Slimer captured and he will destroy him if the Ghostbusters don’t
surrender. As the main villain is about
the eradicate Slimer while the Ghostbusters sit and watch, Ray figures out how
to save him by simply shooting “pizza” and gets Slimer excited about food and
breaks away from Samhain Pumpkin-head. Then Egon
returns with the stadium lights that he pulled with the truck that he stole from
some ghosts. He powers the lights through his proton pack, the lights are so bright
they depower Pumpkin-head Samhain and the Ghostbusters easily capture him.
 |
| Final Stand! |
In the
end of the episode the Ghostbusters are gloating and looking at Pumpkin-head (okay almost done) Samhain through a viewer that shows them inside the Containment Unit.
My Take: This was
a great episode and Pumpkin-head Samhain was a great villain to have, tied to
Halloween, leading a ghost army, actually having power over other ghosts. He is worthy foe for the Ghostbusters.
My stray observations:
·
I hope the Ghostbusters made a lot of money
during their busy week; once again they had to save the world and not get
paid. Maybe they can write it out of
their taxes. Where is Louis Tully when
you need him?
·
I love the Ghostbusters’ sawhorse warning people
not to cross.
·
If Samhain is from Ireland shouldn’t he be
Turnip-head as opposed to Pumpkin-head? Also he should get smarter ghosts to work for him. If they didn't bother Janine, by the time the Ghostbusters figured out something was wrong he would have already won.
·
I hope eternal Halloween has a plan for Nuclear
winter.
·
Peter sometimes feels better not knowing.
·
Egon always has things figured out.
·
The Ghostbusters are so destructive when they
miss.
·
I really like that Slimer was called out by his
fellow ghosts for hanging with their deadliest enemies, the Ghostbusters. I can see why ghosts would not be cool with
that.
·
We see that the Containment Unit has a peep hole
and a TARDIS effect for the ghosts.
One
complaint however, I usually don’t comment on the animation for couple of reasons, but the primary one is I grade on
story not graphics. (How else did I give the music video a five star rating?) I do this mainly because graphics change as time goes on and I am mostly interested in the story. However the animation in this
episode looked rushed with the characters often appearing out of focus. I felt the same
way in Killerwatt but I let it go because it was the first episode they
made. In this episode however there is a
point where Egon appears at the top of the building as one of three
Ghostbusters when he was supposed to be the only one missing. Sloppy, too bad
because it was a great episode.
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