Ernest Scared Stupid

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Ernest Scared Stupid

PG

1991

1h 31m

Kids & Family

Comedy

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Popcornmeter

27%

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11 Reviews

52%

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25,000+ Ratings

Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney) is working as a garbage collector in a small Missouri town. Despite the warnings of superstitious local Old Lady Hackmore (Eartha Kitt), he accidentally unleashes devious troll Trantor (Jonas Moscartolo), a slimy creature confined under a tree for 200 years. Trantor changes some kids into wooden dolls and turns Ernest's dog, Rimshot, into a log. Ernest then teams up with Old Lady Hackmore to get rid of the beast and bring the victims back to life.

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David Day

Horror Movie Talk

This film isn’t for me, but it’s a cult millennial legend for a reason. It did a lot of things right, even if it’s too scary for little kids and way too boring for me.

Rated: 4/10

Sep 23, 2025

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

The primary appeal here is Ernest running and screaming and crashing into things and getting doused with gunk, as if a live-action Scooby-Doo entity.

Rated: 6/10

Aug 23, 2025

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Tom Cassidy

Common Sense Media

This farcical kids versus gloopy monster comedy-horror adventure might please nostalgic parents but Ernest is unlikely to find any new fans with this outing.

Nov 4, 2024

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Avaryl Halley

Movie Bitches

The best of the Ernest Movies. The practical FX are amazing!

Apr 24, 2024

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Andrew Galdi

Movie Bitches

Is this the inspiration for Hocus Pocus?

Rated: 6.5/10

Apr 24, 2024

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Austin Kennedy

Sin Magazine

In a perfect world, the kids from THE MONSTER SQUAD would've teams up with Ernest to battle the trolls. Now THAT would be a fun movie!

Rated: 2/4

May 21, 2012

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Anna M

A fun, funny, & perfect Halloween film for the family. If you love the corny ridiculousness of 90s films, you'll enjoy this one. This is my family's favorite Halloween season film. Warning: it can be scary for young children. It scared me as a child, but I still loved it even when it scared me! Still love it as an adult. Highly recommend it for a goofy, fun Halloween evening.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/01/25

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Stephen C

Success in 1 hour and 31 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dubbed and subtitled in worldwide studios!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All ages admitted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/30/25

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Ruby S

Watching Ernest Scared Stupid is a yearly Halloween tradition! It’s the best of all the Ernest movies, with a surprising amount of heart, tons of classic physical comedy, and impressive special effects that might be a little too scary for younger audiences.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/29/25

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Joel H

Any Ernest movie is an acquired taste. However, before you write-off this one, you should know it’s actually a great horror movie for kids. I’ve been surprised by how many of my children were frightened by this film, despite how silly it is. The creature effects are actually impressive, even with the low budget, and Jim Varney is doing his best to entertain the viewers, even when It doesn’t make much sense. And there are plenty of plot points that don’t makes sense. So no, I don’t think this is a high-quality film, but I do think that Ernest Scared Stupid is fun family film to watch during October.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/25/25

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John H

Woefully underrated Halloween movie! By far one of the best introductory horror movie for kids. The scene where the boy Kenny is being chased by the troll mimicking his girlfriend's voice: "Faster Kenny, I'm catching up. Hurry Kenny, I'm right behind youuuu" is like a kids' version of the scene in 2003's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre when Leatherface is chasing Erin (Jessica Biel) with a chainsaw while wearing her dead boyfriend's face! What a mind f***! Anyway this film has been beaten down and marginalized by critics since it was released, but has a very strong cult following for those who experienced it at the right age in the 90s. Great monster costume and unique kid-centric plot. Still fun to watch as an adult, but if you didn't see it as a kid then it won't have the nostalgia factor for you. Show it to your 7-10-year old kid and give them that. A little fun trauma won't hurt 'em.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/24/25

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Jon L

Still an awesome movie to get into the Halloween spirit.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/11/25

Full Review

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John R. Cherry III

Director

Jim Varney

Ernest

Eartha Kitt

Old Lady Hackmore

Austin Nagler

Kenny

Shay Astar

Elizabeth

Jonas Moscartolo

Trantor

3 Ninjas

35%

53%

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Synopsis

Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney) is working as a garbage collector in a small Missouri town. Despite the warnings of superstitious local Old Lady Hackmore (Eartha Kitt), he accidentally unleashes devious troll Trantor (Jonas Moscartolo), a slimy creature confined under a tree for 200 years. Trantor changes some kids into wooden dolls and turns Ernest's dog, Rimshot, into a log. Ernest then teams up with Old Lady Hackmore to get rid of the beast and bring the victims back to life.

Director: John R. Cherry III
Producer: Stacy Williams, Coke Sams
Screenwriter: Charles Gale, Coke Sams
Production Co: Touchstone Pictures, Touchwood Pacific Partners 1
Rating: PG
Genre: Kids & Family, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 11, 1991, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $14.1M
Runtime: 1h 31m
Sound Mix: Surround

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