I can't tell if I want Halloween to happen already, or never arrive.
The build up to the holiday of the dead is just as awesome as the day itself, in my opinion. In fact, the day itself could even be a let down, the way I build it up. I love it, if you weren't able to tell by the whole Spooky Month thing. As the day gets closer and closer, my better half likes to indulge my juvenile obsession. This involves both a plethora of candy and the annual observance of fittingly themed cartoons. It used to only be Treehouse of Horror episodes, but as the years have gone by I've started to sneak in the occasional South Park episode into the mix. While the Colorado kids might not have as many Halloween themed episodes in their canon, there are a few make their own indelible mark on my pop-cultural lexicon. One of my favorite is the season three outing, 'Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery'.
South Park is all too often dismissed as nothing more than vulgarity and offensive crassness wrapped up in an elementary school setting. This dismissal couldn't be farther off base - it is, in fact, a thought-provoking and nuanced show with a wicked sense of humor that pulls no punches. The term South Park Republican? This is where it comes from. They've done multi-episode arcs that are scathing examinations not only of other shows but their own standing in relation to their TV peers. They've pushed political buttons with the best of them. They've broken all kinds of censorship taboos. They've also done a phenomenal job with this Halloween parody of my childhood favorite, Scooby Doo. So I'm asking you to look past any prejudices you might have (wrong that they are) and check out this episode that's over 10 years old. When you get down to the core of this episode, it's really just a solid, somewhat unremarkable example of South Park in its nascent prime. There's no long-standing political message to make it a human, relate-able tale. There's no hallmark celebrity-bashing or scathing pop-culture take-downs. All it is, really, is a firmly tongue-in-cheek take on the old Scooby Doo, mystery solving, Halloween story.
There is so much about this episode that could be labeled as arbitrarily silly and nonsensical. There's no heavy drama or high stakes. I think this light and indulgent episode is enjoyable for just those reasons - no big message, just a goofy Halloween-centered story. Fifth graders are tormenting Cartman, Kyle, Kenny and Stan on the approach of Halloween with tales of Pirate Ghosts. To get back at the fifth grade bullies, the boys dig up the corpse of Stan's grandmother to use as a scare-tactic. Korn, for arbitrary promotional reasons, are driving their Mystery Machine style van through town and crash when they see Pirate Ghosts. Everyone teams up to investigate these hauntings that are happening at the pier in South Park, where the local radio station is set to hold their big costume contest. That's all that happens - pretty light and fluffy compared to where the show is now. What ensues is both an awesome riff on Scooby Doo and a series of grotesque necrophilia jokes, naturally.
So much of the insanity in this episode is hilariously unspoken. Pirate ghosts. Haunting a pier in South Park. In the middle of Colorado. Korn's unflappable optimism and cheery attitude in the face of their dreary and angst-ridden music. The four boys being so cavalier and unquestioning of their own grave-robbing. The inclusion of Niblett, the pitch-perfect parody of the 70s Hanna Barbera mascot/sidekick kid-friendly...thing...that accompanies the group. Kenny's amazing and over the top ED-209 costume. Wendy Testaberger winning the costume contest in the requisite Chewbacca costume.
When you get down to it, it's a stupid, silly story that has no real purpose, other than to entertain you for 20 minutes. Considering how life can be so overwhelming and demanding at times, sometimes I just want to relax and laugh at some inanity and enjoy the Halloween build-up. No disturbing visuals, no unnerving horrors. Just a simple, stupid cartoon to help me unwind. I can hardly wait for Halloween. Spooky Month isn't all depressing horror and disturbing content - just some of the time.
The build up to the holiday of the dead is just as awesome as the day itself, in my opinion. In fact, the day itself could even be a let down, the way I build it up. I love it, if you weren't able to tell by the whole Spooky Month thing. As the day gets closer and closer, my better half likes to indulge my juvenile obsession. This involves both a plethora of candy and the annual observance of fittingly themed cartoons. It used to only be Treehouse of Horror episodes, but as the years have gone by I've started to sneak in the occasional South Park episode into the mix. While the Colorado kids might not have as many Halloween themed episodes in their canon, there are a few make their own indelible mark on my pop-cultural lexicon. One of my favorite is the season three outing, 'Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery'.
