Ernest Scared Stupid

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Ernest Scared Stupid

PG,

1991,

1h 31m,

Kids & Family/

Comedy

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Watchlist

27%

11 Reviews

Tomatometer

51%

25,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

27%

Tomatometer

11 Reviews

51%

Popcornmeter

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.

David Day

Horror Movie Talk

Sep 23, 2025

4/10

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.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Aug 23, 2025

6/10

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.

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Tom Cassidy

Common Sense Media

Nov 4, 2024

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.

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Avaryl Halley

Movie Bitches

Apr 24, 2024

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

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Andrew Galdi

Movie Bitches

Apr 24, 2024

6.5/10

Is this the inspiration for Hocus Pocus?

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Austin Kennedy

Sin Magazine

May 21, 2012

2/4

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!

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Luke M

Oct 31, 2018

one of my favourite halloween childhood movies, so good!

Luke S

Oct 11, 2018

Ernest a garbage truck driver in a small Missouri town, helps to build a treehouse for his middle school friends. In doing so he disturbs a seal which has kept an evil troll trapped for centuries. The troll captures children, turning them into wooden dolls. Ernest discovers a way to beat the troll and with the help of his young friends is able to save the town from the menace. Maybe a bit more frightening than you may expect from an Ernest film, but otherwise it contains the humor you would come to expect from any entry in this series.

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Han L

Apr 7, 2018

One of my favorite Halloween shows.

Draco L

Aug 28, 2017

This move is incredible. I still remember the first house I lived in watching this on the big screen that was 5 feet deep on repeat. And by repeat I mean having to take out the VHS from the VCR and put it into the VHS reminder and hold the R button for 10 minutes before it would be at the beginning. What are DVDs? I would ask myself as I chose my favorite 11 VHS video tapes because any more VHS tapes than 11 would take up the floorboard and fill an entire suitcase. Ernest Scared Stupid would always be one of them. The monster is the OG Troll. Literally might be the inspiration behind the term "Internet Troll". Ernest is the most positive guy around that nobody takes seriously because everybody has a stick up their butts and don't want to deal with positive in their lives and then he saves the day. The movie is good when you're a kid or have kids.

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Leia S

Jul 24, 2017

Once again the ratings on this one show how uttery useless "movie critics" are maybe im just fond of it because i loved it as a kid but 14% . It is cheese it doesnt have the best actors and jim varney is an aquired taste but this movie is not that bad,

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Leia R

May 1, 2017

When I was a kid, I got so scared watching this that we had to leave the theatre! As an adult, I still love his films, the trouble with them is that while Jim Varney is always hilarious, the rest of the characters are as entertaining as stale bread

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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

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20%

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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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