The show is already weird enough, but it gets even better when the scarier episodes are pulled out and placed onto one DVD. Here are the episodes included in this Fright Pack:
– Terror Tales of the Park
– Terror Tales of the Park II
– Dead at Eight
– Jinx
– Grave Sights
– Ello Gov’nor
– Death Bear
– Skunked
– See You There
– Meat Your Maker
– Dizzy
– The Best VHS in the World
– Last Meal
– Skips’ Stress
It’s a very nice set of episodes that should scare the bejesus out of your kids. Here’s my favorite of the bunch:
– Ello Gov’nor – I think this might have been the first Regular Show episode I saw where I sweated just a tad. When Rigby and Mordecai decide to rent a scary movie about a killer British taxi to help Rigby get through his fears, they bring something to life — the car. Throughout the episode you’re wondering what the hell is going on with this car, and especially where the big reveal of the episode is going to be that explains everything you just went through (like a Scooby-Doo cartoon). The reveal doesn’t hit until the very end and you’re on the edge of your seat until that moment because what’s occurring in front of you is completely unexplainable. It’s brilliant, tough to watch and guaranteed to give your children nightmares. That’s why this is one of the better episodes in the bunch.
– Skunked – Rating up there with Ello Gov’nor, Skunked has Rigby getting sprayed by a Were-Skunk (kind of like a Werewolf, but with a skunk). Rigby has a short amount of time to find the solution to his skunk curse or he’ll permanently turn into a Were-Skunk/Raccoon. The intense timing of this can be compared to that ‘need to find a solution’ rush that you get out of movies like American Werewolf in London. Thankfully, it ends better with this one. Still, it’s very intense.
– Jinx – Terrifying. I’m not sure I’ll be able to look into a mirror again. A very action oriented episode that takes the best of ‘bloody mary’ mirror games and mixes it in a bit with giant monsters/zombies that want to kill you. Again, it’s terrifying, but great for this set.
– Terror Tales of the Park I/II – These were the Halloween specials that aired and to be quite frank, they’re more vicious than they are amusing. Three short stories told with a clever story bridge to move them along. These are the Regular Show’s Treehouse of Horror that you get each year with The Simpsons (though, I’m still baffled on why they do that so late). They’re good stories put into one episode and each one of them is cleverly thought out. Scary and intense is the best way to put it. For example, one story in the second part is about how Mordecai and Rigby (and company) have to make it to a Halloween movie that is about to start. Their transportation is snagged away by Benson and Skips (the golf cart) and they end up catching something called the ‘Party Bus’ to get where they need to go. Of course the ‘Party Bus’ is a clever bus that ages you to the point of death. How they get out of it is fantastic, as is the punchline at the end. Anyway, they’re both darn solid in the episode department.
With all this said, there were a few so-so shows in the bunch. Here are a few:
– See You There – I think Muscle Man leading any episode makes it a bit boring, and See You There is no exception. Muscle Man is throwing a Halloween party and the boys are NOT invited because of something they did, which they can’t figure out to apologize about. They decide to crash his party anyway and end up becoming ghosts to do so (thanks to High Five Ghost’s brother Low Five). To get Muscle Man back for not inviting them to his party, they plan on scaring him in the bathroom. What happens as a result is that Muscle Man dies. Things get more complicated after that. I think the pacing of this particular one is what is so disenchanting about it. It just never gets exciting and it develops too slow for the payoff at the end. It could have been better.
– Dizzy – When Pop is set to give a speech to dedicate a new statue in the park, he tries to bail out because he doesn’t like giving speeches. He eventually gets dizzied (is that a word?) and falls into himself, which tells him its okay not to give speeches. He tries to stay, but Rigby and Mordecai have to go retrieve him before his father finds out and, more importantly, he gets permanently stuck in his feeble, yet noble mind. I wanted more out of this. I like the concept and the artwork, especially the attacks at the end, where quite cool, but it felt like a waste. The ‘actual animal’ versions of Rigby and Mordecai were terrifying to see, but they just felt empty and wasted. Scary? Definitely, but not nearly as disturbing as the above episodes.
Anyway, as a whole this set is very solid. There’s enough oddity here to warrant the term ‘fright pack’. These are some of the best episodes that the show has to offer. They’re terrifying and weird, which makes it all the more enticing to purchase. It’s a solid pack in the scheme of the Regular Show.
As for the special features, you get a villain gallery. I’m pretty sure in the history of DVDs this is the first time there was actually a ‘villains gallery’ included. This is why this show is one of the most creative on television. Good stuff for a unique DVD release.
