Iβm still picturing how such a crazy idea of an all black and white campy horror movie episode got pitched in the writers room and made it through the initial brush off. Not that I mind, for βMonster Movieβ is brilliant, but still, itβs so nice to see that a show has established itself enough where it can get away with such goofiness and not get protests from the network. Granted, such episodes are for the fans rather than the masses, and the lower ratings for these episodes prove that, but fans matter most.
Dean turns off the scary music (the radio around here sucks, hee) and we hear the rumble of the Impala, reminding viewers this is still a Supernatural episode. Dean is geeked about the prospect of cutting off some vamps heads, Sam is in a dour βthe world is endingβ mood. Good thing theyβre going to Oktoberfest, Sammy needs to loosen up a little. Dean properly sets the perspective. βItβs like the good old days, honest to goodness monster hunt. Itβs about time the Winchesters got back to tackling a straight forward black and white case.β Ah, thereβs that Ben Edlund biting wit!
The Impala goes off in the horizon and a giant circle closes around it before going to black to signal end scene. I never understood why the old films did that but hey, cool to see it here. Loud Polka music plays (The Happy Schnapps?) and the outrageous Oktoberfest village set appears, with plenty of men in lederhosen and gorgeous women in maiden outfits with short skirts, one even posing for a picture from a tourist. The hokey small town festival banner is shown just in case we donβt know whatβs going on. βOktoberfestβ, complete with strange sponsors like 97.2 FM Rocks. βClassic Rock that Rocks.βSo classic rock doesnβt roll? I donβt know how many times Iβve been to podunk festivals here in Ohio that had a banner ripe for my instant nitpicking. They make it too easy. The black and white scenery is interrupted by one of those ugly bright green CW banners, and man do they stick out like a sore thumb against the black and white background. It ruins the authentic look, not that they arenβt annoying during regular episodes.
Sam and Dean get out of the Impala in suits. Wow, they look just as great in black and white as color. The white shirts stand out more. Given the German costumes everywhere, theyβre overly dressed. Dean mentions they still need to see the new Raiders movie, and Sam says he already saw it. βYou were in Hell.β βThatβs no excuse.βAw, come on Dean, when are you going to accept Sam went on with his life?
The brothers chomp away and sexy blonde girl in skimpy German costume walks by. For a true old-fashioned Hollywood recreation, the damsel in distress must be a knockout blonde. There were never brunettes and redheads would have appeared as blonde. They both ogle, but then Sam finds the sheriff, and theyβre agents Angus and Young. Fantastic! Weβve been waiting several seasons for AC/DC aliases. Thereβs another reminder that this is a Supernatural episode.
They examine the body in the morgue, and the sheriff thinks the whole thing is a shame, happening during tourist season and all. Sam pulls the sympathy for the victim card. βDefinitely not the thing Marissa Wright needed.β In those days, heroes were highly moral and there was a clear line between right and wrong. Sympathy for victims disappeared when films with high body counts and anti-heroes like Bonnie and Clyde came along. The sheriff has a profile. βSome Satan worshipping Ann Rice reading gothic psycho vampire.β Sam shrugs, actually agreeing with that assessment. Who knew Ann Rice could wreak such havoc?
By now, some may notice (about two of us) the outdated camera focus techniques being used in this film. In the days before Citizen Kane, focus of the camera was shallow, making the characters on the screen clear while the background was fuzzy. There werenβt many wide shots either, so only a small part of what was happening in the room was seen at a time. Sam and Dean enter the bar, Dean hits on the waitress from earlier (Jamie), and here is our first glimpse of Jensen Ackles going into iconic Hollywood leading man territory. βIβm a Maverick maβam, a rebel with a badge. One thing I donβt play by is the rules.β Wow, that sounds as ridiculous coming from Dean as John McCain. Yet Dean delivers it with a certain swagger that every Hollywood lead used at the time.
Jamie is unimpressed, as is Sam, as are half of us (the other half laughing their fool heads off). The brothers go speak to Mr. Brewer, who is drinking out of one outrageously sized beer stein. I want one! It would complement the giant martini glass on my bar. Sam and Dean try to play it straight, and Dean even says βwe have a lot of experience with strange.β Thereβs our clue that this guy can top that. He swears it was a vampire, Count Dracula style, right down to the accent. Sam lets a smile slip, then hides it in an attempt to be professional. Iβm taken back to that same reaction he had when listening to the guyβs alien story in βTall Talesβ. I start laughing hysterically based on that memory alone, for I love βTall Talesβ.
Mr. Brewer does his hilarious Dracula impersonation, which proves to be better than the actual Dracula we see later. Flash to Sam and Dean, who are both stunned. Time for a TiVo pause, for that look alone is worth about 10,000 words. As I wipe the tears from laughter away from my eyes, I go on. βYou do believe me, donβt you?β Faces still frozen in deadpan silence. The humor in this one is dry, just the way I like it.
Sledgehammer clue #1. Woman wipes lipstick from face, and the camera focuses on the napkin being placed on the bar. Dean asks for a giant beer by flirting with Jamie some more and Sam picks up that napkin for another close up, just in case we didnβt catch the clue the first time. Clues are far more subtle now, which is strange considering our attention spans are shorter.
In this scene, Dean managed to surprise even me. I could never imagine such things coming out of his mouth, but then I remembered Ben Edlund is the writer, so anything goes. Once theyβve decided this case isnβt for them, Dean is ready to get in the mood of Oktoberfest. βBeer and bar wenches.β Sam finds the term offensive (remember heβs playing the moral sidekick in this one), but Jamie plays along with Dean, making her the plucky leading lady.
Then Dean completely shocks us with his theory that since he came back from the dead, everything about him has been healed. βNo bullet wounds, knife cuts, none of the off angle fingers from all the breaks, I mean my hide is a smooth as a babyβs bottom, which leads me to conclude, sadly, that my virginity is intact. Iβve been re-hymenated.β Oh, did he just go there? Ben Edlund is a warped man. Iβm too busy giggling over the mere notion of Dean being pure. Sam agrees with my βangels canβt do thatβ thoughts. Iβm waiting for Castiel to appear in thin air and say βthatβs it, back to Hell for you.β
After Deanβs failed attempt hitting on Jamie, declaring the case is βnot weird enoughβ, thereβs a scene to fix that! Cut to phony studio setting, complete with fake moonlit backdrop, a wolf howl, fog everywhere and couple in the car. Girl hears something, horny dude tries to get her to put out, so naturally he becomes werewolf food. Cue the standard horror movie scream and this is all of a sudden their kind of case.
Sam and Dean interrogate the girl, whoβs telling her strange tale while sipping on an outrageously large soda, thus turning scared witnesses consuming large beverages into a running gag. I used the word βsodaβ since the setting is Pennsylvania, but in Ohio itβs called βpopβ. Yes, strangely enough, that debate has come up at family reunions in the Keystone State. She declares the villain was a Werewolf and now Sam fights off a bitchface. Both he and Dean are less amused now. Theyβre off to the morgue. After nearly puking over the mangled mess (continuity!) they determine the culprit isnβt a psycho wannbe, but considering the heart is there, itβs no werewolf either. Still, the sheriff shows them canine hairs from the scene. This is getting too weird for even them.
Back at the bar and whatβs this, Samβs eating again??? They both are chomping on burgers? This story is definitely weird. Pretty blonde waitress is back with larger beers, and the waitress wants Dean this time. So it takes a Werewolf mauling to make him attractive? We get another heavy handed clue of other waitress with lipstick on napkin. Dean asks if Dracula could turn into a bat, for that would be cool, and then gets beer foam all over his upper lip. I again go back to βTall Talesβ with the caramels stuffed in his cheeks. Iβm pausing again for another fit of laughter.
Next we see the Canonsburg museum, thanks to the clearly lit sign outside. Thereβs dark storage area with sarcophagus and a security guard on the phone asking where it came from, and this is where the lighting of the genre and era becomes rather noticeable. The room is covered in dark shadows, except for the swipe of light over the signs so we can read them, and partial lighting of the security guardβs face via reflections off the wall.
The light sprays on the lid as it slowly moves and the mummy rises from bright fog in the box into the dark room. Thatβs supposed to add a scary element for those of us that are immune to this tactic by now. It freaked the guard out, thatβs for sure. We only see his stunned eyes while the rest of him is dark. He shoots and the bullets donβt hurt the mummy, letting us know whatever creature it is, itβs supernatural. The suspenseful scene is cut away to the outside of the building, where lightening strikes.
My friend and I have the same conversation about the whole Soda and Pop thing. Here in Canada most of us say Pop but in Florida they say Soda. Both are right as the whole term is “soda pop” but I digress. Michael Ecklund is the actor who plays our poor Mr. Ed Brewer. If you want to see more of his awesome acting you need to check out his role in Blood Ties. He plays Norman and he’s fantastic. I was so excited to see him in this episode. I’m just sorry his part was small.
I loved this episode and I get the giggles just thinking about it. It was a welcome break from the awesome but intense path this season has been on so far. And a note to Dean. Doesn’t matter how newly minted your body might be coming out of Hell – you will never, ever be a virgin again. Not with your mind. GRIN
Great review Alice.
Great review as always. You write with great insight and humour. Did not enjoy Sam as a sidekick. Even Bob Singer recently said in an interview that Jared was amazing in comedy, so why he was so sparingly used I don’t understand. All the other comedy episodes were gems because both boys had equal screen time. As much as I love Jensen and Dean, I am getting bored of the Dean Show and I am more shocked by this statement than anyone.
wow, great as always.I loved this episode and I saw it more than 10 times:-) Not kidding!
My first point is, how many months has it been between this episode and Dean’s return from hell? I can’t believe Dean, of all people, would wait that long to get laid after coming back from hell! I mean…there must have been countless hot waitresses and bartenders along the way…
Second, the scene in the bar where Dean’s tells Jamie what he really does, I always thought he said ‘some people pay’. Just checking.
Third, thank goodness they didn’t go with the grainy quality pictures, all the better for us to drool at black and white Winchesters! π
My first point is, how many months has it been between this episode and Dean’s return from hell? I can’t believe Dean, of all people, would wait that long to get laid after coming back from hell! I mean…there must have been countless hot waitresses and bartenders along the way…
Second, the scene in the bar where Dean’s tells Jamie what he really does, I always thought he said ‘some people pay’. Just checking.
Third, thank goodness they didn’t go with the grainy quality pictures, all the better for us to drool at black and white Winchesters! π
Hi, Narcissus,
I’m thinking Monster Movie is rather quick in the whole scheme of things. FIrst off this was meant to follow right after Are You There God but it got shuffled back in order to be mytharc heavy the first four. Are You There God is only three days after the end of Lazarus Rising (as stated by Castiel when he speaks with Dean in Bobby’s kitchen) and while In The Beginning is possibly a few weeks after that it’s likely not much further as Castiel and Dean do not have much of a rapport and and it’s not likely he would have waited too long to alert Dean to Sam’s ‘extracurricular activities” so a couple of weeks to a month at the most and we know MEtamorphosis is right after that so Monster Movie is perhaps a month after Dean was resurrected…that’s my guess.
As for the line, yeah, Dean says…some people paint. Maybe an inside joke on painters????
Hi, Narcissus,
I’m thinking Monster Movie is rather quick in the whole scheme of things. FIrst off this was meant to follow right after Are You There God but it got shuffled back in order to be mytharc heavy the first four. Are You There God is only three days after the end of Lazarus Rising (as stated by Castiel when he speaks with Dean in Bobby’s kitchen) and while In The Beginning is possibly a few weeks after that it’s likely not much further as Castiel and Dean do not have much of a rapport and and it’s not likely he would have waited too long to alert Dean to Sam’s ‘extracurricular activities” so a couple of weeks to a month at the most and we know MEtamorphosis is right after that so Monster Movie is perhaps a month after Dean was resurrected…that’s my guess.
As for the line, yeah, Dean says…some people paint. Maybe an inside joke on painters????
Yo! I had not realised Dean and Jamie got it on, until I read the comments. Because, simply, I had never realised what ‘with a happy ending nonetheless’ meant π― Is that like a pun? π³
Yo! I had not realised Dean and Jamie got it on, until I read the comments. Because, simply, I had never realised what ‘with a happy ending nonetheless’ meant π― Is that like a pun? π³
I was re-watching Monster Movie, so funny, and I read this article about it, so funny! What I don’t get is why the Shapeshifter would do that lipstick-on-handkerchief thing, or was that just a BOOM!Clue, suckas moment?
I was re-watching Monster Movie, so funny, and I read this article about it, so funny! What I don’t get is why the Shapeshifter would do that lipstick-on-handkerchief thing, or was that just a BOOM!Clue, suckas moment?
Haha, thanks, Alice! You are so … painfully omniscient. A walking encyclopedia of … supernatural references π
I liked Jamie! She was cool. She goes down in the trivia books as ‘just another one’. When will Dean ever fall in love? π
Haha, thanks, Alice! You are so … painfully omniscient. A walking encyclopedia of … supernatural references π
I liked Jamie! She was cool. She goes down in the trivia books as ‘just another one’. When will Dean ever fall in love? π