Whether you squirm at the thought of a scary movie, are sick of the clichés of the horror genre, or are just looking for something to watch that’ll put you in the Halloween spirit, you’ve come to the right place! Each day from now through Halloween day, I’ll post about a movie or TV show that is emblematic of the season, free of slashing, spurting, or exorcising. The only requirements are thus: it must be available on a major streaming service (Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, or Disney Plus), and it mustn’t be a well-known blockbuster. Sorry, Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
Entry 2: Over the Garden Wall (2014)
Ominous fables of dark, stormy nights and monstrous encounters affect us most viscerally when we’re children. Over the Garden Wall not only reminds us of the fear we felt at those spooky childhood fairy tales, but it also pokes fun at them in a refreshingly clever way.
Over the Garden Wall finds paranoid and practical Wirt and his happy-go-lucky younger brother Greg lost in an enchanted forest, looking for their way home. The series uses this simple setup to great effect, taking fairy tale conventions such as scared children, terrifying monsters, and nefarious adults, and turns them on their heads, causing us all to have a good laugh at the expense of something that is typically nightmar-ish. Although it is primarily a comedy, the narrative takes dark turns that lead to a spooky overarching plot, keeping the audience guessing as to whether the creepy imagery is something to be feared or laughed at.
I love to turn on a good comedy any time of year, and Over the Garden Wall is definitely that, but the show’s homage to the ghoulish cartoon style of the 1930s and 40s (think Cuphead, Pinocchio, Felix the Cat, etc.) transport the viewer to the world of Halloweens gone by. This spooky season is also prime time for a mystery, and though most episodes of the series are serialized, we slowly discover a through line that ties each “chapter” into one satisfying story. Through the tale’s twists and turns, its great characters consistently shine through, with the young, overconfident Greg sure to be a crowd favorite. Perhaps best of all, the short series is comprised of just 10 episodes, each no more than 12 minutes long, making for a very doable 2-hour binge. So grab a comfy blanket, fire up the tv, and get ready to laugh, jump out of your skin, and then laugh some more.
Over the Garden Wall is streaming now on Hulu.
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