There are some TV shows that embody all the strange and goofiness of Adult Swim, Cartoon Network’s late-night television program, and Smiling Friendsis one of them. Created by Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack, Smiling Friends is a mixed media animation about a group of friends working for a small company that aims to make their customers smile. Each 10 minute episode centers around different missions the characters must face to fulfill their company’s mission. The world of Smiling Friends is so vast, each episode is impossible to predict. You never know what is going to happen, not even in their take on a classic Halloween special.
“Don’t Go Beyond the Rickety Bridge”
Smiling Friends consists of Pim, Charlie, Alan, Glep and the Boss, an eclectic group of men whose personalities contrast as much as they compliment each other. “The Silly Halloween Special” begins with the crew in their office break room discussing their halloween costumes. Charlie, the yellow fellow below, refuses to wear a Halloween costume because he “has no idea what is going to be offensive in 10 years.”
From left to right: Pim, Glep, an unnamed character, Alan, Charlie and another unnamed character
Pim, the little purple cowboy above, feels the complete opposite and takes Halloween in pride. He will do whatever he can to make the staff Halloween party the best ever. So, when the Boss asks Pim to go into the woods and pick up some sticks for the “big Halloween fire pit,” the cowboy is more than happy to oblige. The only warning: don’t go over the rickety bridge. But Pim heeds this with a grain of salt and crosses the wooden path into a dark, desolate forest, where he encounters the all the terrors and horrors one could only dream of on Halloween night.
Personhood in Smiling Friends
Smiling Friends is primarily 2D animation, but Hadel and Cusack also incorporate live action, stop motion, and 3D animation to the epsidoes. The coupling of bright colors and indiscernibly shaped characters compliment the bizarre storylines and hilarious dialogue. Not only is the show mixed media, but it can also be deemed mixed genre with attributes of comedy, drama, horror, and occasionally a teeny tiny bit of romance. In addition to the creators voicing their characters, there is an array of talented guest voice actors, including Mike Stoklasa (Red Letter Media), David Firth (aka the creator of the beloved YouTube series Salad Fingers), and Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Thingsand It).
The Boss’s costumeThe demon
While humans are a minority species in this world, the characters experience authentic and relatable human-like emotions. Pim deals with heartbreak in episode 3; Charlie is angry to be working on Christmas Eve in episode 8; Alan constantly stresses to make his world as neat and organized as possible. Episode 11’s dialogue-driven plot personifies the anxieties of traveling with friends and awkward consequences that come with lack of communication.
The Verdict
Smiling Friends is absolutely weird and so, so creative. While you can skip straight to “A Silly Halloween Special” without watching any other episode, why would you want to miss out on everything this show has to offer? It has been renewed for season 2 with a pending release date. Thus, there is no time like the present to prepare for the new episodes and watch (and rewatch) all of season one – especially “A Silly Halloween Special” – right now.
(5 / 5)
Check out more of our takes on Halloween specials in our Dark Deviations series here at Haunted MTL.
The sweet putrid stench of love lingers through the air which can only mean one thing…Valentine’s Day and its annoying little winged cherub, Cupid, is fast approaching. Soon, partners will be spoiling one another with extravagant bouquets of roses, heartfelt Hallmark cards, obnoxiously large teddy bears, glistening diamond jewelry, and heart-shaped candies or boxes filled with assorted mediocre chocolates. You know? Normal things couples do. I tend to prefer my chocolate boxes filled with bleeding hearts, Ă la ‘My Bloody Valentine’ but, beggars can’t be choosers, right? All jokes aside, Valentine’s Day is special for many couples, however, there are also many others who find themselves celebrating this day without a significant other. Luckily, Shudder, along with drive-in king Joe Bob Briggs and co-host Darcy the Mail Girl (Diana Prince) will graciously be keeping us lonely mutants’, and yes, all you horror fanatic couples’ company on Friday, February 10th as they return with The Last Drive-In: Joe Bob’s Vicious Vegas Valentine, premiering live at 9pm EST.
We're headed to Vegas for the Mutant Wedding of the Century! Joe Bob's Vicious Vegas Valentine. . . . Friday the 10th 9pm . . . And you will not BELIEVE what movie the happy couple has approved for the wedding itself! #twistedlove#thelastdriveinpic.twitter.com/buzOvGkytI
Back in 2021, Joe Bob and Darcy invited us to a gruesomely passionate night of spell-binding love witches and animatronic dinosaurs infused with teenage human brains during The Last Drive-In: Joe Bob Put a Spell on You. Many, including myself, were introduced to the tantalizing 70’s inspired retro throwback ‘The Love Witch’and the graphically goofy cult classic ‘Tammy and the T-Rex’, providing the perfect viewing pleasure to mend any broken heart. While the two films for this year’s morbid love-induced special have yet to be announced, as a special treat, Briggs has announced for the first time on The Last Drive-In, he will be marrying one lucky couple during the live showing. We here at HauntedMTL are eagerly awaiting the return of the ghoulish duo so, as is tradition, we will be proudly hosting a watch party on Twitter during the broadcasting of The Last Drive-In: Joe Bob’s Vicious Vegas Valentine. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and tag us @hauntedMTL as well as @shudder, @therealjoebob, and @kinky_horror to partake in this night of unholy love.
Follow @hauntedMTL for live tweets and replies!
What started off as a one-time special premiering on Shudder July 13, 2018, ‘The Last Drive- In’ was originally meant to be Brigg’s swan song; one last special before hanging up the bolo tie in retirement. However, due to so many mutants, excuse me…viewers tuning in and breaking the Shudder servers, it was only natural to announce an official full season of ‘The Last Drive-In‘, which would make its explosive debut March 19, 2019. Since then, Darcy and Briggs have spawned many exclusive holiday specials, have graciously donated to many charities within the community, and have accumulated 4 seasons of ‘The Last Drive-In’, with a fifth currently in production premiering on Shudder’s 2023 schedule sometime this year, let’s hope sooner rather than later.
An unexpected ceremony during The Last Drive-In: Joe Bob Put a Spell on You (2021) special.
Horror Noire is a horror collection that includes “Daddy,” “The Lake,” “Brand of Evil,” “Bride Before You,” “Fugue State,” and “Sundown.”
Horror Noire is a horror collection brought by the combined efforts of AMC+ and Shudder. The collection includes “Daddy,” “The Lake,” “Brand of Evil,” “Bride Before You,” “Fugue State,” and “Sundown.” Horror Noire boasts Black directors and screenwriters, providing six unique stories.
As this collection explores six stories, I will skip the usual synopsis to assess the genres and ideas explored, albeit limited as needed. Expect to find supernatural horror, creature features, and psychological thrillers. Many short films deal with these genres while exploring Black issues, but this isn’t universal for the collection.
Each story remains unique, holding different strengths and weaknesses that highlight drastically different perspectives. Collections like VHS hold a similar premise to create their collection, but Horror Noire gives more creative freedom to its talent to be independent.
However, the best example of horror goes to Robin Givens’ “Daddy,” providing an existential horror tied directly to the characters involved.
Image from “Fugue State” directed by Rob Greenlea
What I Dislike
As mentioned, all have a particular style and idea. The downside of this approach always remains to keep the viewer interested long enough to find their favorite. If you find several underwhelming choices, this becomes a chore. But I imagine that is rare as the variety makes the options refreshing.
Personally, “Brand of Evil” had an interesting premise, but the execution fell short. On paper, it might have sounded like my favorite, which makes the lackluster execution a bigger letdown.
Zeth M. Martinez
Final Thoughts
Horror Noire gives power and control to Black creators, providing a formula for a unique collection against others in the space. While the various subjects and approaches mean you aren’t likely to love them all, there should be a short film for everyone. (3.5 / 5)
Episode six of Netflix’s Dahmer was not, honestly about our title character. Instead, it was about one of his victims, a man named Tony. We’ve actually seen Tony a few times during this series. We just didn’t know it was him.
And, well, he wasn’t exactly alive the first time we saw him.
Tony was born into a supportive, loving family. This is good because soon after he was born a viral infection took his hearing. He is black, deaf, and gay in the early 90’s.
Tony has a dream of becoming a model. And he certainly has the looks for it. He is beautiful, body and soul. He has lots of opportunities for romance, but it’s not what he’s looking for. He wants a real relationship.
Eventually Tony moves to Madison, trying to pursue his dream. He gets a job and starts getting modeling work.
Then, he meets Jeff Dahmer at a bar.
At first, we can almost believe that it’s going to be alright. Jeff seems happy. He’s taking care of himself. He’s not drinking as much. He even has his dad and stepmom over for dinner. It seems like his life is getting on track. Even better, he’s treating Tony right.
Then, of course, things go bad.
One thing that has always bothered me as a true crime fan is that we know so much about the killers, but not as much about the victims. Not so much if we don’t know who the killer is, of course. But the names that are part of our pop culture are those of the killers. Dahmer, Manson, Jones, Bundy, Holms. The names we don’t know are Roberta Parks, Beth LaBiancas, Leno LaBiancas, and Tony Hughes. And clearly, we should know them.
If Tony Hughes was half the shining, positive person that the show Dahmer made him out to be, I’m so sad that he isn’t with us anymore. We need so many more people like him. And many of Dahmer’s victims were likely just like him. After all, he was attracted to them for a reason.
This was a significant episode, and I understand why it’s the highest-rated episode of the series. I finished it with a heavy heart, saddened by the loss of a man who should still be with us today.Â
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