HOME | DD

Description
Show: R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour
Episode: 66
Year: 2013

Writer(s): Rick Drew
Director(s): Ken Friss

You don't really see too many children's shows, cartoon or otherwise that deal with horror or the paranormal anymore. The days of things like Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark? have long since passed and shows such as these are becoming much rarer as time goes by. The Hub kicked in the door to a new age with a vengeance when it first premiered back in October 2010; and besides the obvious this network did carry a lot of good original programs like Dan Vs., Littlest Pet Shop and on the live action side of things The Aquabats Super Show and The Haunting Hour.

I LOVED watching this show when The Hub was in full force! I'd catch it every weekend when I could, almost as ritualistically as My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. I don't really watch a whole lot of live action TV shows besides maybe horror/sci-if anthologies, so that's primarily what you'll get out of me in this criteria that isn't movies; and I do these plenty rare enough as it is. I know I sound like an old man, but The Hub really did die too soon and with it a lot of the network's charm when Discovery reaped full control from Hasbro and fucked it all up. Then again, when ponies are the only thing you're willing to peddle, even if that show is good, do you really expect to last very long? I expect the same fate to happen to Cartoon Network if they don't learn to air more than Teen Titans Go! most of the time as well.

Anyways, The Haunting Hour, what can ya say about it that you can't say about Goosebumps? I mean, R. L. Stine created both book series after all and they're both really successful as childrens horror. Well, one thing I can say is this series in particular compared to the Goosebumps TV show knew not just to use stories from its own book series; mixing in both original stories and adaptations of Stines works. One of those original episodes is what I'll be doing here, and it might just be one of my all-time favorite episodes; strange because in a way it's one of the lighter and funnier fares (depending on who you are) of the show, but it's defintiely got a really creepy vibe in a real way.

"Uncle Howee" has to be one of the best takes on the dangers of sibling/child neglect I've ever seen. They make it clear that while big brother Jared isn't such a bad kid and kinda does have a point with being left alone to watch his little sister Cynthia while his mom's working late, he's still very much in the wrong for not giving a shit about caring for her and outright trying to leave her HOME ALONE while he goes to the movies! I get that all the kid wanted to do was see a movie with friends, but COME ON! Leaving a 6-7-year old girl home alone while she's sleeping? Giving her nasty, frost bitten FISH STICKS awhile you steal the pizza money? I would say call child services, but Uncle Howee's gotcha covered Jared!

And Uncle Howee himself? He's probably one of the best villains in the entire series next to Lily D; and his motives for going after Jared, aren't entirely out of malice, I think. In a strange way this God of depraved kids show hosts (played by the one and only Tom Kenny) acts as a sort of demented guardian for Cynthia since Jared doesn't really feel like watching his own sister. A lot of the strange and bizarre thing he does aren't just to guilt Jared into taking responsibility, but to have him understand that family ALWAYS comes first when it comes to little kids! And since Jared doesn't like his show? Why not make make him Uncle Howee's newest friend? It's one of those rare endings where the parent of the children/child being tormented actually sees what happens to the victim, all mom can do is have her mouth agape in fear at what she sees while Cynthia just giggles at what became of her brother!

Just like in "The Weeping Woman" this is an episode that teaches those of us out there to be nice to our kids, or in this case siblings if ya got any. Really, it can be applied to anyone with a young family member in their care. Because if you as the responsible one aren't taking care of or watching over them, someone, or something WILL! It's also one of the few times I've seen the moral of not having TV babysit/take care of your children be taught in a subtle way, if at all. The Haunting Hour, along with being a genuienly scary show at times, knew how to teach really good morals when push came to shove; although it didn't need to do this, it was a nice touch. And to this day Uncle Howee stands out as proof that Tom Kenny has just as much charisma and talent in love roles as he does with his voices!

The Haunting Hour is owned by The Hatchery, Incendo Films and Front Street Pictures.

Regulas314

Description
Show: R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour
Episode: 66
Year: 2013

Writer(s): Rick Drew
Director(s): Ken Friss

You don't really see too many children's shows, cartoon or otherwise that deal with horror or the paranormal anymore. The days of things like Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark? have long since passed and shows such as these are becoming much rarer as time goes by. The Hub kicked in the door to a new age with a vengeance when it first premiered back in October 2010; and besides the obvious this network did carry a lot of good original programs like Dan Vs., Littlest Pet Shop and on the live action side of things The Aquabats Super Show and The Haunting Hour.

I LOVED watching this show when The Hub was in full force! I'd catch it every weekend when I could, almost as ritualistically as My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. I don't really watch a whole lot of live action TV shows besides maybe horror/sci-if anthologies, so that's primarily what you'll get out of me in this criteria that isn't movies; and I do these plenty rare enough as it is. I know I sound like an old man, but The Hub really did die too soon and with it a lot of the network's charm when Discovery reaped full control from Hasbro and fucked it all up. Then again, when ponies are the only thing you're willing to peddle, even if that show is good, do you really expect to last very long? I expect the same fate to happen to Cartoon Network if they don't learn to air more than Teen Titans Go! most of the time as well.

Anyways, The Haunting Hour, what can ya say about it that you can't say about Goosebumps? I mean, R. L. Stine created both book series after all and they're both really successful as childrens horror. Well, one thing I can say is this series in particular compared to the Goosebumps TV show knew not just to use stories from its own book series; mixing in both original stories and adaptations of Stines works. One of those original episodes is what I'll be doing here, and it might just be one of my all-time favorite episodes; strange because in a way it's one of the lighter and funnier fares (depending on who you are) of the show, but it's defintiely got a really creepy vibe in a real way.

"Uncle Howee" has to be one of the best takes on the dangers of sibling/child neglect I've ever seen. They make it clear that while big brother Jared isn't such a bad kid and kinda does have a point with being left alone to watch his little sister Cynthia while his mom's working late, he's still very much in the wrong for not giving a shit about caring for her and outright trying to leave her HOME ALONE while he goes to the movies! I get that all the kid wanted to do was see a movie with friends, but COME ON! Leaving a 6-7-year old girl home alone while she's sleeping? Giving her nasty, frost bitten FISH STICKS awhile you steal the pizza money? I would say call child services, but Uncle Howee's gotcha covered Jared!

And Uncle Howee himself? He's probably one of the best villains in the entire series next to Lily D; and his motives for going after Jared, aren't entirely out of malice, I think. In a strange way this God of depraved kids show hosts (played by the one and only Tom Kenny) acts as a sort of demented guardian for Cynthia since Jared doesn't really feel like watching his own sister. A lot of the strange and bizarre thing he does aren't just to guilt Jared into taking responsibility, but to have him understand that family ALWAYS comes first when it comes to little kids! And since Jared doesn't like his show? Why not make make him Uncle Howee's newest friend? It's one of those rare endings where the parent of the children/child being tormented actually sees what happens to the victim, all mom can do is have her mouth agape in fear at what she sees while Cynthia just giggles at what became of her brother!

Just like in "The Weeping Woman" this is an episode that teaches those of us out there to be nice to our kids, or in this case siblings if ya got any. Really, it can be applied to anyone with a young family member in their care. Because if you as the responsible one aren't taking care of or watching over them, someone, or something WILL! It's also one of the few times I've seen the moral of not having TV babysit/take care of your children be taught in a subtle way, if at all. The Haunting Hour, along with being a genuienly scary show at times, knew how to teach really good morals when push came to shove; although it didn't need to do this, it was a nice touch. And to this day Uncle Howee stands out as proof that Tom Kenny has just as much charisma and talent in love roles as he does with his voices!

The Haunting Hour is owned by The Hatchery, Incendo Films and Front Street Pictures.

Regulas314