u/PigFaceWigFace

I saw this in theaters on opening weekend, then spent the rest of the day playing in piles of leaves with my brothers and sisters.

This movie was near and dear to me as a child because I loved “Ernest Goes to Camp,” “Ernest Saves Christmas,” and “Ernest Goes to Jail.” Let’s not forget how Ernest infiltrated (charmingly) children’s entertainment through Disney during this time.

So, Ernest tackled my favorite holiday.

This movie is easy to be critical of, but difficult to judge.

This is because Jim Varney and Eartha Kitt are genuinely charming, sweet, and lovable. The villain, “Trantor” is legitimately scary and has nightmare-fuel scares, and the whole movie has a slice of life feel.

Remove the troll plot, and this could be a spooky folk tale in any American city or town.

This is my favorite Ernest movie.

I remember when Jim Varney died. My school had a free newspaper. So many of us grew up with Jim Varney’s Ernest movies that the headline that week was a rare Hollywood moment. Our menus in the lunchroom, tests scores, and sports took a backseat. The front page was “Ernest Goes to Heaven.”

Not a dry eye in the lunchroom.

Anyhoot, I just wanted to pay respects to this character and the actor who played him.