Eerie, Indiana (1991 – 1993) – Horror TV Shows We Miss

This episode of the Horror TV Shows We Miss video series was Written and Narrated by Niki Minter, Edited by Adam Walton, Produced by John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian. Here’s the text of the video script:

I think 1991 shaped my life before I even realized it did. Aeon Flux, Pete & Pete, Clarissa Explains It All, Liquid Television, The Addams Family, People Under the Stairs, Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, and of course, Eerie, Indiana.

All those shows and movies I just mentioned, I can still enjoy just the same as I did then. A few of them actually get repeat viewings throughout the year. There was something cool about these shows made for kids and teens around this time– they weren’t dumbing it down. Kids felt like they were watching something that they could experience for themselves– it was something that felt real. These were kids that were actually my age tackling real issues through a more fantastical storyline. Shows made for kids, at least the live action ones, miss that mark now. They’re overproduced, the storylines are entirely too dramatic, and they lack the charm. Look at Nickelodeon in the ’90s versus now– there’s definitely a difference.

So what’s the show all about?

Well, it’s about a kid named Marshall Teller played by Omri Katz who has moved to the most normal town in the world, Eerie, Indiana. Immediately upon arriving, Marshall finds out that Eerie is anything but normal. With the help and assistance of his friend, Simon played by Justin Shenkarow, the boys spend their days investigating the paranormal on-goings of their town that no one else seems to find as eerie.

I’ve seen people say that the series is like Twin Peaks for kids and sure, maybe if you mean season two and that’s a stretch. Maybe more inspired? I’d say it’s more Friday the 13th: The Series with a dash of The X-Files for kids. I get the Twin Peaks mention though. The series does feature Sheriff Andy as his twin Sergeant Knight and Dash does utter the line, “It ain’t the Log Lady” in an area of the woods that looks suspiciously like the entrance to the Black Lodge. Oh wait, they do go to a place called The Lodge in Loyal Order of the Corn. There’s actually quite a few Horror and pop culture references interwoven throughout the series. I could also easily see some of these episodes under the Twilight Zone umbrella.

What’s funny about all this though– is that the show really wasn’t meant for kids alone. One of the shows creators Karl Schaefer wanted to target the adult audience with a twisted sense of humor and social satire seen through the eyes of a 13-year old. Schaefer and co-creator Jose Rivera spent most of their time as champions for the series– fighting for better time slots, creepier stories, and creating the best content for adults and kids alike.

The intro is pretty rad as well. It drops in some scenes from classic films like Nosferatu, White Zombie, and Night of the Living Dead. Marshall talks about the weird occurrences within his town like bigfoot digging in the trash and Elvis grabbing his paper.

Also, I love Dash X and this has nothing at all to do with my long standing crush on Jason Marsden. Nothing. There’s this weird line in the sand where you either hate Dash, or you love him. I’ve seen more disdain than anything. I love the introduction of Dash and the mystery that surrounds him. It’s not a mystery anymore thanks to Schaefer, but it’s nice to get some clarity after all of these years. I won’t spoil it for you but you can easily find the answer if you do a quick search.

There are so many excellent things about this series. You have Joe Dante as creative consultant and sometimes director, John Astin who comes in later as the true owner of World o Stuff, Bob Balaban, Tim Hunter who directed River’s Edge, Tobey Maguire, Danielle Harris, and Matt Frewer star in episodes. Alex Hirsch of Gravity Falls, who we’ve mentioned in a few episodes basically said, “I want to make my own Eerie” and he did it with the adventures of Dipper and Mabel. We could spend so much time on this series that it would need its own companion podcast. Maybe I should just start one honestly. Anyone wanna join?

Favorite Episodes:

Foreverware (Episode 1): This is the first episode of the series and I’m going to hit you kind of hard with it. The episode deals with grief and the lack of control we have over our own lives. I know– it’s a bit deep, but the series often tries to be more than just surface level without making it unfun. While Mrs. Wilson’s actions weren’t justified, the idea of wanting to keep your kiddos from growing up so you can keep them around forever, or so you can slow or stop time after a loved one dies is a legit thought process. We don’t learn this until closer to the end of the episode, but it gives you that “a-ha” moment when you find out. Then that becomes MORE complex when you reflect back on all the ladies at the party that Marshall’s Mom attended. Quick easter egg since this show has so many, all the ladies at the party had food brand last names: Swanson, Stouffer, Pillsbury, and Crocker. As a kid, you don’t really notice these themes, all it really does is make you think twice about your mom’s obsession with tupperware. It’s also easier to side with the twins because you just want to grow up and experience life as your own person. It’s a great concept that seems more silly when you’re younger but hits differently when you are watching as an adult.

Just Say No to Fun (Episode 6): Okay so Disturbing Behavior may or may not have gotten the core of their plot from this episode, but maybe they both deserve to give a nod to ’81’s Strange Behavior. Mandatory eye exams? I guess it’s plausible. It probably would have helped me a bit since I squinted through most of elementary school, but not this type of exam. When Marshall and Simons go to get their eyes checked by the school nurse, Simon emerges with stereotypical geeky glasses and has a new found interest in studying and being a good boy. The Middle School is named after well-noted psychologist, B.F. Skinner. Sometimes we all just need a little positive reinforcement in the form of subliminal messages. The nurse hired by the school is doing just that. Her goal is to get all the kids in Eerie and eventually all the grown ups to believe in the power of all work and no fun. She wants to squash the imaginative mind of Marshall as well as other children because it has no place in her world. Oh man, we could really go on about that right? Thanks to some even goofier glasses that serve as an antidote to the conditioning, Marshall makes everything right again and restores the personalities of all the kids. As an adult, I’m still all for being imaginative and doing whatever brings you joy as long as you aren’t doing any harm and especially if it involves paranormal investigation.

The Losers (Episode 4): Where do all the things you lose go? Socks, pens, keys, briefcases, petroleum-based banana extract? Yes, Marshall’s Dad misplaces his briefcase that happens to contain, yes, petroleum-based banana extract. It’s not about the extract though, oddly enough– it’s about the fact that the briefcase was an anniversary present and when Marshall’s dad gives priority to the extract, Marshall’s Mom goes to her unhappy place. Words said out of frustration cause Marshall’s parents to fight, which he hardly ever sees. The briefcase is a symbol of his parents’ marriage so he’s got to find it. Marshall and Simon find out that the briefcase got sucked into The Bureau of Lost. The Bureau isn’t taking things, but I guess they are also somehow keeping the world on an even keel by helping the economy. This really sounds like adult problems. Henry Gibson, who I absolutely adore but really adore in Bio-Dome – yes, Bio-Dome – and Dick Miller (Night of the Creeps, Chopping Mall, everything), both guest star in the episode and happen to be regulars in some of Joe Dante’s other directorial efforts. Marshall does everything he can to get the briefcase back so his parents don’t get divorced, it’s a little extreme but seeing your parents blow up on each other can be as well. Luckily in the end, the Tellers have taken a breather and decided that a briefcase really wasn’t that big of a deal. Arguing over something stupid with your partner? Well, none of us are familiar with that. Thanks, Eerie. There is still something awesome about crawling through a dryer to get to a secret bureau of lost things.

The Lost Hour (Episode 10): As a kid you don’t think about time, and you don’t have time to think about it. Well, this is true and it’s also true that everyone (at least it feels that way) is annoyed with Daylight Savings Time. Marshall decides to rebel against it, and by doing so wakes up in an alternate, more liminal Eerie. With help from an extremely old milkman, Marshall escapes a group of garbage collectors who want to eliminate him and a lost runaway played by Nikki Cox. Cox is always delightful in whatever she’s in and she has one of the coolest jackets I have ever seen in this episode. As Janet and Marshall are taking off in the car, I swear there’s a melody that plays that sounds an awful lot like “Learning to Fly” by Pink Floyd. The twist at the end is great and it makes you wonder even more what would have been in store for the series if they were given more seasons.

Reality Takes a Holiday (Episode 19): And now we end with the final episode, or what was supposed to be the final episode. One day Marshall is at the table with his family who are trying to get him to take a break from the paranormal to go to the movies, and next he ends up in the world of the small screen. Eerie, Indiana becomes self aware. Marshall is now Omri, the actor who plays Marshall, and he’s part of a television show. Dash has somehow orchestrated it so Marshall dies at the end of the nineteenth episode so he can be the lead– as if we didn’t see that coming. Joe Dante, who didn’t direct this particular episode, shows up in the role of the director and his screen time is very Dante. I will also admit that seeing Simon as a self-absorbed child actor was disheartening even though I know the point was for their actor counterparts to be the exact opposite. Simon is too pure for this world. Now for me this episode could mean two things, 1. How we sometimes feel like we are just going through the motions or 2. How we don’t have to stick with the script that life gives us. You can also sprinkle some Wizard of Oz in there. Whichever theme you go with, this episode was a great final episode, even though they didn’t know it was the final one at the time. As a series, if you are going to go out, might as well go out on a high.

I wish we could just discuss all of the episodes, but maybe it would be better if you just did a binge of all of them. Bonus points if you haven’t seen it yet. Oh, if you are interested in lost media like myself, there’s a rumor that there’s a taped missing episode out there titled Let’s Get Hitched. If you have any info regarding this, let me know.

Where to Watch

Right now, you can watch all of the episodes on Prime. You can also watch them without commercials on YouTube. The series was also released on DVD and Blu-Ray if you are into the physical.

Where did it wind up?

As you all likely know by now, the series was cancelled. What’s worse is that they pulled it early. They put it in the slow death slot, Sundays at 7PM opposite The Torkelsons. This has been known as the slot where a series will go to die, which was definitely the choice made by NBC. While I’m sure no one at the network lost any sleep over it, the series was actually quite successful in syndication and has gathered a cult following over the years. There was a spin-off that came and went on Fox Kids in 1997 that was called Eerie, Indiana: The Other Dimension– sadly, not as awesome as the original. The second coming of Eerie did help to get a book series going. Please don’t mind me as I find those and start collecting them. Also, did me saying The Torkelsons unlock something in your brain? I hope it did.

This show was way too clever and ahead of its time. It’s also a good lesson, which we are really learning now, that networks could really care less how innovative a show is. We give mindless shows twenty seasons and let them hang on way past their prime. Eerie may have lived a little longer now, but it wouldn’t be the same. I’ll take nineteen episodes of Eerie filmed back in the early ’90’s over trying to create it today. The show was a part of the golden age of kids programming and deserves a place with the other sci-fi greats.

A couple previous episodes of Horror TV Shows We Miss can be seen below. If you’d like to see more, and check out the other shows we have to offer, head over to the JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!