Fear Itself
The Good;
Buffy does a Halloween ep once every couple of years and it's always special, this is no exception. The Scoobies face and overcome their fears and the final gag is fantastic. Also love the postmodern gag of Buffy hitting the demon only to find out it's a guy in a Halloween mask (presumably a student rather than a local who'd know better).
The Bad;
Would the Scoobies ever really watch horror films like Phantasm? Don't they get enough gore?
Best line;
Giles; "Actual size!"
Character death;
Only the guy who breaks his neck falling dow the stairs
Jeez!;
What's the story with the girl in the tiara on the couch who appears dead then grins maniacally at the camera?
Kinky dinky;
The frat boys think Halloween is all about 'getting laid'. Interestingly Willow's crush Tina Fey in her film Mean Girls says it's all about allowing girls to dress up in slutty male-fantasy costumes whilst keeping their reputation intact. Buffy gets grabbed all over by the hands in the cellar (anyone else reminded of the Evil Dead series) and was I the only one to think 'Boy you can see up her skirt' when Buffy crushes the demon at the end?
Calling Captain Subtext;
Willow "What is college for if not experimentation?" Hmmmm? She also begs "Oz don't leave me"
Scoobies to the ER;
Buffy cut but not too badly
Where's Dawn?
Adore the scene with Buffy and Joyce it's so precious. You wonder what costume Dawn wore trick or treating? Is Joyce taking her this year? Joyce comments that she's not the social butterfly she used to be in LA, as we see in Buffy; The Movie. She now knows that Ted was a robot (as Dawn does in IWMTLY).
Questions and observations;
The first sign of Anya's bunny phobia. The first encounter between the Scoobies and The Initiative (aside from Out of Sight, Out of Mind?). Anya comments that it's been a week since she and Xander had sex so we must assume that each ep in the Buffyverse is a week in real time. Uncle Rory mentioned again and Willow is still scared of spiders which she overcomes by the time of Selfless. The guiding spell that goes wrong for her is reminiscent of the one Tara uses successfully in Bargaining pt2. Xander uses the old 'Standing right here' Scooby line. At least Anya knocks on Gile's door which is progress. The ghouls at the frat party are very Evil Dead
Read an interesting fanfic once where Michael Myers from the Halloween series shows up in season 3 Sunnydale and kills Joyce and Faith. In the follow-up story however the Nerd Trio capture him and use his blood to bring them back to life, I think the author's point being that heroism and villainy is sometimes just a question of timing and circumstances (which you can certainly make the case for with characters such as Andrew, Amy, Faith etc?)
Marks out of 10; 6/10
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EDIT
Episode Summary
To help Buffy get over the pain of having been used by Parker, the gang head to a fraternity Halloween party expecting a few cheap scares and a bit of harmless fun. Unfortunately, some accidental magic turns the party into a house of horrors where everyone's fears come to life.moreless
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Sarah Michelle Gellar
Buffy Anne Summers
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Nicholas Brendon
Alexander 'Xander' Harris
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Alyson Hannigan
Willow Rosenberg
Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions
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Trivia
ADD TRIVIA- Willow claims the book from which the mark of Gachnar was taken is written in Gaelic, however, when the book is shown to Buffy (both in the frat house and at Giles'), the writing in it is in plain English (describing exorcisms). Edit
- We learn in this episode that Anya is afraid of bunnies, a humorous and recurring theme for her character. Edit
- Anya tells Xander that his uncle, Rory, let her in his house and that he smelled like peppermint. Xander replies "the man likes his Schnapps". In the season three episode "The Zeppo," Xander mentions that Uncle Rory is an alcoholic, and in season six we get to see him briefly. Edit
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Notes
ADD NOTES- Giles' Mexican costume and Anya's bunny suit were so popular with fans that special variant editions of their action figures were made with these outfits. These quickly became two of the most popular figures in the entire line, and the "Bunny Anya" was even reissued years later. Edit
- Music: Students are preparing the party -- "Kool" by 28 Days People arrive at the party -- "Ow Ow Ow" by Third Grade Teacher The Scooby Gang arrives at the party -- "Pretty Please" by Verbena Edit
- Buffy is dressed as Little Red Riding Hood. When Xander asks what is in her basket, she replies, "Weapons." There is a character in a series of Japanese fighting video games dressed as Red Riding Hood who carries a basket full of weapons. Whether or not this was an intentional reference is unknown. Edit
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Quotes
ADD QUOTES- Giles: (reading from the book) There are two ways in here to get rid of Gachnar. Destroying the symbol... (Buffy walks past him and punches into the floor, destroying the sigil on the floor and tearing up the boards, she stands up with an accomplished look on her face) ...is not one of them and will immediately conjure the fear demon itself! Edit
- Xander (observing Anya's costume): So... this is your scary costume? Anya (defensively) Bunnies frighten me. Edit
- Buffy: Like the tux, Xander! Xander: Bond. James Bond. Insurance, you know, in case we get turned into our costumes again. I'm going for cool, secret agent guy. Buffy: I hate to break it to you, but you'll probably end up cool head waiter guy. Xander: As long as I'm cool and wield some sort of power. Edit
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Allusions
ADD ALLUSIONS- Oz: She's still suffering a little post-Parker depression. This is a play on "post-partum depression", a common—and sometimes very serious—problem among women shortly after giving birth. Edit
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Xander: What'cha got in the basket, little girl?
This is a reference to Buffy's Little Red Riding Hood costume. In some versions of the Little Read Riding Hood fairy tale she meets a wolf in the woods on her way to her grandmothers house and he'll often ask her what she has in her basket. When she gets to her grandmothers house, the wolf has locked her grandmother in the closet (or eaten her, depending on the story version) and dressed up in her clothes to trick Red Riding Hood in an attempt to eat her. Edit -
Xander: The man likes his schnapps.
Schnapps is a generic name for a flavorful, usually clear alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain and flavored with various herbs or fruits. Schnapps can come in a variety of flavors including strawberry, peppermint, orange, butterscotch, and many others. Edit
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