FILM · 1991 · USA
Ernest Scared Stupid
30 archived facts 6 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (30)
- #001
Eartha Kitt auditioned for the role of Old Lady Hackmore. The film's casting director, Ruth Lambert, later worked on The Emperor's New Groove (2000), and Eartha voiced the character Yzma in that film as a favor to the casting director.
- #002
Director John Cherry kept the animatronic head of the main villain, the troll Trantor, in his hand. He used to store it in his office, but later gave it to his son to display.
- #003
A total of 17 trolls appear in the film.
- #004
The carton of milk Ernest drinks when he stops at the store for snacks, the dairy truck that nearly runs over Kenny while he flees from Trantor, and all the milk cartons the children gather from the store to kill the trolls are labeled "Purity Dairy," a real milk brand and a former client of John Cherry's advertising agency. When Jim Varney made the "Ernest" commercials, he had advertised the same brand.
- #005
This is the fourth and final Ernest film released under the Disney label Touchstone Pictures. The "Ernest" team initially signed a three-picture deal with Disney. After the success of the second "Ernest" film, Ernest Saves Christmas (1988), the deal was expanded from three films to six. However, "Ernest Scared Stupid" performed below expectations, causing Disney to end its contract early. The next Ernest film, Ernest Rides Again (1993), was distributed independently, was a box office bomb, and was the last "Ernest" film to be released in theaters. Later "Ernest" films were made directly for the video market.
- #006
In a 1990 Entertainment Weekly article published while Ernest Goes to Jail was in theaters, the next Ernest film, Ernest Scared Stupid (1991), was discussed, but the plot described at the time involved Ernest inheriting a haunted house from his family.
- #007
The forest set was built inside a 100,000-square-foot building that was once a shoe factory, and it contained live trees, various insects and 3,000 cubic meters of soil. The "gnarled, enchanted-looking trees," including the one Ernest used for his treehouse, were made of foam-covered steel.
- #008
The black-and-white clips in the opening title sequence were from public domain films such as Nosferatu (1922), White Zombie (1932), Phantom from Space (1953), Brain from Planet Arous (1957), The Screaming Skull (1958), Rocketship X-M (1958), The Hideous Sun Demon (1958), The Giant Gila Monster (1959), The Killer Shrews (1959), Beyond the Time Barrier (1959) and The Little Shop of Horrors (1960).
- #009
Barkley, the dog who appears as "Rimshot" in the film, performed all of the human-like actions, such as driving a car and operating a garbage compactor, with his trainer's help. Scenes in which the animal appeared to be in danger, such as being attacked by a sword-wielding troll, were achieved using harmless props and careful editing. An unnamed production coordinator could not be reached for comment and was fired over the supervision. Because no AHA representative was present on set during production, all information was obtained from interviews with the dog's trainers and other members of the company.
- #010
The sixteen actors who played the trolls had to wear their heavy, uncomfortable costumes for up to fourteen hours a day under hot lights. Because breathing inside the costumes was also difficult, many of the actors used battery-powered hair dryers to circulate cold air through the mouthpieces of their costumes.
- #011
This would be the last time actors Daniel Butler, Larry Black, Jackie Welch and Mike Hutchinson appeared in an Ernest film.
- #012
This is the second and final Ernest film to feature Ernest's dog Rimshot (after the previous film, Ernest Goes to Jail). Barkley was under contract with Disney to appear in one more Ernest film, but Disney cut ties with the Ernest filmmakers because of this film's poor box office performance.
- #013
Although the story takes place on Halloween, the crew could not simulate autumn leaves or obtain pumpkins out of season (the film was shot in May 1991).
- #014
After the film was released, Austin Nagler, who played the lead role of Kenny, was mocked so much over the scene in which he receives a kiss on the cheek that he quit acting entirely.
- #015
The fictional town's main street was a section of Nashville known as "Five Points."
- #016
The film had its first DVD release from Touchstone Home Entertainment on September 3, 2002. Mill Creek Entertainment re-released the film on DVD on January 18, 2011, as part of the two-disc set Ernest Triple Feature along with Ernest Goes to Camp and Ernest Goes to Jail. A third re-release came in August 2011 on Blu-ray as an individual film.
- #017
The "Hackmore estate" was a private house in an upscale Nashville neighborhood that was undergoing renovations at the time. Construction was halted and the house was restored to its original condition. The scrap metal sculptures covering the front yard made the house a tourist attraction during production.
- #018
The cast members Bill Byrge, Daniel Butler, Jackie Welch, Mike Montgomery, Mike Hutchinson, Barry Scott, Myke R. Muller and the dog Barkley had previously appeared in Ernest Goes to Jail (1990).
- #019
This is the last "Ernest" film shot in the United States.
- #020
Daniel Butler, the writer of "Ernest" (Sheriff Binder), wanted his character to have a mustache, but Disney told him he could not have one because it would make him look "too Hispanic."
- #021
It is the only Ernest film reviewed by Siskel and Ebert. This was because Ebert had never seen an Ernest film before. It received Two Thumbs Down.
- #022
Co-writer Coke Sams (real name Hansford Sams III) was given the nickname "Coke" because it was the first word he said as a baby.
- #023
There is a scene in which Elizabeth's bicycle is repaired and the children then ride away. Originally they were supposed to ride bicycles in that scene. While the children were testing their bicycles, Shay Astar went down a steep hill toward the valley and crashed into hers. As a safety precaution, the crew brought bicycles to the location.
- #024
Ernest Scared Stupid has several similarities to Hocus Pocus (1993). Both are early '90s Disney films, both are live-action Halloween-themed family films, and both were dismissed on their original releases, yet each has a large following today. Looking deeper into the films, after creepy historical introductions come classroom scenes in which a teacher or student recounts unpleasant events involving villagers and their curses. Kenny and Max also encounter bullies at their school before facing paranormal enemies (trolls and witches). Trantor and the Sanderson sisters needed the spirits of children (so that Trantor could summon his brothers and become invincible, and the Sandersons could have eternal youth). Ernest and Max accidentally resurrected Trantor and the Sanderson sisters, respectively.
- #025
When Disney executives began reviewing the dailies, they were concerned that Trantor produced too much slime and told director John Cherry to reduce it. Cherry told them that the extra slime made Trantor look scarier and that the extra slime made sense because he has two noses. Disney still said no. The situation reached the point of an argument between the two camps. In the end, Disney let it go.
- #026
Among the nine "Ernest" films, "Ernest Scared Stupid" is the most beloved by fans of the series.
- #027
Many people mistakenly believe that the "Troll Face" meme came from this film. As Ernest is about to run over the troll Trantor, he says the line: "How about a bumper sandwich booger lips!" After this he laughs, and his face is what "Troll Face" was based on, or at least what people think it was based on. In reality, "Troll Face" did not actually come from this. The face has a certain expression that is not in a random shot of the film. The creator of the face also explained this and added that online trolls actually imagine themselves this way when they are visible or looking more pathetic (or that their "tricking" is not actually as effective or clever as they would like to think). "Troll Face" has absolutely nothing to do with this film.
- #028
Ernest mentions Mr. Potato Head. Jim Varney appeared in Toy Story (1995) and Toy Story 2 (1999), in which Mr. Potato Head is one of the characters.
- #029
Ernest compares Trantor to a giant Mr. Potato Head. Jim Varney (who played Ernest) would later voice Slinky Dog alongside Don Rickles (the voice of Mr. Potato Head) in Toy Story (1995) and Toy Story 2 (1999).
- #030
Jayne Meadows, Estelle Parsons and Shelley Winters were all screen-tested for the role of Old Lady Hackmore.
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