Righteous Courage, and a Lost Faith Regained: A Faith- Based Look at 'Pete and Pete''s Halloween Special

Hi everyone, happy Halloween from the Nightcrawler Experience!
This is the concluding installment of this year's Halloween special for this blog, in which I will be examining one of the best TV Halloween specials I've ever seen. Much like when I looked at an episode of 'Are You Afraid of the Dark?' last October, it'll involve a look at something that Nickelodeon produced in its Golden Age of the early- mid 1990's, examining it as both a pop- culture fan and a Christian.
What's widely considered one of the best shows Nickelodeon has ever produced, certainly in that time period, was a comedy series called 'The Adventures of Pete and Pete.'

(Pete and Pete, from a pic I had autographed by its two stars last December, as I'll talk about below)

This was a very strange sort of show, a kind of surreal twist on family sitcoms. It started as a set of minute- long shorts that Nick would air during their commercial breaks at random points of the day, but eventually became a full- length TV series. It centers around two brothers, one about fifteen and the other about eleven, who happen to have the exact same name (They're often told apart by being referred to as "Big Pete" and "Little Pete," respectively), and the various odd adventures and coming- of- age experiences they have with the other quirky residents of their suburban town of Wellsville.
The show has so many bizarre touches to it (i.e. Little Pete has a tattoo of a Flamenco dancer girl on his arm which he names "Petunia" and can have appear to do various dances by flexing his arm in various ways, the boys' mom has a metal plate in her head that can pick up radio waves, Little Pete has a personal superhero friend in the form of a strange man who calls himself "Artie, the Strongest Man in the World," etc.), yet the way these touches are pulled off is honestly brilliant. It's extremely funny, can be very heartwarming when it wants to be, and it holds up amazingly well today. It also gets points for how they used the two brothers and their respective ages, dealing with issues that teens face (i.e. dating, learning to drive), issues that younger kids face (i.e. Being underestimated by adults, rebelling against early bedtimes), and issues that both age ranges face (i.e. Bullies, long road trips, the loss of a pet).
Furthermore, it had a lot of amusing surprise cameos by celebrities, especially "Hipster- friendly" celebs like LL Cool J, Steve Buscemi, and former 'REM' frontman Michael Stipe. In fact, the episode I will be looking at in this edition has rocker Iggy Pop appearing as the father of one of Little Pete's friends.
To this day, its opening theme song, 'Hey Sandy' by the indie rock band Polaris (Whose other songs frequently appear throughout the series), never fails to bring a smile to my face.
I met its two main stars, Michael Maronna and Danny Tamberelli, at a comic convention last December, and they were both unbelievably cool, friendly guys who I had a nice conversation with.

(Here the two of them are. They even let me have a free button for their podcast, 'The Adventures of Danny and Mike,' to add to my gigantic collection of pins and buttons on my travel backpack)

One of the topics we talked about was the show's Halloween special, "Halloweenie," and it is that episode which I will be looking at in this edition.
SPOILERS!

In this special, it's almost Halloween in Wellsville, and we learn through the opening narration that while Big Pete once loved Halloween, he now despises it as a dorky holiday. A part of him, though, wonders if the spirit/ love of Halloween, once lost, can ever be found again. It is that question which is at the heart of this special.
In contrast to Big Pete's attitude, Little Pete adores Halloween, and is determined this year to break the trick- or- treating world record for most houses hit in one night. Since such a mission would require at least two people to hold so much collected candy, Big Pete decides to come with him and help him.
He does so with reservation, however, out of fear of falling victim to "The Pumpkin Eaters," a gang of Halloween- hating bullies wearing oversized jack o lanterns as masks. Every year, the Pumpkin Eaters wreak havoc in the neighborhoods, terrorize trick- or- treaters, smash every pumpkin they see, and generally set out to ruin Halloween for everyone. The previous year, they caught a teenage boy trick- or- treating and made an example of him, so thoroughly humiliating and disgracing him that nobody would come near him after that, even in the school's yearbook (His photo was on a page all its own)!

(Beware the Pumpkin Eaters! Credit for this pic goes to Marah Eakin's review of this episode @ https://tv.avclub.com/the-adventures-of-pete-and-pete-halloweenie-1798171026)

What's worse, the brothers learn from an incompetent but good- hearted crossing guard (Apparently the closest thing to a police presence that their normally peaceful neighborhood has) that if the Pumpkin Eaters aren't caught, Halloween will have to be permanently cancelled in that town. This, of course, makes it all the more imperative for Little Pete to try and break the trick- or- treating record while he still can.

Halloween night, while things initially go well for the record attempt (In tribute to the monumental feat the brothers are attempting to undertake, they go dressed as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin), Big Pete eventually chickens out when he realizes they're the last trick- or- treaters out that night and thus prime targets for the Pumpkin Eaters, and leaves a thoroughly angry and disappointed Little Pete to continue pursuing the record alone. Eventually, though, after an intense chase and moral crossroads, Big Pete regains his courage as well as his past love of Halloween, the two brothers together stand up to the Pumpkin Eaters with help from the crossing guard, and Halloween is saved.

"Halloweenie" remains one of my favorite episodes of the series, and as I explained earlier, it is also one of my all- time favorite TV Halloween specials in general. I make a point of watching it every Halloween. The brothers' relationship with each other is as enjoyable to watch as it always is in the show, with both actors doing a wonderful job of demonstrating the conflicts the brothers are going through (Little Pete's determination to break the record, and Big Pete feeling torn between loyalty to his brother and seeking his own safety). The Pumpkin Eaters are great villains that can be genuinely creepy and threatening at times, especially near the end, yet also have some comedic moments. The episode's entire atmosphere practically screams "Halloween," between the costumes, the music, the scenery, the falling autumn leaves and pumpkins everywhere, the climax taking place in a closed Halloween Haunted House, and so on. It also has loads of funny lines and moments (i.e. Learning of a gross yet handy extra feature Little Pete built into their spacesuit costumes, and a scene where the crossing guard is being pelted with eggs and angrily shouts "YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! I'M A CIVIL SERVANT!").
The only real flaw I can find with it is that we learn who the leader of the Pumpkin Eaters is pretty early on in the episode when he briefly removes his mask (It turns out to be a recurring antagonist on the show), I think it would have been better if that part was cut and we didn't learn who he was until Big Pete stands up to him in the climax.
Here's the link to a Youtube video of the episode, if any of you would like to see it. The quality isn't the best, but it'll work:

I can think of a couple good Scriptural messages in "Halloweenie." The first and foremost is on losing and regaining faith, as seen through Big Pete's inner struggle over having lost his Halloween spirit and wondering if it can ever be regained. That can be a genuinely thorny issue for Christians, especially those who feel they have fallen short, wrestled with doubts, or no longer enjoy the good relationship with Jesus they once had. I personally have struggled with that issue many times in the past. However, no matter how badly we may have drifted from God, it is always possible to return to Him, and He is waiting with open arms to welcome us back. The best proof of this is in the story of the Prodigal Son. The Son departed from his home, but when he came into a right mind and returned, his father was waiting, came running to him, and joyously welcomed him back to the fold with celebration. See, God loves us so much that He will always provide us with a way back, no matter how far we may drift from Him. We know this from Romans 8:38-39, which says that "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." God's love can bring back ANY who have fallen astray.  As Big Pete discovered in "Halloweenie," just because we may lose passion or faith doesn't mean by any means that we can't regain it, especially with such a powerful, kind, and loving God so eager to have us back with Him.

Another important message I found in "Halloweenie" ties into the themes of cowardice and courage. In spite of how scary the Pumpkin Eaters seem to be to everyone in town, it becomes clear by the end of the episode that their true defining character trait is ultimately what cowards they are deep down. They hide their identities behind pumpkin masks, torment defenseless children that are often no more than half their ages (The phrase "Pick on someone your own size" definitely comes to mind), and in the end when confronted by the heroes together, they almost immediately try to run away. Being nothing but bullies, that is ultimately all we can expect from them. This makes a great contrast to the physical and moral courage that Big Pete eventually shows by refusing to join them, and that Little Pete shows by helping to defend his brother from them even though it meant sacrificing his shot at the record. It calls to mind Proverbs 28:1, which states that "The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion." If we are genuinely standing for what is right and true in God's eyes, and doing so in the proper way, that can be an incredible source of courage for us as believers, while the cruel and wicked are dominated and ultimately undone by their own fear.

So, that's my look at "Halloweenie," a great Halloween special which drives home both the vital truth that those who struggle with their faith can always find their way back, and of the kind of amazing courage that righteous devotion to the Lord can bring, all from the POV of, as the special's closing monologue puts it, "Two brothers who will always believe."
That's all for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. Have a safe and happy Halloween, and I'll see you here again soon. Until then, God bless you all!

Responsibility and True Beauty: A Faith- Based Look at 'Hocus Pocus.'

Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Nightcrawler Experience!
This post acts as both a continuation of this blog's collaboration with St. John's United Methodist Church on their 'Movie Night' series, and as part one of this blog's two- part Halloween- related entry.
The movie screened at the church this evening was 'Hocus Pocus.' Incidentally, our second choice for tonight would have been Tim Burton's 2012 stopmotion film 'Frankenweenie,' another awesome film with a great message to it.
This 1993 film, while it did not initially succeed either commercially or with critics, has since achieved cult classic status and become traditional Halloween viewing for many people, myself included.
In it, teenage boy Max isn't adjusting well to his move to Salem. He misses his home in California, is picked on by a pair of boorish bullies, and is resentful of having to take his little sister Dani out trick or treating. On Halloween night, he, along with Dani and his crush Allison, unwittingly reawaken the Sanderson sisters, three evil witches who seek to drain the life out of Salem's children in order to obtain immortality and eternal youth/ beauty. Our heroes, with help from the magical cat Binx (Once a colonial boy who centuries earlier had to watch as his sister was drained of her life force by the Sandersons before being turned into a cat and given immortality to always reflect on his failure) must then do what they can to undo his mistake and stop the Sandersons in order to save everyone in Salem.
 I did not see this movie for the first time until a few years after it premiered, and didn't see it again for decades after that. That being said, I've always found it an enjoyable movie, and pretty much perfectly fits the bill if you're looking for more family- friendly Halloween fare. It's got action, light scares, humor, and pretty good character development. It also holds up pretty well today, about the only dated things about it are some of the 90's slang terms the bullies use and when we briefly see a trick or treater dressed as Mrs. Potts from Disney's "Beauty and the Beast." The child actors are all great, and all make for pretty likable characters, especially Binx. The Sanderson sisters make for incredibly entertaining villains. It's rather strange, while we obviously don't want their despicable plan to succeed, at the same time they're so fun to watch that it feels like we shouldn't really want them to die either (It's similar to how I felt about the Penguin in 'Batman Returns'). You can tell Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy must have been having a blast playing them. Their zombie henchman Billy is a pretty cool character too, especially near the end when he regains the ability to speak. The movie's appeal is further shown by the fact that, for the last several years, the Disney theme parks have had a live show of it as a key part of their "Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party" Halloween celebration.

In my devotional to be passed out at the screening, I talk about how 'Hocus Pocus' helps to explore the theme of true beauty. I used the examples of Proverbs 31:30 and 1 Peter 3:3-4 to show how, while the unbelieving world, much like the Sanderson sisters in the movie, focuses too much on outer beauty and vanity, true beauty in God's eyes is found in instead demonstrating kindness, gentleness, and holiness.

I think another Biblical theme that can be found in 'Hocus Pocus' is on demonstrating responsibility, especially towards family. In the first half of the movie, Max is trying to pretend to be something he's not and shirk his responsibility to Dani in order to impress Allison. This drive to superficially impress her leads him to light the magic candle which reawakens the Sanderson sisters, nearly killing all three of them as well as all the children in town. By the climax of the movie, though, Max has better realized his responsibility to his sister (Largely through learning from Binx's sad example), as he is willing to sacrifice himself to save Dani's life, by arranging it so that the Sandersons will need to drain the life out of him rather than do so to Dani.
This calls to mind 1 Timothy 5:8: "Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."
We all have responsibilities to our families. They are the ones we see the most in life (Or, at least that we SHOULD see the most in life), and thus the way we treat them is one of the most important ways of putting our faith as Christians into action. Whether it be our spouses, our siblings, our children, or others, we must always seek to do what is right by our families, putting their needs ahead of our own, as Jesus put our needs ahead of His comfort by coming down to Earth and dying to save us. We shouldn't let life keep us too busy to find time to stay in touch with those of them who are not nearby (I admittedly can be guilty of falling short in this regard), and help meet the emotional and spiritual needs of our immediate, close families at home, as an act of service to them and to God.
By doing these, seeking true and lasting beauty and accepting our responsibilities to look after and properly care for our families, we can follow God's will and better shine His light to areas shrouded with evil and darkness.
That's it for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. Part 2 of my Halloween special will be up by the big day in question so stay tuned. Until then, God bless you all!