Scary Godmother

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Scary Godmother Halloween Spooktakular is a 2003 TV movie based on a series of children's books by Jill Thompson. It's about a girl named Hannah Marie who is locked in a haunted house by her cousin Jimmy and his friends. Hannah is understandably terrified... that is, until her Scary Godmother shows up and invites her to her annual Halloween party. Scary Godmother takes her to the Fright Side, where Hannah is introduced to her 'broom-mates' and fellow monsters:

  • Skully Pettibone: a fun-loving, campy skeleton who loves hosting parties.
  • Bug-a-Boo: a huge, scary monster that's actually a lot gentler than he seems.
  • Harry: an obnoxious, self-absorbed werewolf who can't stop eating.
  • Count Maxwell, Ruby and Orson: the royal family of vampires, who can be rather out of touch at times but are, for the most part, friendly and agreeable.

There is also a follow-up named Scary Godmother: The Revenge of Jimmy.

Tropes used in Scary Godmother include:

Harry: Now, who wants garlic?
Max: [grabs Harry by the shirt and looms over him] What are you, a maniac? Are you trying to poison my family?

Scary Godmother: Uh, Hannah, flashlights only work on... monsters that hide in your closet, yeah, and Bug-A-Boo is a monster that hides under your bed!
Bug-A-Boo: Nice cover.

So apart from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the show?

Harry: Ahem! While I'm sure this Jimmy-slash-monster discussion is imperative to the plot, can we get back to something that is really important? Like ordering pizza?

  • Happily Married: Max and Ruby. Ruby is very supportive of her husband, and Max is very much in love with her.
  • Hurricane of Puns: People on the Fright Side are apparently very into puns, since we hear at least five every scene.
  • I'm a Humanitarian: Averted with Bug-A-Boo, and zig-zagged with the vampires. Max, Ruby, and Orson think that Hannah is one of the party snacks when they first see her, but are perfectly fine with pizza when it's suggested (as long as there's no garlic).
  • Jerkass: Jimmy. His friends to a lesser extent, but they're mostly just following Jimmy's lead.
    • Jimmy eventually becomes a Jerk with a Heart of Gold.
    • There's also Harry. In the first movie he's an annoying pest of a Big Eater with absolutely no consideration for anyone but himself. But in Revenge of Jimmy, when it looks like Scary Godmother has been crushed by her house, Harry was overjoyed that he was free from doing chores to pay her back the twelve pizzas he stiffed her for, while Skully and Bug-A-Boo are racked with grief. She wasn't dead, but still.
  • Last-Second Word Swap: In The Revenge of Jimmy:

Without pumpkins, you ain't got jack... o-lantern.

  • Medium Awareness: In The Revenge of Jimmy, Scary Godmother starts noticing "dramatic music".
  • Narrator: Harry in The Revenge of Jimmy, as part of his repaying Scary Godmother when he eat all the snacks (again) in the first movie.
  • Pixellation: This happens to Harry in The Revenge of Jimmy when his shirt disappears.
  • Sarcasm Mode: When the humor isn't puns, it's sarcasm.

Scary Godmother: Was that supposed to help?
Skully: Yes! Do you think it worked?
Scary Godmother: Yes.

Orson: Do I have to wear it? I'll look like a dork in the crown!
Max: Yes, you will be the Prince of Dorkness! [Orson groans] What? Dorkness is not good? What is a dork?