HeBGB TV was among my favorite films I saw at Salem Horror Fest earlier this year, so I’m delighted that the frenetic horror-comedy anthology has made its way to Cineverse and Bloody Disgusting’s streaming service SCREAMBOX in time for Halloween.
In my review, I called it “a high-camp blend of the wistful glow of WNUF Halloween Special, the uninhibited hyperactivity of Rick and Morty‘s “Interdimensional Cable” episodes, and the absurd unpredictability of Adult Swim’s Too Many Cooks.”
What I didn’t mention was all nods to genre favorites peppered throughout the film.
Here are 17 horror references in HeBGB TV.
1. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
HeBGB TV’s opening credits are inspired by the Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers title sequence, which perfectly captures the autumnal atmosphere.
2. Creature from the Black Lagoon
The boy in the opening scene is playing with a Creature from the Black Lagoon figure. This particular toy was part of perhaps the best fast food promotion of all time: Universal Monsters from Burger King circa Halloween 1997.
A Frankenstein plush and a Flabber figure from Big Bad Beetleborgs can also be seen among the kids’ toys.
3. Horror VHS & DVDs
The carefully curated physical media on display under the TV includes The Evil Dead, Young Frankenstein, Scooby-Doo, and The Nightmare Before Christmas on VHS along with Ernest Scared Stupid and House of 1000 Corpses on DVD.
“Tape Man,” the anthropomorphic VHS mascot turned bendable figure made by Lunchmeat, can also be seen on the entertainment center.
4. Shaun of the Dead
The news ticker at the bottom of the first P.U. News segment is lifted directly from Shaun of the Dead, in which a series of seemingly unrelated clips come together to tell a story.
5. Onyx the Fortuitous
Prior to starring in his own movie, Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, Andrew Bowser’s viral character Onyx the Fortuitous makes a cameo in HeBGB TV with a man-on-the-street interview.
6. Halloween III: Season of the Witch
The Gunther’s Mega Cleaner commercial jingle is an homage to the infectious Silver Shamrock song from Halloween III: Season of the Witch (which itself borrows its melody from “London Bridge Is Falling Down”).
7. Night of the Living Dead
A later P.U. News segment has a news ticker using the newscaster’s dialogue from Night of the Living Dead. The HeBGB TV CEO featured during this part is a silhouette of filmmaker George A. Romero.
A clip of Night of the Living Dead is later featured on TV in the Night Snacker segment, in which all the characters are named after the characters from Night of the Living Dead.
8. The Monster Club
The filmmakers cite two unlikely sources as inspirations for the “Don’t Touch That Dial” mid-movie dance break (which samples Engelbert Humperdinck): atmosphere from the “Nightmare” VHS board game and camerawork/editing from The Monster Club.
9. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre / Friday the 13th
Die Channel, a slasher parody of the DIY Network, uses a sound effect based on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’s creepy flash bulb sound while showing body parts hanging from meat hooks.
The same commercial also features a hockey mask in the style of Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th franchise, while the narrator mentions a Kool-Aid recipe in reference to the Jonestown massacre.
10. Demons
The look of a possessed character was based on Geretta Geretta as Rosemary in Demons, complete with ooze dripping from her mouth.
11. Creepshow
The colorful lighting in the reaction shot to the aforementioned possessed character was inspired by Creepshow, itself influenced by classic EC horror comics.
12. Scooby-Doo
The cartoonishly large sub in the movie-within-the-movie The Night Snacker is, in fact, inspired by a cartoon: Scooby-Doo. Ben scarfs it down like Shaggy and Scoob.
13. Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III
A sign next to Ben’s desk in the Happy Teeth office where he works reads “The smile is family,” an homage to the mantra “The saw is family” from Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III.
14. Little Shop of Horrors
While Ben is chowing down on spaghetti, the camera briefly shifts to a point-of-view shot from inside the character’s mouth. “This was like the mouth shot from Little Shop of Horrors but bad,” the filmmakers quip.
15. Tetsuo: The Iron Man
The opening credits of The Night Snacker feature a hyperlapse shot in the style of Tetsuo: The Iron Man. Tetsuo also inspired the human-TV hybrid in the finale of HeBGB TV.
16. Halloweentown
The Purple Guy’s demise at the end of the film is based on Halloweentown antagonist Kalabar. Both characters are presented as friendly before their sinister plans are discovered and thwarted by children.
17. Dead Alive
One of the final lines in the movie, “What we need is another war movie,” is a reference to the quote “What we need is another war” from Dead Alive (AKA Braindead). It’s no coincidence that the character who says it is promptly drenched in blood.
HeBGB TV is streaming exclusively on SCREAMBOX now!
The post ‘HeBGB TV’ – 17 Horror References You Might Spot in the SCREAMBOX Horror-Comedy appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.