Welcome ghost & ghouls to Horrors In A Halfshell! In this 13-part Halloween series, I'll be opening the cartoon crypt, revisiting the best and most bodacious blood-curdling episodes from the original TMNT show. Each spooky story will be dissected with the following categories:
SCARY SYNOPSIS: What is the plot of this eerie episode?
HALLOWEEN HORRORS: Any iconic Halloween imagery?
MONSTERS & MUTANTS: Crazy creatures?
SPOOKIEST SCENE: A moment that gives me the heebie jeebies.
BOO! CHEESIEST MOMENT: An eye-rolling moment that makes me giggle.13 days. 13 episodes. 13 more reasons to love Halloween.
Ravaging Day 5 is Invasion of the Krangazoids from Season 7!
In a desperate attempt for victory, Krang plays the role of mad scientist and creates 6 clones of himself to defeat the Turtles. But, he loses control as his duplicates hatch a plan of their own to the take over the world. Can the Turtles come to the rescue before this batch of brains rules their planet?
Invasion of the Krangazoids showcases an evolution of Halloween horrors. At the start of the episode, Krang's clones are nothing but a goofy gag. They are an Easter egg display of Krangs, with their sunny, pastel-colored bubble walkers. As the plot thickens, the comical brains morph into fearsome beasts. This scenario lends itself to many scary sequences and horror movie moments.
The Krang clone evolution is similar to the classic comedy-horror film we all know and love, Gremlins. The tone, plot, and outcome of Invasion of the Krangazoids almost seems to be loosely paying homage to the film. Much like Gremlins, the Krangs start out (kind of) cute and eventually transform into hideous monsters, causing anarchy and pandemonium. Terrible news for the Turtles, but as an audience we can relish the monster mayhem.
Watching the Krang clones grow into menacing monsters is much like puberty, there are a lot of spooky moments. Before they reach their full-size, the clones go through their own "awkward phase." Their maturing bodies are disproportionate to their bumbling, weird brain-heads. These sequences are downright terrifying with animation that will send you crawling under your blanket.
As horrifying as the Krang clone evolution is, it also provides plenty of laughs. When the brains go through their initial growth spurt, they develop tiny arms and legs. Spooky? No. Cheesy? Yes. The Krang clones are brainy, little meatballs, running around the streets of New York City like it was a big bowl of pasta.
Invasion of the Krangazoids is weird. There's no denying that. But, the Gremlins-like story that features an army of evolving brains is pure Halloween. It embraces the spirit of the season with its transformations, monster destruction, and completely campy plot.
It's the poor man's Multiplicity, it's the horror fan's Gremlins, and it's one of my favorite Halloween TMNT episodes.
Check back tomorrow for Day 6 of Horrors In A Halfshell!
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