King of the Hill (TV Series) Hilloween (1997) User Reviews

It's The Great Halloween Debate, Charlie Brown!

[LanceUppercutt · 9/10 · 27 April 2022]

Halloween was once a debated holiday between hardcore christians and spirited fans of the holiday and in some regions, still is.

But the 90s has shown such examples of the Halloween debate, this one is an excellent example of why the debate is very useless.

Hank prepares Bobby for his last Halloween but it makes him the target of a religious and judgmental woman named Julie Harper ( Sally Field ) who believes the ways of Old Testament, Bobby is frightened by these pranks and actions, meanwhile Luanne, under the guidance of Ms. Harper, is manipulated into thinking Halloween is evil and convinces Bobby also, this leads to a standoff between Hank and Ms. Harper.

The episode is packed with humor and delightful dialogue, most of it from Bobby's obliviousness, Luanne being brainwashed by Sally Field's character and Hank's aggressive behavior against conservative believers plus Dale's small panic which leads him to believe he's being hunted.

The nonsensical ignorance involving the anti-Halloween stance shows how stupid many will go to stop a holiday recognized by many. Hank's pranks do go too far when he accidentally runs over Ms. Harper's cat but his love for Halloween is relatable to many, especially if they have a relative or friend who disagrees in a conservative nature. Luanne's nature does start to change by this episode as we have seen her as a strong and independent character last season we now see her as a semi-stereotypical dumb blonde as it emerges by this episode, her naïve nature is easily fooled by an elder who wishes to keep the peace in selfish ways. Bobby being torn by two sides is understandable as it happens in many episodes but in this one he is vulnerable as he learns this is his last Halloween trick or treating and he just wants to enjoy the holiday.

Sally Field does a wonderful portrayal as a church lady who believes she does good when in fact she does more harm, a Nurse Ratched-like character who believes in the Holy Book but ignores many phrases such as " Love Thy Neighbor " and " Judge Not ". Her antagonistic ways show fear-mongering and Karen attitude which is common and relatable to any viewer of the show and she steals the episode for her voice acting.

Despite the hilarious moments, the episode shows it's useless to debate Halloween when it is just harmless fun ( only under responsible supervision) and that the old ways of witchcraft panic is long gone.

The Lesson is to not judge and to not put pressure on those who wish to decide a path, to ensure a fair path and just enjoy the Halloween spirit.

Yup.

Pumpkins and Pumpkin Accessories

[ExplorerDS6789 · 9/10 · 25 October 2023]

Halloween, the one time of year when you could actually find Hank Hill in a good mood and having fun, except of course for the annual Strickland Propane company picnics, but Halloween was definitely his favorite time of the year, and since Bobby was fast approaching his teenage years, he feared this may be the last real, old fashioned Halloween he could have with his boy. Unfortunately for Hank, this was the year when Halloween almost wasn't, because some high-horse riding hag tried to take it away. It all began one evening, three days before Halloween, Hank, Bill, Dale, and Boomhauer were preparing a haunted house set up for the school and remembering when they went trick-or-treating as kids, getting some big-ass candy bars and vandalizing their own mailboxes. Good times. However, it seems modern day Halloween has lost its edge, as Hank notices at the Mega-Lo-Mart. Instead of vampire, monster and ghost costumes, all he sees are Elmo, Aladdin, and Jenny McCarthy. Candy's gone soft too as he notices Peggy buying sugar-free, low-fat funbars, which he declares are for diabetics and not trick-or-treaters. Yeah, it seems some organizations have started an unofficial war on Halloween in middle America, and one such individual who seems to be leading the charge is Miss Junie Harper, a firebrand spinster who modern-day audiences would refer to as a Karen. Luanne was in attendance at her local church when Miss Harper came to spout her rhetoric on how Halloween is the devil's holiday, even going so far as to say the Druids celebrated by eating babies and dancing by the light of their Jack-o-Lanterns. What kind of a dummy would fall for this load of nonsense? I would say Luanne, as she was invested in what Harper was saying, but she isn't dumb. Know why? Miss Harper said she was smart, and that's enough to convince her. She tells Hank and Peggy that Halloween was invented by the "Druish" (insert "funny, she doesn't look Druish" from Spaceballs here). However, Hank tells her she's full of it and dismisses her claims, saying Halloween has nothing to do with the Devil... aside from Hank's Devil costume he passed down to Bobby, but he's right, Halloween is just a day for having fun. But since she's convinced she's a genius, Luanne returns to Miss Harper, who decides to take her crusade a step further when she lets it slip about Hank's haunted house for the school. So she goes down there next day, looking over Hank's work and threatens legal action, citing a separation between church and state. Hank stood firm, saying he's not changing anything, but as we all know, Principal Moss is a spineless, gutless, wimpy pushover who sides with Harper, fearing a lawsuit. As a result, Hank and the guys gathered up all their props and headed home. All may not be lost, as Peggy makes a helpful suggestion for once: have the haunted house in the garage.

To get in the proper Halloween spirit, Hank took Bobby out that night for some good, old fashioned pranking, which involves eggs and toilet paper. Their intended target was Dale's house, but then they see Junie Harper at her place, and Hank remembers an old Bible quote: "do unto others." So they chuck their wares at her house, until a foul hits and destroys her birdhouse. The Hills take off as Junie jumps in her car to give chase, running over her cat in the process. They try to jump a fence, but because Bobby is slow and fat, he's immediately recognized. They ditch the evidence by throwing it in Dale's yard, scaring him half to death. Well, Hank may have thought this escapade was fun, but Bobby is starting to have doubts. Maybe what Luanne and Harper was saying was starting to make sense to him, which isn't a good sign, as he'll be very gullible to whatever they say to him next. As for the aforementioned witch of Arlen, she brings her dead cat to show the city council, claiming the Devil did it. As a result, they passed a curfew, effectively banning Halloween in Arlen. It was very quiet the night of the 31st, with nobody visiting "Hank's Hell's Haunted House." Huh, so that would make him King of the Hell? Not sure if that's a good thing for not. As for Junie Harper, she set up a Hallelujah House at her place, inviting as many gullible fools as she can. Bible-thumpers like her who go "hell this, hell that" all the time really give religion a bad name. She already ensnared Luanne with her rhetoric, and now it looks like she's about to get her sanctimonious claws on Bobby, who is now convinced his father is a Satanist and asked Luanne to take him to her. Oh, when Peggy found out, she was really angry that Luanne tried to think she knew best for Bobby. She's rightfully put in per place by her aunt, who says she and Hank know best, as they get a magazine about it. When Hank heard what happened, he came very close to spitting out beer. This was the straw that broke the camel's back. They took his haunted house, they took his holiday, but they will not take his boy! So after squeezing himself into his old devil costume, Hank marches down the street, chanting "trick or treat." Eventually, he's joined by Boomhauer the mime, Bill the ghost/toga, and Dale the Washington lobbyist, even Luanne had a change of heart and joins them as a lady devil. The protest worked, as soon they were joined by the rest of their neighbors in homemade costumes. They march over to Junie Harper's, just as Bobby was signing his life away. Hank pours his heart out to his son, literally, a fake rubber heart. He tells Bobby that Halloween is no fun without him, then the boy makes the right choice and chooses his old man, despite Harper's threats of going to Hell. The rest of Hallelujah House decide to forego Junie Harper's BS and joins the Hills and the rest of Rainey Street trick-or-treating, with her yelling, "fine, more room in Heaven for me." Yeah, we'll see about that, as apparently she overlooked a few things: Honor thy father and thy mother, which is what Bobby ultimately chose, and also it would stun her to realize that Halloween is the Eve of All Saints. It's no more of a Pagan holiday than Christmas, so get off your high-horse, you silly, silly woman.

So ends Hilloween, one of King of the Hill's best episodes, and one of my personal favorites. This was a great series that I wish I had given a better chance to when it was on. I used to watch it religiously, then I stopped around the time it got canceled. Looking back now, I think it's one of the best shows Fox ever aired, if not one of the best animated sitcoms of all time. I'm very glad to hear that a revival is in the works and will hopefully be out next year. As for "Hilloween", the writing, animation, and voicework are all great. That's Sally Field doing the voice of Junie Harper, who we thankfully never see again. I guess she decided to move out of Arlen and more than likely settled in Utah. Sorry to say but Junie Harpers exist everywhere, especially in the south, including Texas. There's a methodist church on almost every street, and Bible-thumpers like Junie reside within. Now adays, people like Junie spearheaded cancel culture and try to block out anyone whom they disagree with. But enough about her, this Halloween, let's journey back to Arlen, Texas and see how our old friends are celebrating the holiday. They're still there, just as you remember them. This one's really got it where it counts, I tell you what. And finally, I wish to dedicate this review to Johnny Hardwick, thanks for giving Dale a voice and helping to shape King of the Hill into what it became. Have a good rest, Mr. Shackelford.

Best episode of King Of The Hill

[savagehouseparty · 10/10 · 16 August 2013]

I have a soft spot for King Of The Hill. Whilst isn't a laugh-out-loud comedy like The Simpsons or other animated comedies which audiences have been accustomed to seeing, it is an incredibly well though out sitcom and this episode highlights that. In it, Hank is determined to give Bobby a similar Halloween to the ones which he experienced as a child, however Junie Harper, a politically correct religious extremist played by Sally Field, is bent on banning Halloween because of its anti-religious motives. The episode raises a number of social questions. How can political correctness govern the choices of an individual in a free country? When do choices become personal and when do they become the responsibility of the state? And how does manipulation influence our choice? On top of this, the episode has some great satirical moments, including a great send-up of the Christian religion. On the whole, a great episode, definitely worth watching. It takes a skill to be funny and thought provoking and in this episode, King Of The Hill does that.

Great

[VenVes · 10 January 2022]

Great episode, with a nice theme based on Halloween. While Junie has her heart in the right place, she takes her initiative way too far, and ends up alienating people rather than helping her cause.

There is nothing "politically correct" about being anti-halloween. In fact, the opposite is true. Unlike someone else, I won't go into a nutty rant about my personal views. I've always loved Halloween, but I can absolutely empathize with Junie's perspective as well.