Customer Reviews

Eerie, Indiana - The Complete Series

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

First the good news:

"Eerie Indiana" has aged very well since its debut a decade ago on NBC. It is long overdue for a DVD release, but with mega-hits like Friends, Frasier and Seinfeld getting the lion's share of attention when they come to DVD, it's easy to see how this gem of a show got left off the studio's to-do list.

Now that it has finally been released on DVD it's time for fans of the show to celebrate. You get all 18 episodes PLUS a 19th episode -- the one called "Broken Record" --which never aired!!

Now the bad news:
The box set is a decidely low budget affair. The packaging, what there is of it, is bland and flimsy. The DVD cases are slimline and there is no booklet to speak of. Episode titles and descriptions are found on the back of each individually shrink wrapped case. It is a hassle to have to tear open all five discs after having wrestled with the box itself -- they went way overboard on the plastic wrap here. But that's the least of the problems...

THE VIDEO TRANSFER IS NOT DIGITALLY REMASTERED! The video source appears to be from a good one-inch master tape. It is a little grainy in spots, but overall very good. But it should have been remastered.

The sound however is not that great. It's listenable, but some of Marshall Teller's narration is obscured by loud music in the muddy sound mix. I also noticed that some of the scene fades don't fade out completely before the next scene starts, and that's just sloppy mastering on BMG's part.

There are no subtitles, and sadly, no audio commentary track featuring the creators or star(s) or anyone connected with the show that could have shed some light on what we were watching.

But my nitpicking shouldn't stop you from purchasing this great show. It is doubtful we will ever see it again in any form unless there is a clamor by fans to purchase it now. Maybe BMG didn't think hardcore Eerie fans would want all the bells and whistles the more popular shows are getting when they finally come out on DVD. Of course, they were wrong. We want it all. We love this show.

Support this show by buying this DVD set. You will be THRILLED to see them all again.

I rate it 4 out of 5 stars because of the missing bonus material which would have been easy to include, and the less than A+ transfer.

I remember watching this show as a kid and really digging it. After watching the DVD set, it does bring back good memerories. It's basically Twilight Zone for kids and portrays some G rated scares and creepyness as a family moves into perhapes the weirdest town in the contry. I was amazed to see Joe Dante (Gremlins, The Howling, Explorers) directing the pilot episode. I enjoy most of his films and its no wonder I liked it as a kid. I was also surprised to see this series released on DVD as it was really a failure on its initial release. I assumed the series would never get its just home video release so I am happy to see that everyone that enjoyed it growing up can now own it.

I was unsure about buying this DVD set since some other reviewers had said it was of such bad quality etc. However, I did buy it and I was very happy that I did as it was just as fun and entertaining as I remember it being when I was young and first watched it. The DVD is just the bare minimum, but that is really enough. The episodes look just like they did when they aired on tv to my eyes. The adventures are fun and would be slightly spooky to children. Even with out the ability to spook an older audience the stories are still fun to watch and the acting quality is good. Lots of interesting guest stars. A good buy for someone who watched the first time around or for parents looking for something different for their kids.

Eerie Indiana is the story of a normal 13 yr old named Marshall Teller who moves from New Jersey to the 'normal' town of Eerie Indiana, which is far from normal. Marshall, with his best friend, Simon, go around solving the strange mysteries of the town in each episode.

The stories themselves are wonderfully played out. There isn't an overly-done scream track like other children ghost stories shows made during the same time, and also this show isn't 'too scary' for most kids, too. The show focuses more on being funny than scare, but it can still creep people out. The stories themselves are 5/5.

The packaging, though, was my biggest upset (thus only the 4/5 rating overall). I wan't really expecting much for a 5 dvd set at only $25, but there really could have been some improvements. Each dvd's case and dvd artwork is the same as all the rest, except tinted a different color. The case, which is the same image as on the front of the box, is Marshall by the Eerie Indiana sign. Inside the case, there is no artwork which bugged me since the case themselves were clear and the insert could have easily be printed doubled sided. The dvd has an image of just the sign, printed all in one neon color. Each case was a slim case which helped the set take up little room but the dvds can fall out of the cases if held open upside-down.

Now, on to the technicals of the dvd. As you might have heard, there are no extras what-so-ever. Each dvd has 4 episodes except the first dvd has 3. Each dvd has two english audio tracks, the original tv audio and the remastered 5.1 surround sound. Each dvd has animated menus (which are quite nice). The video quality on each dvd is only as good as what you saw on tv (which makes me think this could have been compressed better into fewer dvds). The total episode count is 19 episodes or about 570 minutes.

At around $1 to $2 an episode, this set is well worth your money, just understand it wasn't meant to be a real 'show off' piece.

Finally! Someone had the good sense to make Eerie, Indiana available on DVD. This overlooked little gem deserves a far greater following than it ever got. Welcome to Eerie, where the lonely ATM pleads for attention, the school nurse resorts to brainwashing, the annual tornado has a personal vendetta, and two boys are the only people who seem to notice what's going on. As Marshall Teller explains, Eerie is the center of weirdness for the entire universe.

My kids adored this show when their ages were in the single digits. Now we're watching it together again, & we're thrilled to see how well it held up.

Treat your family to this funny, imaginative, & slightly twisted series. It's rare to find a show that appeals equally to children & their parents. Don't pass this one up!

The series, "Eerie Indiana" is a strange show and I like strange. You can't take it serious, though, but it is something the whole family can watch together and enjoy. It is funny and entertaining.

It is about a family who moves to Eerie, Indiana-a place that odd things occur and people who are not as they appear. One example is a 50's type mom who preserves her twins (and herself) in life size tupperware containers. The series revolves around the son, Marshall, and his new best friend, Simon. They investigate the "weirdness" and record it alll. What is interesting, no one else seems to notice anything. To the rest of the town-including Marshall's family, everything is normal.

"Eerie Indiana" consists of 19 half hour episodes-great find for kids of all ages. Enjoy your visit.

I first saw this show on Nick at night about a million years ago. It was cool then and it's still cool now. The show is about a normal family moving to a very creepy town and the main character, Marshall, is the only one that thinks that talking atm's and perserving your children in containers is freaky. The show never got dull and is still one of my favorites. If you remember Are You Afraid of the Dark then you'll love this series. I already ordered my copy of this- last time this series was released it was pulled from the shelves and was selling on ebay for over $200!!

There were lots of famous faces in the series like- Tobey Maguire, Danielle Harris, Nicki Cox, and more.
Here is a list of the episodes

Forever Ware
The Retainer
The ATM with the Heart of Gold
The Losers
America's Scariest Home Video
Just Say No Fun
Heart on a Chain
Dead Letter
Who's Who
The Lost Hour
Marshall's Theory of Believability
Tornado Days
The Hole in the Wall Gang
Mr. Chaney
No Brain, No Pain
The Loyal Order of Corn
Zombies in P.J.s
Reality Takes a Holiday
The Broken Record

Marshall Teller is a 13-year-old with a fascination for the strange and unusual. At least, ever since he moved to Eerie, Indiana, which he believes is the center of weirdness for the entire planet. Elvis lives on his paper route, Bigfoot eats out of his garbage, and his sister is a goddess. Well, actually, that bit about his sister is just my opinion. Along with his best-friend and partner, 10-year-old Simon, Marshall keeps track of everything strange that goes on in the seemingly quaint little town, and more often than not finds himself in the heart of the weirdness with nothing but his wits and his sidekick to get him out.

"Eerie Indiana" aired on NBC from '91 to '92. I was in high school at the time, one year older than the show's lead, Omri Katz (probably most recognized as the star of Disney's Halloween film "Hocus Pocus"), and I was an instant fan, though I can't for the life of me recall the time slot the show was in. Sort of a junior version of "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" and a predecessor to Night Stalker-inspired "The X-Files", Eerie was noteworthy as a highly imaginative show for the whole family that wasn't dumbed-down. The writing was smart and fun, and the acting was excellent! The show boasted some fine guest-stars and great continuity. Omri Katz was a fabulous actor (a shame he didn't do much other stuff), as was everyone on the show. And, yeah, I was and am still totally in love with Julie Condra, who played Marshall's big sister Syndi. The final six episodes of the all too short-lived series involved a retooling that replaced "World O' Stuff" proprietor Archie Hahn with the original Addams Family's John Astin in a cleverly written twist and introduced the new character of Dash X, a weird, gray-haired, self-interested kid with no home or knowledge of his past, played by a longtime fave of mine who gets much more cartoon voice work than live-action work, Jason Marsden.

This DVD set is a fine collection for loyal fans of the show or anyone interested in the weird and unusual. Definitely a "must have", though the picture and sound quality aren't really what one hopes for from DVD by any means, and there are no DVD extras. All 19 episodes are included here, including one that wasn't aired in the original run, which is probably the reason it appears as the final episode in the set, despite being set before the Dash X episodes. Here is my breakdown of the episodes.

Disc One

Forever Ware: Marshall and Simon try to help the oddball twin sons of a woman who is inducting Mrs. Teller into her cult of Forever Ware sellers, but Forever Ware holds a very strange secret.

The Retainer: In his nervousness about a trip to the dentist for a retainer, Marshall relays to us the tale of a kid he and Simon new who had a tragic experience as a result of his own retainer, a bizarre invention of the local dentist with the unexpected ability to translate the voices of dogs.

ATM With a Heart of Gold: Simon makes friends with Mr. Teller's latest invention, an ATM with a personality of its own. But the ATM is so eager to make friends that he begins shelling out the dough to Simon every time he comes by.

Disc Two

The Losers: Marshall has to make a trip to the Bureau of Lost when he decides that recovering his father's lost briefcase may be vital to keeping his parents together.

Scariest Home Videos: It's Halloween, and things are as weird as ever when Marshall and Simon have to deal with a mummy from an old movie that has switched places with Simon's little brother, now trapped in the television.

Just Say No Fun: Eerie is losing its since of humor thanks to a school nurse reprogramming everyone with a fun-removing eye-test and matching glasses.

Heart on a Chain: Marshall's crush on a cute girl with a heart problem leads to trouble when she gets a transplant from their mutual friend.

Disc Three

The Dead Letter: Guest starring Spider-Man's Tobey Maguire, Marshall and Simon encounter a ghost who insists that they deliver a letter for him to his lost love, but the now old woman isn't willing to accept the message.

Who's Who: Marshall and Simon meet a distressed girl at the World O' Stuff whose family is simply unbearable. When Marshall sees the girl has a talent for drawing, he buys her an Eerie-made pencil that unleashes some amazing abilities.

The Lost Hour: Setting his watch back an hour, even though Indiana doesn't do the Daylight Savings thing, throws things off bigtime for Marshall, landing him an hour behind everyone else in an Eerie nearly devoid of life. Nearly.

Marshall's Theory of Believability: Marshall and Simon are psyched to meet their idol, Professor Zircon, a paranormal investigator who is in town with his traveling museum on a mission to experience an alien encounter and make a whole lotta money on his way out.

Disc Four

Tornado Days: During a bizarre town festival, Marshall stays home and has a strange encounter with a tornado rider determined to join up with Eerie's own annual whirlwind. The great Matt Frewer guest stars!

The Hole in the Head Gang: While investigating a haunted house, one of many in Eerie, the guys discover a strange, homeless, gray-haired kid around Marshall's age with markings on his hand and no name or memory of how he got to Eerie or anything before that. In addition, they discover the ghost of the worst bank robber ever, Grungy Bill.

Mr. Chaney: It's time for the town to pick a Harvest King, and most everyone is excited about it, but Marshall and the gray-haired kid know something is weird about the whole thing. The Harvest King has a great day, but at the end he must go out into the woods till he sees the Eerie Wolf, and it does seem strange that there are no ex-Harvest Kings.

No Brain, No Pain: Marshall and Simon try to help a homeless guy with a scrambled brain who is being pursued by a strange women with some high-tech gear. The weird gray-haired kid is helping the highest bidder though.

Disc Five

The Loyal Order of Corn: Marshall and Simon are investigating the local lodge that Marshall's father has joined. They have a reputation for being more than just a group of men having a good time, and the gray-haired kid, who now calls himself Dash X, is already working there, so something sinister must be up!

Zombies in P.J.s: When Mr. Radford is concerned about a visit from the I.R.S., a visitor comes into town to help him increase sales 100 percent, but at what cost? No one seems to get anything from him without signing one of his many contracts.

Reality Takes a Holiday: Marshall is thrown for a loop when his reality suddenly changes on him. After finding a script to everything he and his family just said, he finds himself in a world where Eerie Indiana is just a TV show, he and his family are just a bunch of actors, and Dash X is scheming to have him killed off and take over the show! Yep, this is the real final episode.

The Broken Record: In an episode that didn't air till syndication, possibly because of the more serious subject matter, Marshall introduces a new friend to his favorite heavy metal band, the Pitbull Surfers, but he doesn't anticipate how deeply obsessed with the band the boy will become. A victim of verbal abuse from his father, the music soon becomes an outlet for the boys frustrations, and that's not all. This one was supposed to come between "Tornado Days" and "The Hole in the Head Gang".

"Eerie Indiana" is definitely one of my all-time faves, and it was a hoot watching it all over again in this DVD set. If you are a fan of shows like "Kolchak the Night Stalker", "The X-Files", "Twilight Zone", "So Weird", "Goosebumps", "Are You Afraid of the Dark", "Smallville", "Honey I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show" or anything of that nature, you're sure to love this! I also recommend fans of the film "Hocus Pocus", the greatest Halloween movie ever made, give "Eerie Indiana" a look. With the same lead actor riding around town on his bike trying to save it from weird dangers, it clearly has its similarities. There was actually a spin-off series of "Eerie Indiana" called "Eerie Indiana: The Other Dimension" on Fox in 1998 that followed a replay of the original show. Unfortunately, while I remember the advertisements, I never caught that show, which was apparently set in a parallel dimension in which the situations were very much the same but the cast of characters (played by different actors, of course) had different but similarly sounding names. That show's Marshall Teller was named Mitchell Taylor. Instead of Simon Holmes, his sidekick was a Stanley Hope, and Mitchell's big sister was named Carrie instead of Syndi. I hear it didn't have the same spirit of the original. Probably was dumbed-down for kids, though that's just my guess. Knowing that, my biggest disappointment in not seeing that 15 episode series is that another actress I have a big crush on, Lindy Booth, played the big-sis this time around.

Anyway, do yourself a favor and pick up the original show. It's currently at a pretty sweet price for a 5 disc set of such a great, complete series. You also get to enjoy the beauty of Julie Condra all over again, as I certainly have been enjoying over the past week or so. And, if you like it, there are some books out there that continue Marshall and Simon's adventures which came out back when the spin-off series did. I haven't checked them out, but they certainly look intriguing! Wish they'd start up a comic book series now too!

A cool program that some friends recommended to me and I want to recommend it to others. It's fun and charming and kinda like the "softer side" of X-Files.

I remember when I was younger and watched the series with my parents (then around 6 or 7), we would watch the new episodes Sunday evenings at around 7pm and watch them again Saturday mornings.
This was my favorite show when I was growing up (probably because I love paranormal stories). This show managaes to take their stories and make them fun and entertaining in an original way, all while keeping it at least somewhat serious (unlike it's spin-off "The Other Demension" ). I only wish they could somehow have kept the cast young (perhaps in foreverware tupperware?) so that they could have kept the show going.

Some of the shows that tend to stand out in my mind are, Foreverware, Tornado Days, Scariest Home Videos, Reality Takes a Holiday, and Broken Record (which actually was run in the series it's second time through it replaced "Heart on a Chain" due to times changing I suppose). After only 19 episodes you begin to wish there were more floating around out there. The unfilmed Pirate episode sounded like it would have been a very interesting one as well... Then again the whole series was interesting and a perfect addition to anyones collection, even if you are an adult. Never to late to go back and reclaim your child-hood.