A Trip Back to Eerie, Indiana
The show was the brainchild of Jos�© Rivera and Karl Schaefer. The story centered on twelve-year-old Marshall Teller, played by Omri Katz. Marshall and his family have moved to little old Eerie (population 16,661) to live the American suburban dream. Trouble is, strange things are abound in Eerie. Elvis lives down the street. A corn cult is alive with strange activities. Canine conspiracy. Sacrifices to werewolves. Marshall and his buddy Simon (Justin Shenkarow) are determined to prove that Eerie is the center of weirdness for the whole universe.
Rivera and Schaefer crafted a cozy, loveable, and odd little town that embodied people’s ideals of what an American suburb should be like. The homes are clean, the people well-groomed, and the atmosphere innocent. But, just as we view the good old days of the past, the naughty secrets are covered up. Underneath that pleasant facade is something darker.
Eerie offered a sort of wicked view of children’s entertainment – sometimes bordering on morbid. The first episode aired, “Forever Ware,” was about a mother obsessed with preserving everything as is. Things take a disturbing twist when Marshall and Simon learn that she is placing her twin sons in enlarged plastic containers to maintain their youth, a practice going on for decades. Even with moments like these, Eerie managed to stay funny and charming, while taking cues from The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. “The Retainer” concerned a neighborhood chum of Marshall’s who is able to hear the communication waves of local dogs through his hideous retainer. Ever wonder where those things you lose go? That was the subject of “The Losers.” Eerie saw guest spots from notable actors, too. Tobey Maguire played a ghost longing for his lost love in “The Dead Letter.” Nikki Cox played a girl missing in time in “The Lost Hour.” The show did have its part in launching some big careers.
Not everything about Eerie was humorous. “Heart on a Chain” was a sorrowful tale about jealousy and love. Marshall and his rebel-cool friend, Devin, are in love with new girl Melanie. Melanie, sadly, suffers from a weak heart. Hope comes when Melanie receives a new heart. The tragedy is that the heart is from Devin, who was killed when he was hit by a vehicle on the road. Soon after, Marshall notices Melanie’s inability to embrace him from pains in her new heart – an occurrence that comes up only when the two are together. Melanie begins to take on Devin’s characteristic runs of danger and attitude, causing Marshall to worry. Melanie must break herself away from Marshall and the haunting memory of Devin, unready and unable to deal with such burdens.
Problems were brewing. Eerie, Indiana, which aired on NBC, was not catching on. It was a different show from what had been before. Major networks were having to compete with cable, and were preferring adult-oriented comedies to children’s adventures in their primetime lineups. The show had a mid-season change. Two new cast members were added: John Aston, who played the beloved Gomez on The Addams Family, was the new storekeeper Radford; Jason Marsden, a young up & comer, took the role of Dash X, a mischievous, white-haired prankster named because of signs imprinted on his hands.
What the writers did with Eerie would be repeated in the conspiracy drama The X-Files. Instead of focusing on a bunch of separate adventures, the writers decided to set everything up as part of a bigger picture. This direction would not be as fondly remembered as the previous portion of the show. Dash X was made as the center of attention in some of the plots. There are instances where the troublemaker aids Marshall and Simon, and others when he goes as far as he can to wreck them. The writers’ effort to revamp the show failed.
The finest episode of Eerie was, ironically, its last. In “Reality Takes a Holiday,” Marshall is back as the star – for real. Marshall finds out his life is part of a television show, his family and friends are arrogant actors, and his town is a Hollywood set. About the only thing “normal” is Dash X, who is determined to get shooting done on the next episode. It seems that the character of Marshall is to be killed off, making Dash the star. Marshall, fortunately, is able to get things back to normal. (Whatever that means in Eerie.)
Eerie may have fallen off the radar as a failed NBC effort to executives, but not to its fans. The show ran from September 1991 to April 1992. It was brief, but everlasting. The year it was cancelled was the year R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps was published. The children’s horror book series became wildly popular after that. 1992 also saw the airing of another horror show, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, on Nickelodeon, a show that went on for a number of seasons.
A Goosebumps television program aired on Saturday mornings alongside reruns of Eerie, Indiana mid-’90s. Eerie earned more attention from cable and international showings, finding the audience it deserved. A previously unaired episode, “Broken Record,” was revealed to the public during this time. Todd, a friend of Marshall’s, finds happiness in the rants of a violent heavy metal band and a way to take himself from his father’s abuse. Todd starts changing, and not for the better.
The resurging popularity of the show convinced TV producers to create a new show: Eerie, Indiana: The Other Dimension. The show, which aired in 1998, was a slight twist on the old show, with similar names and items. The show had a competent cast, familiar settings, and a nice budget; yet these things didn’t capture the spirit of the original. By the time The Other Dimension hit the small screen, the children’s horror craze was burning out. The same generation that fell in love with Eerie and Goosebumps was now older and changed.
Omri Katz, the star of the show, went on to have one more dark adventure. He starred in Disney’s Halloween comedy Hocus Pocus in 1993. He made guest appearances on various TV shows before heading to Israel. Shenkarow, who played the warm-hearted Simon, stayed in Hollywood and became involved in various film organizations. He received Emmy and Golden Globe honors for his work on Picket Fences. Jason Marsden became a sort of teen idol with his work on the ABC family shows Full House and Step-by-Step. He has since lent his voice talents to many cartoons, including Kim Possible, Static Shock, and The Fairly OddParents. JosÃ?© Rivera moved into film, writing the film The Motorcycle Diaries. Karl Schaefer stayed in television, writing and producing for shows Monk, The Dead Zone, and Strange Luck.
Those who long to visit Eerie once more can purchase the DVD boxed set now available. It’s a shame, but the boxed set has no bonus features or commentary. If you’re even more eager, you can purchase the book series published from the late ’90s to the early 2000s.
