Calvin's parents drive to a carnival
since Calvin's grades have gone up, but the admission prices are absurd ($25 for adults!), and it takes a while for the family to pony up enough cash. Calvin seems most interested in the Halloweenpark, though Hobbes isn't so sure. They ride the Tilt-a-Whirl, to Hobbes' ire.
Meanwhile, Calvin's parents happen across a Fortune Teller, who eerily chides them for not seeing the whole picture on Calvin, leaving them creeped out.
Hobbes ends up scared by the bumper cars, Calvin none too pleased, when Moe shows up, daring Calvin to come to the closed and supposedly haunted fun house at midnight in order to prove his bravery. He accepts, and informs Hobbes that he's bringing him along as well. Shortly after, the family goes home.
The others arrive later, and they start exploring the park. Eventually, they enter the house, finding themselves in a Hall of Mirrors. There's not much to prove any paranormal activity, though Hobbes notices something, and they find a room full of creepy mannequins. Not much happens there either, to the disappointment of Calvin, but the final room can't be scanned by the MTM. He says it's just a typical malfunction, and they try to find their way out once there. The first door has a dead end, the second a fake Monster Clown.
When Calvin finally decides to exit, he suddenly sees another person besides Andy - a three feet high ghost girl. She tries to get Calvin, but he and the others just abscond down the slide... only to find themselves right back where they started.
After some banter about ghosts, the group goes through the house again. When they approach the last room, Calvin knocks on the door, getting the rhythm repeated. He then takes out some drumsticks and plays a basic drum rhythm on the door, forcing it to open. Hobbes finds something touching his fur and whispering something, so he dives for the slide... and then the door locks, trapping the others in the room. Shortly after, though, they manage to go down, ready to do the loop for the third time.
To Be Continued in Part 2
Tropes:
- Adults Are Useless/Kid Hero: Eerily referenced by the Fortune Teller:"Your boy can see much more than others. He can see life in places we ignore. He listens to those we don't notice. He can bend all of time and space to help another. He must be ready…"
- And I Must Scream: The MTM won't teleport because if he does, the group might find themselves stuck in the field, unable to escape.
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking:The MTM: It's just a typical malfunction. Sometimes there are spots that just come up blank on the scans. It could be because of distorted radio signals, certain energies blocking it, someone in the area using a hair dryer...
- Being Watched: Lampshaded:Hobbes: Am I the only one who feels like we're being watched?
Calvin: You mean like in a really cheesy clichéd movie fashion? - Call-Back: "Never challenge Calvin the Bold!"
- Captain Obvious: Lampshaded:Calvin: Wow... this place is creepy at night.
Hobbes: Way to sufficiently state the obvious. - Ceiling Cling: Hobbes does this out of fright when the fake Monster Clown pops up.
- Crappy Carnival: Dad certainly thinks so.
- Cryptic Conversation and Foreshadowing: The Fortune Teller delivers a bit of this:"They are far away still…and yet they are coming… They come for the tail… They will arrive…"
- Didn't Think This Through:Calvin: You expect me to sneak out of my house on a school night just to come down here and see if there are ghosts in the Fun House?
Moe: Yeah.
Calvin: ... Okay, and then what?
Moe: (no longer grinning} What? - Extreme Omnivore: Socrates eats elephant ears.
- Fortune Teller: Calvin's parents come across one.
- Genre Savvy:Andy: This is gonna turn out just like those cheesy teenage gore flicks. It's a good thing there aren't any showers around here.
- Hall of Mirrors: There's one in the fun house.
- Halloween Episode
- Haunted House: The fun house.
- Invisibility Cloak: Calvin uses one on the box.
- Jump Scare: The fake Monster Clown.
- Knock Out Gas: Sherman uses this on Andy's parents.
- Locked Out of the Loop: The Fortune Teller chides Calvin's parents on this.Dad: Yes, we're well aware of his reputation.
Fortune Teller: And yet, you do not know him at all.
Dad: I'm sorry?
Fortune Teller: You only see what you choose to see, and you see only the negative in your son's persona. You are blind to what he sees. - Medium Awareness:Calvin: If it makes you feel any better, we'll bring the others with us as well. Will that make you feel better?
Hobbes: I guess... If you've got others to bounce dialogue off of, I can hide all I want. - Monster Clown: A fake one lurks behind one of the doors in the fun house.
- Murderous Mannequins: Subverted - there are creepy mannequins, but they don't move... apparently.
- Nightmare Fetishist: Socrates."Well, something better [happen]. I want to get my money's worth."
- Later, he starts clapping "like a deranged seal" when the fake Monster Clown pops up.
- Nightmare Fuel: In-Universe, Calvin's parents aren't too happy with the Fortune Teller's omens.
- Nothing Is Scarier: The final room is mostly empty, though it's subverted when the fake Monster Clown shows up.
- "Psycho" Shower Murder Parody: See Genre Savvy above.
- Sarcasm-Blind: Averted and lampshaded:Calvin: You know, just because I'm six, it doesn't mean I don't know sarcasm when I hear it.
- Shout-Out:Andy: And people wonder why our landfills are full.
Socrates: Really? Then it's my duty as a citizen of This Island Earth to make up for that! To the midway!note - Special Effects Failure and Nightmare Retardant: Remarked upon In-Universe:Hobbes: Bumper cars are fine when there aren't ghosts constantly flying down in your face!
Calvin: They were paper and on fishing line! - Take That!: Socrates' idea for making the fun house scarier? Having "Bad Romance" play in every room.Andy: Yep, after several failed attempts, they have succeeded in making her more terrifying than she already is.
- Twitchy Eye: Hobbes has one.
- Wide Eyes and Shrunken Irises: The narration notes that Hobbes has these.
