Supernatural – Monster Movie

Five seconds into the episode and I’m already giddy – the credits are incredible!! Robert Singer, a full-time SN exec and brilliant director, has created an exact replica of the classic old-timey horror movie. The music is pitch-perfect and the entire episode is shot in black and white, which adds a crucial sense of authenticity to the whole thing. As Dean and Sam drive past a sign reading “Welcome to Pennsylvania”, lightening flashes and the sign momentarily morphs from “Pennsylvania” to “Transylvania”. This is going to be…wait for it….awesome!!

It’s Oktoberfest and the Winchesters are investigating a murder, which according to a witness was perpetrated by none other than Dracula. While drinking with Sam in a pub, Dean claims that he has been “re-hymenated” and quotes The Dude from The Big Lebowski! Monsters, black and white film, funny Dean and The Dude?? I think that this episode may have been written just for me. Dean has arrived at the re-virginization conclusion by virtue of the fact that he returned to the land of the living in tact, with none of his old injuries, scars, etc. Given that, he feels that his virginity must be back as well. And I have to say that hearing Dean utter “The Dude abides” made me swoon just a little.

In short turn, there are additional murders but this time the killers are a werewolf and a mummy, respectively. Hilariously, things such as buckets of dry ice and parts of rental costumes are found at the murder scenes – a killer who takes time to set up props? Dean and Sam are at a loss as to what is going on, but Dean is enjoying passing his time with a female bartender he managed to charm. The tone of the episode is very light and fun, and Dean notes this right from the beginning. He is extremely excited about the notion of a good old-fashioned demon/monster hunt. I have to say, as incredible and moving as the season has been so far, I know that I’ve been dying for a good hour of Supernatural-style comedy, so I was a happy camper.

The “big bad of the week” is less important this week, simply providing an excuse for the great style of the episode. Turns out that there’s a shapeshifter behind all of the crimes, changing his form to various movie monsters, as he grew up with a love for classic horror and was made to feel like a freak by his father, due to his shapeshifter status I assume. So sad. But, he gets blown away by a gun with silver bullets because everybody knows that you can’t take out your daddy issues by killing people.

As mentioned earlier, Dean managed to hook up with a barmaid from a local tavern, one who just happened to be the target of the shapeshifter/Dracula’s intended love. Dean (and Sam) of course work with her to figure out what’s going on and put an end to it all, but Dean manages to charm his way into her pants heart by episode’s end. I think it all comes down to the fact that Dean was wearing lederhosen for the climax of the episode – how could a self-respecting bar wench resist? I thought the chemistry between she and Dean was very believable – I wouldn’t mind seeing her pop up again in future episodes whenever Dean finds himself in and around the Keystone State.

The fun and gaiety won’t last long, as the previews for next week look pretty terrifying. Until then, let’s enjoy the fun! What were your favourite moments and quotes of the episode? Did you like the black and white gimmick? Did you miss the rock and roll? Meet me down in the comments section to discuss!

— posted by Nicole

Nicole is a lawyer by day and will be GMMR’s resident Supernatural and Privileged expert this year. She lives just outside of Toronto, and as such, you’ll have to forgive Canadian spellings and maybe the occasional “eh” when they pop up in her reviews. Nicole is still in mourning over the loss of Arrested Development and desperately hoping that the movie happens soon. While she’s a lover of music and movies, television is near and dear to her heart and she’s really excited to be a part of the GMMR team!