TailsTube #9 – Scary Story Spooktacular

TailsTube #9 – Scary Story Spooktacular 

Original Air Date: October 31st, 2024

Years ago, but not so many years ago that I wasn't already updating this fucking blog, I had an idea for a "Sonic the Hedgehog" fanfiction. I've mentioned before how I dabbled in fanfic way back in the day and have, simply for the fun of it, considered dipping my toes back in from time to time. Probably during one of my many ruminations over the lack of properly scary "Sonic" content, a glorious pun emerged in my brain: Tails from the Crypt. The idea of mashing up the "Sonic" cast and universe with the E.C. Comics approach of grisly horror and pun-cracking hosts seemed irresistible to me. I'm a long time fan of HBO's salacious television adaptation of those old comics, which became a minor pop culture fad in the nineties thanks to its lovably goofy animatronic Crypt Keeper. I love the horror anthology format, of getting a different and self-contained story every week. This has nothing to do with Sonic the Hedgehog, much less Miles "Tails" Prower... But it could. 

Though "Tales from the Crypt," "Vault of Horror," "The Haunt of Fear," and all of Entertaining Comics' other ghoulish titles were a scapegoat for juvenile delinquency back in the fifties, the formula for those comics actually upheld a stable moral viewpoint. The stories almost always involved someone committing a crime, a murder, a burglary, a betrayal, an infidelity. Through the course of the vividly illustrated tale, they would be gorily punished for their misdeeds, often via ghostly vengeance, ironic comeuppance, or zombies. The Crypt Keeper would take us to the back cover with some goofy puns, the impressionable reader getting their beastly thrills while also learning an evergreen message: Crime does not pay. What's done in the dark will come to the light. He who smelt it, dealt it. You get the idea. 

What if we applied this same approach to a collection of short "Sonic" ElseWorld tales? What if Rouge compromised whatever moral integrity she has left to grab an especially shiny jewel, only to fall victim to the horrible curse that comes with it? What if Eggman finally captured Sonic the Hedgehog and executed him, only to find life empty and meaningless without his archenemy to challenge him? Prompting the doctor to go full-Frankenstein, resurrecting the hedgehog as a grotesque combination of stitched-together flesh and robotics that ends up sealing the Eggman's doom? What if Shadow sought more power and awoke his inner Black Hands to a degree he couldn't control, turning into a hideous half-alien monstrosity? What if the Werehog or Lah the Ghost were actually scary? Shit like that. I'll probably never actually write this but it's a fun idea. 

I bring all of this up because, improbable as it seems, it would appear that someone at Sega also touched upon the catchiness of "Tails from the Crypt" as a pun. The ninth episode of "TailsTube" went up on October 31st of last year. Yes, this is another example of a "Sonic" Halloween special that I've long since sought. Subtitled "Scary Story Spooktactular," the episode sees Tails gathering his friends together for a seasonally appropriate ritual: Trying to scare each other with some ghostly stories around a camp fire. Rouge tells a creepified take on Shadow's origins, Knuckles gets existentially spooky in here, and the broadcast concludes with Tails delivering a ghost story relevant to the franchise's history. Tyson Hesse did the script for this one and he has Tails truly relishing his role as creepy M.C. of the evening, filling his dialogue with spoopy puns, which truly removes any doubt in my mind about whether "Tales from the Crypt" was on the writer's mind here. 

Unlike the episodes of "TailsTube" immediately before it, I don't get the impression that the "Scary Story Spooktactular" is meant to promote a new game or set of fortune telling cards. I suppose Rouge regaling us with a retelling of Shadow's creation is another reminder that "Sonic X Shadow Generations" was available by this point and you, the viewer, should go out and buy it. However, the main attraction of this episode returns "TailsTube" to its original purpose and lore-dumping about some aspect of this fictional universe. The second half of the episode is devoted to Tails telling a ghost story about a greedy king and his men pursuing a magical necklace inside a creepy temple. The king is so consumed by his greed that he doesn't noticed that his men are falling around him. Upon finally grabbing the object of his avarice, he is cursed to spend eternity as a spectre with a weirdly colorful tongue. Yes, boils and ghouls, you got it: This is the secret origin of King Boom Boo. 

I can't say I've personally ever wondered about where the altogether ooky "Sonic Adventure 2" boss came from. There have been a lot of "Sonic the Hedgehog" stages with a lot of boss battles, not all of which are that memorable. King Boom Boo could've been easily forgotten but the novelty of Knuckles doing some ghostbusting – and a memorable episode of "Sonic X," probably more importantly – has made this blue-lipped spectre with a Pride flag for a tongue an unfrequently reoccurring element of the series. King Boom Boo's previously unexplored origin was a bit of "Sonic" lore no one had elaborated upon previously. It also revolves around a minor enough character that I doubt Sega cared if Hesse gave him a proper backstory. In other words, this episode of "TalesTube" actually found a corner of the hedgehog-verse that some light could be shined on, fleshing out the world a tiny bit more. 

I'm not going to go so far as to say that the presentation of this ghost story, nor Rouge's reinvention of Shadow's birth, are scary. However, they are properly paced like a horror story, or perhaps a classic folktale, with a repetitive structure that builds towards a ghastly reveal. Moreover, the episode busts out some extremely fun artwork to accompany these segments. We actually see King Boom Boo's squat, already rather ghost-like human form as Tails explains the story. The Shadow segment has some eye-catching black-on-red visuals that are striking. Compared to the last few "TailsTubes" that felt truly tossed together and lazy, some identifiable work actually went into this episode. In fact, there's a new backdrop behind the gang too, featuring skeletons and Jack-o'-lanterns and creepy trees and strings of obscuring mist. The Halloween ambiance practically seeps out of the screen while watching this one. 

Y'all should know by now that nothing else is required for a program to win me over other than some October seasoning. However, I've noted in the past that "TailsTube" feels the most like an actual TV show when it focuses on the wacky banter and interplay between its cast members. This episode has a lot of that. Rouge's flirts with everyone, Knuckles' sheepishness about the supernatural comes up, Shadow grouses, Tails hams it up. Knuckles' attempt at a ghost story is a riff on the "Baby shoes: Never worn" bit that regularly goes viral on the Twittergrams, before the echidna makes the morbid one-liners into an example of his childish, idiotic logic. Ya know what all this shit reminds me of? The "Sonic Boom" vibes are heavy, baby, and I think I really missed them. Seeing these characters bounce off each other in an otherwise mundane setting with a fun gimmick is such a pleasant way to spend time with the "Sonic" gang. If this had been an episode of "Boom," we would've gotten some deranged ranting from Sticks but also this five minutes bit of YouTube animation probably looks as good as any episodes of that show, so let's call it even. 

How exactly Halloween exists in the "Sonic" world is up for debate. While the holiday is never mentioned by name, "trick or treat" is dropped alongside all the seasonal decorations, more than confirming its existence. This "TailsTube" also features a running gag of sorts about "jump scares." Those are low effort attempts to get a physical reaction out of a viewer by a mediocre horror movie or game, involving a quiet build-up and then a sudden and loud shock. In moderation, the jump scare is as valuable as any other tool in the storyteller's box but it tends to be abused by the hackiest of talents. The loudness of the jump scare sacrifices any mounting sense of dread or creepiness, those elements that make a horror movie a true classic. This has made the jump scare loathed by hardcore horror nerds, considered the lowest form of spookery by most. It would seem Shadow agrees, as he decisively refers to the term throughout this installment... Which raises the question of how the hell Shadow knows what a jump scare is. Are there middling horror flicks on Sonic's world? Who is the furry equivalent to Michael Chaves and, more over, what kind of cartoon animal would he be? 

Is this destined to be my favorite episode of "TailsTube?" Unless Sega celebrates Pride Month next week by having both Tangle and Whisper on the show and then having them French. Actually, if that came to pass, this would still probably be my favorite. Unless they were kissing in a pumpkin patch. Aside from me being an easy mark for this kind of spooky scary ambiance, this is a highly entertaining episode in its own right. Honestly, my only real complaint is that Sonic doesn't wolf-out for the hell of it. I guess that would conflict with "TailsTube's" canon status. (And would also require a new model to be rigged up or whatever.) I don't even like the Werehog that much but seems like a missed opportunity not to at least mention it! Anyway, this one gets my rubber stamp of approval. Happy Halloween, you guys. [7/10]