Benjamin Copelin’s review published on Letterboxd:
Ok, I know it sounds random, but I want to share with y'all about some spooky Thomas episodes that didn't talk down to children. I know it seems weird that a 25-year-old man is talking about this particular kids show, but keep in mind that this is show still has a devoted adult fanbase to this day. People still love and appreciate shows like Sesame Street and even Bluey, which has a 9.5 on IMDB or something crazy like that! Even George Carlin, one of the most foul-mouthed, raunchy, cynical comedians to ever live, narrated this show and had nothing but positive things to say about the show and that it didn't talk down to its target audience. So I feel vindicated to share a topic like this, especially since it was my favorite show when I was little.
1. Ghost Train: At the end of the day, this is a cute little story where Percy pulls a ghostly prank on Thomas. But the spooky music and atmosphere are what makes this such an iconic episode! As I mentioned before, the Ghost Train theme sounds like a synth version of the Psycho shower theme with the Jaws theme. It sounds legitimately creepy for a kid's show, and the episode starts with it in the very first second without warning. I loved this episode as a kid, but I tried not watching it at night because the music was that creepy. But it also has one of my favorite shots in the entire series where Percy is puffing down the track, in the forest, with his light on, surrounded by fog in the middle of the night. A painting of that shot would be good enough to hang up on the wall! Man, the cinematography and models are so good!
2. Duncan Gets Spooked: This one is interesting because we actually see the ghost story play out and a sentient engine falls to his death, drowning in the ravine. And when the moon is full, the engine's ghost can be seen crossing the same bridge, but never making it to the other side. Pretty morbid for a kid's show whether it was true or not!
3. Haunted Henry: just another episode where the sets look legitimately spooky. There's also a mystery about what may be a ghost nearby, only for it to be a living man trying to warn them about the unsafe viaduct.
4. Stepney Gets Lost: I love this episode because it doesn't shy away from the concept of sentient engines being scrapped. There's some other episodes that tackle this concept, including the episode where Rusty saves Stepney from being scrapped. But in this one, the twin diesels take him into the smelters building where everything is lit in this hellish red color. And a giant claw was about to pick up and potentially crush poor Stepney beyond repair. Thankfully, Sir Topham Hatt came to save the day, but it doesn't change the fact that the situation got pretty dark.
5. Rusty and the Boulder: This is more of an action-packed episode than a spooky one, but the unexplained superstition of the boulder supposedly being sentient is pretty ominous. Plus, seeing the trains run away from it like something out of an Indiana Jones movie is pretty exciting! And when the boulder crashed into the empty shed causing an explosion?!? That's some awesome stuff right there!
So that's what I felt like covering today on this post. If you grew up watching this show, what did you think of these episodes? And what other episodes were your favorites? Comment below, let me know!
