Horrors In A Halfshell: Day 2 (Rebel Without A Fin)

Welcome ghost & ghouls to Horrors In A Halfshell! In this 13-part Halloween series, I'll be opening the cartoon crypt, revisiting the best and most bodacious blood-curdling episodes from the original TMNT show. Each spooky story will be dissected with the following categories:

SCARY SYNOPSIS: What is the plot of this eerie episode?

HALLOWEEN HORRORS: Any iconic Halloween imagery?

MONSTERS & MUTANTS: Crazy creatures?

SPOOKIEST SCENE: A moment that gives me the heebie jeebies.

BOO! CHEESIEST MOMENT: An eye-rolling moment that makes me giggle.

13 days. 13 episodes. 13 more reasons to love Halloween.

Let's dive into Day 2 with the frightening, and fishy, Rebel Without A Fin from Season 4!

A very ugly and evil, sewer-lurking scientist, Dr. Polidorius, creates Ray, a man-fish hybrid that possesses several abilities of various marine species. He orders Ray on a mission to plant explosives throughout the sewers. Polidorius' devious plan is to detonate them, causing the city to sink into the water - creating a new Atlantis. April O'Neil, who first spots Ray, is kidnapped and transformed into a fish-woman who is to be his wife. Aqua love, dudes.

Rebel Without A Fin is no joke when it comes to Halloween Horrors. The episode is packed with haunting imagery. The story combines elements of horror movie classics, such as Creature from the Black Lagoon and Bride of Frankenstein. The plot also tosses April into several scenarios where she provides plenty of scary movie-like screams.

Weirdos galore in this episode! It's a devilish delight having not one, but two aquatic beasts get screen time. April is especially awesome and Halloween-worthy, swimming around in her yellow jumpsuit, going from damsel in distress to saving the day as the story progresses. Ray (a sad Ray Fillet wannabe) brings maritime sexy to the sewers, strutting his stuff in a skimpy speedo.

Sharing the spotlight with these 2 fishy freaks is Dr. Polidorius, the classic mad scientist. He's brainy, he's batty, and he's chalk full of Halloween hijinks.

The Spookiest Scene is awarded to Ray's strangest defensive skill - puffing up like a blowfish. The outlandish move fights off his foes and still has me disturbed. It's a harsh visual that is creepy for a cartoon, and when you imagine it in reality, it becomes a complete nightmare.

Raphael and Leonardo engage in a bit of typical TMNT banter at one point while roaming the sewers. As bad as their jokes are, the animation is even worse. The moment is incredibly awkward and visually confusing. Looking at the screenshot above, you'd think these 2 Turtles were on drugs. Donatello acts us, the audience - watching the scene play out, ashamed and uncomfortable.

By plucking so many elements from classic monster movies, Rebel Without A Fin is perfect for the spooky season. For an animated kids show released in the 90s, the episode holds up for a fun Halloween viewing. It's also worth a watch just to hear Ray's ridiculous voice.

Check back tomorrow for Day 3 of Horrors In A Halfshell!

PREVIOUS ENTRIES

DAY 1: WERE-RATS FROM CHANNEL 6