Ernest Scared Stupid is a 1991 American comedy horror film directed by John Cherry.

In the film, Ernest unwittingly unleashes an evil troll upon a small town on Halloween night and helps the local children fight back.

In the late 19th century, the demonic troll Trantor transforms children into wooden dolls to feast upon their energy in Briarville, Missouri.

One hundred years later, Ernest, a sanitation worker, helps a few of his middle school friends, Kenny Binder, Elizabeth and Joey, construct a treehouse in the same tree that unknowingly contains the dormant creature, after the mayor's sons demolished their own cardboard haunted house.

After none of the townsfolk will assist Ernest because of the upcoming Halloween party, he mounts a one-man (and one-dog) defense operation in preparation for Trantor's appearance.

Ernest, Kenny and Elizabeth return to Hackmore, where they learn that only "the heart of a child, and a mother's care" can defeat the troll.

During the fight, Trantor escapes beneath the tree where he summons the powers of the underworld, making him invincible, especially to milk.

He researched several types of antagonists in fiction, pondering who the "bad guy" would be, and became intrigued with trolls, leading to a Halloween Ernest film.

[1] A film named Ernest Scared Stiff was announced in two issues of Variety, published June 10 and July 22, 1991.

[1] Ernest Scared Stupid was released theatrically in the United States by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution on October 11, 1991.

[6] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 38 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.