Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam

You can't describe this as the first Ernest movie because it's not part of the Ernest-movie genre. It's a wickedly weird comic masterpiece that will have you laughing out loud.

The only reason that the movie is considered to be part of the Ernest P. Worrell series is because the character of Ernest appears for 2 minutes at the beginning and end of the film. But you should not track down a copy of the film only to see Ernest. The best part of the movie is the very dark, very funny characters that come right out of Jim Varney's imagination.

This is a very dark comedy about an evil, dispicable, deformed guy named "Dr. Otto Von Schnick-ick-ick-ick". He had a horrible childhood which he blames on his parents (whom prayed nightly that Otto would run away), and on his days in High School. Now, he hates everyone and everything, and hopes to destroy the world with his "gloom beam". He is heard to remark, 'my gloom beam will level entire cities, and maybe, hopefully, take out a couple homeless orphans and their puppies as a bonus!!'

Varney also plays 4 other characters in the film. A stuttering Australian mercenary that runs a Day Care Center for teaching children how to become militia. A Pirate with a parrot permanently on his shoulder who calls everyone "Jim". The old woman with the neck brace (who appears in every Ernest movie) who complains about her sons who no longer care for her. And 'Jim Dandy'- the richest man on Earth.

this is a must for any Ernest fan, and for everyone else, watch the movie, but fast forward whenever Jim Varney isn't on screen.

A dark comedy, a twist that is somewhere between Ernest and Tim Burton, very cheaply made but well done, surrealistic plot with very cool characters made especially by the man Jim Varney. This movie is like watching a dream and then waking up not having any idea what to think, what a great flick.

This is officially the first film in the long running Ernest series. It was based on a series of commercials. Ernest himself actually only has two minutes of screen time in the entire movie. He turns into this supervillain named Dr. Otto. At least I think that's him or does he turn into Ernest? He tries to take over the world by destroying the economy.

A lot of this seems to be filmed in the dark, but it also surprisingly has a lot of color. My favorite part is when there's a newspaper that says "Francs Collapse", only for a guy named Frank to literally collapse. I thought this was a compilation film at first. It kind of was, as we got to see Jim Varney in all these different personas that did seem like separate parts. The film isn't memorable, but is completely harmless. It's the highest rated Ernest movie here, but I'd probably say "Ernest Saves Christmas" is the best, not that any of them are technically good. **1/2

This movie is strangely surreal, and if you're an Ernest/Jim Varney fan in the least, you'll really enjoy it. The film starts a bit slow, but really starts to come together when we learn the connection between bumbling hero Lance Sterling (great name!) and pussy-willow-adorned, third-hand-on-his-head villain Dr. Otto. Willie the Robot is also a hoot, what with his changing smiley-face expressions, and Lance's assistant Doris is the brains behind the hero. Auntie Nelda is fall-down funny, especially when she's discussing her "dear, departed nephew Hymie" or clubbing creatures on the floor with a toxin-laden ladle.

There are a lot of little clever bits and dialog that make the movie enjoyable. It may be hard to find, so good luck!