Best Little Horror House in Langley Falls
Encyclopedia
"Best Little Horror House in Langley Falls" is the third episode of sixth season
of the animated comedy series American Dad!
It originally aired on Fox
in the United States on November 7, 2010. The episode follows Stan
as his title of having the best haunted house is threatened by a neighbor. To tempt people to come to his house, he uses serial killers
as the house's main attraction. Meanwhile, Steve falls in love with Toshi's sister Akiko as they go trick-or-treating.
The episode was written by Eric Weinberg
and directed by John Aoshima and Jansen Yee. It received generally positive reviews from critics. According to Nielsen ratings
, it was watched by 6.30 million viewers in its original airing, which was a notable improvement from the previous episode.
finds himself outdone by his neighbor Buckle. Francine
makes things worse when she finds herself returning and declares that it is impossible to beat him. Depressed, Stan goes to Roger for advice and Roger suggests he use his CIA influence to get real body parts and instruments. Stan decides to pull in five of the most dangerous serial killers
in the area. However, the killers sitting in their cell fail to scare anyone so Roger tries to make them scarier. First he gets them riled up (by ripping off Francine's costume in front of them, leaving her in her bra and panties) and then he turns them loose; forcing Stan, Francine, Roger and Klaus to take cover in the attitc. Stan apologizes for getting them into the mess and Francine admits she should have been more supportive.
Meanwhile, Steve
, Barry and Snot arrive at Toshi's house to go trick or treating, but find Toshi refuses to wear the Samurai costume his mother got him. Mrs. Yoshida asks Steve if they would mind taking Akiko with them and Steve is smitten. Toshi allows them to go out with the condition that they have Akiko back by sundown. Steve keeps her out late and when they find out Toshi is looking for them they flee to the Langley Falls. Taking refuge in a cave under the falls, Steve starts to move in on Akiko until Toshi bursts in wearing full Samurai garb and chases him to Vince Chung's Halloween party where he tells Toshi he is smothering his sister. Toshi agrees and leaves them together where Akiko admits she has a crush on another, younger boy named Doug.
As the serial killers burst into the kitchen, Stan and others flee through the woods to a locked factory, where they are rescued when Toshi arrives and kills all the serial killers with his katana
, leaving Roger to take home one of the killers' heads.
. Despite being one of the main characters, Hayley
does not appear in this episode. In addition to the regular cast, Sandra Oh
guest starred as Toshi's mother. Oh reprised her role from the season four
episode "Weiner of Our Discontent". Actress Lisa Edelstein
reprised her role as Shari, having previously voiced that part in "Phantom of the Telethon" from season four. Edelstein also had a smaller part in the season six
premiere "100 A.D.
" Recurring voice actors Curtis Armstrong
, Daisuke Suzuki
and Eddie Kaye Thomas
reprised their roles as Snot, Toshi and Barry respectively. Kevin Michael Richardson
made a minor appearance in the episode.
. It was watched by 6.30 million viewers in its original airing, according to Nielsen ratings
, despite being aired simultaneously as Desperate Housewives
on ABC
, The Amazing Race
on CBS
and Sunday Night Football
on NBC
. The episode also acquired a 2.9 rating in the 18–49 demographic, finishing fourth in its timeslot. In total viewership, the episode was up 17.5% from the previous episode, "Son of Stan
", which aired on October 10, 2010 and had a viewership of 5.36 million.
The episode received generally positive reviews from television critics. Jason Hughes of TV Squad wrote a mixed review of the episode and noted that "[t]hey should have kept the focus more completely on the holiday, though maybe [Seth] MacFarlane was worried he'd said about all he could about Halloween in three back-to-back episodes." Hughes compared the episode to "horror movies of the old" and said that the episode's "imagination is far better than anything [that] can be seen on television." In a simultaneous review of the episodes of The Simpsons
, The Cleveland Show
and Family Guy that preceded the episode, Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
wrote: "As always, it fell to American Dad to try to prop up the rest of the night, and fortunately, the episode was capable of doing so. [...] This wasn't the strongest American Dad ever, but it had some very funny bits and a coherent storyline that didn't try too hard to shock." He gave the episode an B+, the highest grade of the night, higher than The Cleveland Show episode "It's the Great Pancake, Cleveland Brown", The Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror XXI
", and Family Guy episode "Halloween on Spooner Street
".
The Parents Television Council
, a conservative campaigning group and frequent critic of MacFarlane's work, named "Best Little Horror House in Langley Falls" as its "Worst TV Show of the Week" for the week of July 22, 2011. The PTC listed "(a)nti-Semitism. Mocking the disabled. Sleazy sexual innuendo. Scatalogical references (and) (g)raphic, gory violence" as its reasons. The "worst" honor marked the third time in as many weeks American Dad! received the PTC's distinction.
American Dad! (season 6)
American Dad!'s sixth season began airing on October 3, 2010. and ended after 19 episodes on May 22, 2011. Guest stars of this season include Jason Alexander, Sarah Chalke, Hector Elizondo, Anthony Michael Hall, Hayden Panettiere, Lou Diamond Phillips and Burt Reynolds.-Episodes:-External links:* ...
of the animated comedy series American Dad!
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
It originally aired on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
in the United States on November 7, 2010. The episode follows Stan
Stan Smith (American Dad!)
Stan Smith is a character from the animated television series American Dad!. Stan is a Central Intelligence Agency officer. Although once a case officer, he is now a weapons expert. Stan is voiced by the series' creator and executive producer, Seth MacFarlane.-Summary:Stan Smith born 12 February,...
as his title of having the best haunted house is threatened by a neighbor. To tempt people to come to his house, he uses serial killers
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
as the house's main attraction. Meanwhile, Steve falls in love with Toshi's sister Akiko as they go trick-or-treating.
The episode was written by Eric Weinberg
Eric Weinberg
Eric Weinberg is an American television producer and screenwriter best known for his work on the television series Scrubs.Weinberg has served as co-executive producer on Scrubs for over a hundred episodes since 2002, and is credited as supervising producer and writer for an additional twenty...
and directed by John Aoshima and Jansen Yee. It received generally positive reviews from critics. According to Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, it was watched by 6.30 million viewers in its original airing, which was a notable improvement from the previous episode.
Plot
After years of hosting the scariest haunted house in the neighborhood for years, Stan SmithStan Smith (American Dad!)
Stan Smith is a character from the animated television series American Dad!. Stan is a Central Intelligence Agency officer. Although once a case officer, he is now a weapons expert. Stan is voiced by the series' creator and executive producer, Seth MacFarlane.-Summary:Stan Smith born 12 February,...
finds himself outdone by his neighbor Buckle. Francine
Francine Smith
Francine Smith is a fictional character on the animated television series American Dad!. She is the wife of Stan Smith and the mother of Steve and Hayley. Francine is voiced by Wendy Schaal.-Fictional character biography:...
makes things worse when she finds herself returning and declares that it is impossible to beat him. Depressed, Stan goes to Roger for advice and Roger suggests he use his CIA influence to get real body parts and instruments. Stan decides to pull in five of the most dangerous serial killers
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
in the area. However, the killers sitting in their cell fail to scare anyone so Roger tries to make them scarier. First he gets them riled up (by ripping off Francine's costume in front of them, leaving her in her bra and panties) and then he turns them loose; forcing Stan, Francine, Roger and Klaus to take cover in the attitc. Stan apologizes for getting them into the mess and Francine admits she should have been more supportive.
Meanwhile, Steve
Steve Smith (American Dad!)
Steven Anita “Steve” Smith is a character from the animated television series American Dad!. He is Stan and Francine Smith's only son and Hayley's younger brother as well as the youngest of the series' 6 main characters. Steve is voiced by Scott Grimes.According to TVTDB.com, Steve's original...
, Barry and Snot arrive at Toshi's house to go trick or treating, but find Toshi refuses to wear the Samurai costume his mother got him. Mrs. Yoshida asks Steve if they would mind taking Akiko with them and Steve is smitten. Toshi allows them to go out with the condition that they have Akiko back by sundown. Steve keeps her out late and when they find out Toshi is looking for them they flee to the Langley Falls. Taking refuge in a cave under the falls, Steve starts to move in on Akiko until Toshi bursts in wearing full Samurai garb and chases him to Vince Chung's Halloween party where he tells Toshi he is smothering his sister. Toshi agrees and leaves them together where Akiko admits she has a crush on another, younger boy named Doug.
As the serial killers burst into the kitchen, Stan and others flee through the woods to a locked factory, where they are rescued when Toshi arrives and kills all the serial killers with his katana
Katana
A Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...
, leaving Roger to take home one of the killers' heads.
Production
The episode was directed by John Aoshima and Jansen Yee, and written by Eric WeinbergEric Weinberg
Eric Weinberg is an American television producer and screenwriter best known for his work on the television series Scrubs.Weinberg has served as co-executive producer on Scrubs for over a hundred episodes since 2002, and is credited as supervising producer and writer for an additional twenty...
. Despite being one of the main characters, Hayley
Hayley Smith (American Dad!)
Hayley Dreamsmasher Smith Fischer is a character from the animated television series American Dad!. She is voiced by Rachael MacFarlane, the younger sister of one of the series co-creators, Seth MacFarlane....
does not appear in this episode. In addition to the regular cast, Sandra Oh
Sandra Oh
Sandra Oh is a Canadian actress. She is best known for the role of Dr. Cristina Yang on ABC's Grey's Anatomy, for which she has won a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award. She also played notable roles in the feature films Under the Tuscan Sun and Sideways, and had a supporting role on the...
guest starred as Toshi's mother. Oh reprised her role from the season four
American Dad! (season 4)
American Dad!s fourth season originally aired on the Fox network from September 28, 2008 to May 27, 2009. The season consisted of twenty episodes and was released as two DVD box sets and in syndication...
episode "Weiner of Our Discontent". Actress Lisa Edelstein
Lisa Edelstein
Lisa Edelstein is an American actress and playwright. She is best known for her role as Dr. Lisa Cuddy on the television drama House.-Early life and education:...
reprised her role as Shari, having previously voiced that part in "Phantom of the Telethon" from season four. Edelstein also had a smaller part in the season six
American Dad! (season 6)
American Dad!'s sixth season began airing on October 3, 2010. and ended after 19 episodes on May 22, 2011. Guest stars of this season include Jason Alexander, Sarah Chalke, Hector Elizondo, Anthony Michael Hall, Hayden Panettiere, Lou Diamond Phillips and Burt Reynolds.-Episodes:-External links:* ...
premiere "100 A.D.
100 A.D.
100 A.D. is the first episode of the sixth season of American Dad! it first aired of October 3, 2010 on FOX. this episode is promoted as the 100th episode but actually is the 97th episode to be aired but is the 100th in production order...
" Recurring voice actors Curtis Armstrong
Curtis Armstrong
Curtis Armstrong is an American actor best known for his portrayal as Booger in the Revenge of the Nerds movies, as Herbert Viola on Moonlighting, and as famed record producer Ahmet Ertegün in the film Ray.-Early life:...
, Daisuke Suzuki
Daisuke Suzuki
is the songwriter of J-Pop group Girl Next Door.He debuted as Rubii in 1998. He is also the voice of Toshii on American Dad....
and Eddie Kaye Thomas
Eddie Kaye Thomas
Eddie Kaye Thomas is an American film, television, and stage actor who rose to prominence in 1999 as Paul Finch in the American Pie film series.-Early life:Thomas was born in Staten Island, NY...
reprised their roles as Snot, Toshi and Barry respectively. Kevin Michael Richardson
Kevin Michael Richardson
Kevin Michael Richardson is an American actor and voice actor who currently stars as Cleveland Brown, Jr. in The Cleveland Show...
made a minor appearance in the episode.
Reception
"Best Little Horror House in Langley Falls" was broadcast on November 7, 2010, as a part of an animated television night on Fox, and was preceded by an episode of MacFarlane's show Family GuyFamily Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
. It was watched by 6.30 million viewers in its original airing, according to Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, despite being aired simultaneously as Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, The Amazing Race
The Amazing Race (U.S. TV series)
The Amazing Race is an American reality game show in which teams of two or four race around the world against other teams, with the first-place team winning $1,000,000. As the original version of the Amazing Race franchise, the CBS program has been running since 2001 and is airing its nineteenth...
on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
and Sunday Night Football
Sunday Night Football
Sunday Night Football is a weekly American football game held throughout most of the season by the National Football League. Sunday night games have been played regularly since 1987 and have thus far aired on three different television outlets:...
on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. The episode also acquired a 2.9 rating in the 18–49 demographic, finishing fourth in its timeslot. In total viewership, the episode was up 17.5% from the previous episode, "Son of Stan
Son of Stan
"Son of Stan" is the second episode of the sixth season of American Dad!. It first aired on October 10, 2010 on Fox. The episode plot mainly revolves around Francine and Stan having a clash over how to raise Steve; Francine wishes to be more attentive, but Stan is still firm that they need to be...
", which aired on October 10, 2010 and had a viewership of 5.36 million.
The episode received generally positive reviews from television critics. Jason Hughes of TV Squad wrote a mixed review of the episode and noted that "[t]hey should have kept the focus more completely on the holiday, though maybe [Seth] MacFarlane was worried he'd said about all he could about Halloween in three back-to-back episodes." Hughes compared the episode to "horror movies of the old" and said that the episode's "imagination is far better than anything [that] can be seen on television." In a simultaneous review of the episodes of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show is an American animated television series that premiered on September 27, 2009, as a part of the "Animation Domination" lineup on Fox in the United States...
and Family Guy that preceded the episode, Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
wrote: "As always, it fell to American Dad to try to prop up the rest of the night, and fortunately, the episode was capable of doing so. [...] This wasn't the strongest American Dad ever, but it had some very funny bits and a coherent storyline that didn't try too hard to shock." He gave the episode an B+, the highest grade of the night, higher than The Cleveland Show episode "It's the Great Pancake, Cleveland Brown", The Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror XXI
Treehouse of Horror XXI
"Treehouse of Horror XXI" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons twenty-second season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 7, 2010...
", and Family Guy episode "Halloween on Spooner Street
Halloween on Spooner Street
"Halloween on Spooner Street" is the fourth episode of the ninth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on November 7, 2010. The episode follows baby Stewie and anthropomorphic dog Brian as they go trick-or-treating on Halloween...
".
The Parents Television Council
Parents Television Council
The Parents Television Council is a U.S. based advocacy group founded by conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III in 1995 using the National Legion of Decency as a model...
, a conservative campaigning group and frequent critic of MacFarlane's work, named "Best Little Horror House in Langley Falls" as its "Worst TV Show of the Week" for the week of July 22, 2011. The PTC listed "(a)nti-Semitism. Mocking the disabled. Sleazy sexual innuendo. Scatalogical references (and) (g)raphic, gory violence" as its reasons. The "worst" honor marked the third time in as many weeks American Dad! received the PTC's distinction.
External links
- Best Little Horror House in Langley Falls at Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Buy from iTunes