S01.E17: Hell House

[DittyDotDot]

Sam and Dean investigate the case of a maniacal ghost inhabiting a long abandoned Texas farmhouse known as "Hell House." They believe the ghost is the spirit of a deceased Depression-era farmer who killed his family, but they soon realize it is something far more powerful.

[mstaken]

I love this one to a ridiculous degree. The Tulpa might be my favorite of all the urban legends. I'm endlessly fascinated by the idea that we create a certain reality simply by believing it's true. The pranks themselves were sort of lame, IMO, but the fact that the boys were pulling them was so awesomely brotherly. I didn't see the boys bonding against Ed and Harry as 'geek bashing'----for me, the Winchesters' annoyance with the Ghostfacers stemmed not from Ed and Harry being uncool, but from the fact that they're obnoxious, self-important douchebags. I could go on and on, but I'll spare you :) Suffice it to say that this is definitely in my top 3-4 episodes of S1 :) 

[DittyDotDot]

This episode is a perfect example of the how the current dourness of the show has me so starved for some brotherly fun that this episode rises in my eyes. I always liked it, but I think I may now love it. I think this tulpa idea is probably one of the most fascinating legends they've ever attempted--reality being what we make it--and I like how it's a legend that becomes a legend of its own. This episode has such a "scary" movie vibe that I find delightful. I also like the Ghostfacers...er...um...the Hell Hounds? (I can't remember what they used to call themselves, they will always be the Ghostfacers to me.) Yeah, they were annoying douchebags that annoyed, but that's the role they were supposed to play and I think they did it exceptionally well. I also think that it's reasonable that the boys would run into hunter wannabes from time to time. And, I love the pranking, even though the pranks themselves are pretty lame.

 

Best quote of the episode: "WWBD: What Would Buffy Do?"  Cracks me up every. single. damn. time!

 

ETA: Or what mstaken said, but far better and in less words.  @mstaken, you should really get out of my head...it's for your own good, it's really scary up in here!

Edited June 25, 2014 by DittyDotDot

[mstaken]

And, I love the pranking, even though the pranks themselves are pretty lame.

 

Hee! As you can see from the above post, we're on the same proverbial page---as usual :) 

 

Best quote of the episode: "WWBD: What Would Buffy Do?"

 

They're so awesomely earnest about it. 

[AwesomO4000]

I agree with you guys about this episode. I, too, love the Ghostfacers/ HellHounds for exactly the douchy guys that they are. And yes, I loved the earnest "WWBD."

 

I also agree about the Tulpa legend being one of my favorites. And Dean's knowledge of classic rock comes in handy on the case!

 

And now wading into the shallow end of the pool... (Someone had to do it, right?) We get to see - with a "plot-related reason" even - what Sammy is hiding under all of those layers. And the bizarre western themed hotel room just makes that all better - the shot of that crazy stuffed armadillo with its tail sticking up in the air behind towel-wearing Sam just makes me smile every time. One thing I miss with the MOL bunker is that we don't get to see the crazy motel room of the week any more. Some of those sets were truly inspired in my opinion.

[DittyDotDot]

I see your armadillo @AwesomO4000 and will raise you a set of longhorns. That scene where Dean is trying to figure out the Blue Oyster Cult symbol, he's sitting in-between longhorn horns (or rack...it sounds redundant to call them horns, but racks are usually for wild game...what does one call these things anyway?) 

 

I so miss the delightful little treats that the art department used to hide in those charming and whacky themed motel rooms.

[Demented Daisy]

I love this episode because (among other things) it's set in Richardson, Texas -- a suburb of Dallas and Jensen's hometown.  However, Richardson looks nothing like anything in this episode.  You have to go much further east of Dallas to see that many tress.  Which is a shame, actually.

 

Normally, I'm not fond of pranks, but Sam and Dean's were actually funny.  :-)

[GirlyGeek]

Love this episode.  Hits all the right marks for me.  And in retrospect, through seasons and seasons of angst and despair for these two, its so nice to see them smile and laugh and make jokes- while still getting the job done.

The interactions with the Hell Hounds guys are funny (WWBD will always be hilarious to me) and those guys hit the mark perfectly between douchey and nerdy for me.

The Tulpa idea is an awesome MOTW, too.

[SueB]

Dean Winchester: actual 12 year old.

"Sweet Lord Of The Rings"

"What Would Buffy Do"

good lines... never been a huge fan of these Hell Hound dudes but the MOTW concept WAS great

[sarthaz]

Enjoy: https://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Tulpa

[gonzosgirrl]

On 5/10/2018 at 1:07 PM, sarthaz said:

Enjoy: https://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Tulpa

o_O   well that's... disturbing. OMG. LOL!!!

[catrox14]

10 hours ago, gonzosgirrl said:

o_O   well that's... disturbing. OMG. LOL!!!

spoilers from s11

Spoiler

So does this mean Sully is a Tulpa

[The Companion]

Well this was my favorite so far by leaps and bounds. I clearly love the horror stories, but this one in particular had a legitimately creepy feel and a super interesting monster. The idea that it was believed into existence, the mutability of the creature, the inelegant solution? All amazing. 

Pair that with the humor and this one was really fun. Loved to hate the douchey ghostbros. Loved the dumb sibling prank war. The pacing and tone of this one were perfect, particularly after Shadows, which was so serious.

[Cambion]

On 5/11/2018 at 12:00 PM, gonzosgirrl said:

o_O   well that's... disturbing. OMG. LOL!!!

Wait, why has no one mentioned this before?  We need to make a DEAN TULPA!  Who's in?  We'll get on this right a way.  ROFL

[Katy M]

15 hours ago, Cambion said:

Wait, why has no one mentioned this before?  We need to make a DEAN TULPA!  Who's in?  We'll get on this right a way.  ROFL

If we have learned one thing from this show, it's that when you go messing with that kind of stuff it doesn't end up the way you expect, and you always always always die in the most gruesome manner.  So, no, I'm not in:)

[rhofmovalley]

Jared in a towel. Jared in a towel.

Shallow? Sure, I'll cop to it. 

Was there an episode? 😉