Beavis & Butthead: Butt-O-Ween [VHS] [Import] (1993)

This addition to the Beavis and Butt-head canon offers high and low points; to paraphrase a famous writer, it's both the best of times and the worst of times for our dynamic duo. Things kick off with a raucous start in the minor classic "Bungholio: Lord of the Harvest," in which B&B take advantage of Halloween and forego the sanctuary of their couch for some trick-or-treating. Beavis in particular reaps the copious prepackaged fruits of the harvest, turning him into his sugar-fueled alter ego Bungholio, complete with jittery rants and incoherent babbling. If you're a fan of Bungholio's high jinks, then you should be in hog heaven; things take a deliciously dark turn when Butt-head meets up with a creepy, zombielike farmer. Alas, the rest of the Butt-o-ween tape features more standard B&B escapades, none of which are related to Halloween. Highlights include the Pleasantville-style parody "Leave It to Beavis" (in black and white, natch), the sublimely stupid "Ding-Dong Ditch" (B&B ring doorbells and run, with varying degrees of success), and the almost-existential "Killing Time," in which the boys must occupy themselves for two hours until the next cool TV show comes on. However, you might want to fast-forward through "The Pipe of Doom" (Butt-head caught in a construction-site pipe), "Late Night with Butt-Head" (the boys do David Letterman), and "Candy Sale," despite a cameo voice appearance by David Spade in the latter. Still, "Bungholio: Lord of the Harvest" makes up for any letdown you might experience. --Mark Englehart