Tom Stern Movies

This Nickelodeon series follows an eccentric family throughout the rainforests and wilds of the world as Nigel, the patriarch, films his travels for a future nature documentary. Unbeknownst to him, Nigel's 12-year-old daughter Eliza (voiced by former Party of Five star Lacey Chabert) is the one with the inside scoop on the wild kingdom at hand -- she can quite literally talk with any animal that crosses her path, most notably Darwin, her pet chimpanzee. Eliza's travels inevitably lead her into trouble; in each episode she is faced with saving her family and a host of wild animals from various terrible fates. Complicating the matter is Eliza's pact not to tell anyone of her mysterious gift, lest she lose her abilities. The series includes some interesting voices -- besides Chabert, Tim Curry, Flea, Marisa Tomei, and Lynn Redgrave have lent their vocal chords to the long-running Nick toon. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

The manic writing-directing comedy team of Tom Stern and Alex Winter (the latter of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey) followed up their deranged short-film collaborations and the short-lived MTV series The Idiot Box with this comic fantasy, which amounts to a virtual car crash of anarchic, mind-blowing weirdness. The brain-damaged plot follows self-centered sitcom actor Ricky Coogin (Winter), official spokesman for the E.E.S. (Everything Except Shoes) corporation, into the jungle-bound South American nation of Santa Flan. Coogin has been sent as an emissary on behalf of E.E.S. to placate the media uproar over a substance called Zygrot-27, a chief ingredient in many E.E.S. products which has been decried as a fatal environmental toxin. Accompanied by his friend Ernie (Michael Stoyanov) and environmental activist Julie (Megan Ward), Ricky takes a detour into the jungle to a bizarre amusement park overseen by bombastic barker/inventor Elijah C. Skuggs (Randy Quaid), who specializes in the display of "Hideous Mutant Freekz" (the film's original title). The trio soon discover that Skuggs manufactures his oddities himself, and they find themselves at the mercy of his hideous freakmaking factory -- which coincidentally uses Zygrot-27 as a catalyst. Once he has the hapless heroes strapped down, Skuggs reveals his intention to transform Coogin into an evil mega-freak who will destroy all the others in a slam-bang, standing-room-only closing event. Miffed at the notion of sustaining an acting career as a spine-covered, pus-gushing monster, Coogin joins a rebellion within Skuggs' captive stable of other man-made freaks -- whose ranks include such monstrosities as effete human worm; a bearded lady (Mr. T in a frilly dress); a man with a sock-puppet for a head (voiced by Bob Goldthwait); and Ortiz the Dog-Boy (an uncredited Keanu Reeves). Their plans to turn Ricky into a zygrot-powered superhero go astray, however, leading to a hilariously apocalyptic finale. Doomed to home-video status by lethargic distribution from Twentieth-Century Fox, this unappreciated gem deserves a second look; packed with hilarious visual gags, ultra-gross setpieces and body-function jokes, Freaked is a hallucinogenic funhouse of a movie. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Squeal of Death is a comedic short film from Tom Stern and Alex Winter, the team that was later responsible for the similarly twisted humor of Freaked. The story itself is purposefully cliched: from his cell on Death Row, a convict (portrayed by Winter) recounts the events of his life, from his rough childhood to the crimes that brought about his downfall. The film can be found on video with several other Stern and Winter collaborations, including Aisles of Doom, a short parody of horror films set in a convenience store. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide