Swarmin' Norman | |
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Season 2, Episode 3 | |
Air date | October 15, 2011 |
Written by | Jack Monaco |
Directed by | Peter DeLuise |
Episode Guide | |
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Swarmin' Norman is the third episode of the second season of the TV show R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: The Series.
Summary[]
Norman, a bug-loving, bullied boy discovers that he has the power to control insects, and uses his newfound power to get back at his tormentors.
Plot[]
Norman has an obsession with insects and is also mercilessly bullied by Tyler and his friends. One day Mr. Dunwood gives the class a assignment to collect as many insects as they can. Norman is excited but the rest of his classmates are not, especially Tyler who then gives Norman a swirly.
Later on he finds a mantis while in his backyard and names him Manny. Norman discovers he can communicate with Manny, even telepathically, and soon finds he can direct and command other insects. The next day at school, Tyler grabs Norman’s insect journal, rips the pages, and punches him in the stomach. The other day, Tyler gives Norman a huge painful wedgie which causes Norman to scream and gets all the way up to the back of his neck, revealing Norman’s white briefs and this pushes Norman over the edge and plans to use a large number of his insects to get revenge.
The next day while Tyler is using the restroom, Norman has the insects swarm Tyler. Norman then proclaims he is in charge now, and humiliates Tyler by forcing him to give himself a wedgie. He then proclaims if anyone messed with him again, he would crush them like a bug, and laughs maniacally. He then squashes a bug and now all of the bugs are rebelling against Norman, led by Manny. That night, Norman wakes up to find insects trying to break into his house, and that Manny has turned against him. He tries to keep the bugs out of his room, by sealing off any possible entrance point with tape. An exhausted Norman returns to bed but overlooks one small hole in the wall that the bugs take advantage of. They all swarm into his room, and completely cover his body.
The episode ends with a quote about how insects outnumber humans by a factor of billions, courtesy of Norman's science teacher.
Cast[]
- Vincent Gale as Mr. Dunwood
- Nico Ghisi as Bruce
Trivia[]
- Bobby Coleman, who plays Norman in this episode, previously appeared in The Walls.
- This episode is quite similar to the 1971 movie, Willard as it also has someone befriending an animal and using it to get revenge on people. They even both end with that animal striking back after being mistreated.
- This episode is thematically similar to the Goosebumps episode Awesome Ants, as they both explore the idea that insects could overthrow us if things were different.