Scared Shrekless (2010)

The television special Scared Shrekless (2010), which aired on NBC, follows the events of Shrek Forever After. Fiona and their three children manage to scare off some teenage trick or treaters. To pass the time, Shrek and his friends – Donkey, Puss, the Three Little Pigs, the Big Bad Wolf, Gingy, and Pinocchio – decide to tell spooky tales. As a competition ensues for the title of King of Halloween, they make their way to Lord Farquaad’s deserted castle in Duloc. Each character takes a turn sharing their terrifying story.

The Bride of Gingy. Gingy visits the Muffin Man to share about his recent breakup due to his self-centered nature. Together, they create a new romantic interest named Sugar. Gingy loads her up with plenty of sugar, hoping she will adore him endlessly despite the Muffin Man’s warnings. When Sugar is fully baked, Gingy is pleased at first but soon becomes troubled by her intense attachment to him. After fleeing and accidentally tossing her into a vat of batter, he thinks he has escaped her for good. However, little does he know that the batter has produced countless zombie replicas of Sugar, who swarm around Gingy and devour him.

Boots Motel. Donkey and Puss recount an amusing tale about seeking refuge from a raging storm at the Boots Motel, a playful nod to the infamous Bates Motel from Psycho. While their story begins positively, Donkey has a habit of concluding it with Puss’s untimely demise, much to Puss’s frustration. In an attempt to break the cycle, Puss takes control and changes the narrative: they arrive at the motel, but Donkey insists on referring to Puss as his sidekick. When Puss objects, Donkey claims that Puss gave him a thorough cleaning (much to Puss’s dismay) and is promptly slain by the innkeeper. But in Puss’s version of events, he valiantly battles the innkeeper until Donkey accidentally knocks them both out and is ultimately saved by Donkey himself.

The Shreksorcist. Finally, Shrek shares the last tale of his stint as a babysitter, this time involving an unhinged and possessed Pinocchio. Despite Shrek’s efforts to intervene, Pinocchio repeatedly attacks him before ultimately darting out the window. Upon landing on the street, Pinocchio is accompanied by a talking cricket (Jiminy Cricket) who claims to be his conscience and the cause of his madness. In response, Pinocchio crushes the bug underfoot as punishment for causing chaos in his mind. Even though Pinocchio refuses to believe this account, Shrek proves it by revealing a regular cricket, which causes Pinocchio to scream and flee in panic.