I recently procured a copy of one of the Ernest movies that has recently been released on DVD. (Quick note to those who don't know ... my collection is a healthy sampling of B-movie lore) I had a tough decision. Ernest Goes to Camp and Ernest Goes to Jail, I've seen on VHS. The third release was Ernest: Scared Stupid. Not having seen that one, I opted for it over the far superior Ernest Goes to Jail. Big Mistake!

What began as a simple character actor-themed flick, Jim Varney (RIP), cranked out some great summer movies. The target market was obviously kids. Yet the movies he did took an interesting journey. Ernest Goes to Camp set the tone and carved out the niche. Yet by the time Ernest Goes to Jail came along, it wasn't as kid-friendly. And my hunch is that Scared Stupid was a vast over-reaction to that. Not only are there more kids in the movie, they have greater roles. That means less screentime for Ernest's sidekick, Rimshot.

The upside is that I'm only out $10. I still gotta look up to see if they've put Ernest Goes to Africa and Ernest Goes to War. War is probably my fave because of the really hot news reporter, but Jail is far and away the best of the Ernest Genre. Best Buy did have Jail and Camp for $10 also. Maybe its not too late to get those.