Review: Bobcat Goldthwait's Misfits & Monsters- Episode 4 "The Goatman Cometh"

FTC Statement: Reviewers are frequently provided by the publisher/production company with a copy of the material being reviewed.The opinions published are solely those of the respective reviewers and may not reflect the opinions of CriticalBlast.com or its management.

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. (This is a legal requirement, as apparently some sites advertise for Amazon for free. Yes, that's sarcasm.)

Bobcat Goldthwait's Misfits & Monsters- Episode 4 "The Goatman Cometh"

Guest Star(s): Melissa Joan Hart

Written and Directed by Bobcat Goldthwait


Episode 4 starts out simple enough….we meet a kid named Ethan who prefers to read than hang out with other kids.  His mother (Melissa Joan Hart) takes it upon herself to invite his entire class for a camping sleepover.  Only three kids show up…a hypochondriac, a lazy slob, and the local bad boy whose father just seems to want to get a break from him.  Ethan tries to make the best out of this, just hoping to get through the night without his social standing suffering too much.  A neighbor warns the boys to watch out for The Goatman, a local legend who is supposed to be responsible for the disappearance of children.  When the Goatman shows up, Ethan attacks him with a baseball bat.  From there, things go a little crazy with murders, cover ups, and lots of town secrets being revealed.

This episode felt inspired by a lot of movies that I loved growing up…MONSTER SQUAD, GOONIES, and STAND BY ME come to mind.  We even get Melissa Joan Hart who I had a huge crush on growing up from shows like SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH and CLARISSA EXPLAINS IT ALL. Nostalgia is a big market these days, and this episode captured it perfectly.  Kind of funny since Bobcat himself is a product of the 80’s…

This episode found just the right balance between horror and comedy, something that the earlier episodes of the series missed on a few times.  It also had a lot of great twists throughout, including a perfect ending.  You really feel like watching the episode a second time immediately after to see how everything came together, that is how cleverly it is done.  This episode uses the humor perfectly to keep the viewer off balance so when the shocks come, you take them full force. Several time since in the episode I went from laughing out loud in one moment just to gasp in surprise immediately after. 

One of the real strengths of this series has been the casting, and this episode is no exception.  Melissa Joan Hart is perfectly cast as a mother trying to do what’s best for her son, even if he is pushing back against her.  The four kids they cast were absolutely perfect for this episode.  I had mentioned earlier in this series of reviews that each episode had a making of segment at the end.  You really need to stay and watch the end of THE GOATMAN COMETH.  Seeing Bobcat with the kids was a real highlight of the show.

While I enjoyed the first two episodes, I think BOBCAT GOLDTHWAIT’S MISFITS AND MONSTERS really found it’s footing by the third and fourth episodes. 

Grade: 
5.0 / 5.0