Before Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, there was Marshall Teller and Simon Holmes. From ’91 to ’92, Eerie Indiana ran on NBC and left a heavy impression on my nine year old psyche. Back then I just thought it was a cool, funny show, but revisiting it almost 20 years later I can really appreciate how well-written, stylish, and original it is. That probably had a lot to do with the creative team behind the show, including creator/writer José Rivera and creative consultant/director Joe Dante. Rivera is a celebrated playwright and Oscar nominated screenwriter; mentored by Gabriel García Márquez. Dante is a veteran horror director with a unique, humorous style (The Howling, Gremlins, The ‘Burbs). The combination of these two creative minds backed up by a dope cast made for some amazing ’90s television.

The show revolved around Marshall Teller, a Jersey boy whose family moves to the cookie-cutter suburb of Eerie Indiana. Teller befriends Simon Holmes, a younger kid from an abusive home. Together, they investigate the plethora of bizarre shit in town: a mother who seals her twin sons in tupperware at night, a retainer that allows its wearer to read murderous dogs’ minds, the ghost of Tobey Maguire, another dimension that sucks you in if you don’t adhere to daylight savings, etc. The show was geared towards kids, so it’s obviously PG, but it’s genuinely creepy at times and has a fun drive-in thriller vibe. You can pick up the entire series (19 episodes) at Best Buy or Amazon for about $20. There’s no special features, but just do what I do, get drunk and make your own.

- Oh Mars