Fear, Itself

Writer: David Fury
Director: Tucker Gates

Cast : Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers, Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris, Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg, Seth Green as Oz, Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles.
Main guest stars : Adam Kaufman as Parker Abrams, Emma Caulfield as Anya, Kristine Sutherland as Joyce Summers, Marc Blucas as Riley, Lindsay Crouse as Maggie Walsh, Marc Rose as Josh, Sulo Williams as Chaz, Walter Emanuel Jones as Edward, Adam Bitterman as Gachnar.
Original broadcast date : October 26, 1999

My one-line description: First the 18th century lady, then the Little Red Riding Hood… Buffy likes playing with fire on Halloween night, doesn’t she?

In his basement, Xander is inspecting a jack o’lantern carved, apparently, to his likeness (mmm, could use a bit more nose). The Scoobies are discussing their plans to go to the Alpha-Delta house’s Halloween party, but two people feel rather left out – Xander, because being a non-student, he wasn’t told of the party, and Buffy because she’s still moping about the whole Parker issue. Claiming sleepiness, she leaves early. On the way home, she attacks a demon… actually a kid wearing a demon mask.
The next day, Willow talks with Buffy about her concerns with moving to the next – and potentially dangerous – lever of magic. Oz arrives, catching the end of the conversation, and also expresses his concern. As they head to the cafeteria, he tells Buffy that his werewolf persona has put him in touch with much more darkness than he likes, and that he’s worried about Willow using powers she can’t control. The conversation ends abruptly when Buffy spots Parker laughing with some friends, and turns around to walk away. Willow catches up to her and tells her not to let Parker get to her. But Buffy isn’t in the mood to deal with it, and doesn’t even want to go to the party.
The Slayer heads to Giles’ place, presumably to make plans for patrolling, but instead she’s treated to a hilarious image of her Watcher wearing a fringed sombrero and a poncho. He’s in a cheerful Halloween mood, which confuses her even more – she thought he didn’t like the holiday. He explains that he never really had time to get into it at Sunnydale High, then reminds her that she doesn’t have to patrol that night, and should have fun at the party instead (bummer!).

At the Fraternity house, students are decorating the place for the party. As they talk about needing to get Oz for the sound system, one boy, Chaz, displays a symbol he found in an old book. He intends to paint it on the old wooden floor (ominous music, please).
Xander is visited in his basement by Anya, who once again wants to know where their relationship is headed. She admits that she didn’t really want to get over him, and he, in turn, admits that he’s not unhappy to see her. He invites her to the Halloween party – along with Willow, Oz and Buffy, of course – and suggests she get a scary costume.
Buffy goes to get her assignments from Professor Walsh, and gets an expected but very harsh lecture about missing class – the teacher tells her that she’ out if she misses one more. Handing Buffy her assignments, Riley, the teacher’s assistant, tells her she should work harder, but also suggests she go to the Halloween party all the same.
Back at the Frat house, Oz and Xander are hooking up the sound system, just as Chaz and friends are finishing up painting the occult symbol on the floor. Lo and behold, Oz cuts himself while trimming a speaker wire, and spills a drop of blood on the floor, right where the symbol is. No big deal – except that, unnoticed by anyone, a little plastic spider on the floor morphs into a real tarantula…

At the Summers home, Joyce is touching up the Little Red Riding Hood costume Buffy wore for trick or treating when she was 12. This brings back memories of her father, and Buffy deplores he didn’t like spending time with her enough to stay around. Thinking of Parker, she comments that when you open your heart to someone, they bail on you. But Joyce reminds her that she has her, Giles and her friends.
At the dorm, Willow – dressed up as Joan of Arc – is on the phone with Oz, making plans to make sure Buffy has fun that evening. She suggests that if Parker shows up, they axe-murder him, since “That’s Halloweeny”.
At the Frat house, the party is getting started. A blindfolded girl plunges her hand into a bowl of grapes meant to feel like eyeballs… but when she takes off the blindfold, she realizes they’re real eyeballs. She screams.
The Scoobies meet up outside the house, fully costumed. Xander is dressed as James Bond (in case they get turned into their costumes again), and Oz is supposedly “God” – a “Hello, my name is God” name tag says so, anyway. Xander mentions Anya will be joining them, depressing single-and-dejected Buffy even more. As they go in, they run into camouflaged and masked soldiers, and wonder who they’re supposed to be. Maybe NATO, Xander suggests.
The party is a real Halloween hit – albeit not in the way anyone had planned. Something is definitely going on upstairs; people are running down the stairs, screaming like lost souls, coming away injured or mutilated Everything at the party goes crazy as people run in all directions screaming, some ending up mutilated and injured in various ways. The gang walks into the house but sees no one downstairs. Willow walks through a fake cobweb – and Oz spots a not-so-fake tarantula on her shoulder. Then Buffy spots real blood on the floor (she would know, I guess) and suddenly a herd of bats comes swooping down on the gang. They take cover until the trouble is past, then see a lone, rubber bat on the floor. “Release me”, orders a deep voice. Hmm… something is definitely not right…

Outside, Anya is just arriving – dressed as a hilarious-looking pink bunny. However, she discovers the house no longer has a door; then, as she makes her way to the front, she sees a girl on the second floor screaming out of a window. Eerily, the window bricks itself over, cutting off the cries.
The same thing happens to the gang, who can’t seem to find a way out – or even, for that matter, access to other parts of the house. They find Chaz hiding in a closet, but all they can get him to say is that “it’s alive”. A fake skeleton turns hideously real and stabs Buffy, but she hits back and it becomes plastic again. More screaming comes from upstairs.
Taking charge, the Slayer orders the Scoobies to find a way out and get Giles while she investigates what’s going on. However, Willow is suddenly not too happy about Buffy giving orders; instead of going, she wants to do a spell. Buffy gets angry and rudely answers that Willow’s spells don’t work that well. The redhead stalks off, Oz in tow. Xander tries to comfort Buffy, but quickly finds out she can’t see or hear him – and worse, she’s mad at him for abandoning her as well.
Meanwhile, Anya has gone to Giles’ place and given him an overview of what’s going on. Together, they start to look for a way to help the stranded partygoers.

Xander tries to get Buffy and the gang to notice him, but realizes none of them can see or hear him (wasn’t his worst nightmare being completely ignored?). Willow and Oz are making their way upstairs when Oz becomes the next lucky guy to have his worst fear come true. He starts turning into a werewolf (hey wait… where’s the full moon?) and scratches Willow, before running away from her in order to protect her. He hides in a bathtub, repeating to himself “You’re not gonna change, you’re not gonna change”.
Xander looks at himself in the mirror, satisfied that he can see himself. Oh, but wait a minute… so can that “fake” massacre-victim head nearby!
Willow conjures up her guidance spell as planned, but the little light she’s created refuses to obey, instead splitting up into a multitude of smaller lights which attack her. She screams, and Buffy hears her. Trying to come to her rescue, she bursts through a door… and falls to a basement, where dead people start coming up from the ground, attacking her.

Outside, Giles decides that the time has come for a more “direct” approach to get inside the house. He produces a chainsaw and cuts a door in the wall. Suddenly, the Scoobies, still trying to outrun their fears, all end up in the same room – the one with the symbol. Everything seems to have gone back to normal. Xander finds the book with the symbol, and Willow translates it – it’s the Mark of Gachnar, a demon which feeds off the fears of its victims.
Giles and Anya, having sawed their way in, arrive in the room. Buffy shows Giles the book, and he starts reading aloud the ways to destroy the demon, which leads Buffy to tear up the floor in order to destroy the Mark. Oops - it doesn’t destroy the demon, it actually summons it. Gachnar appears, looking very fearsome indeed… if only he weren’t just six inches tall. After Xander cutely taunts him, Buffy squashes the demon.
At Giles’ place, the gang are eating up all the candy; Xander asks Anya why on earth she’d costumed herself as a bunny, and she answers that bunnies scare her. Giles shows Buffy a caption under the picture of Gachnar he hadn’t paid attention to – “Actual size”, it reads.

Summary by OttsFiveByFive.

Episode Ratings

Mac -
“It’s Halloween. Never a good night in Sunnydale, fun for me however.”

DJ Angelus -
“Solid Halloween Ep. Lots of fun.”

Quotes

(B=Buffy, G=Giles, X=Xander, W=Willow, O=Oz, J=Joyce, A=Anya, R=Riley, PW=Professor Walsh, FG1=Frat Guy #1, FG2=Frat Guy #2)
—
X: I don’t know - I was going for ferocious/scary, but it’s coming out more dryly sardonic.
W: It does appear to be mocking you with its eyeholes.
O: Yeah, and its nosehole seems sad and full of self-loathing.

B: I was just thinking about the life of a pumpkin. Grow up in the sun, happily entwined with others, and then someone comes along, cuts you open, and rips your guts out.

X: People, prepare to have your spines tingled and your gooses bumped by the terrifying… Fantasia. Fantasia?
O: Maybe it’s because of all the horrific things we’ve seen, but hippos wearing tutus just don’t unnerve me the way they used to.

B: The scary house? Sounds kind of lame.
O: It actually borders on fun.

X: I got better things to do than tag along to some fraternity.
W: You can come.
X: ’Kay. But only because I lied about having better things to do.
O: Laughs will be had by all.

B: I’m gonna get going.
X: Now? The night’s still… well, okay, it’s a little mature, but still…

X: Sad Buffy.
W: She didn’t even touch her pumpkin. It’s a freak with no face.

X: Bailing on the Buff. Does anyone else want to smack that guy?

W: I just feel like I’ve plateaued, wicca-wise.

B: You know, if it’s too much, don’t do it.
W: Don’t do it? What kind of encouragement is that?
B: This is an encouragement talk? I thought it was “share my pain”.

W: I’ll know when I’ve reached my limit.
O: Wine coolers?
B: Magic.
O: Ooh. Didn’t encourage her, did you?
W: Where’s supportive boyfriend guy?
O: Oh, he’s picking up your dry-cleaning. But he told me to tell you he’s afraid you’re gonna get hurt.
W: Okay, Brutus. //pause// Brutus. Uh, Caesar? Betrayal, trusted friend, back-stabby?
O: Oh, I’m with you on the reference, but…

O: But, just know that, whatever you decide, I’ll back your play.
B: See? Concerned guy is sweet guy.

B: I don’t want to deal with this right now. I’m taking a holiday from dealing. Happily vacationing in the land of not-coping.

B: I don’t want to meet someone. I’ve reached my quota on someones.

B: Oh… my god.
G: It’s a sombrero.
B: And it’s on your head.
G: It seemed festive.

G: Creatures of the night shy away from Halloween. They find it all much too crass.
B: Hard to believe.

FG1: If we cannot scare the young women, they will not fall into our arms. We’ll have womanless arms. Halloween’s not about thrills, chills, and funny costumes. It’s about getting laid.
FG2: Is there any holiday that’s not about getting laid?
FG1: Arbor day.

X: Anya, you really have to get this knocking thing down.

A: Your Uncle Rory let me in. Does he always smell like peppermint?
X: The man likes his schnapps.

X: You said you were over me.
A: And you just accepted that?

X: That’s the funny thing about me. I tend to hear the actual words people say, and accept them at face value.
A: That’s stupid.
X: I accept that.

X: I can’t say seeing you falls into the realm of a bad thing.
A: Really? I thought maybe we could go out tonight. For our anniversary.
X: Anniversary?
A: It’s been exactly one week since we copulated.

A: Are we dating?
X: There are definitely date-like qualities at work here.

X: You’ll need a costume.
A: A costume?
X: Dress up. You know, something scary.
A: Scary? scary how?
X: Anya, you, ex-demon, terrorized mankind for centuries. I’m sure you’ll come up with something.

B: I, um, couldn’t make it to class for personal reasons.
PW: Right. I count four limbs, a head, no visible scarring, so I assume your personal issue wasn’t a life-threatening accident of any kind, and I’m therefore uninterested.

R: I can’t remember the last time I saw your hand up.
B: Does stretching count?

R: Too much fun, or not enough?
B: Both, actually.

R: But, hey, there is some good scary fun to be had on campus tonight.
B: Yeah, what are you doing?
R: Well, I am gonna sit here and grade papers.
B: Scary.
R: Very.
B: Well, thanks for the pep talk, coach.
R: Don’t make fun. I worked long and hard to get this pompous.

FG1: Thanks for the loan, man. Our sound system sucks.
O: Mi Casio es su Casio.

FG1: Eyeballs, man. Blindfold chicks, have them put their hands in the bowl, then tell them it’s eyeballs. They love that.
X: And here I was wasting time buying them flowers, and complimenting them on their shoes.

O: Oh, Xander’s a civilian.
FG1: Ah, townie, huh? Didn’t know. Looked so normal.

X: Sensing a disturbance in the force, Master?
O: Oh, left speaker’s crackling a little bit.
X: And you feel stabbing it’s the proper solution?

B: Oh, no. Someone’s getting nostalgic face.
J: I’m sorry. I’m thinking about that little girl who wore that. What is it, 5, 6 years ago?
B: Little Red Riding Hood was the cutting edge in costumes.

J: He just wanted to keep you safe.
B: No, he wanted the candy. I was just the beard.
J: Oh, that’s not true. Actually, the candy was for me.

J: I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’m still a little gun-shy. It certainly didn’t help that my last boyfriend turned out to be a homicidal robot.

W: We have to make sure she has fun. We have to force fun pon her. Yeah, and if Parker shows up, we’ll just ax-murder him. That’s halloweenie.

X: What ya got in the basket, little girl?
B: Weapons.
X: Oh.

X: Insurance. You know, in case we get turned into our costumes again, I’m going for cool secret agent guy.
B: I hate to break it to you, but you’ll probably end up cool head-waiter guy.
X: As long as I’m cool and wield some kind of power.

B: Will! Medieval Will.
X: Hail, ye olde varlotty… thou.
W: I’m Joan of Arc. I figured, we had a lot in common. Seeing as how I was almost burned at the stake, and plus, she had that close relationship with God.
X: And you are?
//Oz pulls back shirt to reveal name badge reading “God”.//
X: Of course. I wish I’d thought of that before I put down my deposit. I could’ve been God.
O: Blasphemer.

B: Nice costumes. Very stealthy.
W: What are they supposed to be?
O: NATO?

B: Perfect. Everybody’s got a date but third-wheel Buffy.
W: You’re not a third wheel.
X: Well, technically speaking, you’re a fifth wheel.

B: Terrifying. If I were Abbot and Costello, this would be fairly traumatic.

W: Eew! Cobweb. Okay, that part was realistic.
O: Frat boys aren’t too obsessive with their cleaning. Might not be decoration, per se.
X: Ahhh! I wasn’t scared. I was in the spirit.
W: And we’ll back you up on that. Even if they question us separately.

X: What is it?
B: Blood. Real blood.
X: Okay, actual creeps have been given.

B: Thank the lord.
O: You’re welcome.

O: Cowering in a closet is starting to sound like a reasonable plan.

A: Are you listening? Xander’s trapped.
G: Where’s Buffy and the others?
A: Oh, they’re trapped, too. But we’ve gotta save Xander!

B: Conjuring? Will, let’s be realistic here, okay? Your basic spells are usually only about 50/50.
W: Oh, yeah? Well… so’s your face.
B: What??

X: Funny how you still haven’t lost your sense of inappropriate humor.

W: Look, we found the stairs. Buffy didn’t find the stairs, no sir.

A: Well?
G: We’re going to have to create a door.
A: Create a door? You can do that?
G: I can. //vroom!//

X: I’d offer my opinion, but you jerks aren’t going to hear it anyway. Not that didn’t-go-to-college boy has anything important to say. I might as well hang out with my new best friend, bleeding dummy head, for all you dorks care.

W: The icon’s called the Mark of Gachnar. I think this is a summoning spell for something called…
X: Gachnar?

W: It feeds on fear.
B: Our fears are manifesting. We’re feeding it. We need to stop.
X: If we close our eyes, and say it’s a dream… it’ll stab us to death! These things are real.

X: Giles? Hey, everyone, it’s Giles. With a chainsaw.

G: “The summoning spell for Gachnar can be shut down in one of two ways. Destroying the Mark of Gachnar…”
//Buffy smashes symbol. Looks very proud of herself.//
G: “…is NOT one of them, and will in fact immediately bring forth the fear demon itself!”

B: This is Gachnar?
X: Big overture. Leetle show.
Gachnar (in a tiny, high-pitched voice): I am the dark lord of nightmares. The bringer of terror! Tremble before me. Fear me!
W: He… he’s so cute!
Gachnar: Tremble!
X: Who’s the little fear demon? Come on, who’s the little fear demon?
G: Don’t taunt the fear demon.
X: Why, can he hurt me?
G: No. It’s just… tacky.

Gachnar: They’re all going to abandon you, you know.
B: Yeah, yeah.
Gachnar: Wait, wai–
//Smoosh!//

B: This is much better. There is no problem that cannot be solved by chocolate.
W: I think I’m gonna barf.
B: Except that.

A: What?
X: That’s your scary costume?
A: Bunnies frighten me.

G: Oh, bloody hell, the inscription.
B: What’s the matter?
G: I should have translated the Gaelic inscription under the illustration of Gachnar.
B: What’s it say?
G: “Actual size.”

Credit: The Sunnydale Slayers