These dark moments make "Over the Garden Wall" a perfect Halloween watch. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the creepiest, most tragic, and most disturbing scenes in the autumnal cult classic.
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00:00 "Are you ready to see true darkness?"
00:04 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the creepiest, most tragic,
00:09 and most disturbing scenes in the autumnal cult classic, "Over the Garden Wall."
00:14 "If only something would go right for a change."
00:20 Number 10.
00:21 The Highwayman Song
00:22 On a dark and rainy night, Wirt, Greg, and Beatrice find a secluded tavern, but before
00:27 they enter, they see someone watching them from the window.
00:30 "Why don't you guys go ask for directions and I'll just wait out."
00:33 "No, wait.
00:34 I don't want to be out here by myself."
00:35 Already weary and on edge, they're met with chatty, slightly off patrons in an atmosphere
00:40 that can only be described as unsettling.
00:43 The aforementioned window-watcher, aka the Highwayman, forcefully steals the show when
00:47 he sings this jazzy but mournful tune, vaguely describing his penchant for theft and, perhaps,
00:53 murder.
00:54 "Hey, kiddie man, I work with my hands.
00:57 If you cross my path, I'll knock you out."
01:04 We're captivated by his fluid movements, reminiscent of Cab Calloway's rotoscope dancing in "Mini
01:08 the Moocher."
01:09 The whole performance is instantly eerie, and honestly, it's a perfect villain song.
01:15 "I'm that Highwayman, and I make it."
01:22 Number 9.
01:23 The Paying the Pumpkin People of Pottsfield
01:25 Like everyone Wirt, Greg, and Beatrice meet on their journey, the residents of Pottsfield
01:30 are strange with a capital "S." The trio stumbles upon their harvest celebration, and Wirt assumes
01:35 it's a cult of people donning pumpkins.
01:37 "I may seem nice enough."
01:39 "Okay, you're in denial, that's fine.
01:41 But I'm just saying, something feels off about this place."
01:45 Their towering leader doles out a lenient punishment to the trespassers, which at first
01:49 seems to be literally digging their own graves.
01:52 Needless to say, they're pretty freaked out when they unearth two skeletons who start
01:56 dancing with their fellow deceased comrades.
01:59 "Welcome back, Larry."
02:02 "He looks exactly the same."
02:06 "What in the...?"
02:08 That's right, underneath their gaudy costumes, everyone is a skeleton.
02:12 Despite the morbid setup, the Pottsfielders are a laid-back community all about farming
02:16 and partying in the afterlife.
02:18 What the pumpkin girl said to Wirt makes a lot more sense now.
02:22 "Say, aren't you a little too early?"
02:24 "What do you mean?"
02:26 "I mean, it doesn't seem like you're ready to join us just yet."
02:29 8.
02:30 Adelaide and the Bluebird Curse
02:31 "To Adelaide, Adelaide, come on and join the Adelaide parade."
02:38 Beatrice promises to take her new acquaintances to see Adelaide of the pasture, the good woman
02:42 of the woods, who can supposedly help them get back home.
02:46 But after growing fond of the boys, Beatrice tries to call off the deal she made with Adelaide
02:50 - two young servants in exchange for undoing the curse on her and her family.
02:55 "Beatrice, what?
02:56 I...
02:57 But I thought we were friends."
03:01 The witch possesses the bird-shaped scissors needed to cut off their wings - a horrific
03:05 method to return the bluebirds to their human forms.
03:08 The finale shows that the family's humanity has been restored, which is good, but we can't
03:13 help but think of them going through the cruel process.
03:16 At least they're able to joke about it.
03:18 "What are you gonna do about it?
03:20 Turn us into bluebirds again?"
03:22 "Mom!"
03:23 7.
03:24 Auntie Whispers' House of Doom
03:28 When Wirt and Greg meet a young woman named Lorna, they find out she's essentially a prisoner
03:33 of Auntie Whispers, a hideous witch who eats turtles and immediately gives off villain
03:38 vibes.
03:39 "You shall sort the bones of those who have been eaten here before."
03:43 "I have finished already."
03:44 "Then clean this floor until it shines.
03:47 The ringing of the bell commands you."
03:50 "Yes, Auntie Whispers."
03:53 The brothers - and the audience - are led to believe Auntie Whispers is just another
03:57 wicked stepmother, with a mind-controlling bell.
04:01 However, it turns out that she's trying to keep Lorna occupied to stave off the evil
04:05 spirit that possesses her, and its need to devour humans.
04:09 "Your bones desert."
04:10 "No!"
04:11 "I told you boys to stay away from her, but now you've gone and made her wicked again."
04:17 Lorna's sudden transformation into a ravenous demon is truly frightening.
04:21 Thankfully, Wirt casts out the spirit.
04:23 The ending where Auntie Whispers gets emotional sort of implies that she let Lorna stay possessed
04:28 so that she wouldn't leave.
04:30 Now that's dark.
04:31 "Now that you're cured, you won't be needing old Auntie Whispers anymore to look after
04:36 you."
04:37 6.
04:38 Greg Saves Wirt from the Beast
04:40 By Episode 8, Wirt is done.
04:43 He's convinced they'll never get home and just gives up, dismissively passing the role
04:47 of leader on to Greg.
04:48 "But if I'm the leader, what are you gonna be?"
04:52 "I'll be asleep."
04:53 "Wow.
04:54 Well, then I better take a nap too.
04:57 I need to dream up a good way of leading us home."
05:00 The latter takes his new responsibilities seriously and thinks about a plan while his
05:03 brother sleeps.
05:05 He dreams that he saves a place called Cloud City and is granted a wish by their queen,
05:09 choosing it to take Wirt's place as the Beast's next victim.
05:12 "I'm sorry I got us lost, Wirt.
05:14 Will you take care of Ronald for me?
05:17 Okay, I have to go now.
05:21 Goodbye, Wirt."
05:22 We watch as Greg willingly goes off with the Beast, believing he's saving his brother and
05:26 will get them home in the end.
05:28 The endlessly optimistic boy doesn't seem to realize the danger he's in, and we're left
05:32 with a sinking sense of dread.
05:34 "Greg!
05:35 Where did he go?
05:36 No, no, no, no, no, no.
05:37 Greg!
05:38 Greg!
05:39 Greg!
05:40 Greg!
05:41 Greg!"
05:42 Number 5.
05:43 The Soul in the Lantern
05:44 "Well, welcome to the unknown, boys.
05:45 You're more lost than you realize."
05:47 From the first moment we meet the Woodsman, he's carrying the Dark Lantern.
05:51 He believes it holds his daughter's soul, and it's crucial that it remains lit to keep
05:54 her soul alive.
05:56 But this turns out to be a lie from the Beast, who manipulated the Woodsman into being the
06:00 Lantern Bearer.
06:01 This isn't discovered until Wirt is given the same choice, and he quickly realizes that
06:05 the Beast must be so adamant about keeping the Lantern lit for selfish purposes.
06:10 "It's almost like your soul is in this lantern."
06:16 The truth is a crushing blow to the distressed father, who's been working hard to protect
06:20 the Lantern for years.
06:23 After he extinguishes the Beast, the Woodsman returns home and reunites with his daughter.
06:27 He was the one lost in the woods all that time.
06:38 Number 4.
06:39 Wirt and Greg Almost Drown
06:41 The penultimate episode of Over the Garden Wall takes us back to the events preceding
06:45 Wirt and Greg's arrival into the unknown.
06:55 While fleeing from the police for being out in the cemetery, the brothers narrowly avoid
06:59 being hit by an oncoming train, fall down a steep hill, and land in a lake.
07:05 In the finale, Wirt comes to in the water and pulls out Greg and their frog, and they're
07:09 taken to the hospital.
07:25 The fate of children is always a grim subject, and seeing the brothers almost drown suggests
07:30 they were unconscious underwater and at great risk of dying the entire time.
07:34 This supports the theories that the unknown is actually the place in limbo between life
07:38 and the afterlife.
07:47 Number 3.
07:48 The Truth About Edelwood Trees
07:55 As we've discussed, the Beast lied to the Woodsman because he needed someone to guard
07:59 his life force.
08:00 But that's not the only thing he lied about.
08:02 The Beast seeks out lost children who work themselves to exhaustion trying to find their
08:06 way home, and turns them into edelwood trees.
08:16 The Woodsman would cut down said edelwood trees to then create the black oil needed
08:20 to fuel the lantern.
08:22 When he finds out that the many trees he's dispatched over the years are young souls,
08:26 he's horrified and visibly distraught, as anyone would be.
08:42 Number 2.
08:43 Greg's Tree Transformation
08:45 After reconnecting with Beatrice, Wirt finally finds Greg, but what he sees is his sickly
08:49 brother mid-transformation into an edelwood tree.
08:59 We saw Greg earlier when the Beast tried to get the Woodsman to use him for oil, but watching
09:04 Wirt realize the very real possibility that his little brother could die, and Greg seemingly
09:09 accepting this fate, is a heart-wrenching moment.
09:26 Wirt admits that everything he tried to blame on his little brother was actually his fault,
09:31 and finally accepts responsibility for his actions.
09:34 Wirt's crying, we're crying, and it doesn't help that a melancholic rendition of Potatoes
09:38 and Molasses plays during the scene.
09:47 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
09:51 The Struggling Schoolhouse
09:52 Miss Langtree's heartache and her father's financial woes add a touch of sadness to an
09:56 otherwise lighthearted episode.
10:04 Beast Dog Attack
10:11 The temporarily feral canine turned out to be Beatrice's poor pup under the influence
10:15 of evil.
10:22 The Lonely Tea Baron
10:23 Quincy Endicott is really going through it.
10:26 He also alludes to acquiring his wealth through questionable methods.
10:40 Adelaide's Death
10:41 A melting witch isn't anything new, but seeing it happen so suddenly was unexpected and quite
10:47 disturbing.
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11:14 Beast Reveal
11:15 For ten episodes, the Beast can be heard taunting the woodsman and trying to lure in
11:19 Wirt and Greg.
11:31 All we can see of him is a looming silhouette with branch-like antlers and glowing eyes.
11:36 That image is scary enough, but what he actually looks like is next-level nightmare fuel.
11:45 Before the woodsman blows out the lantern flame, there's a blink and you'll miss its
11:48 spotlight reveal of the Beast's full form.
11:51 The trypophobia-triggering tree body is made up of anguish-faced edelwood trees who we
11:55 just learned were once children.
11:58 While he was effectively terrifying enveloped in darkness, the Beast is shockingly grotesque
12:03 in the light.
12:09 Which of these moments made you shudder?
12:11 Let us know in the comments below.
12:21 Do you agree with our picks?
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12:30 Thanks for watching!
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