![]() This episode’s end credits contain a making-of that shows off all the tricks used to pull off the Halloween special. Or is it? The episode closes with a close-up shot of Stevil, leaving the door askew for a sequel. Eddie wakes him from his nightmare and signals what we already knew this is all Steve’s dream. Dismembering his limbs won’t work, and death seems imminent. In proper slasher form, Steve finds that he can’t kill Stevil. In a move that predates Dead Silence, Steve finds his surrogate father, Carl ( Reginald VelJohnson), on the couch, puppeteered by Stevil. ![]() Finding other family members in pieces prompts Steve to finally take on his wooden counterpart, instigating a horror showdown. It runs down a trick-or-treating Richie and 3J on the road, in one of the more comedic “kills” of the episode. Stevil catches Eddie ( Darius McCrary) unaware and drags him up into the chimney. What then transpires is a systematic takedown of the family members, one by one.Įssentially, “Stevil” takes a slasher formula approach by way of a killer dummy. With a low, demonic voice, the doll dubs itself Stevil and reveals his plan to take all that Steve holds dear- the Winslows. Too bad the Winslows won’t believe Steve, though. There’s no subtle build to whether this dummy is alive and evil with music stings and evil cackles. Seconds later, lightning strikes the dummy, and Steve gets his wish. He wishes the dummy could talk as he turns the lights off and drifts to sleep. The youngest of the Winslow clan, Richie ( Bryton McClure), and 3J ( Orlando Brown) promise to protect their Uncle Steve, and the main story begins Steve introduces his new hobby of ventriloquism with a dummy that’s been created in his image. “Stevil” opens with Urkel in the dimmed Winslow family living room, relaying a warning to viewers that what they’re about to watch is scary and best viewed with someone brave. Granted, from an adult perspective, “Stevil” isn’t exactly terrifying, but this Halloween special borrows many cues from horror that make it a standout episode of ’90s television. A description alone that reads as horror. Airing on October 25, 1996, “Stevil” sees Urkel desperate to protect his beloved neighbors from his ventriloquist dummy that has come to life. By this point in the series, pesky neighbor Steve Urkel ( Jaleel White) had long transitioned from supporting character to a series lead and become an honorary member of the Winslow family. This creepy episode came during season eight, the second to last of the show’s near ten-year run. Among them, few induced nightmares quite like Family Matters‘ infamous episode “ Stevil.” As with most television sitcoms, you could expect these shows to offer holiday-themed episodes, especially for Halloween. Family-friendly sitcoms like Full House, Family Matters, Boy Meets World, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Dinosaurs heralded in the weekend with shows for all ages. If you grew up in the ’90s, chances are the TGIF programming block on ABC every Friday night was part of your regular viewing rotation.
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