Gravedale High (also known as Rick Moranis in Gravedale High) is an animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera. It premiered in 1990 and lasted thirteen episodes. The series revolves around the misadventures of human teacher Max Schneider ((voiced by Rick Moranis) who has unwittingly taken a job at Gravedale High, a school for monsters, near the city of Midtown. Schneider, the only human in the school, presides over a group of ghoulish teenagers that are latest-generation versions of classic movie monsters:
- Vinnie Stoker (voiced by Roger Rose) – A vampire who is a Fonz-esque version of Count Dracula and is able to go out in broad daylight. His name is an homage to Bram Stoker, author of Dracula. He dresses and behaves like a 1950s greaser and often arrives late to class, which stems from his lack of effort rather than noctural habits. Vinnie has built-in bat wings into his jacket as opposed to transformation into a bat. Unlike most other vampires, Vinnie has no issue with sunlight and his bloodlust is almost never seen (in one episode he enjoyed a blood bank). Another antithesis to the classic monsters is that he is best friends with Reggie Moonshround, whereas in most literature and films vampires and werewolves are mortal enemies.
- Frankentyke (voiced by Frank Welker) – A child reminiscent of both Frankenstein’s Monster and Bart Simpson (to the extent that he addresses everyone as “man”). He is in contrast to the idea of the original Frankenstein’s monster which was hulking; Frankentyke is of short stature and rarely causes fear.
- Reggie Moonshroud (voiced by Barry Gordon) – A geeky red-haired werewolf. As a nod to Richie Cunningham from Happy Days, he and the Fonz-like Vinnie are best friends. Reggie is prone to shredding a great deal when nervous, but unlike most werewolves, seems to have his emotions under control. Reggie is studious, in contrast to the image of werewolves being beastly and acting solely on base urges. He is never seen howling except for rare cases when his emotions get the better of him.
- J.P. Ghastly the III (voiced by Frank Welker impersonating Peter Lorre) – A wealthy blue-skinned gnome-like monster. His monster classification is unidentified but his voice and mannerisms resemble Peter Lorre. His creepiness and wealth may be a reference to the Addams Family. There is a bit of rivalry between him and Vinnie.
- Gill Waterman (voiced by Jackie Earle Haley) – A lagoon creature and surfer dude. His name is a pun on both concepts. Best friends with Frankentyke. Gill likes to surf, idolizes Kahuna Bob, and has a very voracious appetite.
- Cleofatra (voiced by Ricki Lake) – An obese and somewhat nerdy mummy in contrast to the emaciated appearance generally associated with mummies. Her name is usually abbreviated as “Cleo.” Best friends with Duzer. Cleofatra has a crush on TV monster celebrity Billy Headstone who is the star of the daytime soap opera “Trudy and the Beast” (which is a parody of the 1980s show Beauty and the Beast).
- Sid (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) – A student who is based on the Invisible Man. Sid is the class clown and does various impersonations, in contrast to the idea of the “invisible” one of the class being unnoticed.
- Blanche (voiced by Shari Belafonte) – A zombie Southern belle who loves to shop, making her a literal “mall zombie.” Her name and personality comprise a pun on “blanche” as a synonym for “turn pale” and Blanche DuBois (in the episode “Monster Gumbo”, she comments that she has “always depended on the kindness of monsters” parodying a line from A Streetcar Named Desire). Blanche frequently dates J.P. Ghastly the III, although it is implied she finds his money the most attractive trait. Blanche is a shopaholic who is frequently teased by her classmates about how many credit cards she’s maxed out. She is a bit of a clothes horse. She does sew her own clothes and can cook, though she doesn’t like domestic duties, preferring to marry the richest monster in the world.
- Duzer (voiced by Kimmy Robertson) – A snake-haired Valley girl and parody of Medusa (which is her actual first name with “Duzer” being an abbreviation) minus the petrifying gaze. Her response to anyone who annoys her is “Get a life!” which is ironic in that many Gravedale students and staff members are in fact already dead. She is very pretty, vain, competitive, bossy, and likes to be the center of attention with all the boys, particularly Vinnie, who she seems to have a requited crush on. Duzer is a play on the classic version of Medusa in that whereas the original medusa was so ugly she transformed everyone to stone, Duzer is obsessed with beauty and being the center of attention. Duzer has a rivalry with female vampire Natasha Neckinski, in that she believes Natasha is competing for Vinnie’s attention.
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Brett Summers
Founded Cult Faction in 2014. Some would describe him as a teacher, writer, dream weaver, and visionary... some would not...
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