Graveyard Shift (SpongeBob SquarePants)
Encyclopedia
"Graveyard Shift" is the thirty-sixth episode of season two
of the animated comedy SpongeBob SquarePants
and the seventy-second individual episode overall, originally aired on September 6, 2002. Squidward and SpongeBob
have to stay late at night
at the Krusty Krab
, and Squidward tells SpongeBob the story of the "Hash-Slinging Slasher," who he says used to work at the restaurant
, but was run over by a bus
and was fired in his funeral
; however, seemingly his own haunted tale becomes reality.
"Graveyard Shift" was written by Mr. Lawrence, Jay Lender
, Dan Povenmire
, and directed by Jay Lender and Alan Smart. The episode guest stars Max Schreck
as Count Orlok
from the German
1922 silent film Nosferatu, via the use of archive footage. It was generally well received, having a positive score from TV.com.
who used to work at the Krusty Krab
but was run over by a bus and fired at his funeral. He informs SpongeBob that every Tuesday night he gets revenge on the managers who fired him, by three signs (first, the lights will turn on and off continuously, then, the phone rings and nobody will respond and lastly, the bus that ran over the "Hash Slinging Slasher" will return and he will cross the road without looking both ways (because he's already dead) and he will scratch the door with his "Rusty" Spatula.)
In the next scene, it is still very early at nighttime and all the customers have gone to their homes (which goes against the request of working twenty-four hours), where Squidward hears a strange noise (but it turned out to be SpongeBob cleaning the ceiling
). Then, the lights begin flashing and turning back off, but Squidward says that it's the "cheap, faulty wiring in the Krusty Krab" and that the Krusty Krab wasn't built to run 24 hours a day. Next, the phone rings, but nobody responds to any question, leading him to believe his own scary story to be true
. Then the walls oozed green slime, but then Squidward realizes they always do. The final scene shows off a bus (which unusually is running late at night) dropping a mysterious creature
crossing the street (this is a goof, because the bus went on the left, but in the later scene that person was seen crossing on the right side). The "Hash Slinging Slasher" approaches slowly while SpongeBob and Squidward scream. However, the secret identity reveals himself as a fish
who wants a job
, responding that he hung up the phone because he was too nervous to answer, and the one flashing the lights turned out to be Count Orlok
from the horror film
Nosferatu.
SpongeBob SquarePants (season 2)
Season Two of the animated television comedy, SpongeBob SquarePants on Nickelodeon aired twenty episodes from October 26, 2000, with the episodes "Something Smells" and "Bossy Boots", to July 26, 2003 with "Gary Takes a Bath" officially ending season 2...
of the animated comedy SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
and the seventy-second individual episode overall, originally aired on September 6, 2002. Squidward and SpongeBob
SpongeBob SquarePants (character)
SpongeBob SquarePants is a main fictional character in the animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. He is voiced by Tom Kenny and first appeared on television in the series' pilot episode "Help Wanted" on May 1, 1999. SpongeBob was created and designed by cartoonist Stephen Hillenburg...
have to stay late at night
Night
Night or nighttime is the period of time when the sun is below the horizon. This occurs after dusk. The opposite of night is day...
at the Krusty Krab
Krusty Krab
The Krusty Krab is a restaurant in the city of Bikini Bottom in the animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants.-Depictions:The owner of the Krusty Krab is Eugene H. Krabs, although ownership changed to SpongeBob in "Patty Hype" and to Howard Blandy in "The Algae's Always Greener"...
, and Squidward tells SpongeBob the story of the "Hash-Slinging Slasher," who he says used to work at the restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
, but was run over by a bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
and was fired in his funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
; however, seemingly his own haunted tale becomes reality.
"Graveyard Shift" was written by Mr. Lawrence, Jay Lender
Jay Lender
Jay Lender is a writer and director on the hit TV series SpongeBob SquarePants. The episodes he made include:* Graveyard Shift* Hall Monitor* Rock-A-Bye Bivalve* Big Pink Loser* Neptune's Spatula* Pressure...
, Dan Povenmire
Dan Povenmire
Daniel Kingsley "Dan" Povenmire is an American television director, writer, producer, storyboard artist, and actor associated with several animated television series, best known as the co-creator of the Disney animated series Phineas and Ferb in which he also voices the show's villain, Heinz...
, and directed by Jay Lender and Alan Smart. The episode guest stars Max Schreck
Max Schreck
Friedrich Gustav Max Schreck was a German actor. He is most often remembered today for his lead role in the film Nosferatu .-Early life:Max Schreck was born in Berlin-Friedenau, on 6 September 1879....
as Count Orlok
Count Orlok
Count Orlok is a fictional character portrayed by Max Schreck in the silent movie Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens...
from the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
1922 silent film Nosferatu, via the use of archive footage. It was generally well received, having a positive score from TV.com.
Plot summary
It is closing time, and Squidward wants to go home, but a customer interrupts saying that he will give money for food. Eugene Krabs changes his mind and decides to open the fast food restaurant for twenty-four hours a day. SpongeBob is satisfied, but Squidward is very angry at the idea and makes him throw out the trash. When he returns, Squidward tells him the story of a fictional ghostFiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
who used to work at the Krusty Krab
Krusty Krab
The Krusty Krab is a restaurant in the city of Bikini Bottom in the animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants.-Depictions:The owner of the Krusty Krab is Eugene H. Krabs, although ownership changed to SpongeBob in "Patty Hype" and to Howard Blandy in "The Algae's Always Greener"...
but was run over by a bus and fired at his funeral. He informs SpongeBob that every Tuesday night he gets revenge on the managers who fired him, by three signs (first, the lights will turn on and off continuously, then, the phone rings and nobody will respond and lastly, the bus that ran over the "Hash Slinging Slasher" will return and he will cross the road without looking both ways (because he's already dead) and he will scratch the door with his "Rusty" Spatula.)
In the next scene, it is still very early at nighttime and all the customers have gone to their homes (which goes against the request of working twenty-four hours), where Squidward hears a strange noise (but it turned out to be SpongeBob cleaning the ceiling
Ceiling
A ceiling is an overhead interior surface that covers the upper limit of a room. It is generally not a structural element, but a finished surface concealing the underside of the floor or roof structure above....
). Then, the lights begin flashing and turning back off, but Squidward says that it's the "cheap, faulty wiring in the Krusty Krab" and that the Krusty Krab wasn't built to run 24 hours a day. Next, the phone rings, but nobody responds to any question, leading him to believe his own scary story to be true
Reality
In philosophy, reality is the state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or might be imagined. In a wider definition, reality includes everything that is and has been, whether or not it is observable or comprehensible...
. Then the walls oozed green slime, but then Squidward realizes they always do. The final scene shows off a bus (which unusually is running late at night) dropping a mysterious creature
Creature
A creature is a created thing, being or any product of creative action. The term is used most frequently to refer to biological organisms. The term is derived from the traditional belief that all things are created by God....
crossing the street (this is a goof, because the bus went on the left, but in the later scene that person was seen crossing on the right side). The "Hash Slinging Slasher" approaches slowly while SpongeBob and Squidward scream. However, the secret identity reveals himself as a fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
who wants a job
Job (role)
A job is a regular activity performed in exchange for payment. A person usually begins a job by becoming an employee, volunteering, or starting a business. The duration of a job may range from an hour to a lifetime . If a person is trained for a certain type of job, they may have a profession...
, responding that he hung up the phone because he was too nervous to answer, and the one flashing the lights turned out to be Count Orlok
Count Orlok
Count Orlok is a fictional character portrayed by Max Schreck in the silent movie Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens...
from the horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
Nosferatu.