The Goldbergs – A 100% True Ghost Story

By starrymag | November 5, 2019

By: Ariba Bhuvad

 

 

It’s Halloween at the Goldbergs and it’s all about The Rocky Picture Horror Show! Back in the day college kids loved watching it, except for Barry (Troy Gentile) who thinks it’s just another Rocky movie. When he, Geoff (Sam Lerner) and Erica (Hayley Orrantia) go to the movies Barry is very specific about the film they watch having to be one part scary, one part thriller-y and no parts gremlins. 

 

Erica doesn’t plan on going to the movies because she has a chemistry midterm to study for. Geoff wants her to take a break, but she’s determined to work hard on studying instead. Barry and Geoff decide to watch The Rocky Picture Horror Show (which Barry still thinks is part of the Rocky franchise) and end up having a blast. In fact, Barry falls completely in love with it and gets obsessed with everything about it. 

 

Side note: This particular Halloween episode is very much a factual story taken from the actual Goldbergs family history. 

 

Adam (Sean Giambrone) dresses up as Beetlejuice, but Murray (Jeff Garlin) has no idea who he is. Meanwhile, Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey) comes home from a garage sale where she just bought four French paintings of nude women. She decides to put them on the staircase; however, later that night something strange begins to happen with them. At first the paintings fell off during the day and Beverly and Murray assumed it was because of Adam. Although he wasn’t even at home then, which leads Beverly to believe something strange was going on.

 

In the middle of the night the paintings fall off the wall multiple times. Each time they fell Beverly would wake Murray up to go see what caused it. While she was freaking out Murray keeps coming up with silly reasons as to why the paintings are getting knocked off the wall–house is settling, earthquake, local volcano, army ants, etc. 

 

Erica is busy studying while Geoff is cleaning up her apartment aggressively. Barry comes in and decides he’s going throw an epic Halloween party,but Erica vetoes the idea immediately. She has a midterm she needs to study for, but Barry could care less. So, instead of listening to her Barry proceeds to make fliers for his Rocky Picture Horror Show-themed party, despite Geoff pleading him not to. 

 

Back at the Goldbergs’ one of the paintings now has a slash through it. Adam and Beverly believe its a ghost with unfinished business while Murray refuses to believe so. Since Murray, doesn’t care or believe in ghosts, Beverly and Adam take it into their hands. Adam puts on his Ghostbusters costume and the two begin to investigate. 

 

While Murray is watching the Eagles game Beverly is trying to convince him that just because you can’t see something doesn’t mean it’s not real. When that doesn’t work, she decides to use his Eagles superstition against him by rubbing her hand on the wall, which Murray believes causes the Eagles to mess up in their game. Even so, Murray says he will explain it with science and seeks out Dr. Katman’s (Steve Guttenberg) help. He wants Dr. Katman to prove that ghosts aren’t real. 

 

Geoff is busy trying to hide the party fliers from Erica, but she ends up seeing it anyway as anger takes over. When she confronts him in the school quad she and Barry end up getting into a physical fight over the party. Barry thinks that college isn’t just about studying,while Erica says it’s not just about partying. Their fight gets them in trouble and lands them in the dean’s office or rather the “executive student administrator (Stephen Guarin).”  Erica tries to tell him they’ll cancel the party, but when Barry explains that it’s good for the kids to take some time to release their stress the admin dean decides to side with him. 

 

Beverly is really hoping to find out if the house is haunted or not, so she brings in a psychic named Carol (Stephnie Weir) while Murray brings in Dr. Katman. The doctor examines the picture frame and says there is wood rot on the frame, the hooks are too weak for the frame and that the rips in the painting came from it falling. 

 

To counteract that, Beverly asks Carol to investigate who says there is a Victorian presence in their house, specifically of a young girl. Murray tries to tell the doctor to chime in who asks for a hypothesis to Carol’s claims. Carol states it’s based on her feelings, which she can’t physically show, but is no different than the feeling of love. One thing leads to another and it seems like Dr. Katman and Carol are into each other. Just then a vase shatters! 

 

Barry hasn’t given up on his party and is still spreading the word when he finds out he failed his exam while Erica got an A. Because of this failed exam Barry is going to cancel the party and is upset that he can’t even fail college right. 

 

To contact the spirit Beverly, Carol, Dr. Katman and Adam participate in a seance. Murray still refuses to believe in it, but the rest of them apologize to the ghost hoping it’ll go away. Beverly asks Murray to do so as well and gets upset that he won’t just back her up with her silly fear, just like she backs up his weird things. 

 

Murray apologizes for his behavior and lights candles so he too can apologize to the spirit, as well as Beverly. He promises to be on her team and that starts with telling her to give the ghost a piece of her mind. In classic Beverly Goldberg fashion, she cusses out the spirit and tells it to get out of their house otherwise she will bring in other tenants that the spirit will hate even more. With the spirit hopefully gone now, Beverly throws away the paintings. 

 

Since Barry canceled his party, Erica and Geoff decided to have it anyway and surprise him. Thanks to Geoff the party looks amazing! Erica says she struggled a lot last year and she realizes they both need a balance in their lives. 

 

The real Beverly Goldberg talks to Jeff Garlin at the end of the episode to reveal that most of what happened in the episode actually did happen–paintings falling and bringing a psychic in. And speaking of psychic, Dr. Katman and Carol the psychic hook up, much to Adam’s surprise when he shows up at Katman’s house for trick or treating.