LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales: Review

As October rolls around, most of the US broadcasters look to Hallowe'en content to bring an edge to their shows.

No stranger to seasonal specials (or tie-in specials) Disney+ has lined up a LEGO Star Wars event and a Muppets mini movie for October streaming desires to be satiated.

First out is LEGO Star Wars, which is clearly looking to draw from the template set down by the Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror episodes with a triptych of spooky tales that feel familiar in many ways.

Centring again around Poe and BB-8, Terrifying Tales sees the duo forced to set down on the volcanic planet Mustafar, where Graballa the Hutt has bought Darth Vader's castle and is turning it into the galaxy's first all-inclusive Sith-inspired luxury hotel.

But Graballa, who bears a certain resemblance to another US property magnate cum president, is determined to get Poe's celebrity endorsement while he waits for his X-Wing to be fixed.

However, the hotel has its secrets and soon, a mysterious figure appears, to treat Graballa, Poe, BB-8 and local mechanic Dean to a trio of spooky tales....

As with most Hallowe'en specials, LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales has a hit and miss ratio with its three stories. Perhaps most effective is its last one that sort of tries to present an alternate Star Wars and has more of a universal appeal than the less successful first two. It also massively riffs on the Simpsons' Halloween story Monkey Paw for TreeHouse of Horror II giving a feeling of deja vu if you know your references.

It's in the final tale that the pop culture references, the horror references and the Star Wars nods come together in an utterly perfect blend that makes you wish the creators had been firing on all cylinders from the start, instead of fits and starts and splutters of genius.

With some truly awful puns and some moments of laugh-out loud fun, LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales does offer the younger end of the Star Wars fans a bit of welcome relief. However, despite some slick animation and enough cameos to fill a spooky pinata, the latest special feels like a missed opportunity that is more about ticking Hallowe'en boxes than filling them with candy-covered streaming treats.

LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales is streaming on Disney+ now.