Ernest movies in order — chronological vs release date

If you grew up in the late '80s or early '90s, you couldn’t miss Ernest P. Worrell—that denim-clad, rubbery-faced bloke who seemed to pop up everywhere. What started as an advertising gimmick cooked up by John Cherry and Jim Varney morphed into a full-blown phenomenon: TV spots, a Saturday morning cartoon, specials, and—most importantly for us—a run of nine deliberately daft movies that range from genuinely funny to, well, questionable. Here’s a trip through every single Ernest feature film, in the order they came out, with the odd detour into what worked, what didn’t, and where things properly went off the rails.

There were nine theatrical Ernest films released between 1987 and 1998.

The rise of Ernest: Box office days

Ernest Goes to Camp (1987) was the big introduction, and the setup is about as Ernest as it gets: he’s a maintenance man at a summer camp, desperate to be a counsellor, and winds up minding a group of delinquents in a ‘second chance’ scheme. Predictably chaotic, but the audience loved it. For a film with a modest $3.5 million budget, it raked in $23.5 million in cinemas and landed Varney a four-picture deal with Touchstone. This is where Ernest proved he could hold up an entire feature, not just a string of daft adverts.

Ernest Saves Christmas (1988) is probably the one you’ve actually seen if you skip the rest. This time he’s a taxi driver in Florida who picks up (naturally) the real Santa Claus, who’s out to find his successor. There’s a runaway teen, seasonal peril, and exactly the kind of slapstick and sweetness you either find endearing or infuriating. Because this one is genuinely good-natured, it manages to pop up on loads of Christmas watchlists even now.

Genre spins and prime Ernest

After the Christmas turn, things got a bit weirder. Ernest Goes to Jail (1990) has Varney pulling double duty: Ernest the innocent bank janitor and his (not especially convincing) criminal lookalike, Felix Nash. Criminal shenanigans ensue, with a side of death row peril and some unexpected lightning powers thanks to a bit of business with a magnetized cell. It’s daft, but there’s something watchable about Varney mugging it up across both sides of the law.

The monster-movie flavour came with Ernest Scared Stupid (1991). Ernest manages to unleash an ancient troll (naturally) on Halloween, and must save the town’s kids, helped by a healthy glug of milk and his own dangerously misguided sense of heroism. Fun fact: the trolls were created by the Chiodo Brothers—the minds behind those grotesque Killer Klowns—so, yes, they look like utter nightmares. If you want spooky but silly, this one holds up surprisingly well around October.

By Ernest Rides Again (1993), formula was basically gospel. Ernest, back to janitoring, teams up with an eccentric history professor to hunt for a Revolutionary War cannon stuffed with hidden jewels. The plot gets increasingly ridiculous, rival treasure hunters show up, and before long you’re not entirely sure what’s happening. Still, it leans into adventure more than the others and is weirdly underappreciated. This was also the last to get a wide theatrical release—the cinematic glory days of Ernest ended here.

Direct-to-video descent

Ernest Goes to School (1994) ditches Cherry as director (in comes Coke Sams), and we’re in proper home-video territory now. Ernest loses his familiar janitor gig at a high school because he never actually finished school. Cue absurd ‘adult goes back to class’ gags, and a half-baked experiment that turns Ernest briefly clever—risking his soul for a diploma, naturally. This one didn’t even get a wide US release: a handful of screens in Cincinnati, then straight to video racks it went.

And then there’s Slam Dunk Ernest (1995), which is pretty much all in the title. Our man Ernest, completely useless at basketball, stumbles onto a pair of enchanted trainers given to him by an archangel—played, for reasons only the universe knows, by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Suddenly a superstar, Ernest lets fame go to his head and alienates his mates. There’s a certain charm here and that inexplicable casting gives it a surreal edge, but even the die-hards usually agree this is where the wheels started to come off.

Next up? Ernest Goes to Africa (1997). If you’re thinking the title sounds dodgy, it’s every bit as awkward as your instincts suggest. Plot: Ernest tries to impress a woman with a yo-yo made from some totally-not-stolen jewels, leading to a criminal conspiracy and a rescue mission to Africa. Lazy rehashes of old plotlines, cringe-inducing jokes, and plenty of casual stereotypes—this one’s a proper low. Even completists usually pretend it doesn’t exist.

Last up, Ernest in the Army (1998). Ernest joins the army for a cushy job (dreaming of driving trucks, obviously), only to get sent to the front line. All your ‘fish out of water’ military tropes, but with Ernest at the wheel. Not unwatchable, just uninspired—and really, only for fans with a high threshold for completism. Shortly after this, Jim Varney was diagnosed with lung cancer and passed away in 2000, so this final outing is where the character’s run (for better or much, much worse) wrapped up.

The films in order

• Ernest Goes to Camp – 22 May 1987
• Ernest Saves Christmas – 11 November 1988
• Ernest Goes to Jail – 6 April 1990
• Ernest Scared Stupid – 11 October 1991
• Ernest Rides Again – 12 November 1993
• Ernest Goes to School – 10 June 1994 (limited) / 14 December 1994 (video)
• Slam Dunk Ernest – 20 June 1995
• Ernest Goes to Africa – 27 July 1997
• Ernest in the Army – February 1998