Fred (Christopher Reeve) and Erma (Bess Armstrong) own Fred and Erma’s Calamari Cafe but seemingly not for long. Fred dreams of being the Baskin Robbins of squid but he’s three months ahead on rent to Mr. Chumley (Meat Loaf). Despite the idea of janitor Mae Gaston (Judd Nelson) to use his family’s barbecue recipe, Fred starts to lose his mind and even tries to stab Mr. Chumley.

“Next time I book a table for 8 o’clock, Wolfgang, I expect to be seated at 8 o’clock! Yes, a good whine. Not a great whine, but locally groan, that’s for sure. A pleasant enough boo-que. Almost reminds me of a good scream sherry! I hope you brought your appetites, kiddies, because tonight’s tasteless tidbit is something I’m sure you’ll savor. It’s a real epi-gorian delight about a nice young couple who find the restaurant business a little hard to swallow. I call this adventure in fine dying “What’s Cookin.””

When Officer Phil Farley (Art LaFleur) arrives the next day to arrest him, he’s diverted by a dish of steak and eggs. It smells so good that more people show up and it turns out that they’re eating Mr. Chumley, served up by Gaston, who soon blackmails Fred into half the profits. Now Gaston Fred and Erma’s Steakhouse is a big deal, but Gaston worries that Fred can’t handle it. This gives him an idea — kill Fred and Erma. He just misjudges just how much they want this place to turn a profit and how much Farley loves the meat.

Directed and written by Gilbert Adler, this is one of the better episodes of the show. Do you think Meat Loaf ever got tired of being typecast as characters who are eaten or turned into soap?

It’s based on “What’s Cookin’?” from The Haunt of Fear #15. It was written by William Gaines and Al Feldstein and drawn by Jack Davis.