Ickis, Krumm, and Oblina discover an old movie in the dump, which they watch constantly despite the Gromble's protests. They begin to ape the characters in the movie and even try some dangerous cowboy movie stunts in their scaring.

When Ickis runs away from the Academy he falls in with an old bluesman who cannot be scared because he's blind. The two become friends as the bluesman teaches Ickis a thing or two about being your own man -- or monster. Ickis returns the favour when he scares the demolition crew that arrives to destroy the old man's building.

The Gromble is up of his job review at the hands of Balook The Granfaloon, a puny, "by the book" Bureaucrat, who fires The Gromble for breaking a trivial rule against students celebrating after a scare.

Shortly McGinty, arch-criminal and master of disguise, escapes from prison and leads the police on a chase that takes him to the dump, where the cops mistake Ickis for McGinty and haul him off to prison.