MONSTER MASH

At last October first has finally arrived! A time where I can admire the beauty of my favorite season, while also letting out both my dark side and inner child through a holiday full of fun, fright, and creativity. To help celebrate my enjoyment for this special time of year, I will be reviewing some horror films and nostalgic Halloween films, along with a few film essays that connect with the genre. To start things off, let me talk about one of my favorite Halloween songs of all time! 

When I was a kid one of my all-time favorite Halloween songs that I'd love to listen too over and over as many times as say "Grim Grinning Ghost" and "The Headless Horseman", would be the "Monster Mash" by Bobby "Boris" Pickett. My first exposure to the song was on a Halloween cassette tape that my Father bought for me (assumingly from "Party City") titled "Drew's Famous Halloween Party Music", that was a rerecording by "The Hit Crew" instead of the original 1962 classic. The moment I first heard the song at such a young age I was instantly getting into the groove. While dancing I began to picture the other classic monsters partying together thinking that Dracula was singing the tune, and would mistake the word "Mash" for "Match" (like the card game I received around that time where you're given the task to match the monsters). It was my one of my all-time Halloween jams. A few years after this discovery, my Father bought me "Alvin and the Chipmunks meets the Wolfman" after knowing how much I adored "Alvin and the Chipmunks meet Frankenstein". During the previews for my VHS copy, the tape started showing three new releases of direct-to-video Halloween movies made by "DIC Entertainment", and "suddenly to my surprise" the first film promoted in the collection was a cartoon based on the song that I loved so much.

Immediately after I heard the song, saw the zany and spooky visuals, and discovered that the film starred three monster icons, I showed my Father the preview for the film begging him to find it for me as I kept rewinding this preview for about 5 or 7 times dancing and admiring the imagery. Later that year I given a copy of the film, and watched it with my brother Jesse. By the first ten minutes, I was in love with it, as Jesse was sitting there unamused. But by the time we when were introduced to a new set of characters I lost interest being disappointed that the monsters aren't the full focus. Still as I kept watching the film repeatedly, I began to enjoy it more and so did my brother leading it to be one of the most viewed films that we'd watch together. Later on as I was about to go to Middle School the film became too childish for me and I barely revisited the film again. Then a couple of years ago I found the film on "YouTube" and watched a few clips of it that made me think fondly of my nostalgic memories while being impressed with the ideas that the film had. I didn't watch it in full, so being that it’s the start of October I’m in the mood to watch it again, to see if the film is worth remembering seeing how it’s fallen into obscurity.

Please note that due to the lack of images I can find, this review will be picture-less.

Three of the scariest monsters of all time the Frankenstein Monster (referred to as Frank), Dracula (referred to as Drac), and the Wolfman (referred to as Wolf) have fallen from glory as times have changed over the years, where they're no longer seen as scary, and more as simple lighthearted fun. Their comical family friendly image has offended a trio of modern monster who are considered to be the new scariest monsters of all-time, and sue them in court for failing to scare. In order to prove that the classic monsters still have the ability to scare, they are given a task to frighten a modern suburban family known as the Tinklemeisters within 24 hours or else they will be sentenced to being entertainers for children's birthday parties for all eternity. The monsters pose as actors from a fake comedy horror TV show by choosing which family will be able to win a trip to a castle in Europe as a rouse to lure the Tinklemeisters to their home. Their attempt surprisingly works (as the family never questions about entering a contest to a show that they never heard of), and now they must prove their worth as monsters before time runs out.

For a direct to video cartoon intended for young kids, the overall concept regarding the monsters is quite clever. The classic universal monsters were certainly very frightening when they were first shown to audiences, as well as a bit controversial for how much they traumatized people while the material that the films had (most notably in Frankenstein”) didn’t please the censors. But as film began to change so did audiences' perception of old monster movies. Now that films were in color and able to get away with showing more shocking material than films back in the early days of cinema with improved special effects, younger generations mostly found the old black-and-white film's less scary and more dated and cheesier. They found monsters like Freddy Krueger, Jason, Michael Myers, and Jigsaw to be the true new masters of horror for how different, inventive, and horrific they were. The classic monsters were not forgotten, but they were marketed less as scary and more as old fashion Halloween fun. The film's that later feature these kind of monsters outside of their debut didn't help their image much either. The majority of their sequels and spin-offs would contain less scares as seen in their glory years, as these films would be designed to just entertain whether it was for comedy or to have them crossover in a matter similar to "The Avengers". However, the new generation of monsters that people found scary were not safe from falling under the same trap either. As their popularity began to grow, they too have been resorted to starring in sequels that gradually became goofy where the things that we found so scary about them began to be tiring and silly. In addition, with all the parodies and endless merchandising of these monsters that have scarred younger generations that aren’t phased by old monster movies, they too have been associated with fun than fear. But as we get older not feeling as afraid of these monsters both new and old as we used too at a younger age, we can still find ourselves appreciating what they started and left behind leading us to understand why they are so fondly remembered and celebrated regardless if we still find them scary or not. No matter what new and horrific monster comes along that becomes popular, it will not be safe from falling down the same path as previous famous monsters were victim too, as the monsters before that will still go down in history as iconic for revolutionizing horror films. That's pretty much the film's message and theme, that's very one sided given that it’s only focusing on the old monsters as the film is falsely claiming that new generations of monster are nothing more than corporate sell-outs who aren't as important to horror as the ones before them were. They became sell-outs after they hit popularity, but most of them weren't created by "toy companies" when the films were first made. I suppose given that the film is aimed for kids and that monsters made for adults are not going to be featured in it, I can see why the film had to only praise the old monsters considering that any person at any age can see their films. A part of me still wishes that this film did address the importance of the modern monsters than just making them villains; don't forget that Dracula and the Wolfman weren't such merciful beings either.

That leads to another problem that backfires this brilliant idea, the monsters in this film are (big shock) portrayed as lighthearted goofy entertainment. This is an animated film aimed for kids, so what am I supposed to expect, they're obviously going to be played-out for laughs. But why, WHY waste this intelligent commentary of people's perception of monster movies with the times changing on a kids cartoon that's not going to attempt to give these timeless creatures dignity and respect? I see this idea more suitable for a live-action horror film starring kids like "Monster Squad" or "IT", than as a cartoon for younger kids. It's very hard to take the message seriously when this cartoon is an exact product of what this film is mocking. With poor handling of an excellent idea aside, our trio of monsters are still entertaining. The excessive personalities that are given to them do match the traits for when we think of their characteristics. Frank has a dimwitted personality with a child-like innocence to connect to the original monsters confused and wondering roots. Drac is the scheming leader with a patronizing attitude, given that Dracula is seen as the most sophisticated and controlling of the Universal monsters. And Wolf has a playfully cool personality, that's not reminiscent to the original Wolfman since he was nothing more than an animal, but instead more towards the famous disc jockey Wolfman Jack. The idea of teaming these monsters together is certainly not an unfitting choice either considering the fact that the old school Universal Monster crossovers during the 40s would always involve these three, or in the very least two of them on account that the first crossover was just with the Wolfman and the Frankenstein monster. For some reason the monsters happen to have a skeleton dog named Yorick who serves as one of those narrators that you'd see in a Rankin/Bass Christmas Special who's never or barely encountered the events that the main characters went through and yet somehow knows every single detail. He does a fair job with narrating but at the same time it doesn't feel needed after the opening scene because everything he says is stuff that we already know.

The family that the monsters are tasked to scare are as typically bland as you could imagine, such as the domestic housewife who's a neat freak, the overworked Father with big ambitions who's afraid of everything, and the nerdy kid who tries to say things cool to be in-with the times. These characters are certainly not one the worst or even the blandest I've ever seen. There is enjoyment to be had with them for their excessive and likable personalities that never become dull or annoying. It's just there's nothing much to them for them to be memorable, with the exception of smallest one of the family Spike. The best way to describe him is to picture if Dopey was a little kid who only whistles and is smart enough to create wacky science experiments. He's funny from how he reacts to things in a silly manner without saying a word while at the same time cool for how smart and fearless he is. Comparing him to the rest of the family it's a no brainier that the focus of providing a fleshed-out character was given to him, than the family as a whole being that he has a character-arc. It's nothing amazing or deep, but it's clear that he's made to be the center of attention, with his family serving as the comedy for him to work-off of without the monsters, and as his exposition.

The villains aren't given that much depth either. They're simply the average jock bullies only with supernatural powers. The only thing that makes them memorable are their designs that's a mish-mash of other modern monsters at the time. The leader of the pack is Freddie de Spaghetti, a pasta monster who's a combination of Freddy and Jason with noodles resembling snakes that eat things away as quick as acid would. Following in his footsteps is an evil living wind-up doll of a little girl named Chicky (an obvious parody of Chucky) who carries a remote control that can change the scenery and make creatures appear as if she was changing the channel. Their designs are recognizable for what monster they are supposed to resemble while also strange and different in the best way possible. That is with the exception of their third member the Alien Eater, who is simply just the Alien from the "Alien franchise" with a giant mouth for a face. He doesn't do anything as threatening or out of the ordinary when compared to the other two, has zero personality, and a design so uninspiring that he would've been better off as a monster scene in the background. A major part of me wishes that he was given a similar treatment as Freddie, by crossing two monsters together to create one. Can you imagine seeing the Alien and Predator combined together, or making it part Alien and part Terminator? There are plenty of ideas when inventing a Sci-Fi monster based on monsters from current Sci-Fi films at the time. Describing the villains’ designs is a fine example of describing the film's creativity with monsters and visuals as a whole. There are some that are cool, some that are run-of-the-mill bland, and some that are so different and bizarre that it's going to stick with you for being either amazingly inventive or incredibly stupid.

Remembering how I mentioned how much the film made me laugh as a kid who used to watch on a daily basis', the gags in the film are more corny and awkward than I remember them to be. I did get some good laughs in scenes when the kids control the Frankenstein monster and separate body to fight each other thinking that they're playing a video game; Spike outsmarting Dracula when being hypnotized; and Dracula trying to scare the Mother that it leads to nothing but pain. There was a joke that I found funnier as an adult than as a kid of the monsters being more afraid of the angry villagers than the monsters attacking them. But then you have an awkward moment of Dracula dressing in drag as a flight attendant comparing his nails to the mother's (that I understand was removed from the DVD). A forced reference to little red riding hood when the wolves fail to eat the family. And lame puns on pop culture like Dracula disguising himself as a horror late night TV personal named Ed McMonster, or the kids watching a ridiculous knock-off on "Baywatch" called "Slugwatch". The weirdest joke in the whole film that completely went over my head as a kid was when Dracula (I feel so bad that he gets most of the worst gags in the film) describes how he would "refuse to nurse from his Mother's breasts" as a baby. I still can't believe that the film got away with that. Still as cheesy, forced, and uneasy many of the jokes can be, they don't become insufferable or as cringe worthy as one can imagine them to be. They're simply just passable entertainment, that's not funny but a million miles from the worst, that do provide a few laughs.

The animation contains visually pleasing designs, a colorful and fun Halloween atmosphere, and some good timing for the slapstick, but it isn't anything grand. It feels like watching a corny animated Halloween TV special on "Fox Kids". Some of the voices are out of sync, the expressions can look a bit uncanny at times, and the movements does feel a bit limited. The worst part is the film keeps recycling its own animation. You'll at times see the characters making the same poses and gestures where the only different thing that we get in the frame is what they say. Sometimes the film will replay the same animation bits back to back in the same exact shot. And the images of the monsters in the old days are so overused that it gets tedious quite fast. Judging the animation from a direct to VHS standard it's decent, so I can't call it terrible for the things it does right, but when comparing it to some of the other direct to video films distributed by Universal (like the monster crossovers with Alvin and the Chipmunks) it's not one of the best.

Being that the film is an animated film based on a popular hit Halloween song it would be foolish not to include it, whether if it fits the story or not. And right after the first couple of minutes we see Yorick riding a roller-coaster installed inside the castle singing the song as he passes by the monsters and creatures mentioned in the song singing all the verses except for the last one, which is saved for the reprise. The cartoon's rendition of the song stays true to its old classic 50's Halloween beat instead of trying to modernize it. There is an attempt to modernize the song, but that's only featured during the credits and more played as a joke as we hear someone in the recording the booth trying to change the style of the song who in the end is not satisfied with the alterations, proving that you perfect on a timeless Halloween song. Much like in the "This is Halloween" sequence from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" as you jump from one ghoul to another at an energizing pace, the "Monster Mash" sequence at the beginning does the same thing that for me is the film's highlight for how it never holds back to show something different. The only annoyance that the sequence does is occasionally stopping dead in its tracks to give exposition on the monsters fall from fame after a few verses, that's important to the story, but ruins the fun and thrill. The visuals in the last sequence take place on a roller coaster as well, and flow with the story without feeling the need to interrupt the song. But unlike how the first sequence through tons of things at you, this ride is focused only on the monsters, as most of the footage outside of how the monsters haunt the guests on the ride are clips that we already experienced, that will soon be reused again during the end credits. I should note that on the VHS version of the film after the credits, there is a short music video of the original "Monster Mash" song being played with images from the cartoon and the classic Universal Monster movies. Tragically though it is not featured on the DVD, which is a shame because it's a cool way for kids to get a tiny glimpse of footage from the classic old monster movies by combining it with a song and film that kids will be familiar with. Looking at it again, it's a bit cheesy to see the footage of the monster's feet walking back and forth to make it seem like their dancing, and disappointing that none of their faces are shown (I guess due to rights). Thankfully, it's still indeed "a graveyard smash" where the cheesiness of it is most certainly welcomed given the songs party nature. If you are curious in seeing this rare music video, you can find it on "YouTube".

"Monster Mash" isn't the only song in the cartoon though, the cartoon does contain three original songs (4 if you count Chicky's catchy theme that's played in the background when she demonstrates her powers). There's a strong sense that they're only in the film to provide kids more songs than just the "Monster Mash", and what they created is not really half-bad. All of them are as festive and catchy as the film's title song as it provides some insight to the characters. The Tinklemister's sing about Spike's traumatic experience that caused him not to speak in "Waiting for Spike" that's enjoyable but inappropriately upbeat given that they feel bad for their son and are eager to hear him speak. It doesn't help either that the song just happens right out of nowhere with no transition at all. A similar issue happens during the monsters song "When We Were Bad" that suddenly starts as the monsters sound too busy rocking out than sounding upset that they're no longer on top. However, the cartoon is clearly not being made to take itself seriously, so I suppose I really can't complain too much about it. Besides the song's hard rock beat does bring a strong sense of how vicious and powerful these monsters were during their glory years, so there is indeed some kind of emotion attached to it. But out of all the musical sequences this is the least visually interesting since its reusing clips both old and new way too many times. I will give it this, the monsters do look badass terrorizing people to the tune of the song, I just wish half of these clips weren't already shown. My favorite tune in the whole movie is "The Heebe Jeebe", a tango monster song played on the radio as the mother dances and cleans the castle while constantly injuring Dracula from her ignorance towards him. The gags and timing for the abuse that Dracula goes through that's tied to the beat of this tango mashes together as greatly as the first "Monster Mash" sequence that leads to plenty of laughs and a melody as tuneful and old school sounding as the film’s title song itself.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

I admire what this cartoon was trying to do with its commentary on the monsters rise and fall from popularity in pop culture. But I'm afraid the execution of this idea by making it to be an animated kids movie only works against this message by coming across as hypocritical due to the film's silly and family friendly nature when portraying the original monster baddies. The cartoon itself is neither great nor terrible, it's just very average. It manages to entertain, provide some unusually inventive visuals, give a few laughs, and have songs that bring you in a party state of mind. Sadly, it's very corny with its humor, has animation that looks slightly better to the kind you'd see on TV at the time, characters who aren't anything special, and contains a lot of elements that feel forced. It’s fun for the audience that it’s intended for, but I wouldn't call it an underrated classic or hidden gem for how safe and typical it is. I just hope that one day this clever commentary through a crossover will be reused again in a way that’s much more dignified, less biased, and treated more adult than how this film handles it.