Mad Monster Party?

Felix Flankin dwells in a drug store as a pill-popping pharmacist (he has allergies). In the eyes of his boss Mr. Kronkite, he is a good for nothing klutz. It's not until Felix receives a ghastly invitation from his uncle, Baron Boris von Frankenstein that his dreary existence takes a turn, for the worst. He is to travel to an eerie Caribbean Island to take part in a creepy scientific first, a new disturbing discovery. The other ghastly guests who will join the party are Count Dracula, The Wolfman, The Mummy, Dr Jekyll, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Invisible Man, The Creature from the Black Lagoon and Frankenstein's Monster.

It's about time Dr. Frankenstein retired as the leader of The Worldwide Organisation of Monsters. He has grown tired of all this horror business. He is to appoint a new successor and turn over all his spine-chilling secrets, including his latest bellicose breakthrough - 'The Power of the Universe'. As the gruesome group of monsters join together to celebrate, one question remains. Will they have a fearfully fun time at the MAD, MAD…

In 1967, Arthur and Jules turned against Santa when they made a 'motion picture with absolutely no cultural value'. A question bounced around their heads: could this trashy travesty be more satisfying than a Christmas movie with reindeers?

Harvey Kurtzman (who worked for E.C. Comics and Mad Magazine) wrote the screwball script about a mad scientist for Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass.  He was the perfect guy who could mix horror and comedy. Jack Davis, who worked with Kurtzman at E.C. comics, created the character designs of those creepy monsters. They made a quaint and colourful love letter to the old Universal Monster Movies from the 30s and 40s.


There's a genuine self-referential bounciness to Mad Monster Party. It's a perfect tongue-in-cheek experience. The catchy tunes, 'Stay One Step Ahead', 'Mad Monster Party', 'You're Different' and 'Do the Mummy' will make any horror fan chuckle with glee ('mad mummy dance, is in a trance, all wrapped up in himself tonight!'). The witty dialogue by Kurtzman makes it mirthful too: 'what's the matter with you zombies, don't just stand there like union gravediggers, Dr. Frankenstein wants you to patrol the island, stop behaving like a bunch of ghosts, get in your planes…into the air zombie birdmen!'). Even though the dialogue is imaginative and apt, the weak link is the shabby story. If you look beyond the dissolution of plot, the stop-motion animation will still grab your attention (this was inventive stuff 43-years ago). If you are a fan of Universal Horror like Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931) and The Invisible Man (1933) you will notice oodles of in-jokes.


The best is having horror legend Boris Karloff as the voice for Dr. Frankenstein. Having already done voice work with Rankin/Bass on How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966), he seems at home as the kind-hearted mind-mannered purveyor of taste as he slithers and slinks through the mad scientist dialogue ('I've done it. Created the means to destroy matter. They must all know. Know that I, Baron von Frankenstein, master of the secret of creation, have now mastered the secret of destruction. The invitations must be sent at once.'). The voice work by Phyllis Diller (who plays Frankenstein's bride) adds an insane amount of post-modern comic relief ('what do you know about sheik you poor invention of a man you'). The whirlwind voice talent that is Alan Swift (who does the majority of the voices) adds tons of magic. The character of Felix Flankin is a wonderful cross between Woody Allen and James Stewart. However, Gale Garnett's voice steals the show. She sounds like Kathleen Turner. With her red hair, pale skin, heaving bosoms the character of Francesca will make any red-blooded male pant like a dehydrated dog. She has the same twisted sex appeal as Jessica Rabbit. It's disturbing that men find female animations so sexy. The mind boggles.


Special Features: On September 8, 2009, Lionsgate released Mad Monster Party as a special edition DVD with three documentaries, 'Making of a Cult Classic' (15min), 'It's Sheer Animagic! Secrets of Stop-Motion Animation' (10min), 'Groovy Ghouls! The Music of Mad Monster Party' (4min). It also contained a 24-page booklet with liner notes by Rankin/Bass historian Rick Goldschmidt. This was the Region 1 version. Our version has no special features.

Verdict: GASP! SHRIEK! UGH! PHEW! YIPE! ZAP! ZOWIE! GLUGGLE! KABOOM! To appreciate its straightforwardness watch Mad Monster Party with the eyes of a child. However, remember to keep them pickled in a jar - heh heh heh.


Trivia: You might remember Rankin/Bass for their charismatic Christmas specials like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964), Frosty the Snowman (1969) and Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town (1970). They have also dipped their toes in traditional animation with the likes of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit (1977), The Flight of Dragons (1982) and they even produced a cartoon series called ThunderCats.

Trivia: You can see the legacy of Mad Monster Party in Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (2005) and Henry Selick's Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). The influence even extends to bands like The Misfits who used clips from Mad Monster Party for their music video of 'Monster Mash'. There was also an inferior 45-minute TV special in 1972 called Mad, Mad, Mad Monsters.