MAD MONSTER PARTY?

While hanging with friends Mike & Jeanne this weekend we spoke of films we had seen recently & "Mad Monster Party" came up, garnering great praise from the aforementioned friends. Respecting their opinions very much I picked up a copy at Eide's & I have to say I was not disappointed with my purchase. As an aside, I have a vague memory of seeing this as a kid but I tend not to trust my memory in such situations. No matter how much television I watched as a child I had to miss some things.

This film is ridiculous. Here is an interesting site with a good write up of the film. The plot of the film is about Baron Von Frankenstein (voice by Boris Karloff) wanting to retire after finishing his greatest creation, the ability to destroy all matter. He basically creates a liquid atomic bomb. Baron Von Frankenstein has chosen his nephew Felix Flanken to be his successor & the rest of the plot revolves around the major Universal Monsters (Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, The Werewolf, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Hunchback of Notre Dame & Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde, The Invisible Man, The Mummy) trying to get a hold of the Frankenstein's creation & thwart the transfer of power. Looming over the whole event is the threat of "It", which turns out to be a King Kong type character.

I found the movie highly entertaining. The musical numbers are pretty forgettable but still enjoyable. Having Boris Karloff as a voice talent really adds some gravitas to the movie over all & Phyllis Diller as the "Monster's Mate" really sets the film in it's proper period.

Having watched the Paul Lynde Halloween special the other day & being pretty disappointed in the lack of Halloween in the special, it was nice to be able to sit down & watch something that was fun & light hearted & had the spirit of Halloween firmly implanted in it. You can tell that there is real affection for the characters & the holiday season. It's a shame that this film doesn't get replayed around Halloween like the Rudolph, Frosty & other Rankin/Bass productions do at Xmas time.

Enough of me blathering. Track down a copy of this film & enjoy.