Mad Monster Party? (1967)

4 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: At long last, a Motion Picture with absolutely no cultural value!!
Directed by: Jules Bass
Written by: Len Korobkin, Harvey Kurtzman
Actors include: Boris Karloff, Allen Swift, Gale Garnett
Genre: Horror, Comedy, Animation
Length: 94 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I can't believe I went my entire childhood without ever having watched this, I'd have loved it! Definitely a film for the whole family with musical numbers, many clever little nods to the Universal monsters and an insanely creative production. The concept is that Dr. Frankenstein has invented a new potion that will cause destruction. He's also the head of organization of monsters, so he rounds up all of his monster friends for a mad monster party. He also wants to announce his retirement and his successor! Be prepared to meet adorable versions of The Mummy, Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, The Hunchback, The Invisible Man, King Kong, The Wolfman, Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, The Creature (from the Black Lagoon), Boris Karloff and Phyllis Diller. It's all made with the same style as the old Rudolph and Frosty christmas films (which I love) and even by the same people, this is just spooky instead! Even though it is very entertaining there are several jokes that are just too corny to laugh at and a few song and dance numbers that really could have been left out. Still a very visionary and enjoyable Halloween treat that any child should love (and many adults should like it too).

Availability:  On DVD & Blu-Ray

Monster Squad (1987)

4 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: Call them for a monster-ous good time.
Directed by: Fred Dekker
Written by: Shane Black, Fred Dekker
Actors include: Andre Gower, Robby Kiger, Stephen Macht
Genre: Horror, Comedy, Kids
Length: 82 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Although I've never seen this as a child (I wish I had but somehow I knew nothing about this movie until Jon introduced it to me) I really did enjoy this. It does bear some similarities to The Goonies, I liked this quite a bit better but perhaps that's because it's horror themed. The story is about a group of youngsters who call themselves the Monster Squad. Their specialty is (you guessed it) monster knowledge and they meet in a little club house and so forth. When their favorite monsters come to life they must do something, but what? It's very entertaining and to the point plus Stan Winston's effects are quite impressive (especially with the Creature from the Black Lagoon). The little nods to the original Universal monster pictures were what made this one seem extra special. Really a very adorable film that children should love and so should adults, great idea for a Halloween film.

Availability:  On DVD & Blu-Ray