aka The Halloween That Almost Wasn't
Director - Bruce Bilson (The Munsters Today)
Starring - Judd Hirsch (American Dad, Tom Goes the Mayor), Mariette Hartley (The Incredible Hulk), and Henry Gibson (The 'Burbs)
Release Date - 1979
Genre - Horror/Comedy/Children's
Format - Streaming (Youtube)
Rating (out of 5):
I have mentioned a few movies that I have watched for years every October because I feel they are amazing Halloween films. Movies like A Nightmare Before Christmas, Trick 'r Treat, Ernest Scared Stupid, and both Mr. Boogedy flicks are some of the many I watch every October. However, I still cross paths with some real Halloween themed classics that shock me because I have never heard anyone mention them before. I was informed of this film a few years ago during my first year in college by a friend I often call my brother. I had never heard him mention this movie until he came across it on Youtube where he filled me in on it. It looked like a damn good children's Halloween flick. I searched everywhere for it and could not find it on VHS or DVD anywhere so now I watch it on Youtube every year because it is just that damn good.
The film followed Dracula (Hirsch) and Igor (Gibson) who hear on the news that Winnie the witch (Hartley) refuses to fly over the moon to usher in Halloween. Dracula thinks this is just a rumor and calls all the monsters from all over the world to visit his castle for an emergency meeting. The monsters include Warren the Werewolf, the mummy, Frankenstein's monster, Zabaar the zombie, and Winnie the witch. Once there the monsters discover that the rumor is actually real and Winnie refuses to fly because she wants to be "queen" of the monsters instead of Dracula ruling them. The monsters chase Winnie to her castle where she caves in to fly over the moon if her demands are met. Dracula is apprehensive to her demands at first but finally agrees before Winnie changes her mind. She begins to leave her castle when she finds two trick or treaters at her door and one is dressed as a witch. They beg her to fly over the moon so they can celebrate Halloween and she agrees.
I love the look, feel, and cheesy vibe that made for television Halloween specials had from the 70s and 80s. They were just simple and fun as hell to watch. They did not try to scare the viewer but send the viewer down a crazy adventure with some famous monsters of filmland. This film here did just that. The film was able to take the horror from the most notorious monsters of cinema and make them kid friendly years before The Monster Squad was able to do this. This film can easily be a stepping stone for those of you with small children and want to usher them into the horror scene without the gore and blood that these monsters are known for. The acting in this one is over-the-top and fun that really adds a new personality to these characters that most movie goers are not accustomed to. The acting really makes these characters fun to watch and adds that humor that the younger audience will find amusing. The story is really nothing amazing but it is still effective at being a Halloween short. The audience really gets drawn in to it making it effective but nothing award winning or groundbreaking. Finally, those looking for great special effects will not find them here. The monsters looks laughably bad but that is part of the charm this Halloween special has. Overall, this is a cliched and cheesy Halloween special made for the younger audience but still holds a certain charm for the older viewers. I highly recommend this one!
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