It’s always difficult to revisit childhood favorites, in whatever form they take—maybe it’s just the disappointment in seeing a work emerge from the hazy, obscuring glow of nostalgia. And I might easily have suffered this problem with the DVD release of the 1967 Halloween children’s movie, Mad Monster Party?; fortunately, like most of North America, I never actually viewed the film in its entirety, and could charge forward unimpeded by warm, misty memories.

Mad Monster Party? (I don’t understand the question mark either) is a kooky, wild romp of a movie told through the miracle of “Ani-Magic!” (aka stop-motion animation). This jewel of puppetry technique was created by Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass, the some-kind-of-geniuses behind another holiday-oriented children’s classic, Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Playing off the theme that monsters can be wacky as well as bloodthirsty, the story follows Baron Boris von Frankenstein as he invites various monster figures unto his evil island to send him forth into the land of retirement and, of course, to party it up. Complications arise when Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Monster’s Mate, and the inappropriately voluptuous “Francesca” all plot to steal the doctor’s secrets, including his ability to destroy matter. A reluctant hero arrives in the form of allergy-plagued nephew, Felix Flanken, and the whole thing turns into a big, fat monster blowout that climaxes in a manner that could be a commentary on nuclear armament if you really thought about it. And don’t worry, they’ve worked in a pie fight, too.

Although classified as a musical, there’s only a handful of songs throughout, and most are difficult to make out and largely forgettable — no “Silver & Gold” for these folks. The stop-motion is at its usual herky-jerky best, though the movement seems less clunky in this production than Rudolph. This could be due to the fact that there was an actual choreographer on the film. A human choreographer. For puppets. The character design looks good, which isn’t surprising when you learn Mad Magazine maestro Jack Davis designed the creations, along with a little assistance by the equally legendary Frank Frazetta. It’s also amazing to note that while Jimmy Stewart, Peter Lorre, and Sydney Greenstreet all seem to make voiceover appearances, the only authentic celebrity vocal talents are Boris Karloff as the Baron and the always-grating Phyllis Diller as the Monster’s Mate. That’s right; every other voice (aside from Francesca) is provided by vocal heavy-hitter Allen Smith. It’s nice to relive a time before massive studio lawsuits, when the likeness of an acclaimed actor like Peter Lorre could be matched up to the character of, say, a lecherous, femme man-servant named Yetch, and everyone was comfortable with that.

With this kind of studio support and artistic backing, it’s a wonder that Mad Monster Party? never quite reached the perennial holiday cult status of Rudolph. Due to an uneven initial film release, and spotty distribution schedule, Mad Monster Party? wasn’t regularly programmed holiday after holiday like some other Rankin-Bass productions. This led to a guessing game of when the movie would appear in the holiday line-up, and did nothing to lodge it within impressionable kid minds of each generation.

Anchor Bay is hoping to respark the fever for the monster shindig with their single-disc DVD of the half-forgotten title. The extras are relatively sparse (only a trailer and a few stills and poster images to complement the film), but the accompanying 24-page booklet does an impressive job of explaining the evolution of Mad Monster Party?. Showcasing some early designs and promotional materials and written by Rick Goldschmidt, a creepily fanatical Rankin-Bass aficionado, the booklet also reveals just why the hell no one completely recalls the movie to this day.

All in all, it’s an enjoyable watch, though definitely something you pop in the machine, watch for five minutes, and then save for next Halloween. Ringing in at 94 minutes, I couldn’t imagine someone enduring it for more than one viewing if they hadn’t grown up with it. But it does have zombie bell-hops piloting fighter planes in a scene taken directly from King Kong, which leads me to wonder if, in fact, I wouldn’t have RSVP’d when invited to the “Silliest Party of the Year!”
—DEIDRA GARCIA