Movie Info
Movie Name: Mad Monster Party
Studio: Rankin/Bass
Genre(s): Animated/Comedy/Horror/Seasonal
Release Date(s): March 8, 1967
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
We’re totally ready to get mad!!!
Baron Boris von Frankenstein has made his ultimate discovery…a potion which could mean ultimate destruction! Now, he’s summoning the Worldwide Organization of Monsters to his Caribbean island to reveal his invention and announce his ultimate retiring as leader. Boris reveals he intends to pass the title to his nephew Felix Flacken which doesn’t sit well with the monsters or Frankenstein’s assistant Francesca, and Felix is about to be the target of this mad monster party!
Directed by Jules Bass, Mad Monster Party (sometimes titled as Mad Monster Party?) was written by Mad Magazine writer Harvey Kurtzman. The stop-motion animated film received a theatrical release and has become a cult classic among fans.
This party is going to totally be mad!
With a goofy plot, Mad Monster Party fits in great with a nice mix of horror films. The movie has a classic horror style and plays like an Abbott and Costello comedy for the most part with Felix and the identifiable “normal” character stuck amongst a bunch of monsters.
You definitely can see the Mad Magazine contributions to this film. The plot is loaded with subtle humor and wordplay and the characters are made to resemble classic Universal Movie Monsters. The story is broken up by musical numbers (like many Rankin/Bass productions). Some of the jokes come off as a little adult but the movie isn’t very risqué and can be enjoyed by a family…though the plot is bland and very slow.
King Kong always ruins a mad monster party…
The movie has some great voices. Boris Karloff anchors the film as Baron Boris von Frankenstein and his scenes definitely are the best in the film. Gale Garnett plays the sultry Francesca and Phyllis Diller (who also resembles her character). Most of the other voices (including Felix) are voice by Allen Swift.
Rankin/Bass animation is still the tops. The character designs for this film are worth checking it out alone. If you are a fan of classic monsters, it is worth seeing how the characters are recreated in clay (I particularly like the Invisible Man’s “design” and the Peter Lorre channeling butler.
Mad Monster Party is like a really long Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Primarily a comedy, the film is infused with musical numbers and tons of classic Universal Monsters. The film’s popularity has led to a DVD release and also a semi-TV prequel in 1972 called Mad Mad Mad Monsters.
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