I used to really like this kiddie monster mash when I was a kid, as it was always shown on TV around Halloween. These days it doesn't seem quite as wondrous to me but it's still some fun. It's an animated comedy from Rankin & Bass (the "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" people) which utilizes puppets, as Baron Von Frankenstein (voiced by Boris Karloff) unites all his famous monster friends together for a reunion -- The Monster and His Mate, Dracula, the Werewolf, The Invisible Man, The Mummy, Jekyll & Hyde, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Creature. This would have been better if it wasn't so long (95 minutes) but it's a treat getting to see Karloff involved at the height of Monstermania, and for me it's Phyllis Diller as (the voice of) the monster's mate who steals the show. She tells many cheesy bad jokes but always ends them with her trademark "ah-ha haa!" Some good songs here too (especially "It's the Mummy", as sung by a rock band consisting of guitar-playing skeletons with Beatle-like wigs). **1/2 out of ****
Review of Mad Monster Party?
