Evening, all.
Yesterday's post was on a Halloween special that scarred me as a small child. I found, in talking to people last night, that I was not the only person who was severely traumatized by it. Today's piece, in the interest of Spooky Month and a week of TV specials, was something that had a similar effect, only this time I was way too old for the movie. For your entertainment, however, I'll tell the tale.
I can swear that I was completely sober at the time. In fact, I'm pretty sure I was no more than 17 or 18 when this viewing experience occurred. Like many of my Warm Fuzzy Viewings, this was something I saw while hiding from the world in my parent's basement, in their house out in the woods. It was late at night, I think maybe a Sunday night. I was flipping through the channels in the days before DVRs and net-delivered content. This was also back at a time when AMC was more about old movies than the amazing shows they provide now. What they were showing late at night caught my eye and immediately gave me the willies. I had to watch, despite my discomfort. It was Mad Monster Party.
Mad Monster Party is one of the old Rankin/Bass animated pictures, in the vein of their famous Christmas specials and holiday features. All stop-motion little puppets, a sort of ancient precursor to the shenanigans of Robot Chicken. Done with these posed figures, they tell the story of Baron Von Frankenstein hosting a convention of the classic movie monsters at his castle. He makes an announcement of his retirement and plans for succession involving his nebbish nephew, which the monsters find unacceptable. Shenanigans ensue, to say the least.
What I think threw me for a loop about Mad Monster Party was the uncanny aspect of the presentation when coupled with the ghoulish imagery. Obviously it was aimed at kids when it was produced and released, but seeing it late at night, not really knowing the nature of the beast, I was kind of transfixed. Something about how the characters moved in their lifeless yet animated manner creeped me out on a subconscious level. The dead eyes. The seemingly-kooky-and-fun-but-really-kind-of-creepy ambiance. Maybe it was just that I wasn't expecting it when I was flipping through the channels, waiting for South Park to come back from a commercial break.
I say it was creepy, and it was. But Mad Monster Party still has a certain charm you should check out. It's on Netflix Instant, and trailers and clips are on YouTube. The retro kitsch is kind of awesome. I just get the willies from the stop motion. Keep reading Spooky Month for more TV themed stuff tomorrow!
Yesterday's post was on a Halloween special that scarred me as a small child. I found, in talking to people last night, that I was not the only person who was severely traumatized by it. Today's piece, in the interest of Spooky Month and a week of TV specials, was something that had a similar effect, only this time I was way too old for the movie. For your entertainment, however, I'll tell the tale.
I can swear that I was completely sober at the time. In fact, I'm pretty sure I was no more than 17 or 18 when this viewing experience occurred. Like many of my Warm Fuzzy Viewings, this was something I saw while hiding from the world in my parent's basement, in their house out in the woods. It was late at night, I think maybe a Sunday night. I was flipping through the channels in the days before DVRs and net-delivered content. This was also back at a time when AMC was more about old movies than the amazing shows they provide now. What they were showing late at night caught my eye and immediately gave me the willies. I had to watch, despite my discomfort. It was Mad Monster Party.
