When Dr Frankenstein decides to retire from the monster-making business, he calls an international roster of monsters to a creepy convention to elect his successor. Everyone is there including Dracula, The Werewolf, The Creature, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde and many more. But Frankenstein's title is not all that is at stake. The famous doctor has also discovered the secret of total destruction that must not fall into the wrong hands! Written by

Plot Synopsis:
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NOTE: All voices by Allen Swift, except where noted.

Baron von Frankenstein [voice of Boris Karloff], the scientist who discovered the secret to creation, has just perfected the secret to destruction. In order to celebrate his discovery, the baron invites all his monster friends -- Dracula, the Werewolf, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and the Hunchback of Notre Dame -- to his Caribbean Island of Evil for a big party. The baron also has another reason for hosting such a gala. He has decided to retire as head of Monsters Incorporated and to pass on his secrets to his only "living" heir -- geeky, allergy-ridden pharmacist Felix Flankin, son of the baron's sister, the white sheep of the family. As the SS Herring bearing all the guests nears the island, the baron briefs his zombies about the necessity of remaining calm and collected no matter what happens. Only Yetch is having trouble keeping his head (and hands) attached. This is partly because it's been so long since Yetch has seen all their friends, but also because he is besotted with the baron's secretary, the lovely, well-stacked, red-headed, cool-as-a-cucumber Francesca [Gale Garnet].

As the baron and Francesca prepare to greet their guests, they are joined by Frankenstein's Monster and his Mate [Phyllis Diller]. First to arrive is Dracula, who is enchanted to see Francesca. ("You have always been my type...O-negative, isn't it?") Next is the Werewolf. ("Wolfie, you old dog! This convention is going to be a howling success!") The Invisible Man arrives. ("You're looking well...I think.") The Hunchback carries in the Mummy, then comes Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde, followed by the Creature. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Chef Mafia Machiavelli is preparing the menu for the party. There's octopus soup and a poison ivy salad with toadstools, poison berries, and three kinds of dressings -- arsenic, cyanide, and nitroglycerin. The antipasto consists of black widows marinated in their own poison, smoked lizards and snakes, and marinated mice. For the main course, there is boar's head, roasted vulture, and minced hyena casserole. In addition, entertainment is to be provided by Little Tibia and the Fibulas. As the dinner commences, the guests are all trying to figure out who will be the baron's successor. Dracula is assured that there is no one more evil, treacherous, and sneaky than he. Francesca thinks she might be able to use Dracula in order to attain the secrets for herself. The Monster and his Mate feel there can be no one closer to the baron than themselves ("He CREATED us!"). Ultimately, a big fight breaks out, and the guests spend the rest of the night trying to sleep it off.

The next morning, the baron's nephew Felix arrives. The baron's plan is to have Francesca show Felix around the island. Francesca's plan is to set Felix up for an ambush along the way. Fortunately, Felix bumbles himself from Dracula, the Mummy, and the Werewolf and all attempts to knock him off. Feeling betrayed by Dracula, Francesca concocts a new plan which involves inviting the diabolical IT to the island. In an attempt to escape from the wrath of the other monsters, however, Francesca finds herself falling in love with Felix. As the two lovers make their way to the opposite side of the island where Francesca has a boat hidden, they are followed by the monsters who have decided unanimously to kill Felix. Just as the monsters capture Francesca and catch up with Felix, IT (King Kong) arrives. IT storms the castle, but when he finds a photo of Francesca, he falls madly in love with her. Grabbing Francesca in his oversized palm, IT climbs to the highest mountain where he is swarmed by airplanes flown by Baron von Frankenstein and his zombies. In his final act, the baron drops the vial of destruction, and the island blows up. Safe at sea, Felix makes plans to marry Francesca, but Francesca reveals that she cannot marry him because she is really only a machine fashioned by the baron. Felix consoles her. "Don't worry, Francesca. None of us is perfect...is perfect...is perfect...is perfect...is perfect." [Original Synopsis by bj_kuehl.]

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toni-123 from United States
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I saw this movie when it first came out and totally loved it..Especially Phyllis Dillers character. I saw it several times and then I mentioned it to my sister (7 yrs older) and she told me it had not been on in years. FINALLY about 5 years ago I found it. I bought 2 copies 1 for me to watch and one for my future grandchildren. I love it and watch it every year since I got it. It's great fun and I still enjoy it immensely and I am 45 years old. I guess I am a big kid at heart every year I watch all the specials, Charlie brown, Rudolph, year without a Santa Claus etc. They make me remember when times were easy and holidays were more about being together and having fun.

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Joseph Brando from NJ, USA
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Another super retro puppet-animated feature from Rankin/Bass. This full-length feature film is one of only two specials done by R/B with a Halloween theme - the other being "Mad Mad Mad Monsters" (which is a shorter version of this same story done in inferior cel animation).

When Dr. Baron Von Frankenstein decides to retire from his long career as the head of the monster society, he invites all of his creations - Frankenstein, Mummy, Count Dracula, Invisible Man, Werewolf and many others - for one final bash before handing down his position to his successor which each of the monsters assume will be themselves. When the true successor is revealed as the Baron's long-lost nephew, a nerdy boy named Felix Flankin, all hell breaks loose and poor Felix is in big trouble!!

The characters are really top-notch thanks to a winning combination of exquisitely designed stop-motion puppets and and excellent voices provided by some big-name stars. Boris Karlof adds his eerie sound as the Baron, Phyllis Diller is an ingenious choice as the Monster's Mate, and Gale Garnett takes the cake as the most memorable character, Francesca, a curvy, buxom, husky-voiced sexy red-head with a mind just as sinister as the ghastliest of the monsters.

Featuring a fantastic jazzy, spy-groovy soundtrack and creepy set designs, this campy film creates a genuine 60's Halloween feeling. The jokes that adults will find humorous will fly right over children's heads, which will be too mesmerized by all the cool monsters to notice much else.

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Glenn Andreiev (gandreiev@aol.com) from Huntington, NY
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This will always be such a fun Halloween, or strangely enough, Christmas movie. Many of us have been lucky to see the claymation wonders by Rankin/Bass. This feature length spoof/salute to classic monster movies has the same charm Rankin/Bass gave to their classic Christmas shows- RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER, and THE CHRISTMAS THAT ALMOST WASN'T.

Boris Karloff and Phyllis Diller provide the voices for this fun little comedy about monsters gathering for a big party. The Mummy (complete with "British Invasion" style band) The Gill-Man, King Kong, Dracula, etc. all come to the festivities. It's alot of fun.

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vampi1960 from United States
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When i was a kid i remember them showing this every Halloween on wnew TV channel 5.i thought it was cool to see all the monsters together in one movie,it was made by Rankin bass,the same people who gave us Rudolph the red nosed reindeer(68)and doing the voice for baron Von Frankenstein was none other then the great Boris Karloff.who was also great at doing voice overs for kids movies like the Grinch that stole Christmas and the daydreamer a movie about Hans Christian Anderson.anyway Dr Frankenstein has a bog retirement party to name his successor to take his place as leader of the monsters.he has one nephew who is a mere...,human who he invites to the shindig.the monsters aren't very thrilled about that.heres the lineup; Frankensteins monster,his mate(voiced by Phyllis diller)Dracula,the werewolf,the mummy,the creature,the hunchback,Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde,invisible man,and it (a king Kong lookalike)its a wild monster party with a singing group of skeletons modeled after the Beatles,well remember this is 1968.its a marvel of animation done way before any computer graphics were even thought of.this has always been an ageless personal favorite.even Tim Burton was inspired by mad monster party when he did nightmare before Christmas.10 out of 10 check it out,its a good Halloween party movie.

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John Seal from Oakland CA
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Every year, Mad Monster Party? would show up on TV around Halloween. Every year I watched it, until suddenly it disappeared from the small screen. (This was about the same time that infomercials came into vogue.) It was ten or more long years before I saw it again one night on TNT, and it had lost none of it's magnificence. And now it's shown up again, this time on AMC...and the AMC print is miles better than the washed out one that TNT showed. It's unbelievably bright, displaying a full palette of colours where once all was green and purple. You owe it to yourself---and your children!---to catch Mad Monster Party? at the next possible occasion. It's a Rankin-Bass production, so you know it's quality!

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fomblin from Portland, OR
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I stumbled across this movie tonight on AMC, and was surprised that I hadnt seen it as a kid in the 70's, since many other Rankin/Bass 60min holiday films were shown every year.

This is a full length movie, and while it is great for the kids there are plenty of jokes and elements for the adults. I mean, for one thing, the voluptuous love interest Fransesca is wearing a see-through dress, complete with visible panties, and even cleavage. Also, some of the plot is quite dark, including a great party scene in which the monsters all get drunk an beat each other up.

If you're a fan of the clay puppet works of Rankin, like Rudolph and the bizarre Christmas special "Year Without a Santa Clause," you'll like this animation style. In fact, if you are as nuts as I am you will notice some doll costumes used in this that were used earlier in Rudoplh the Red Nosed Reindeer (in particular, the little red hats used for the footmen for the Lion king of the Ilse of Misfit Toys is used on some nefarious henchmen of Dr Frankenstein)

This movie is full of strange site gags and bizarre musical numbers. I would suggest watching this with a cocktail or five, because it gets rather surreal very fast. And the ending is not what you might expect in a movie supposedly made for kids.

Worth it at least for the Phyllis Diller alone.



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Roger Thornhill
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MAD MONSTER PARTY? is a fantastic addition to our cultural landscape. The Jack Davis designed puppets, the Harvey Kurtzman style satire, the great voices (including the irreplaceable Boris Karloff) and the surf guitar/spy music/monster mash soundtrack all combine to make a unique viewing experience, enjoyable for all ages. Most importantly, this film presents the greatest assortment of classic monsters in one epic story - Dracula, The Werewolf, Frankenstein's Monster, The Creature, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Mummy, King Kong, The Invisible Man, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Peter Lorre inspired Igor!

The Worldwide Organization of Monsters congregate on Monster Island to discuss the retirement of Baron Von Frankenstein (voice of Borris Karloff). The Baron announces that his nerdy nephew, Felix, is to be the sole inheritor of all his secrets, including the power to destroy all matter. This pisses off Frankenstein's inexplicably gorgeous assistant, Franchesca - who has touches of Honor Blackman, Bridget Bardot and Ann-Margret. Several of the monsters also feel that they should each be the sole heir to Frankenstein's evil legacy, and all hell breaks loose.

Whatever flaws this film might have are mightily compensated for by the terrific atmosphere, endearing voices (Felix sounds like Jimmy Stewart) and the unusual, existentialist ending. Whereas many Rankin/Bass Animagic* projects are designed by the gifted Paul Coker, this one is tackled by the wicked side of MAD Magazine, and it shows. MAD MONSTER PARTY? brings that holiday magic reserved for Christmas and shares it with Halloween - a feat later expanded upon by TIM BURTON'S NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS.

*The Rankin/Bass Animagic process is a stop-motion photography technique that uses three-dimensional figures.

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jkv1165 from United States
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A favorite of mine when I was a kid, I just purchased and watched this classic with my kids. I was surprised how much I forgot. . .and remembered! There were a couple of songs ("Stay One Step Ahead" for one) that I began singing along with when the music started. My kids and I laughed and laughed at the corny jokes, the really, really, bad special effects, and the "ancient" quality of claymation. It was a kick and it'll be cool to pull this out and watch it whenever instead of waiting for it to appear on TV, which it rarely did when I was a kid. By the way,the DVD comes with a cool little booklet that gives a lot of great background, but there are few extras on the DVD itself.

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BobLib from Cherry Hill, New Jersey
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What a shame that Rankin/Bass, the people who produced some of the most beloved Christmas specials ever ("Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," etc.) only did two theatrical films, this and "The Daydreamer" a year earlier. "Mad Monster Party" is, like those specials, fun for all ages. Boris Karloff brings his inimitable prescense to the voice of Baron Frankenstein. With this film and Bogdonovich's "Targets" the next year, this old master of the horror film couldn't have asked for a better send-off. And then there's Phyllis Diller, bringing her particular brand of wackiness (And a surprisingly good singing voice!) to the role of "The Monster's Mate." The clay animation throughout is up to Rankin/Bass's usual excellent standard and the result is enjoyable, campy fun, at Halloween or anytime.

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(robocoptng986127@aol.com) from U.S.A
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CONTAINS SPOILERS

On a small island off the coast of the Caribbean lives the famous Baron Von Frankenstein in his castle filled with maniacal creations. Dr. Frankenstein has concocted a new potion. It has th ability to eliminate all matter. The Baron also had a big announcement to make, so he sent out the invitations. He wished to tell all the members of the World Wide Organization of Monsters, so he invites them to his castle for a big party. A Mad Monster Party. The whole gang is invited: Dracula, Wolfman, Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mummy, Invisible Man and The Creature. The Baron also invited someone else: his long lost nephew, Felix Flanken, who operated a pharmacy in lower Vermont. Actually, Felix was the underskilled pharmacist who was quite half-witted and very allergic. He get's very excited when he get's his invitation and heads right to the island.

Other residents of Dr. Frankenstein's castle are Fang, the Frankenstein Monster and Phyllis Diller, the Monster's Mate. Also, a pretty lady named Francesca. She becomes envious when the Baron tells her of Felix and that he will name him his successor. Yes, contrary to belief, the Baron was retiring and he wanted to name his only living kin his successor; Dracula, Wolfman, Invisible Man, Mummy, Hunchback and Dr. Jekyll boarded a ship headed for the island. The captain and his mate were in shock. Felix joined them.

Before long, they all made it to the island. Francesca talks Dracula into helping her eliminate Felix. Fang and Phyllis wanted in on it too. When Dr. Frankenstein informed Felix of his future, he wasn't so sure he could do it, but before he could get the chance to tell "Uncle Boris", an enormous creature arrived on the island. It's name: It. It grabbed up all the monsters, but it was Dr. Frankenstein to the rescue. He got out his new matter eliminating formula and blew them all sky high! Luckily, Felix and Francesca, who fell head over heels for one another, escaped.

Now that I've viewed this enough times, it isn't bad! It's quite cute. We've got horror legend Boris Karloff as Dr. Frankenstein. Phyllis Diller as the Monster's Mate. Gale Garnett is Francesca, and Alan Swift voices everyone else. Mad Monster Party is from Rankin/Bass who brought us such memorable specials as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman. You know, watching this movie makes you anticipate Christmas so you can watch the above. So in conclusion, if you all like Rankin/Bass and stop-motion films and want a good film to watch at Halloween, check this one out!

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monster|dracula|werewolf|stop motion|puppet animation|halloween special|cult film|1960s|sneezing|breaking the fourth wall|boat|surrealism|question in title|fireworks|disembodied head|pie in the face|horror spoof|invisible man|gorilla|vampire|island|killer plant|clay|mad scientist|skeleton|sea monster|clay animation|doctor frankenstein|frankenstein's monster|jekyll and hyde|stop motion animation|castle|giant plant|zombie|claymation|vampire bat|uncle nephew relationship|killer ape|laboratory|hunchback|giant animal|mummy|chef|octopus|independent film|surprise ending|

AKAs Titles:


Certifications:
Australia:G / Singapore:PG / UK:U / USA:Unrated