Happy Halloween! - Sinners

Warner Bros, 2025

Starring Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, and Jack O'Connell

Directed by Ryan Coogler

Music and Lyrics by various

We celebrate Halloween with something truly unique, and one of the biggest surprise hits of the year. Director Ryan Coogler was mainly known for his adaptations, including the two Black Panther films. This is his first original. There was a lot of question marks surrounding this movie when it debuted this April, but it received some of the best reviews of the spring. Positive word-of-mouth turned it into a huge hit, a rarity for an R-rated movie and an original without a franchise behind it. Considering other musicals this year, including Snow White and Kiss of the Spider Woman, have struggled, what made this one stand out? Let's head to Clarksdale, Mississippi in 1932, where twin brothers Elijah "Smoke" and Elias "Stack" Moore (Jordan) are "Wanraising the roof in their father's church with "This Little Light of Mine" and find out...

The Story: The twins buy an old sawmill from smarmy landowner Hogwood (David Maldonado) to open their own juke joint, an African-American nightclub and dance hall. They bring in their cousin Sammie (Caton), despite his pastor father Jeddiah (Saul Williams) warning him against the sins of blues music. They recruit local field worker Cornbread (Omar Benson Miller) as the bouncer, Chinese grocery store owners Grace (Li Jun Li) and Bo (Yao) Chow as suppliers, and legendary blues man Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo) as a musician. Smoke talks his wife Annie (Wunami Mosaku) into cooking for them, despite them being estranged after the death of their infant daughter, while Sammie admires pretty singer Pearline (Jayme Lawson) and Stack tries to court his white-passing ex-girlfriend Mary (Steinfeld). 

The opening night of the juke joint attracts a lot more than customers who only pay in company money. Sammie's music is so transcendent, it attracts the spirits of the past and future...and Remmick (O'Connell), a vampire looking for someone whose music can restore his lost community. He's already turned Hogswood's nephew Bert (Peter Dreimanis) and his wife Joan (Lola Kirke) into vampires, and he attacks Mary when she tries to reason with him. After she turns Stack, he becomes set on taking the entire African-American community. Smoke won't go down without a fight, but when Remmick rallies the rest of the town, it's up to him and those who remain to save the joint and their music from this supernatural menace.

The Song and Dance: Wow, no wonder this was so huge. First of all, the movie is gorgeous. The costumes and sets (filmed in Louisiana) are stunning and period-accurate, perfectly redolent of the sweat and grime of the real south in the early 30's. There's some fabulous performances, too. Jordan does well as both twins, especially the determined Stack, and Caton's performances at the juke joint are good enough to make you understand why Remmick wanted him to play his music, too. Maldonado is a good smarmy landowner, and O'Connell's Irish vampire obsessed with resurrecting his lost home is chilling. And I appreciate how much music is central to the story. It's the reason they want that juke joint, that Sammie defies his father, that Remmick attacks them.

The Numbers: We open with Sammie raising the roof (along with the DC6 Singers Collective and the Pleasant Valley Youth Choir of New Orleans) at his father's church with the traditional "This Little Light of Mine." "Wang Dang Doodle" is the song heard while the men are driving to discuss opening the juke joint with Hogwood. Sammie performs "Travelin'," "Juke," and "I Lied to You" at that "transcendent" juke joint opening night. "Can't Win for Losin'" is another number for Delta Slim and his musicians. There's also "Old Corn Liquor." "Pick Poor Robin Clean," "Will Ye Go, Lassie Go?" and "Rocky Road to Dublin" are the numbers for Remmick and Hogswood's nephew and his wife. The last-named turns into a chorus number when they bring the others vampires in on it. The eerie "Pale, Pale Moon" is Pearline's big number in the juke joint, while Mary gets "Dangerous." 

Trivia: This became the first movie to ever be offered by a streaming service with American Sign Language interpretation (which is how I saw it on Amazon Prime). 

What I Don't Like: First of all, heed that R rating. Given vampires and gangsters are involved, you probably won't be surprised to hear that there's a ton of violence, blood, and swearing in this movie. This juke joint is for adult revelers only. Second, frankly, the more realistic first half, where we learn about the relationships between the Moore twins, their family, and the community is slightly more interesting than the supernatural second half. The second half almost gets into horror Marvel territory and shows that Ryan Cooger hasn't quite left the Marvel action movies behind yet.

The Big Finale: If you're an adult who loves horror, black cinema, or the blues and are willing to take a chance on something different, you'll want to take a trip to enjoy the Moore twins' supernatural Halloween horror party, too.

Home Media: Easily found anywhere, on disc and on streaming.

DVD

Blu-Ray

4K

Amazon Prime (American Sign Language Interpretation Only) 

Hard Rock Nightmare

Baio-Brascia-Venkour Productions, 1988

Starring Martin Hansen, Greg Joujon-Roche, Annie Milkan, and Lisa Elania

Directed by Dominick Brasica

Music and Lyrics by various

This week, we explore how music and horror entwine with one relatively recent and one brand-new film about musicians dealing with supernatural forces. This is apparently low-budget filmmaker Brasica's second movie after the even less-well-known Evil Laugh. If it seems familiar, the story closely resembles another low-budget hard rock horror movie, Rock and Roll Nightmare, from the year before, down to having similar titles. Does it share that movie's (numerous) problems, or does it deserve to escape that cabin in the woods? Let's begin in black and white with a young boy's frightening memories of his grandfather and find out...

The Story: Jim (Hansen) ended up in a mental hospital after he supposedly killed his grandfather when he claimed to be a vampire as a joke. Over a decade later, he's out and now playing in a hard rock band, Bad Boys. When the cops tell them they're too loud to be practicing in a garage, they take their rehearsal to the cabin in the woods Jim inherited from his grandmother. 

Turns out that's not the best idea they ever had. There's something out there in those woods, and it's stalking the group one by one. Jim's horrified when he realizes that this furry menace may be a lot more than a werewolf who doesn't appreciate rock and roll. He may be the ghost of the grandfather he thought he killed...and the answer to what truly happened all those years ago.

The Song and Dance: While still a low-budget, direct-to-video cheese-fest that has "late 80's" stamped all over it, this is slightly better than the truly ridiculous Rock and Roll Nightmare. The pace is ten times faster (they don't spend most of the first half of the film driving) and the ending makes a heck of a lot more sense. The kids actually show a tiny bit more intelligence than usual for these movies, too. Some of them actually attempt to flee or get away, instead of just sitting there and waiting to be killed. 

The Numbers: We open with Bad Boys rehearsing the title song in the garage before the cops show up and complain about them annoying the neighbors. "Prince of Darkness" covers the actual drive to the woods where the guys discuss gimmicks and talk about the girls coming along. They perform "Tell On You" at the first rehearsal in the cabin. "I Think I Want You" is Jim's song for his girl Sally (Elania) before they make love for the first time. The satirical "Friends Forever" is heard over the credits.

What I Don't Like: Um, did I mention this is a low-budget slasher hard-rock horror movie from the 80's? You know what you're getting into here. The acting is dull (especially from the girls) and the dialogue is laughable at best. The special effects may have been passable in 1988, but they look almost comically cheesy now. The ending may make more sense than the one in Rock and Roll Nightmare, but it still comes off as too Scooby Doo-esque for a slasher horror flick.

The Big Finale: Unless you're a huge fan of hard rock or low-budget slasher flicks from the 80's, I'd pass right by this bloodsucker.

Home Media: On Blu-Ray from Grindhouse Video. Currently streaming for free with commercials on Tubi.

Blu-Ray

Tubi

Family Fun Saturday - Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires

Disney, 2025

Starring Meg Donnelly, Milo Manheim, Malachi Barton, and Freya Skye

Directed by Paul Hoen

Music and Lyrics by various

ZOMBIES has been one of Disney's most popular franchises since the original film debuted in 2018. I thought this one ended in 2022, but the subsequent animated show was enough of a success to revive interest in the films. Apparently, Disney was right to return to this well. This wound up being a hit this summer, on the Disney Channel and on Disney Plus. Is the fourth time the charm, or should this franchise be defanged? Let's begin back at Seabrook, just as zombie Zed (Manheim) and part-alien, part-human Allison (Donnelly) are finishing their first year at Mountain College, and find out...

The Story: Zed and Allison intend to spend the summer at separate camps to focus on joining the first-string football team and becoming head cheerleader. They're driving to the camp grounds with Zed's fellow zombie Eliza (Kylee Russell) and werewolf Willa (Chandler Kinney) when an energy surge damages Zed's band that keeps him human, causing him to lose control of the car. They have no idea where they've crashed and split up to find help.

Zed runs across the Daywalkers, led by Commander Bright (Jonno Roberts) and his sweet daughter Nova (Skye), while Allison befriends the live-by-night Vampires, headed by slightly nerdy Victor (Barton) and their eldress (Liza Chappell). The two groups subside on blood fruit and have been competing for the dwindling supply for centuries. Victor and Nova are being taught to follow in their parents' footsteps, but they end up bringing everyone together when they discover the gate to the orchard is locked. Zed and Allison encourage the two group to learn about each other at the abandoned Camp Rayburn, and Victor and Nova admit that they've been having visions of each other. 

Though the kids do come together, their adult leaders don't understand. Not to mention, the energy surges continue, threatening werewolves and zombies far beyond the camp. Zed and Allison have to teach Victor and Nova and their groups that working together is the best way to solve your differences, and there's more than one way to live.

The Song and Dance: At the least, the filming in New Zealand is gorgeous, with its emerald grass and sparkling forests, is absolutely gorgeous. You can understand why people would argue over this land. Donnelly and Manheim remain charming, and there's some terrific group dance numbers, especially in the second half. 

The Numbers: We open with Allison and the cheerleaders and Zed and the football players all claim to be "Legends In the Making" at Mountain College. The two different groups of Vampires insist that their valley home is "The Place to Be," but claim "Don't Mess With Us" when they learn about the dwindling food supply. It's a "Dream Come True" for Victor and Nova when they realize they've been having visions of each other. Nova insists she must lead the Daywalkers "My Own Way." Zed and Allison remind the vampires that anything is "Possible" when they search for the clues to open the way to the blood fruit orchard. They will "Show the World" that they call all work together, cause there "Ain't No Doubt About It," Zed and Allison make a great pair. They come "Together as One" in the finale.

What I Don't Like: Can we say "rehash?" This is basically the same idea as the first movie with a different type of monster and moved outside. The camp setting gives it mild echoes of the Camp Rock franchise, too. Frankly, while Skye and Barton are adorable, they aren't interesting enough to offset their cliched romance or the twice-told story. The music isn't really all that memorable, either. 

The Big Finale: Girls in the appropriate 8 to 12 age range who are already big horror or musical fans will likely get a lot more out of this supernatural love story than I did.

Home Media: It's a Disney Plus exclusive at the moment.

Disney Plus

Shock 'Em Dead

Academy Entertainment, 1991

Starring Stephen Quadros, Traci Lords, Troy Donahue, and Tim Moffett

Directed by Mark Freed

Music by Robert Decker; Lyrics by Mark Freed

We jump ahead 50 years to the height of the heavy metal craze of the late 80's and early 90's. Heavy metal was one of the two big up-and-coming musical genres of the time, with rap being the other. The sound was big, the hair was bigger, and the success was the biggest of all. Stories about the bands' wild lifestyles prompted a lot of jokes and parodies in the 80's and early 90's, of which this is one of the more obscure. Apparently, the script was written in three weeks, and it took a mere three weeks to shoot, monumental even for the era of direct-to-video horror opuses. How does this affect the Faust-like story of a young guitar fan who sells his soul to become a rock star? Let's begin in LA, as an up-and-coming metal band auditions a new guitarist, and find out...

The Story: One of the young men auditioning is Martin (Quadros), a nerdy metal fan who quit his pizza delivery job to join the group. He fails the audition, but falls for the group's beautiful blond manager Lindsay (Lords). Out a job and a home when he's kicked out of his trailer, he desperately goes to a voodoo woman (Tyger Sodipe) to get killer guitar skills. He gets them, all right, along with the insane huge hair, three groupies who are his best friends, and the biggest hair of all. 

Unfortunately, not only does he discover he's sold his soul, he can't eat human food. He can only consume human souls. Traci and her band are impressed with him when he auditions as Angel Martin and hire him on the spot. His incredible guitar skills are instrumental in getting them a record deal with an executive on a major label (Donahue), but people also start dying whenever he's with the group, including their original singer Jake (Jericho DiAngelo). Traci's boyfriend Greg (Moffett) doesn't like the attention Angel is giving her, either. He's determined to find out what's going on with this too-perfect embodiment of rock's excess, before he takes down both his girl and the band.

The Song and Dance: This may have been a quickie B-pic, but it has a few virtues. Quadros is genuinely funny as a parody of the ultimate heavy metal god, and though people may have questioned former soft-core star Traci Lords as the girl who falls under his spell, she's actually quite good. Love the costumes too, with all the requisite big hair, tight dresses, studded metal collars, and neon track suits. Some of the effects are surprisingly decent for a cheap movie, notably near the end when we see Angel's groupies turn back to what they'd been before.

The Numbers: We open with "Purple Haze" for the first audition. "Virgin Girl" is performed at least three times, notably at the first concert before the death of Jake. "I'm In Love With a Slut" and "Get a Band" are the band's other numbers. "Casualty Rap" is heard in the background when they're dragging bodies.

Trivia: As mentioned, this was written in three weeks and shot in another three weeks, with the cast and crew working anywhere from 14 to 20 hours a day. 

Last film for character actor Aldo Rey. 

What I Don't Like: Um, yeah, at other times, it's pretty obvious this is a cheap B-movie from the early 90's. The dialogue is laughable, and most of the characters are jerks or pretty dull. The rock-Faust story has been done better elsewhere, including Phantom of the Paradise from 1974. The rock songs Angel is so obsessed to play are completely unmemorable, too. Neither Donahue nor Rey have much to do, despite being pretty heavily advertised. Donahue only appears mid-way through the movie and vanishes once Angel goes on his killing spree. 

The Big Finale: Not the best thing ever, but if you're looking for a goofy, campy send-up of early 90's hard rock excess, you can do far worse than this piece of low-budget lunacy.

Home Media: On DVD and Blu-Ray from Olive Films. Tubi currently has it streaming for free with commercials. 

DVD

Blu-Ray

Tubi

Murder In the Blue Room

Universal, 1944

Starring Ann Gwynne, John Litel, Grace MacDonald, and Donald Cook

Directed by Leslie Goodwins

Music and Lyrics by various

We kick off our Halloween Horror-a-Thon this week with a spooky mystery and a more recent musical horror film that gives us two different sides of the horror genre. Most of Universal's musicals of the 40's and 50's were fluffy B-pics featuring singing groups like the Andrews Sisters and younger up-and-coming stars like Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan. This may be one of their more creative B-films of the period. How does this tight, goofy thriller look today? Let's begin as a party gathers in the old house owned by Nan's (Gwynne) family and find out...

The Story: Singer Nan Kirkland (Gwynne) returns to her family's spooky mansion for a party. She tells her writer friend Steve Randall (Cook) that her father was murdered sleeping in the Blue Room 20 years before. Nan's friends the Jazzybelles, Peggy (MacDonald), Jerry (June Preissler), and Betty (Betty Kean) arrive to perform for the party. They get caught up in a murder mystery when Larry (Bill Williams), who was in in love with Nan, disappears after sleeping in the Blue Room. They try to stay up and see who did it, only to be drugged, a body to turn up, and for Steve to disappear next. Now these three Belles need to figure out who done it, before they end up being the next ghosts tipping their hats on the patio!

The Song and Dance:  The Jazzybelles and a fairly interesting mystery are the main reasons to see this today. All three of the ladies are hilarious, but Kean gets top honors as the tallest and least-courageous of the trio. Cook has some good moments as the curious writer as well, especially in the second half when he insists on sleeping in the Blue Room. Goodwins does manage a spooky atmosphere with B-movie resources, despite some bobbles with continuity. 

The Numbers: We open with Gwynne (dubbed by Martha Tilton) singing "One Starry Night" with the band as the party goers dance. "A Doo Dee Doo Doo" is the first number performed by the Jazzybelles, with Kean doing some pretty impressive rubber-legged dancing. The Belles get a second instrumental dance routine later when they're rehearsing. "The Boogie Woogie Boogie Man" is their number singing for the butler Edwards (Ian Wolfe).

Trivia: This was originally set to feature The Ritz Brothers, but they'd left films by this point and were replaced with the Jazzybelles.

This is the second remake of the 1933 film Secret of the Blue Room. The first was The Missing Guest in 1938.

What I Don't Like: It's pretty much the Jazzbelles' show. Anything else takes a back seat to their antics, including the rather dull Gwynne. It's also pretty obvious this was originally intended for a more organic comedy team, given how much of the action calls on them to perform together. The copy currently on Tubi is not the greatest - Universal could give this one some more care.

The Big Finale: Fairly enjoyable mystery is not a bad way to spend an hour if you're a fan of the musicals or mystery movies of the 1940's.

Home Media: It is on DVD, but the disc is expensive. You're better off streaming this one. It can currently be found on Tubi for free with commercials.

DVD

Tubi

Happy Halloween! - The Midnight Hour

ABC, 1985

Starring Lee Montgomery, Jonna Lee, Shari Belafonte, and Peter DeLuise

Directed by Jack Bender

Music and Lyrics by various

We remain in the mid-80's on this warm Halloween night with another 80's spoof of 50's and 60's cliches. We move the festivities to television, once again with bored teens out for kicks...but this time, their seemingly harmless antics don't merely dredge up a few well-meaning aliens and a crazed killer. These kids somehow manage to bring no less than the living dead out for some Halloween thrills...but we also have proof that the undead isn't always so scary when one of the living kids falls for a beauty from the 50's who is far from what she seems. How does this bloody romance look nowadays? Let's begin with one little boy preparing his bike and his costume for trick-or-treat and find out...

The Story: Hoping to find really cool Halloween costumes for a big party, high school kids Phil (Montgomery), Melissa (Belafonte), Mary (Deedee Pfiffer), Vinnie (LeVar Burton), and Mitch (DeLuise) steal their ancestor's clothes from the local history museum, along with an old chest containing a ring and a parchment scroll sealed in wax. They don't think it's a big deal to recite the words of the scroll at the local cemetary...until suddenly, the undead come to life and start lumbering around their New England town. Led by Melissa's witch ancestor Lucinda (Jonnelle Allen), they turn almost everyone into town into vampires and zombies. 

Phil is the only person in town who avoids this fate. He spends the night with Sandy (Lee), a pretty, sweet girl in a 50's cheerleader outfit whom he finds wandering around, wondering why everything looks so different. Sandy is the one who realizes that they must find the bones of Mitch's ancestor and seal the scroll, before the vampires make Phil into one of them as well. 

The Song and Dance: When the movie puts the spotlight on Sandy and Phil and their feelings for one another, it's actually kind of sweet. Montgomery and Lee have chemistry, and Lee being a 50's cheerleader instead of a lumbering zombie like some of the other creatures in this movie is unique for a horror film. I also appreciate the diverse cast, with Belafonte and Allen coming off best as the teen girl whose insistence on reading the scroll inadvertently brings in her spooky ancestress. Some of the costumes aren't bad either, including the ones they stole from the museum, Sandy's cheerleader outfit, and the very 80's outfits at the masquerade party. Killer soundtrack too, especially if you're a classic rock fan.

The Numbers: Sam the Sham and the Pharaoh's spooky hit "Little Red Riding Hood" is our first number, as a zombie wanders around town in time to the music. His "costume" is so good, no one gives him two glances, even Phil when he almost runs him over. "Clap for the Wolfman" by the Guess Who plays as Vinnie tries to get Melissa to dance with him and Phil attempts to ask Mary to join him, neither with much success. Mitch finally gets their substitute teacher to dance with him to a remake of "Sea of Love" by Phil Phillips. Bobby Vee's "Devil or Angel" accompanies Phil and Sandy as they dance in front of the mall that stands when the malt shop Sandy once hung out at used to be. Melissa turns the only original song "Get Dead" into a huge dance number with the zombified kids at the party.

Trivia: Listen for DJ Wolfman Jack in vocal cameos throughout the film, including one last request from Sandy in the finale. 

What I Don't Like: Uh...did I mention this is a made-for-TV movie from 1985? At times, it's even more confused about its genre than Voyage of the Rock Aliens was. It can't decide if it wants to be a satire of teen horror flicks, an actual teen zombie horror flick with blood and gore and everyone attacking each other, or a touching supernatural romance. I wish they'd focused even more on Sandy and Phil's relationship. You don't really learn much about Sandy, other than she realizes her time is running out. They could have at least mentioned how she died so young...and didn't come back as a zombie or a vampire like the rest of the town. 

There's also Phil's so-called friends being smarmy, obnoxious brats whose instance on stealing from a museum started all the trouble in the first place. Not to mention, they think of the most ridiculous excuse to get them and the costumes into a cemetery. They couldn't have tried them on anywhere else, especially on Halloween? The sets and special effects are pretty chintzy, too. 

The Big Finale: Critics came down pretty hard on this in 1985, and while it's far from the best horror comedy ever, it's certainly more palatable than Voyage of the Rock Aliens. Worth checking out at least once during your Halloween party, especially if you have actual teens around. 

Home Media: Out of print on DVD for years. Your best best at the moment would be YouTube. 

YouTube

Musicals On TV - The Canterville Ghost (1966)

ABC, 1966

Starring Sir Michael Redgrave, Tippy Walker, Peter Noone, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

Directed by John Robins

Music by Jerry Bock; Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick

The Oscar Wilde short story The Canterville Ghost has been adapted for television almost since the medium began, but this was the first musical version. ABC Stage 67 was their attempt to revive the anthology format that had been so successful in the 50's. It didn't take, but the show did produce four hour-long musicals. We've already seen one, the supremely strange Stephen Sondheim horror show Evening Primrose. Is this one just as good...and weird? Let's begin with Lord Canterville showing Mr. Otis (Fairbanks Jr.), the American ambassador, and his wife (Natalie Schafer) and children a beautiful old English manor and find out...

The Story: When Mr. Otis buys Canterville Manor, he also picks up a genuine ghost. Sir Simon Canterville (Redgrave) has haunted the halls for four hundred years, and is very upset when Mr. and Mrs. Otis and their sons Matthew (Mark Colleano) and Mark (David Charkham) refuse to believe in him. Their daughter Virginia (Walker) and her sweetheart Duke David of Cheshire (Noone) do believe, and she's genuinely concerned about the ghost. Sir Simon first tries to scare them away...but then Virginia discovers his hiding place and why he's haunted the house for so long...

The Song and Dance: Surprisingly sweet comedy actually does a really good job updating the original short story. It's actually pretty accurate, other than adding Noone as Virginia's laid-back nobleman boyfriend to sing ballads. Redgrave gives Sir Simon a great deal of gravity and even a note of humor that makes you understand why Virginia finds him so fascinating. The Harnick-Bock score is really cute, too, including the three parodies of TV jingles (which, amazingly enough, also come from the original book). Love the filming in a real British manor house, too. Thank goodness the color exists for this one, as it's exquisite, with the bright colors of the Otis' mid-60's wardrobes contrasting with the gray castle and Sir Simon's wispy pastels and grays. 

The Numbers: The opening number "Canterville Hall" sets up the premise as the servants explain the legend of the Hall and the ghosts to the Otises. Mrs. Otis doesn't take the stain that keeps reappearing seriously. A little "Undertow" cleaner will remove that. "I Worry" is Virginia's song as she admits that she's concerned about pretty much everything that goes on around her, while David reminds her that she won't get a kiss from him "If You Never Try." 

"Rattletrap" is another singing ad, this time from Mr. Otis as he oils a squeaking door. Sir Simon is more interested in getting "Vengeance" against this tacky and non-believing family. All David can tell Virginia when she asks for him to talk romance to her is "You're Super." "Overhead" is another jingle parody, this time from Virginia. The lovely "Peace" is the writing on the tomb of Sir Simon's wife, which they sing together.

What I Don't Like: This is pretty typical of TV programs at the time. Noone was clearly added for the teen market, as his role is basically to sing ballads with the daughter and not do much else. Wispy Walker is a bit spacey as the teen who actually does believe in Sir Simon. As a TV production, some of the special effects, particularly the ghost moving around, can occasionally look chintzy. 

The Big Finale: Charming horror comedy features terrific music and a lovely performance by Redgrave and definitely deserves to be better-known.

Home Media: To my knowledge, the only way to see this one is on YouTube and the Internet Archive. The YouTube version comes complete with the original commercials for Singer sewing machines and Burlington Industries.

YouTube

Internet Archive

Animation Celebration Saturday - Scooby Doo and the Goblin King

Warner Bros, 2008

Voices of Casey Kasem, Frank Welker, Hayden Panettiere, and Wayne Knight

Directed by Joe Sichta

Music and Lyrics by Thomas Chase Jones

We kick off the Halloween season with the first attempt at a musical Scooby Doo story, and one of their two direct-to-home-media movies to revolve around the holiday. Truth be told, this is kind of an odd story for them in several respects. The monsters and magic are real, not just people in magic and special effects, and Shaggy and Scooby are the ones who don't believe in it. Just how unique is this strange fantasy adventure? Let's start on the horror-themed roller coaster at the Coolsville Halloween Carnival and find out...

The Story: Scooby (Welker) and Shaggy (Kasem) sabotage the Amazing Krudsky's (Knight) act when he won't let Scooby into the show, revealing him to be a fraud. The kids get thrown out of the carnival, and Krudsky swears revenge. He thinks he gets his chance when Fairy Princess Willow (Panettiere) tells him about the powerful Goblin Sceptor that belongs to her father the Goblin King (Tim Curry). Krudsky manages to capture her and absorb her magic.

Scooby and Shaggy are trick-or-treating when they encounter Mr. Gibbles' (Wallace Shawn) Real Magic Shoppe. They learn just how real it is when Krudsky appears, steals the magic equipment, and turns Gibbles into a rabbit. Gibbles sends them to the Spirit World disguised as monsters. The cowardly duo discover just how real magic is when the Grand Witch (Lauren Bacall), a talking Jack O'Lantern (Jay Leno), and a town filled with fairies all join them to rescue the Goblin King and stop Krudsky from taking over the world.

The Animation: Honestly not bad for the Scooby Doo direct-to-home-media movies. There's some wonderful details at the Halloween carnival and in the Spirit World, from the opening horror roller coaster to the fairies' town. The characters move well enough, and the fantastical ones, like Fairy Princess Willow, the Goblin King, and the Grand Witch, have genuinely nifty designs.

The Song and Dance: If you love 80's fantasy adventures like Labyrinth or Shaggy and Scooby's antics, you'll get a real kick out of this one. It also somewhat resembles the 80's Scooby show The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo, with its very real monsters and focus on Scooby and Shaggy. There's an impressive voice cast for one of the Scooby movies, too, with Knight the stand-out as the fake magician who gets way in over his head when he goes looking for real power. (And at the very least, the members of Mystery Inc themselves don't actually sing  here.) 

The Numbers: Mr. Gibbles asks "Who's at the Door?" when Shaggy and Scooby turn up in his shop. He proves that yes, magic is real as the enchanted equipment in his store comes to life. The monsters of the Spirit World sing about how a "Bump In the Night" can scare off most humans. The Goblin King's henchman Glob (Jim Belushi) does the "Goblin Oogie Boogie" with the residents of his master's palace as Shaggy and Scooby try to infiltrate his castle.

What I Don't Like: This is one of the least-typical Scooby Doo movies. If you're looking for something closer to the show, with Mystery Inc chasing criminals in masks, you'll want to go elsewhere. Daphne, Fred, and Velma are barely seen in the beginning and the end. Shaggy and Scooby in particular seem a bit out of character here. They're usually the ones who believe every monster is real. 

The Big Finale: Fantasy fans, fans of the cast, and those who love Shaggy and Scooby's antics will likely get the most out of this Hanna-Barbara Halloween fairy tale.

Home Media: Like all the Scooby Doo films, this is easily found on DVD and streaming. 

DVD

Amazon Prime

Happy Halloween! - The Worst Witch (1986)

ITV, 1986

Starring Fairuza Balk, Charlotte Rae, Diana Rigg, and Tim Curry

Directed by Robert Young

Music and Lyrics by various

Happy Halloween, everyone! Let's return to England for this year's holiday tale. After all those bizarre campfests last week, I thought we'd do some musicals for the whole family. The book The Worst Witch came out in 1974 and was an instant hit, spawning a long series of pre-teen novels and four live-action TV series from 1998 to 2020. Does this first adaptation live up to the ones that came later, or should it be expelled from witch school? Let's begin at the school, with Mildred Hubble (Balk) as she wonders why growing up is so hard, and find out...

The Story: Mildred is the worst witch at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches. She can't figure out basic spells, can't get her cat to sit on her broom, and accidentally turns stuck-up Ethel Hallow (Anna Kipling) into a pig. Miss Cackle (Rae) thinks she has potential and encourages her, but deputy school mistress Miss Hardbroom (Rigg) constantly scolds and reprimands her. After Ethel's sabotage messes up her Halloween flight for the Grand Wizard (Curry), she runs away...only to discover Miss Cackle's evil twin sister Agatha (Rae) and her coven plotting to take over the school. Mildred is the only one who can stop them from turning the other students into toads and pushing the teachers aside.

The Song and Dance: The location filming at a real British prep school (though ironically one for boys) gives this a real Harry Potter flair. Balk is a charming and very funny Mildred, especially when she and Ethel confront each other after a game to scare each other goes wrong. Rae is equally funny as kindly Miss Cackle and her total opposite, fright-wigged Agatha. Tim Curry absolutely steals the show as the adored head Wizard whose wildly sensual number may be his best since "Sweet Transvestite." No wonder all the girls (and a few teachers) swoon over him.

Favorite Number: We open with Mildred thinking "Growing Up Isn't Easy" over the credits, as we see how she's treated at the school and her chronic lateness. Bonnie Langford sings this sweet and wistful ballad. The students and teachers perform the school song...but Agatha's not impressed with their gentle choral number, thinking it would be much better if she wrote it to be more wicked. She describes how delightfully horrible "My Little School" will be as she and her coven chant around their smoking cauldron in the woods.

The big one here is "Anything Can Happen at Halloween." Curry's solo has been kicking around the Internet for years, well before the full movie appeared, and for good reason. The song is an intense, if oddly worded, hard rock number that Curry puts over with an absolute relish that's nearly sexual. He's hard to look away from, even with a psychedelic background of swirling colors and Halloween images in the backdrop behind him.

What I Don't Like: Other than the school backdrops, this looks like a low-budget British TV production from 1986. The green screen whenever anyone is flying and during Curry's "Halloween" number is painfully obvious, as are any attempts at special effects. The witch's cauldron looks like a cheap plastic Halloween prop that couldn't hold a bag of trick-or-treat candy. Mildred's story is more self-discovery than fighting truly nasty villains. Anyone expecting a darker or more action-oriented story ala Harry Potter may be a bit disappointed. 

The Big Finale: For all the cheapness, this still retains enough charm to be recommended for elementary school and pre-teens Mildred's age after trick-or-treating, if for no other reason than seeing Curry's number.

Home Media: There is a DVD, but it's expensive. You may be better off looking for this used or checking around for it at YouTube.

DVD

YouTube

Family Fun Saturday - Monster High 2

Nickelodeon/Paramount, 2023

Starring Miia Harris, Nayah Damasen, Cici Balagot, and Salena Qureshi

Directed by Todd Holland

Music and Lyrics by various

The first Monster High movie was a roaring success, the number one family film on Nickelodeon and Paramount Plus during its debut week. It was such a massive hit, Nick greenlit a second film within weeks of the first film's release. Is this movie just as much fun as the first, or should it be cast out of school? Let's begin with "EekTok" videos relating the previous movie and how Clawdeen (Harris) has become famous since saving the school and find out...

The Story: On the first day back at class, were-cat Toralei Stripe (Qureshi) returns from a year-long trip to Scaris, France. She's stridently against witchcraft and non-monsters attending Monster High, having been attacked by witches while in Scaris. Clawdeen stands up to her, but she insists on protecting one's pack. Headmistress Bloodgood (Marci T. House) nominates Clawdeen and Toralei for prefect, the head of the school who sets an example for everyone else. Toralei intends to run on a platform of inclusiveness, but Clawdeen insists the school is for everyone.

Meanwhile, Draculaura (Damasen) has fallen for a handsome vampire named Ellis (Bonale Fambrini) who also does witchcraft. Witchcraft, however, is banned at the school after two witches attack Draculaura in her room. Clawdeen is now nervous about including witches in her campaign, offending Draculaura. Ellis turns out to have his own secrets. He asks Draculaura to join his coven. It's really his mother Zamara (Ana Ortiz) who is after Draculaura, hoping to use her and her magic to eliminate every vampire in the monster world!

The Song and Dance: I have to admit, I'm enjoying these films. They're a little bit better than Disney's similar ZOMBIES and Descendants, thanks to enjoyable characters and their detailed world. Qureshi is the best addition as the sassy Toralei, who having been burned by witches, believes they're all out to attack monster-kind. Frankie is just as adorable trying to control their newly downloaded powers, and Deuce, his fire-powered friend Heath (Justin Derickson), and Cleo DeNile (Jy Prishkulnick) all have more to do. The costumes and especially the makeup continue to do a decent job making the kids look like their toy counterparts.

Favorite Number: We open at school with "My Heart Goes Boom, Boom" as all of the kids describe being back after the summer. Draculaura and Ellis happily claim that the "Reason We've Got Magic" is to bring their warring clans together and make the monster world a better place. Clawdeen and Toralei claim "You Don't Know" what it's like to be an outsider. The three best friends come together to claim this is "Not How Our Story Goes," and if they fight, they fight together. "Monsters Are" is the big final number, as everyone embraces monsters and humans of all stripes and admits that one can find a friend anywhere.

What I Don't Like: The cliches run just as heavy here as they did in the first movie. You can predict pretty much everything that happens from a mile off, including what Ellis turns out to be, what Zamara's plot is, and who becomes prefict. Other characters still get short shrift, including zombie Ghoulia, Abbey Bomible the daughter of the Abominable Snowman, and half-ghost, half-human Demi Boovais, who adores Clawdeen. The "be yourself" morals continue to be pushed too hard; once again, this is not the place for subtlety.

The Big Finale: This is great Halloween party fare for 8 to 14-year-olds who are horror fans, collect the dolls, or are fans of Disney's ZOMBIES or Descendants. 

Home Media: Currently streaming only. Free on Paramount Plus with a subscription

Paramount Plus

Amazon Prime (Buy Only)

Musicals On TV - Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical

Showtime, 2005

Starring Kristin Bell, Christian Campbell, Ana Gasteyer, and Alan Cumming

Directed by Andy Fickman

Music and Lyrics by Dan Studney and David Manning

If a musical about a snooker-playing vampire is bizarre, what do we call a musical based on a notorious exploitation film? And one that goes much further into its horrific concept than the original film ever did. The original Reefer Madness dates from 1936, when it was presented as an educational morality tale created by a church group to teach young people about the dangers of drug use. 

Somewhere around 1938 or '39, exploitation filmmaker Dwain Esper purchased it and added more salacious scenes, screening it throughout the 40's. Neither he nor the original creator bothered correcting the copyright, so the movie fell in the public domain...which made it popular in the 70's on the midnight movie circuit and with groups looking to legalize cannabis. The songwriters saw the film in 1998 and thought it would make a great musical. It was a hit in LA and later turned up off-Broadway before it turned up in this film version. Is it just as enjoyably weird as the 1936 film, or should it be sent down with the devil? Let's begin in black and white 1936, as The Lecturer (Cummings) introduces our story to a group of PTA parents, and find out...

The Story: Jimmy Harper (Campbell) loves Mary Lane (Bell), but he has two left feet when it comes to swing dancing. He wants to impress her, so he lets slick Jack Stone (Steven Webber) take him across town to give him lessons. Turns out he's really a drug pusher whose home is a Reefer Den, where he lives with his girlfriend Mae (Gasteyer), drug-crazed college drop-out Ralph (John Kassir), and addled prostitute and out-of-wedlock mother Sally (Amy Spangler). 

Jack gets Jimmy quickly hooked on drugs after a wild sexual hallucination. No one can figure out the sudden change in him, not even Mary. Jimmy's so far gone, he even ignores a vision from Heaven. Jimmy tries to drop the drugs after he and Sally run over an old man, claiming to Mary he'll return to her. He's lured back to the den by Jack, who plies him with brownies. Mary follows, too...but when Jimmy sees Mary gone on drugs and Ralph pawing her, he attacks Ralph. Jack's shot ends up killing Mary, and Jack frames Jimmy for her death. Now Jimmy may end up taking the rap, if Mae doesn't come forward and admit what "the Stuff" has done to her life and the lives of so many others.

The Song and Dance: As you can guess from the plot description, this is seriously weird. It's supposed to be spoofing the drug culture, other musicals, and cheapie exploitation films, but the dark subject matter and heavy blood and violence definitely push it into black comedy territory. Campbell and especially Bell are hilarious as the clean-cut kids who are suddenly turned into murderers and sex fiends due to the drug culture, and Gastmeyer is excellent as abused, pushed-around Mae. Cummings is appropriately sinister, yet oddly friendly as the Lecturer who seems to be everywhere at once. Surprisingly attractive production for a TV musical too, with stunning costumes recreating sweet 30's suburbia and kinky drug-fueled fantasies and gorgeous bright-hued sets.

Favorite Number:  We open in the black-and-white schoolroom, as the Lecturer explains to his audience what we're about to see and what is so horrible about "Reefer Madness." Mary and Jimmy imagine they'll be just like "Romeo and Juliet" in their first duet, not realizing just how close to those doomed lovers their romance will get. Mae laments how she's so hooked on "The Stuff," she can't escape her abusive relationship with Jack. The teens in town and soda shoppe owner Miss Poppy (Neve Campbell) get some wild swing dancing in "Down at the Ol' Five and Dime." Jack grabs Miss Poppy to show Jimmy and the teens how dancing is really done, in a tango that's far more passionate than almost anything that would have been shown onscreen in 1936.

Jimmy's first drug hit turns into "The Orgy," a wild sexual fantasy of nearly-naked dancers strutting around waving marijuana branches. Mary counters with "Lonely Pew" as she prays at a local church that Jimmy will remember how much she loves him. "Listen to Jesus, Jimmy," begs the angels from Heaven as he himself tries to point out to the young man that he's following a very dark path. Jimmy repents and briefly returns to his "Mary Jane/Mary Lane," in a ballad so joyous, everyone in the entire film - even the old man who got run over and the people in the PTA audience - sing along with it. 

"The Brownie Song" takes us into animation as Jimmy's rhapsody about his first drug pastry becomes another wild fantasy number. Ralph accuses Mary of being "Little Miss Sunshine," until she takes the drug and suddenly turns into a black leather-clad dominatrix in his imagination. Jimmy realizes how much like Romeo and Juliet they are during "Mary's Death." It's "Murder!" when Mae wonders if pulling back from telling the truth and letting Jimmy take the rap is a good idea. She's still covered in blood when she runs to the President and turns her admittance of Jimmy's innocence into the grand finale "Tell 'Em the Truth," complete with Sally as Lady Liberty, Ralph as Uncle Sam, Jack as George Washington, and prisoners strutting all around the electric chair.

Trivia: Look for Neve Campbell in a cameo as Miss Poppy. 

"Mary Jane/Mary Lane" won the Best Song Emmy in 2005. 

What I Don't Like: First and foremost, the violence, blood, and heavy subject matter makes this absolutely not for children. It's also not for those looking for a lighter musical. Despite the big fancy chorus numbers, this is as toasty-dark of a comedy as you can get. It's not for those looking for subtlety, either. This is as in-your-face as the notorious anti-drug film it's making fun of. 

And speaking of, it does make some changes from the original film and the stage show. In the original movie, Jimmy was two characters. Bill was Mary's boyfriend who got involved with drugs, Jimmy was her brother. Mae's name was Blanche, and she jumped out a window rather than state evidence against Jack. Jack had a boss he answered to, and Ralph tried to attack Mary. Ralph kills Jack, not Blanche. It also drops several songs from the stage show, but does add "Mary Jane/Mary Lane" and "The Brownies Song."

The Big Finale: If you're an adult who loves black comedy, have seen the original exploitation film, or are looking for a truly dark and bizarre musical, this one is highly recommended. 

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming. Tubi currently has it for free with ads.

DVD

Tubi

Cult Flops - Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire

ITC Entertainment, 1987

Starring Phil Daniels, Bruce Payne, Alun Armstrong, and Louise Gold

Directed by Alan Clarke

Music and Lyrics by various

This week's Halloween Horror-Fest gets seriously weird with two bizarre cult flicks that couldn't precisely be called horror, but can't really be called anything else, either. Our first entry comes to us from across the Atlantic. Clarke was best known for directing several BBC plays, most of them dramas or horror. After directing the theatrical version of one of them, Scum, he went ahead and made what would be his first original theatrical release...and "original" is the right word for it. Just how weird is this musical about a young man who plays a vampire to win the "snooker" (a type of billiards) championship? Let's start with that young man, Billy Kid (Daniels) playing snooker to win and find out...

The Story: T.O (Payne), Billy's manager, is also a compulsive gambler who owes piles of money to loan shark The Wednesday Man (Don Henderson). He'll cancel T.O's debt if he can arrange a 17-round grudge snooker match with reigning snooker champion Maxwell Randall, an actual blood sucker known as the Green Baize Vampire. 

T.O hires journalist Miss Sullivan (Gold) to interview Maxwell and Billy separately and ask questions designed to stir trouble between them. It works, especially with Maxwell, who is close to retirement, but has no desire to share the limelight with some upstart Cockney. The Wednesday Man, however, has his own motives for the match, and he has no intentions of playing fair. Billy has to rely on his own talent and cunning when it turns out there's a lot more riding on this match than just a world championship.

The Song and Dance: Well, I think we just found one of the most unique musicals ever created. I've never heard of another musical, or film, for that matter, revolving around vampires and a grudge snooker game. For all the weirdness, the cast is obviously having a great time with the strange premise. Payne and Armstrong are the stand-outs as the smarmy manager desperate to cover his gambling debts and the aging vampire pool shark with a fondness for the elegant "old days" who despises the grittier new guards. The booming music has the feel of the big Andrew Lloyd Webber rock operas that were wildly popular in London at the time, driving, bombastic, and campy. 

Favorite Number: We open with Billy's "Green Stamps" over his first game as we see what he does, why he does it, and meet his entourage. T.O gets "Poker Song" when he's gambling and "I'm the One" as he reminds Billy how he promoted him into the big shot he is now. Maxwell reminds his wife (Eve Ferret) after hearing Billy's interview that he's a vampire and "I Bite Back." Billy and the patrons of "Supersonic Sam's Cosmic Cafe" sing about their world there and how much different it is from upper-class citizens like Randall. 

Big Jack Jay (Neil McCaul), the announcer at the grudge match, reminds the crowds that it's "Snooker (More Than Just a Game)."  "Quack Quack" is the big ensemble number, as the lower-class citizens rooting for Billy and the wealthy upper class who want Randall to win insult each other. "Kid to Break" is how Billy kept losing the first half of the match. It takes the reminder that "It's the Fame Game" to finally give Billy the impetus to win. T.O sends the audience out with the eerie "White Lines, Black Cadillac" over blackness as the credits roll.

What I Don't Like: This is about as cult as you can get. If you're looking for something a little less weird or campy, you are definitely in the wrong place. The filming is extraordinarily cheap, with some of the skimpiest lighting I've ever seen in a musical. Everyone always looks like they're hanging out in a permanent dark corner, even when it's supposed to be daytime. This is campy, cheap, and is so much of everything, it's not really much of anything besides a musical. It's not scary enough to be horror or thriller, not funny enough for a comedy, and not really much of a drama, either. 

Not to mention, this is also very, very British. The accents are occasionally hard to decipher on this side of the Atlantic, and I don't think snooker has ever been anywhere near as big over here. 

The Big Finale: If you're looking for the next great bizarre cult film to show your Halloween party guests, they don't come much weirder or more original than this. Worth checking out at least once if you love English movies, camp, or just want to try something truly different. 

Home Media: Easily found anywhere; it's currently streaming on Tubi for free with commercials.

DVD

Tubi

Family Fun Saturday - Monster High: The Movie

Paramount/Nickelodeon, 2022

Starring Miia Harris, Cici Balagot, Nayah Damasen, and Case Walker

Directed by Todd Holland

Music and Lyrics by Matthew Tishler, Jeannie Lurie, and Andrew Underberg

Mattel's Monster High debuted in 2010 as a fashion doll line based around the children of famous horror and science fiction characters. The line was an instant sensation with its beautifully detailed dolls and their hilarious personalities delighting horror fans and young girls alike. They continued in an online animated show and a series of direct-to-DVD animated films until 2016. The first attempt at reviving the line didn't go over very well, ending in 2018. Mattel tried again 2020 with another new doll continuity and a new animated series. This movie is the second major media release for the third generation, and the first live-action movie in the series. Does it do better with its scary school kids than the Disney franchise Z.O.M.B.I.E.S did? Let's begin with what seems like an ordinary kid joining other teens skateboarding and find out...

The Story: Clawdeen Wolf (Harris) is half-werewolf, half-human, the result of a marriage between her human dad Apollo (Scotch Ellis Loring) and her late werewolf mother. She's excited to study at Monster High with other monsters like her mother did, but the school fears humans and doesn't allow them on the grounds. Clawdeen tries to keep her human side hidden, but she does eventually tell her roommates, sweet and newly-built Frankie Stein (Balagot) and aloof Draculaura (Damasen), the daughter of Dracula. 

After their teacher Mr. Kronos (Kyle Selig) tells them about Edward "Eddie" Hyde, a half-human student who was expelled and later killed by humans, Clawdeen becomes determined to find his lab and the formula he created that could make him a full monster. Frankie and Draculaura, who has her own secrets, helps her out. Meanwhile, Clawdeen is starting to fall for Deuce Gorgon (Walker), which doesn't amuse his ex-girlfriend and mummy queen of the school Cleo DeNile (Jy Prishkulknik) one bit. Even after she does find the potion, Clawdeen wonders if taking it is worth losing a part of her, and if being two partly human is really so bad.

The Song and Dance: While this one does have a lot in common with Z.O.M.B.I.E.S, it's also less bright and shiny-happy than Disney's horror parables. My favorite character by far was non-binary Frankie Stein. They are a literal doll who may have the knowledge of great inventors in their brain, but finds they have a lot to learn about friendship. Balagot is too adorable playing Frankie as the naive newcomer who is brilliant and loyal to a fault. Walker also does well as Deuce Gorgon, who reminds Clawdeen that there's far worse abilities out there than turning into a human...like being able to turn people into stone by looking at them. I also love the costumes and makeup that do a decent job making the kids resemble their fashion doll counterparts. 

Favorite Number: We don't get our first number until almost ten minutes in, but it's the jubilant "We are Monster High" as Clawdeen - and the audience - meets her fellow Monster High students and faculty. "Coming Out of the Dark" introduces Clawdeen to her roommates and to Deuce, along with her attraction to him. "Three of Us" and "Triple Up" are Clawdeen, Draculaura, and Frankie's big best-buddy trio songs. The first is heard when they're getting ready to find the ingredients, the second after they're attacked.

Kronos (to the dismay of his students) sings his lesson about how Eddie Hyde didn't have a "True Monster Heart" and was expelled because of it. The "Good Newz Girls," several female students, provide "Here I Am" and "Spark." Deuce tells Clawdeen how much he appreciates her "Trust," even as she tries to get venom from the snakes on his hair. In the finale, when confronted by Headless Headmistress Bloodgood (Marci T. House), Clawdeen finally admits that she has "No Apologies" for who she is. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, I don't know much about the original Monster High films and books, but apparently there were quite a few changes for this third re-release. Clawdeen was originally full monster, Deuce stayed Cleo's boyfriend,  Draculaura was a lot more upbeat, and a lot of characters had accents who don't have them here. I'm more concerned about the "be yourself" morals being just slightly less obvious than the very similar plot in Z.O.M.B.I.E.S, the script that runs with every mad scientist cliche in the book, and the so-so music and unorganized dance routines. 

The Big Finale: If your have an 8 to 14 year old girl who loves the doll line and cartoon show or is a fan of the similar Z.O.M.B.I.E.S, she may have a howling good time with this one.

Home Media: It's on DVD and streaming, the latter at Paramount Plus.

DVD

Paramount Plus

Hillbillys In a Haunted House

Woolner Brothers Pictures, 1967

Starring Ferlin Husky, Joi Lansing, Don Bowman, and John Carradine

Directed by Jean Yarbrough

Music and Lyrics by Merle Haggard and others

Teenagers weren't the only audiences targeted by independent studios in the 1960's. B movie makers also created films for drive-in theaters in small towns and rural areas. They weren't the only ones handling that market, either. Sitcoms made for rural audiences flourished in the 60's. The Beverly Hillbillies ran for 9 years on CBS, Petticoat Junction ran for 7 years, and The Andy Griffith Show went 8 years. These goofy, folksy shows clearly had a market. Country music also held popularity in these years, even as rock and folk began to dominate the airwaves. How did one company manage to blend country musicals, rural comedy, and another genre that was big in the mid-60's, the James Bond-esque spy caper, into the story of three country singers who run afoul of spies in an old house? Let's start on the road, as three country performers sing about the show in Nashville they're heading to, and find out...

The Story: Woody Weatherby (Husky), Boots Malone (Lansing), and Jeepers (Bowman) are on their way to a show in Nashville when they're caught in a shootout between local authorities and spies. They take refuge in an old house nearby. It soon becomes apparent that not only is the house haunted, but it's run by another group of spies...and they don't take kindly to intruders! The trio have to rescue Boots and dodge the gorilla one spy (Lon Chaney Jr.) keeps in the basement.

The Song and Dance: If you're a country fan, you may enjoy some of the music, including an early appearance by Merle Haggard. We also get some of the last film appearances of Basil Rathbone and Lon Chaney Jr. as members of the spy ring, along with John Carradine having fun chewing the scenery as the demented mad scientist. Chaney even gets a few surprisingly dark moments for a B-musical when shoots the traitorous government agent. 

Favorite Number: We open on the road with Lansing, Husky, and Bowman singing about how they're on their way to "Jamboree Time." Husky sings about how they're "Living In a Trance" after they arrive. Sonny James and His Southern Gentlemen randomly turn up to sing "The Cat Came Back" and "The Minute You're Gone." Lansing dreams of "Gowns" when she sees a gorgeously appointed room full of antiques in the mansion and wonders what it would have been like to live then. Husky switches on the TV in time to hear Haggard perform "Someone Told My Story" and Jim Kent talking about those "Tell Me Shoes." 

The last ten or so minutes of the film is devoted to that Nashville Jamboree they were so desperate to get to. Marcella Wright admits "Now We're Strangers." Haggard returns with "Swinging Doors," while Molly Bee wonders about that "Heartbreak U.S.A." Husky wonders about "The Bridge I've Never Crossed," while Lansing contemplates her "Part-Time Lover" and Bowman finishes with "Wrong House."

Trivia: The second movie in this series after The Las Vegas Hillbillys. Mamie Van Doren played Boots Malone there.

Rifftrax did a version of this a few years ago.

The last of many times Chaney Jr. and Carradine appeared together. 

Final film of director Jean Yarbrough.

What I Don't Like: Yeah, it's pretty obvious this is a B country musical. None of the leads can act. Other than the opening "Jamboree Time" on the road and Lansing's "Gowns" dream sequence, the music is shoehorned awkwardly into the plot. In fact, the plot devolves into a series of country acts by the end. All those great character actors are wasted in thankless comic spy roles, and Linda Ho as the Dragon Lady doesn't have much to do. The cardboard sets and horribly cheese dialogue belies the film's low budget. And how do they manage to react to suddenly seeing spies and cops killing each other in the middle of nowhere with total indifference? 

The Big Finale: This one is for country music fans, major fans of the character actors involved, or those who are like Rifftrax and prefer their musicals on the cheesy side.

Home Media: Both the Rifftrax and original version can be easily found streaming for free. The original is on DVD as well.

DVD

Tubi - Original

Amazon Prime - Rifftrax

Scared Stiff (1953)

Paramount, 1953

Starring Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Lizbeth Scott, and Carmen Miranda

Directed by George Marshall

Music and Lyrics by various

As I did last year, I'm easing us into our two-week Halloween Horror-Fest with an older spooky comedy. Martin and Lewis were among the top money-makers at Paramount by the time this movie came out, but they did have respect for their comedy predecessors at the studio. They didn't really want to make this movie at first, as they considered Bob Hope's 1940 version The Ghost Breakers to be fine the way it was. Producer Hal B. Wallis thought it would make a great vehicle for them and held the duo to their contracts. Was he right to do this, or is the story of two nightclub performers who get mixed up with gangsters and a lady who inherited a haunted house dead on arrival? Let's begin at the nightclub where singer Larry Todd (Martin) is currently performing and find out...

The Story: Larry and his waiter buddy Myron Mertz (Lewis) end up fleeing New York when Larry believes he accidentally killed a gangster. Larry hides in the trunk of Mary Carroll (Scott), a young woman who is visiting her ancestral home in Cuba. They join her in Cuba, and after performing with nightclub sensation Carmelita Castinha (Miranda), head to her newly-inherited castle. Turns out the creaky old manor has many secrets, including an ancestor who is a dead ringer for Mary and someone who will literally kill to keep her and the guys from finding the treasure hidden in its walls.

The Song and Dance: In some ways, I enjoyed this even more than the 1940 Ghost Breakers. Nervous as he is, Lewis is still less cowardly (and a lot less offensive) than Willie Best in the equivalent role in that movie, and Martin's having just as much fun as Hope. Miranda's vogue had long since passed by 1953, but she still has fun with the guys in her second number. There's a few good gags as well, especially in the opening when the guys demonstrate their nightclub act and when they finally make it into the haunted house during the last 20-30 minutes of the film.

Favorite Number: We open with Martin singing "I Don't Care If the Sun Don't Shine" surrounded by a bevy of beauties in scanty costumes. He's solo for "You Hit the Spot." Larry and Myron ask each other "What Have You Done For Me Lately?" as Larry reminds Myron of their friendship. Miranda and the duo get two numbers together, the goofy bongo number "Bongo Bingo" with Miranda wiggling while the guys play drums and the more dramatic "Song of the Enchilada Man" with the chorus in Cuba. The latter is a big routine, with Miranda singing to enchilada seller Martin while Lewis goofs off around them and the chorus ladies lounge sexily in door frames. Martin's big ballad is "When Someone Wonderful Thinks You're Wonderful" on the boat with Scott. Lewis does his attempt at a Miranda imitation (complete with fruit-topped hat) singing her hit "Mama Yo Quiero."

Trivia: Carmen Miranda's last movie and the first future TV mogul Norman Lear worked on. 

Look for Bing Crosby and original Ghost Breakers star Bob Hope in a rather dark cameo at the end. They're repaying the favor after Martin and Lewis did a cameo in their Road to Bali earlier in 1953. 

George Marshall also directed The Ghost Breakers. In addition to being a remake of the 1940 film, there were two silent versions of the story filmed under the title The Ghost Breaker in 1914 and 1922. Both are now lost. 

What I Don't Like: They could have given Miranda more to do, like actually be involved with the plot. She's just there to goof with the guys in specialty numbers. Scott and Dorothy Malone as Larry's chorus dancer girlfriend at the New York club have even less to do. Scott's mainly known for her work in thrillers and film noir; wacky comedy was never her forte. Malone's character vanishes after they leave New York and is never mentioned again. 

While the updating does make this less dated than Ghost Breakers, it also makes it a tad less scary. With the spooky housekeeper eliminated, the only "ghost" in the haunted house is a zombie who looks less like a zombie and more like a big guy ambling around. They also take forever just to arrive at the haunted house. There's way too much padding in the middle of the movie on the boat and in the nightclub before they arrive. None of the musical numbers have a single thing to do with the plot besides "What Have You Done for Me Lately?" and Martin's ballad.

The Big Finale: Mainly of interest to fans of the duo separately or together, of Miranda, or those who want to see another version of this oft-told tale.

Home Media: Only on DVD in the US as part of a now-pricey Martin and Lewis DVD collection. At the moment, you may be better off streaming this one.

DVD - Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis Comedy Collection Vol One

Amazon Prime

Happy Halloween! - Pooh's Halloween Heffalump Movie

Disney, 2005

Voices of Jimmy Bennett, Kyle Stanger, Jim Cummings, and John Fielder

Directed by Elliot M. Bour and Saul Andrew Blinkoff

Music and Lyrics by various

Let's spend Halloween at the Hundred Acres Woods for the last Pooh holiday movie to date. After the Pooh films of the late 90's and early 2000's often got too dark for their audiences, Disney started writing in additional characters to gentle things down. Pooh's Heffalump Movie came out earlier in 2005, adding Lumpy, a sweet-natured Heffalump who befriends Roo, to the cast. How does Lumpy's second outing look nowadays? Let's start at Piglet's house, as everyone tells spooky stories in preparation for Halloween, and find out...

The Story: While they prepare their costumes, Tigger tells everyone the story of the Gobloon, who turns his victims into "jaggedy-lanterns." If you catch him, you get a wish. Roo convinces Lumpy that they should find the Gobloon when Pooh eats all the candy and trick-or-treat may have to be canceled. They make a map that follows Tigger's story, but when it comes to catching the Gobloon, poor Lumpy's too scared. Roo tells him the story of how Piglet found it in himself to be brave the previous Halloween. When Roo finds a pumpkin that looks like his friend and thinks he's been taken by the "Gobloon," he finally knows what he really wants for Halloween - a best friend by his side. 

The Animation: Not the best from Disney's low-budget Disneytoon Studios. Normally, that works with the simple world of Winnie the Pooh, but there's a few continuity glitches here (the candy bags Pooh empty magically refill later), and some of the shadows and special effects don't look so good, either. On the other hand, the characters move pretty well, and Lumpy in particular is so huggable, I'd love to find a stuffed toy of him. 

The Song and Dance: Lumpy and Roo's adorable relationship is so much fun to watch in the first half. I love seeing Roo trying to help his friend, and how Lumpy eventually overcomes his fear. The middle segment is the Pooh TV Halloween special Boo To You, Winnie the Pooh, and it's equally fun, with a bit of a dark side in Piglet's fears and the shadowy animations. 

Favorite Number: We open with "Trick or Treating With Our Friends" as Roo and the others explain to Lumpy how much fun that is. Lumpy and Roo create their map and costumes as they sing about how they're "Brave Together." A whimpering Piglet tries to encourage himself with "I am Not Afraid" during the Boo To You segment. Also in Boo to You, Tigger claims that he likes to "Scare Himself," and he can't understand why Piglet doesn't. 

Trivia: Final film for Piglet's long-time voice artist John Fielder. He died during production. Travis Oates finished his work and became the next voice of Piglet. 

What I Don't Like: As cute as Lumpy and Roo are, I wish we saw more of the rest of the gang. Roo mentions Owl and Gopher is seen in the Boo to You segment, but Christopher Robin is nowhere in evidence. On one hand, I am glad they created an original story around Boo to You, instead of stringing three random shorts together as in the Thanksgiving compilation Seasons of Giving. I just wonder why they felt the need to create movies around the holiday specials at all. The dark-ish Boo to You doesn't really fit in with the somewhat sweeter Halloween Heffalump Movie, and it's obvious it was added as padding mid-way through. 

The Big Finale: Cute enough if you have little kids who will enjoy Lumpy and Roo's antics for an hour before trick-or-treating, or if you enjoyed Pooh's Heffalump Movie. Completely unnecessary for anyone else. 

Home Media: Oddly, not currently on Disney Plus (though Pooh's Heffalump Movie is). It is on DVD and can be found streaming elsewhere.

DVD

Amazon Prime (Rental Only)

Musicals On Streaming - Z.O.M.B.I.E.S 3

Disney, 2022

Starring Milo Manheim, Meg Donnelly, Trevor Tordjman, and Kylee Russell

Directed by Paul Hoen

Music and Lyrics by various

Though ZOMBIES 2 did nearly even better than the original in the ratings, Disney still chose to switch the third film in the series to streaming. Otherwise, they didn't mess around with the formula. How does the final parable of tolerance when another, more benevolent type of monster invades the squeaky-clean town of Seabrook come off? Let's begin with the big high school football game as zombie quarterback Zed (Manheim) and human cheerleader Addison (Donnelly) explain its significance, especially for Zed's fellow monsters, and find out...

The Story: If Zed can win the game and gain an athletic scholarship, he'll be the first monster to attend college. He's about to talk with the recruiters when a massive UFO lands, sending everyone fleeing. Fortunately, the aliens who emerge from it are friendly. They only want to find a map to their perfect home, but tell the others they're going to attend the National Cheer-Off. 

Neither the zombies nor the werewolves trust these strange and humorless beings at first, especially after they lower Zed's test and athletic scores. They agree to help Zed with his scholarship if he helps show them around Seabrook. It doesn't help that the most enthusiastic, A-Spen (Terry Hu), claims she's in love with Zed. When they accidentally beam Addison up to their Mothership (RuPaul) with Zed, Addison makes a shocking discovery about who sent them there...and wonders if she's finally found who she really is and where she belongs. 

The Song and Dance: Once again, I give Disney credit for attempting the racism parallels at all. Many people can certainly relate to Addison's delight when she realizes she's finally found a group she fits in with. I also like how the aliens are portrayed. They don't want to tear apart anyone. They just want to find a home. RuPaul gets some of the film's best lines as the literal Mothership who tries to act as a genuine mother to her extraterrestrial brood, and Terry Wu is nearly as funny as they try to figure out how they feel about Zed and these odd things called emotions. Speaking of, the design of the Mothership is just incredible. They actually did a really good job with the special effects there. It's huge and gorgeous. 

Favorite Number: As in the previous films, we open with a big chorus number explaining who everyone is and what's about to happen, in this case "Ain't No Doubt About It." It's an "Alien Invasion" as the cast scatters, frightened or angry or shocked that these extraterrestrials have suddenly appeared and shaken up their lives. The werewolves encourage whomever attacked their moonstone to "Come On Out" and face the consequences of their actions. Everyone encourages Zed in his attempt at getting that scholarship by reminding him that he's "Exceptional Zed," and just him being in a "normal" school and playing on the football team is a great accomplishment. 

Addison revels in the discovery of her alien heritage as she admits "I'm Finally Me"...and encourages everyone else to be themselves, too. The squad's big routine at the Cheer-Off has them "Fired Up," and gets the crowd just that as Addison finally completes an amazing twist in the air no one could do before. 

Trivia:  If you're like me and wonder why Eliza, the female zombie, spent the movie talking to her friends via an iPad, her actress Kylee Russell was pregnant during filming. The story is Eliza now works for Z-Corp, the business that makes the bracelets that repress the zombies' desire to eat brains.

An animated series based on the three films is currently in development. 

What I Don't Like: This is yet another rehash of the first film, with the twist that the aliens are more goofy and curious than feral or monstrous. Once again, everyone forgets what they learned previously when the aliens appear. While the special effects have improved, the makeup and costuming still belies the series' low-budget streaming origins. The aliens look more like space-themed rock stars from the 1980's than anything out of this world. The zombies and werewolves are still just kids in bad green makeup and fur-trimmed jackets respectively.

And...frankly, all three movies push their "different is good," "be yourself," and "conflict can be good" morals with all the force of the zombies unleashed from their bracelets. They're not for anyone looking for something more subtle.

The Big Finale: While not my favorite Disney Channel musicals, these are still some of their better ones. Highly recommended for horror fans and musical lovers in the appropriate 8 to 14 age range. 

Home Media: Currently a Disney Plus streaming exclusive.

Disney Plus

Cult Flops - Rock n' Roll Nightmare

Shapiro Entertainment, 1987

Starring Jon Mikl Thor, Jillian Peri, Frank Dietz, and David Lane

Directed by John Fasano

Music and Lyrics by various

Let's head to the Great White North for a hard rock horror-fest that's so obscure, I never heard of it until last week. Normally, neither 80's heavy metal nor 80's creature horror is really my thing, but this sounded so wonderfully campy, I had to take a look at it. Is it worth checking out now, or should it be dropped off at a house in the middle of nowhere? Let's begin with a family who is about to discover the evil that's dwelling in their secluded farmhouse in Ontario, Canada, and find out...

The Story: Ten years after the family disappears, the farmhouse is rented by John Triton (Thor), head of the heavy metal group Tritonz, and his manager Phil. Triton wants to use it as a recording studio so his band can focus on writing and rehearsing their new album. The evil that killed the family lingers, however, and picks off the band and their groupies one by one. John's the only one who doesn't seem touched by the horror they're facing...and it turns out, he's the one who set a trap for them. 

The Song and Dance: Creative low-budget cross between two of the 80's favorite genres, cheap bloody horror films and heavy metal. You can't get much more late 80's heavy metal than this music. Big hair on everyone, big muscles on the men, tight t-shirts, loose sweaters, lots of soft-core sexual situations between some fairly cheap (and gross) puppets. They do manage to build the scares effectively. The simple camerawork and backwoods setting actually helps add to the tense ambiance.

Favorite Number: We don't get our first actual number until more than 20 minutes into the film, but it's the band rehearsing their theme "We Live to Rock." They cut off at the end when it's not up to John's standards. The later rehearsal number "Energy" sure has a lot of it as the band throws themselves into the uptempo dance rave. "The Challenge" may be the best of the sexually-charged numbers as the possessed Stig gets a lot more into his drumming.

Trivia: This went direct-to-home-video.

Director John Fasano provided the voice of the demon monster in the finale. 

It was originally titled Edge of Hell, but the producers re-titled it to the more video-friendly Rock n' Roll Nightmare. 

Filmed in just seven days.

What I Don't Like: And the movie looks it. Everything screams "cheap low-budget 80's horror," from the paper mache puppets to the bad acting from Thor's wife and friends to the special effects that probably came off the shelves at a local craft store. The story makes no sense whatsoever. The deadly dull credits that consist of Thor's van driving across Canadian highways exist because they literally needed something to pad out the film and are boring to the point of sending people into a stupor.

That ridiculous ending not only comes completely out of nowhere and doesn't jive with what came before it, it's poorly filmed, edited, and just looks silly. Thor tries to throttle a skeleton puppet that's throwing squishy starfish at him, for heaven's sake. If you're looking for a more serious horror film or aren't into heavy metal or camp, this is not the place for you.

The Big Finale: This goes a little too heavy into the sex and gore for my taste, but I can't deny that it's certainly creepy and unique. If you're a fan of heavy metal or are looking for the perfect "so bad it's hilarious" horror movie for your Halloween party or late-night get-together, jump in the van and look up this one.

Home Media: If you're interested, this is actually pretty easy to find on disc and streaming.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Animation Celebration Saturday - Scooby Doo! Stage Fright

Warner Bros/Hanna-Barbara, 2013

Voices of Frank Welker, Gray DeLisle, Matthew Lillard, and Mindy Cohn

Directed by Victor Cook

Music and Lyrics by various

Scooby Doo! Music of the Vampire remains the only full musical Scooby Doo project to date, but they did occasionally incorporate musical numbers or songs into plots or use them as background for action scenes. Later Scooby series also frequently referenced or spoofed the pop culture of the time, as with the American Idol references in this episode. How does that tie into a Phantom of the Opera-style tale about a spook haunting the former opera house where a talent show is taking place? Let's begin just as Talent Search is about to go on...or is it? 

The Story: Fred (Welker) and Daphne (DeLisle) are finalists in Talent Search, singing and playing their own material. Velma joins for the finals and to check out local museums, while Shaggy (Lillard) and Scooby (Welker) tag along for the famous Chicago deep-dish pizza. As it turns out, there may not be a show. A "Phantom" who once terrorized the Opera House when it became a disco in the late 70's seems to have returned. He's especially interested in a bratty little girl named Chrissy (Ariel Winter) and her obnoxious show business parents who are also finalists. 

As the kids investigate further, Velma begins to realize that the Phantom seems to have distinctly different motives and goals every time he appears. Talent Search host Brick Pimento (Wayne Brady) is thrilled with the publicity, but clean freak assistant director Dewey Ottoman (Peter MacNichol) laments the mess he leaves. Little Emma the violinist (Isabella Acres) wants the money for her family farm, while magician The Great Pauldini (John O'Hurley) wants to show off. While Daphne and Fred rehearse and Velma watches miles of tape to catch a killer, Shaggy and Scooby are happier eating miles and miles of tomato pie! 

The Animation: Not bad for an animated direct-to-DVD film from a decade ago. The colors are clear and bright and the characters move fairly well, especially during chase scenes. There's even some special effects during Fred and Daphne's numbers. I will, however, point out that the rare use of CGI, notably during the car chases, sticks out like a sore thumb and is badly incorporated with the 2-D animation. 

The Song and Dance: I give them credit for trying something different with the usual "man in a mask" criminal. Mystery Inc usually pursues one villain, maybe two at most. This may be the only time that multiple characters played the same bad guy, all with very different motives. Welker and DeLisle are adorable as they try to dance around the idea of maybe liking each other after 40 years, and Cohn is an especially feisty Velma here. Winter does the best of the remaining cast as the spoiled diva child with the material and costume that's way too old for her age and her childish behavior. And frankly, the idea of the musical numbers being stage performances works better with this franchise than going full musical with characters who really can't sing. 

Favorite Number: Welker and DeLisle perform together twice. "I Love You," their sweet uptempo ballad near the end, is the one we hear in full. Their other big number is "It's Enough for Me," though the movie keeps cutting away from them before we can hear it in full. We do get to hear most of Chrissy's  "Homewrecker," a dark ballad about a woman scorned that, as Velma pointed out, is miles beyond Chrissy's years and vocal abilities. There's also Emma's two violin solos, both of which are sprightly and moving enough to make you understand why the Talent Search audiences were impressed. 

What I Don't Like: Getting beyond the gimmick with the multiple Phantoms, this pretty typical of the Scooby Doo cartoons in general. While Velma has more to do than usual, Shaggy and Scooby are limited to their attempts to show off their performing skills to Pimento and eating their way through Chicago's largest pizza. References to then-topical talent contests and reality shows date the film a bit as well. 

The Song and Dance: Not the best Scooby Doo movie ever made, but it's also far from the worst. The funny numbers and creative villain pushes this slightly above Music of the Vampire. Recommended mainly for major fans of the franchise and families with elementary school-age Scooby lovers. 

Home Media: As a relatively recent film, this is easily found in all formats.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

The Ghost In the Invisible Bikini

American International Pictures, 1966

Starring Tommy Kirk, Deborah Walley, Patsy Kelly, and Basil Rathbone

Directed by Don Weiss

Music and Lyrics by Guy Hemric and Jerry Styner

We get a little spookier with our next film, the last in the Beach Party series. By this point, Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon had bailed out. Avalon wanted to get into more serious acting; Funicello wanted to spend time with her family. AIP threw the rest of their Beach Partiers into another genre teens were into this era. Horror, which had been replaced by more serious sci-fi for much of the 50's, made a comeback in the late 50's and early 60's as older films began to play on the late-late movie and in revival houses. How do the Beach Party semi-regulars somehow get mixed up with a ghost trying to help his descendants gain his fortune look today? Let's begin with those ghosts, Hiram Stokey (Boris Karloff) and his long-dead lover Cecily (Susan Hart) as they try to decide how to get him into heaven, and find out...

The Story: Hiram can only gain access to Heaven and regain his youth if he does one good deed in 24 hours. He sends Cecily to help his remaining family members, Chuck (Kirk), Lili (Walley), and Myrtle (Kelly) inherit his estate, before his smarmy lawyer Reginald Ripper (Rathbone) can get his hands on it. Myrtle even invites her huge son Bobby (Aron Kincaid) for a pool party and sleepover. Bobby brings along a bus filled with all his friends, including his girlfriend Vicki (Nancy Sinatra). Ripper retaliates by sending his gorgeous daughter Sinestra (Quinn O'Hara) to seduce Bobby. 

Meanwhile, Ripper's goon J. Sinister Hulk (Jesse White) tries his hardest to scare or kill Chuck, Lili, and Myrtle, but Cecily's ghostly magic keeps him from succeeding. He's joined by Princess Yolanda (Bobbi Shaw) and her inept Native friend Chicken Feather (Benny Rubin). They're supposed to be terrorizing the kids, but they mainly just unleash their gorilla Monstro (George Barrows) on the group. Harry Von Zipper (Harvey Lembek) and his biker gang follow the comely Yolanda and end up sticking around the mansion to find their own share of Stokey's fortune.

The Song and Dance: This is really strange, even by Beach Party standards. Some of the cast did throw themselves whole-heartedly into the lunacy. Hart has a wonderful time in her black velvet bikini, causing unearthly antics among the flesh-and-blood party-goers. Patsy Kelly has the most fun of the adults as eccentric Myrtle, who holds a seance the first night there and insists on joining the kids when they go after the treasure. Rathbone makes a decent sleazy lawyer, and O'Hara gets some mildly amusing bits when she takes off her glasses and attempts to seduce inanimate objects. Lembeck and his crew also have some good moments, especially in the second half, when they're trying to find that treasure. 

Favorite Number: Nancy Sinatra gyrates her way through "Geronimo" with the Bobby Fuller Four after the kids arrive and the pool party gets underway. Italian exchange student Piccola Pupa (a real-life discovery of Danny Thomas) insists that the girls "Stand Up and Fight" for their men when Vicki is clearly upset over Sinsestra's attention to Bobby. 

Speaking of Sinestra, the best number goes to O'Hara. Blind as a bat without her glasses, she ends up trying to put the moves on a suit of armor. Her wriggling and breathy baby voice somehow manages to work. "Don't Try to Fight It, Baby" gets to the armor so badly, it's steaming by the end of the song!

Trivia: This is the only official Beach Party movie to not actually be set on a beach, and the only one to not feature Frankie Avalon or Annette Funicello. 

Buster Keaton originally signed to play Chicken Feather, but he declined due to illness; he passed away in February 1966.

What I Don't Like: It's obvious this movie kind of got thrown together piecemeal. Hart and Karloff's scenes were filmed and added later; they, Yolanda and Chicken Feather, and Lembeck and his gang all feel like they came from three different movies. Walley and Kirk have nothing to play other than some mild flirting and barely interact with the rest of the cast besides Kelly and Rathbone. They're bland and useless until the end, when Kirk does manage to help save Walley from another buzzsaw. Sinatra and Kincaid have even less to do; Sinatra is barely in the film, and Kincaid is a dull block of wood with little personality. There's also Chicken Feather being a goofy Indian stereotype that may offend a few folks nowadays.

The Big Finale: As with the other Beach Party movies, you know what to expect here. If you're a fan of horror from this era or liked the other movies in this franchise, you'll probably enjoy this one, too. If you didn't enjoy the others, this one won't change your mind. 

Home Media: The original double-DVD release with fellow 60's horror spoof Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow is out of print and incredibly expensive at the moment. You're better off looking for this on streaming.

DVD - Midnite Movies Double Feature - Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow/The Ghost In the Invisible Bikini

Amazon Prime