Hey Halloweenies & monster kids! 🎃 Rankin/Bass’s Mad Monster Party? (1967) is absolute peak seasonal perfection—the ultimate stop-motion monster mash that still hits harder than most modern Halloween fare. While the studio is forever linked to Christmas, this one was built for October: a full-on gathering of the classic monsters on the Isle of Evil, with that cheeky, winking, Famous Monsters energy. The opening sequence is solid gold. Over the credits you get that Bond-style theme “Mad Monster Party,” written by composer Maury Laws (music) and Jules Bass (lyrics), and belted out by jazz singer Ethel Ennis channeling Shirley Bassey at full volume. It’s sultry, dramatic, and instantly sets the “this is going to be a party” tone while the Animagic puppets do their thing. The whole film was brought to life with Rankin/Bass’s signature Animagic stop-motion process, supervised by Tadahito Mochinaga and the crew at MOM Productions in Tokyo. Character designs came from MAD Magazine/Tales from the Crypt legend Jack Davis (those big heads, expressive faces, and slightly exaggerated monster looks are classic Davis), with storyboards/continuity by Don Duga. Directed by Jules Bass, produced by Arthur Rankin Jr., and featuring Boris Karloff as Baron Boris von Frankenstein (with Allen Swift doing most of the other monster voices, plus Phyllis Diller as the Monster’s Mate and Gale Garnett as Francesca). It’s the kind of film that feels like it was made by people who actually loved the Universal monsters and wanted to throw them a wild party. Perfect companion viewing when you want something fun, musical, and full of practical stop-motion charm instead of another straight horror marathon. Who else grew up rewatching this one (or discovering it later and immediately putting it on the annual rotation)? Drop your favorite Rankin/Bass monster moment or song below. 🍂🍫 Stay spooky. — Cap’n Retrovania #MadMonsterParty #RetroHorror #StopMotionAnimation