Animating Dracula (Part Two) - Mad Monster Party

It’s no secret Dracula has been adapted many times and depicted by many iconic actors – but in this series, we look at those versions of the Count that cross into cartoons. We’re not going to be chronological, but we will dive into some of the most out-there animations – and 1967’s Mad Monster Party? certainly fits the bill. I had the pleasure of watching this movie at this year’s UK Dracula Film Festival, and it was a fun way to kick off the Sunday, with very few audience members having seen it before.

Mad Monster Party? (and yes, the question mark is in the title – though what it’s doing there, I do not know) is a stop-motion animated horror comedy that positively oozes 60s charm at every turn. Baron Frankenstein discovers the secret of total world destruction and summons his army of creatures, leading to drama, comedy, and romance in equal measure. He intends to pass on this deadly secret to his bumbling but lovable nephew, Felix Flanken, but the legion of monsters are none too happy with this and begin jockeying for position to inherit the formula for annihilation.

The movie is notable for being one of Boris Karloff’s final films and the last time he depicted the Doctor Frankenstein character. It also has a fine turn from the wonderful Phyllis Diller as ‘The Monster’s Mate’ (listed exactly like that in the credits). However, the biggest star of the movie is the lesser-known Alan Swift, who delivers a remarkable voice performance by playing all but a handful of the many animated characters. And what a cavalcade of monsters it is, with Dracula (naturally), Frankenstein’s Monster, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, the Invisible Man, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and more besides!

The movie was definitely an attempt to capture some of the monster mania of the time, with the popularity of The Munsters and The Addams Family being high. Of course, when we go back to the Universal horror movies of the 40s, the mash-ups of their best-known creatures were typically popular too. It’s hard to find much measure of its box-office success, but the animation style – dubbed Animagic – is certainly interesting to watch, especially given the time period. If you love the classic monsters of horror, you should find something here to enjoy.

With all that said, I don’t want to go overboard: the jokes can be a bit corny and old-fashioned at times, and some of the scenes feel more like wedged-in comedy sketches than intrinsic elements of the plot. There are certainly laughs to be found, but you’re also likely to come across a few ‘groaners’ en route – and I’m not just talking about Frankenstein’s Monster… The music is especially of its era, if a bit generic all told, but as an animated curio, this one is certainly worth a watch for any completists out there!

Next time around, we’ll be taking a trip to Japan, so watch out for something entirely different…