Miramax Developing Animated 'Monster Mash' Movie

Here’s a Spooky Season must-see that’s been a long time coming. Miramax has purchased the rights to a novelty song that has long been known as arguably the signature tune of Halloween time. It’s been more than six decades now since this song first delighted listeners, and it contains so much whimsically evocative imagery that it’s a wonder we’ve never seen it put to film before. On future Halloweens (perhaps even as early as the next one), we may have another October-specific iconic film to add to our watchlists.

“Monster Mash” – A Brief Overview

“Monster Mash,” composed by songwriters Bobby Pickett and Lenny Capizzi, was originally released in August 1962. Narrated by a Frankenstein-esque scientist, it tells the tale of a grand, merry party enjoyed by an assortment of classic monsters (a monster bash, if you will). The horror icons name-dropped over the course of the song include the Wolf Man, Igor, and Dracula with his son. During the week before Halloween in its release year, it rated #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, instantly cementing its status as a Spooky Season staple. For the past several decades, hardly any Halloween party has been complete without some rendition of “Monster Mash” playing in the background.

An Animated Adaptation

Miramax, a nearly 50-year-old production company currently headed by CEO Jonathan Glickman, has bought the adaptation rights to “Monster Mash” from the independent music company of Reservoir and Capizzi. This will not be the first supernatural adaptation to be produced by Glickman, who has previously been involved with two continuations of “The Addams Family” franchise: the hit Netflix series “Wednesday,” which premiered in 2022, and 2021’s “The Addams Family 2,” an MGM animated movie that is a sequel to 2019’s “The Addams Family.”

Glickman clearly recognizes the significance of making the very first “Monster Mash” film adaptation. “For more than 60 years,” he said (per Deadline), “nothing has said Halloween quite like the ‘Monster Mash.’ We’re thrilled to be entrusted by the Pickett and Capizzi families and to be partnering with Reservoir Media to bring this iconic song to life as an animated musical for all audiences. It’s a project that celebrates the fun and spirit of the original – and should become a perennial ‘graveyard smash’ for years to come.”

Final Thoughts – The Promise of a “Monster Mash” Movie

Will this film live up to the expectations that Glickman has set? Of course, it’s impossible to answer that question anytime before the film’s release, let alone at this earliest stage of its making. But of all the songs that have become films (the list is longer than you might expect, and includes the universally panned 1995 comedy “Born to Be Wild” and a 2001 made-for-TV adaptation of “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”), “Monster Mash” is probably one of those most fit for the screen.

An expansive cast of classic monsters partying with such a unique, ghoulish, but merry style is the kind of thing that practically begs to be showcased visually, and the decision to make it an animated movie is a wise one because of how this medium inherently lends itself to such a playful and fantastical concept. (The song does already have its own official lyric video, with cartoon visuals that are delightfully whimsical but lack the scope of a feature-length, studio-produced film’s canvas.)

Moreover, Miramax has opted to make the film a musical, so you can bet your last scrap of earthly (or incorporeal) property that you’ll be able to dance to the great song itself (among whatever other numbers) along with all the festive monsters onscreen. In the Octobers to come, keep your eyes peeled for a family-friendly flick with the potential to become the kind of annual must-watch expressly tailored to the month’s 31st day.