Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021) (Special Review)

 

  When it comes to the famous Muppet characters, I’ve personally never called myself a fan, nor have I really seen any of the shows, but I have seen most of the movies, and I do still have my reserved fondness for them. For me, I prefer viewing the Muppets as a group of thespians, who’d play various well-known characters, but brought to life through their own distinct personalities. Whether it be “Treasure Island”, or “A Christmas Carol”, or even “The Wizard of Oz”, I always seem to enjoy the Muppets most when they’re in the roles of classic characters from other established stories or franchises. 

For a special Halloween streaming event in 2021, the Muppets were given another unique merging with Disney’s “The Haunted Mansion”, in an hour long special titled “Muppets Haunted Mansion”. The established spooky setting already had a lot of personality, and with its world combined with a Muppets presentation, it opens the door for a lot of fun possibilities. I’ve loved the Disney ride my whole life ... in fact, “The Haunted Mansion” in general is my favorite of Disney’s theme park attractions, and I’m always open for more spin-off material revolving around it. So, lets take a closer look and see how this collaboration turned out.  

  It’s Halloween night, and the great Gonzo is eager to face a spooky challenge. Thus, he ditches his chance for a party with the rest of the Muppets, and instead accepts a challenge to last one night in a Haunted Mansion. At his side is Pepe, who’s none to happy to be missing a party. Never the less, the two have to keep their wits about, as every room in the mansion has a new surprise waiting for them. 

One ghoulish bride in particular has her evil eyes on Pepe, while Gonzo faces the one thing that actually scares him … his mortality, and value as a Muppet. Gonzo in general has always been my favorite of the Muppets, so I was very happy to see him in the lead role for this outing. Naturally, he has the funniest lines … “No one says good-bye here, they just ghost you”. His arc is fairly simple, but effective, and surprisingly mature for what I was expecting from this special. The image of Gonzo withering away is a striking one that left a genuine impression. I always admire when a Halloween special steps past conventional scares, and focuses on personal haunts that many viewers can relate to.   

  I will say that, as a kid from the 90’s who grew-up with “Muppet Treasure Island” and “The Muppets Christmas Carol”, I would have preferred Rizzo the Rat as Gonzo’s partner on this spooky venture, but I suppose Pepe is still an okay choice. As usual, it’s great to see the other Muppet members as recognizable Haunted Mansion characters. Kermit the Frog is Mr. Gracy, Miss Piggy is Madame Leota, and Fozzie Bear is the Hat-Box Ghost. I really loved seeing those bed-sheet ghosts, who were in previous Muppets Halloween specials. We also have our celebrity appearances, including Will Arnett, who brings his typical charm and theatrics to his role as the titular Ghost Host. The late Ed Asner is also featured as a ghost named Claude, marking one of his final performances before his passing, and the special was even dedicated to his memory.

 The real star who steals the show is Taraji P. Henson as the villainess Bride named Constance Hatchaway. Ever sense 2006, she’s been the main villain of the theme-park ride (at least here in America), and it was cool to see her take a leading role in the special. While her design isn’t nearly as cryptic as her ride counterpart, I could picture her spooking some kids, especially with her red eyes. The actress of course delivers an enjoyably hammy performance, and she even gets a decent villain song called “Tie the Knot Tango”. 

Speaking of which, a Muppet special just wouldn’t be complete without song numbers, and these musical sequences are a real joy. While I don’t get a full-on song number of the rides iconic “Grim Grinning Ghosts” theme, the opening “Rest in Peace” still kicks things off on a high note, and makes for a really fun Cemetery setting. Of course, the big “Life Hereafter” musical number in the ball room is a delight, with a catchy melody, as well as the most active environment, and all the best visual splendor. 

   On that note, this specials combination of Muppets imagery with Haunted Mansion iconography is a very appealing one, as it lends to some unique character designs, imaginative creatures, and environments bursting with personality. The cold colors will be an acquired taste for some, but I feel it adds to the mood and cartoony atmosphere of the special. Some of the best visual highlights come near the end, when Gonzo races off to rescue Pepe from getting married to Constance, and we get rotating hallways, Ghostly obstacles, and a giant creature waiting at the bottom of the stairs. At the end, Gonzo and Pepe survive the night, and we get another upbeat musical number to play us out … this time it’s a cast rendition of King Harvest’s “Dancing in the Moonlight”, and it’s a fine note to go out on.     

  All around, this special received positive reviews, won some day-time Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Art Direction/ Set Decoration/ Scenic Design, and thus far … this is the most critically successful spin-off of Disney’s Haunted Mansion. Speaking personally, I wouldn’t call this little Muppet Halloween special any kind of masterpiece, but I certainly enjoyed it, and I’d place it among the Muppet outings that I’d happily re-watch again someday. It didn’t overstay it’s welcome, was consistently delightful, had just the right amount of energy, creativity, and I can see it easily appealing to fans of either franchise. I’m definitely more of a Haunted Mansion fan myself, and will always welcome a new spin-off from Disney … even one with the Muppets front in center.     

Thanks for reading my review of the 2021 special “Muppets Haunted Mansion” … and continue to make every day in October feel like Halloween.  

 

Nosferatu, A Symphony of Terror (1922) (Movie Review)

  When it comes to famous horror related characters, it’s a safe bet that Count Dracula remains one of the most influential of all, and debatably the one who got the ball rolling. Naturally, the 1931 classic “Dracula” was the first sound horror film … but for todays topic, I’m going back even further to the oldest surviving Dracula movie ever made … the 1922 silent Horror movie classic “Nosferatu, A Symphony of Terror” ... or "Symphony of Horror", depending on the print. 

It was a German production directed by F. W. Murnau, and the titles original pronunciation was “Nosferatu, Eine Symphonie Des Grauens”. While this wasn’t the very first horror movie ever made, it’s debatably the moment when horror officially became a genera, with an established classic for all others to draw inspiration from. F. W. Murnau was enticed by twilight tales of vampires, and felt Bram Stokers classic novel “Dracula” would be a perfect base point to tell his own haunting tale. While I personally wouldn’t write this movie off as “scary”, it is still suitably “haunting”, with a distinct atmosphere and visual look that’s well worth admiring after one-hundred-years.

  Our story begins with a German realtor named Thomas Hutter, who’s overseeing the transition of properties with one Count Orloc. Upon visiting his castle in Transylvania, the Count takes an amidite liking to a picture of Hutters wife Ellen, and from that moment, the two share a mysterious psychic link. Soon after, Hutter is imprisoned, discovering that his host is in fact a horrific creature of the night, and has become infatuated with his wife Ellen. Orloc stows away on a ship for Germany, and brings with him a plague to infest the town. As the bodies pile-up, Ellen gradually discovers that a horrible creature of shadows is spreading it’s evil across the land, and that only she can put an end to this rein of terror … even if it comes at the cost of her life.   

  The film famously went into production without the rights to Bram Stokers novel, and thus, while the narrative is faithful, new details were added to the story, and many of the character names were changed around. Count Dracula was now Count Orloc, his human servant Renfield was now called Knock, and the female characters of Lucy and Mina from the book were combined together to create the character of Ellen for the film. 

Even with F.W. Murnau’s efforts to put distance between his film and the source material, Bram Stokers widow still sued against the picture, and tried to have every copy burned. It’s honestly kind of a miracle the film is still with us today … although, like many early silent films, there’s several different versions of it. Many have changed the character names to their proper book counterparts, with title cards referring to the Count as Dracula, as opposed to Orloc. The original presentation of the film switched between two different color tints of blue or yellow, which characterize weather a scene was set during the day or night. Most copies now days are presented in Black and White, which makes it look like our vampire is walking around during the day in some shots … as the scenes were filmed during the day, while narratively it’s supposed to be night time.   

  While the story is generally faithful to Bram Stokers novel, it still created its own original content, which have sense become staples in horror cinema, as well as vampire lore. The most striking alteration of all is the Counts repulsive and monstrous design, which was nothing like his more debonair description in either the book or other forms of media that would follow. Also, while Vampires were already depicted as creatures of the night, F. W. Murnau took it one step further by making his vampire a creature of shadow … one that can literally become one with the darkness. The most iconic visual of the film is the Counts wicked shadow draped across the wall, which in the film’s narrative is the monster taking on its natural form. Being a creature of darkness, its natural weakness is sunlight. While in Bram Stokers novel, sunlight weekend Dracula, it never killed him … it was thanks to this movie that we now have the staple of sun-light killing vampires.

  The setting naturally was also changed from Britten to Germany, and established earlier, they're also a number of sequences that were never part of the original source material. There’s a lengthy chase sequence in which an angry mob pursues the Counts servant Knock, after he escapes from an asylum. This made for a memorable segment in the film, and had been replicated in a number of other films down the road, including the 1945 picture “House of Dracula”. The most ominous alteration of the story is the plague, which Count Orloc brought with him on the ship full of rats. Personally, I find this detail the scariest content of the whole film, as the silent movie shots of the slow-moving pallbearers carrying coffins down the street like one big parade is absolutely chilling, and brings to mind footage of an actual plague infested town. The eeriness of this concept was elevated in the 1979 remake of “Nosferatu”, which featured people partying in the street, knowing that their all going to die, so might as well enjoy themselves as they perish.

  The performances were certainly of their time, but one thing that remains timeless is Max Schreck’s portrayal of Count Orloc. Everything about his demeaner, and the way he carries himself is still cryptic to this day, and he terrified many of his fellow cast and even crew members on the set. He was so famously freighting that many began spinning yearns about him being a real vampire. The brilliant 2000 movie titled “Shadow of the Vampire” took the idea and ran with it, focusing on the making of “Nosferatu”, but with a real vampire in the lead role. That too is another highly recommendable film, with Willem Dafoe knocking it out of the park in the lead role, and even receiving an Oscar nomination for his portrayal. Another fun little peace of trivia is Tim Burtons 1992 sequel “Batman Returns”, which featured an original villain named Max Shreck … even though it’s spelt differently, I don’t think it’s a coincidence … especially with Burton’s clear love of German Expressionist Cinema.

  In the end, I like “Nosferatu, A Symphony of Horror” more for what it started, and for its place in the history books of horror cinema, as opposed to something I’d want to sit down and re-watch. Even among other silent horror films, there are others I prefer. Even F. W. Murnau’s later silent horror picture “Faust” left a little more of an impression on me. 

With all that said, this is still one of the great horror movie classics, and if you’re a fan of the genera at all, it’s well worth watching at least once … just to see the film that has inspired countless others sense its primer over 100 years ago. If your any kind of “Dracula” fan, I’d say this film is required viewing, although … I’d also highly recommend the 1979 remake, which honestly scared me more then any other Dracula production I’ve ever seen … largely because of Popol Vuh’s cryptic score. Still, can’t forget about the original classic, and the one that set the template for future terrifying movies to come.

Thanks for reading my review of the 1922 Horror movie classic “Nosferatu, A Symphony of Terror” … and be sure to treat yourself to one good scare this October.  

Family Matters and all the Halloween Episodes

 

  Good old “Family Matters”, it was one of ABC’s most successful family sit-coms, running from 1989 to 1997, and ended up becoming a staple of TGIF. In the beginning, the show followed Officer Carl Winslow, played by Reginald VelJohnson, and his African American family, the Winslow’s, in all the humorous, yet heart felt and somewhat relatable offerings one would expect from a family sitcom. Things changed when the goofy, and nerdy next door neighbor Steve Urkel, played by Jaleel White, came on the scene to steal the show. 

Originally meant as one-off character, he became a main stay in season 2, and eventually became the shows main character. Not only did the show become a full-on comedy series, but it also got re-tooled into a Science Fiction series, with Steve coming-up with all kinds of outlandish contraptions, and goofy oddities ensuing. This made the shows frequently annual Halloween episodes all the more fun to look forward to, because with Steve Urkel, and the shows unpredictable nature … there was no-telling what kind of tricks and treats you’d get along with all the laughs. So, I thought it would be fun to go through each of the shows individual Halloween episodes, and see how they hold-up.

 

“Dog Day Halloween” (Season 2, Episode 7) 

It’s the first Halloween night for the Winslow family with Steve Urkel joining them … however, before any Trick r’ Treating, Steve (dressed as Superman) along with his young crush Laura Winslow (dressed as Tinna Turner) have to make a quick stop at the bank. The night takes a dangerous turn when the bank gets robbed by a crook dressed as Abraham Lincon, and the two find themselves in a hostage situation. Outside, officer Caral Winslow, with his police force organizes a plan to rescue them, and … it’s impossible to watch this without thinking of another holiday related situation in “Die Hard”. While being spooky is the name of the game for a Halloween venture, this is a rare case in which the characters are in real danger.

I can picture kids watching this and thinking … wow, this is kind of a serious situation for a Sit-com Halloween episode. However, the main highlight, and one of Urkel’s most memorable moments of the show is when he fantasizes about saving the day, and we get Super Urkel vs Abe Lincoln. It’s the first of many goofy fights in the show, and for a Halloween episode, it’s the icing on the cake. All around, this was a winning first Halloween episode for the show, with a memorable action highlight, a decent message at the end, and is well worth viewing.

 

“Whose Kid is it Anyway?” (Season 4, Episode 6) 

Eddie is the eldest of the Winslow kids, and his closest family friend is his little cousin Richie, who along with his Aunt Rachel have been living at the house sense the passing of her husband. For a special Halloween treat, Eddie promises to take Richie out trick-or-treating … Eddie as a vampire and Richie as a little Spider-Man … always got to have someone dressed as a superhero. Things take a turn for the worst when an attractive young lady dressed as Elvira shows-up at the door, asking for directions to a costume party on the block. In a selfish move on Eddies part, he passes little Riche off to his absent-minded best friend Waldo to go trick-or-treating with instead, while he elects to escort the lovely Elvira to her dance, and by extent have a date with her. 

Things take a serious turn when Waldo returns with a different little kid who’s also dressed as Spider-Man, leaving the family worried that Little Riche might be lost outside on the spookiest night of the year. The issue gets resolved rather quickly, which is my only reservation with this episode, as I was hoping they’d go out looking for the kid, with Eddie finding him, leading to a dramatic reunion and apology. The actual ending is still suitably touching, albeit not as strong as I feel they were going for. 

Overall, while this episode doesn’t feature any memorable highlights on par with the first Halloween adventure, it’s still another good one, and worth checking out. As usual, the highlight is just seeing the Winslow family showing-off their distinct costumes, with Carl getting into his Zorro act, and Aunt Rachel looking very attractive as the Queen of the Nile. We also have Steve Urkel and his crush Laura Winslow paired together again, this time as the Frog Prince and Princess. As a foot note, seeing Laura dressed as the Princess from the fable almost feels like a coincidental prelude to Disney’s animated African American take on the character. 

 

“Best Friends” (Season 5, Episode 6) 

Laura feels embarrassed that her mother is constantly butting into her group activities with her friends, as well as stealing all the attention. Meanwhile, Eddie gives his friend Waldo a job at his fast-food restaurant Mighty Wings, and he mucks it up fast. Thus, Eddie debates weather or not he needs to fire his best friend, and all the while I ask … where’s all the Halloween in this Halloween episode? While this is a perfectly passable episode on its own, it utterly fails as a Halloween special. 

I’ve never actually looked this up, but my theory is that this episode was written without the holiday in mind, then the network said “hey, we need a Halloween episode, so throw fifteen dollars worth of decorations in the background, as well as a random opening with a single character in costume, and it can pass as our Halloween special for the season” … but again, that’s just my theory. Like I said, there’s clearly good intentions with this episode, the acting between Laura and her mother is effective, and there’s a quirky little dance … but as far as this shows Halloween episodes are concerned, this one is my least favorite by a mile, and one that I just don’t recommend.   

 

“Dark and Stormy Night” (Season 6, Episode 6) 

Right from that title, it’s a sign that this will be a superior Halloween episode, and speaking personally … this is my favorite of their special October holiday offerings by a mile. The Winslow family is all dressed in costume (Laura standing out in her Cat-woman costume), everyone’s ready for some trick-or-treating, but unfortunately for them … the event is called off on a count of heavy rain. That was my all-time biggest childhood fear of Halloween, that Trick-or-Treat would be called-off due to bad weather. To make things worse for the Winslow’s, a black-out kills all the power, leaving both the family and a visiting Steve Urkel stuck inside, with only one means to pass the time … telling scary stories. 

In a 19^th-Century setting, the Winslow family depict themselves as a family of vampires living in a Gothic castle, and Steve Urkel is the unfortunate house guest who stumbles in during feeding time. With no way out, he has to utilize his quick wits and skills to stay alive. There’s also a subplot with Laura being a damsel chained to a wall … a situation that prompts a very funny reaction from Urkel, and an even more amusing forth-wall break from Laura. Everything culminates into a sword fight between Urkel and Count Winslow. Once again, the big highlight is a climactic action scene, this time with Urkel and vampire Caral sword fighting in the castle. 

I get the impression the cast was having a lot of fun with this outing, and that fun transcends onto me every time I watch this. Visually, this is the best-looking Halloween episode by far, with the castle set-design hitting all the right details … including stone-headed busts that are sentient beings … very reminiscent of Disney’s “Haunted Mansion”. It’s all over-the-top, but great fun to go along with all the tricks and treats of the season … and it gets my highest recommendation as the best of the “Family Matters” Halloween episodes.   

 

"Stevil" (Season 8, Episode 7) 

Just when it seemed this show hit the peak for their Seasonal offerings, they deliver another memorable episode, and my second favorite of their Halloween specials. At this point, the show was leaning into it’s Science Fiction esthetic, with an anything goes sense of fun … you can only imagine what kind of goofy insanity comes about during Halloween at this stage of the series. Well, things get absolutely unhinged when we meet a ventriloquist's dummy adorning the looks of Steve Urkel … one that just happens to be alive ... and very evil. 

Yeah, how about that … an evil Urkel dummy that’s terrorizing the Winslow’s on Halloween, leaving Steve the only one who can stop the nasty puppet. It’s as goofy and over-the-top as it sounds, but that’s why it stands out as one of the most memorable of the “Family Matters” Halloween episodes. Urkel naturally has his funny highlights, but the wicked dummy named Stevil is equally amusing with his share of looney quirks. His methods of disposing the Winslow’s are both creative, and enjoyably silly. 

There’s a nod to the “Twilight Zone” with one family member getting transformed into a Jack-in-the-box, and there’s even a mildly disturbing moment in which Carl Winslow becomes a puppet himself. This is how I like my Halloween specials the most, cartoony, over-the-top, and completely breaking away from the norm. If your up for something wild and out of the norm, I give this episode another high-recommendation, and Evil Urkel Dummy has his place among Urkel’s most classic, memorable moments.

 

“Stevil 2: This Time He’s Not Alone” (Season 9, Episode 7) 

Oh Boy … if you thought one outing with Evil Urkel Dummy was insane … just wait till the sequel. It’s been one year sense the events with Stevil, and now Urkel can’t sleep, fearing his wooden nemeses would return. Naturally, he does come back to torment Steve, but this time around, Officer Winslow shares in the abuse, all in part of a second evil dummy named Carl’s Bad … that name alone is the best thing about this whole episode. In general, I do admire this episode for creating an atmosphere of a spooky fun house, with both our players on the run, lightning flashing, objects popping out of the corners, and axe wielding invaders. 

Just guise what horror movie they reference when they axe through the door ... if you said "The Shining", then you know your horror movies. There’s also a moving cabinet, which might be a visual nod to “The Exorcist”. With all that said, this one pushes the over-the-top presentation to the limit, and might be too much of a fun thing. Personally, for the very last Halloween episode of the show, I would have preferred something original, as opposed to a repeat of what we had before. Still, I do enjoy it for the goofy romp that it is, and while I don’t think it was the best note to close the “Family Matters” Halloween episodes on, it was still memorable … in only for the novelty of Carl’s Bad.

 

  So, concludes my rundown of all the “Family Matters” Halloween episodes, and if I were to quickly rank them from my personal favorite, to my least favorite, it would go like this …

#1 “Dark and Stormy Night”

#2 “Stevil”

#3 “Dog Day Halloween”

#4 “Whose Kid is it Anyway?”

#5 “Stevil 2: This Time He’s Not Alone”

#6 “Best Friends”

It's certainly been a nostalgic little throw back, and for anyone who also grew up with the series, I hope it was fun looking back. If your someone just looking for any random Halloween special, maybe this will give you something to look into this Halloween season.

Thanks for reading my retrospective count-down ... and let’s make every day in October feel like Halloween!