Monster Mash: Bobby “Boris” Pickett song is getting an animated feature adaptation from Miramax

Back in May of 1962, singer/songwriter/comedian Bobby “Boris” Pickett sat down with Leonard Capizzi to write a song, their intention being to spoof popular contemporary dance crazes while drawing on Pickett’s appreciation for horror movies, which he watched a lot of at the movie theatre where his father was the manager. In just two hours, Pickett and Capizzi had written a song called “Monster Mash,” complete with references to popular monsters. Producer Gary S. Paxton agreed to release the song in the United States, so Pickett and a band recorded it in just one take. The song was a hit – and more than sixty years later, it remains in heavy rotation during the Halloween season. That’s why Miramax CEO Jonathan Glickman, who has been behind such hits as the Netflix series Wednesday and the recent The Addams Family animated movies, has decided to option the rights to turn “Monster Mash” into an animated feature film.

As Deadline points out, the tune is sung in the first-person by a mad scientist whose monster, late one evening, rises from his slab to perform a new dance, inspired by the early-’60s dance craze the Mashed Potato. The new dance becomes “the hit of the land” when the scientist throws a party for other monsters, those guests including Wolfman, Igor, Mummy, vocal group The Crypt-Kicker Five, Dracula and his son.

Glickman told Deadline, “For more than 60 years, 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.“

Here are the lyrics of the song, so we can examine what the film’s screenwriter(s) will be tasked with bringing to the screen:

I was working in the lab late one night
When my eyes beheld an eerie sight
For my monster, from his slab, began to rise
And suddenly, to my surprise
he did the Monster Mash
(The Monster Mash) it was a graveyard smash
(He did the Mash) it caught on in a flash
(He did the Mash) he did the Monster Mash
From my laboratory in the Castle east
To the master bedroom, where the vampires feast
The ghouls all came from their humble abodes
To get a jolt from my electrodes
they did the Monster Mash
(The Monster Mash) it was a graveyard smash
(They did the Mash) it caught on in a flash
(They did the Mash) they did the Monster Mash
The zombies were having fun
The party had just begun
The guests included Wolf Man, Dracula, and his son
The scene was rocking, all were digging the sounds
Igor on chains, backed by his baying hounds
The coffin-bangers were about to arrive
With their vocal group, The Crypt-Kicker Five
they played the Monster Mash
(The Monster Mash) it was a graveyard smash
(They played the Mash) it caught on in a flash
(They played the Mash) they played the Monster Mash
Out from his coffin, Drac’s voice did ring
Seems he was troubled by just one thing
Opened the lid and shook his fist
And said, “Whatever happened to my Transylvania twist?”
it’s now the Monster Mash
(The Monster Mash) and it’s a graveyard smash
(It’s now the Mash) it’s caught on in a flash
(It’s now the Mash) it’s now the Monster Mash
Now everything’s cool, Drac’s a part of the band
And my Monster Mash is the hit of the land
For you, the living, this Mash was meant too
When you get to my door, tell them Boris sent you
then you can Monster Mash
(The Monster Mash) and do my graveyard smash
(Then you can Mash) you’ll catch on in a flash
(Then you can Mash) then you can Monster Mash
Mash good!
Easy, Igor, you impetuous, young boy
Mash good! (Monster Mash)

What do you think of “Monster Mash” becoming an animated movie? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

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