The “Monster Mash” Is Dancing Its Way To The Big Screen
Because we don’t have enough weird IP movies as it is.
In the latest IP adaptation news, Miramax is going beyond toys, books, and TV shows to bring some entirely new to the big screen: a song. That’s right — Deadline reports that Miramax has optioned the rights to “Monster Mash,” the hit 1960s tune that’s often considered one of the biggest Halloween songs of all time, for adaptation as an animated film.
The effort is spearheaded by Miramax CEO Jonathan Glickman, who’s had a hand in creating other Halloween-related projects for the company, including Netflix’s Wednesday and the animated Addams Family movies. Presumably, the animated film will roughly follow the story laid out in the song, which tells of a mad scientist who stumbles upon a hip new dance move that becomes a craze amongst everyone’s favorite movie monsters.
“For more than 60 years, nothing has said Halloween quite like The Monster Mash,” Glickman said. “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.”
“Monster Mash” was originally released in 1962, and has since been streamed over 500 million times worldwide. The Halloween tune was co-written by Lenny Capizzi and Bobby “Boris” Pickett, the latter of whom also performs the song, which was produced by Gary S. Paxton for the album The Original Monster Mash, which features a number of other monster-themed songs. Numerous bands and artists have covered the track over the years, with notable versions recorded by The Misfits, Alice Cooper, and The Big O for the soundtrack to
