Top Ten Halloween Specials 2013

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1. Fat Albert's Halloween Special: "The late 70's and 80's were the prime times for cartoon characters. Garfield, the Smurfs, the Muppet Babies and Fat Albert were brightening up television screens on Saturday mornings for many children, me included.

Holiday specials were always something I looked forward to as a child. Garfield's Halloween and Christmas specials were not to be missed as well as Fat Albert's Christmas and my favorite, Fat Albert's Halloween Special. Suddenly these annual treats disappeared off of tv and vhs copies were hard to get a hold of. 

This special, shown for the first time in 1977, includes all the characters from the show who decide to dress up and trick people around town. Their antics result in getting kicked out of the neighborhood theater, and a visit to an old man results in him eating all of the gang's treats. They then decide to visit Old Lady Blackwell's place, and end up scaring themselves more than the old lady, who they are sure is the meanest woman in town. When one of the gang's sisters disappears into the old lady's house, they are sure she is gone forever, but are very surprised to find out that not only is she okay but happy to be with Old Lady Blackwell. Bill Cosby did a great job voicing the characters and the cheesy music was equally as memorable. This special ran through much of the 80's and I looked forward to it every year. Now I can look forward to revisiting my Halloween memories of the 80's and seeing this great special in the dvd quality we have all come to expect."

2. Dr. Seuss - Halloween Is Grinch Night: "The Emmy Award winning "Halloween is Grinch Night", shortened later to just "Grinch Night" . It's a 30 minute Halloween special that originally aired on ABC On October 29, 1977. The Grinch Night story is not well known, but those that have seen it hold a special place for it in their hearts. Obviously not all of the animated specials of Seuss stories have been on the same level as the "The Grinch that Stole Christmas", but they are very enjoyable in their own right. The narrator and the Grinch is voiced this time by Hans Conried. There are great songs as you might expect, with Thurl Ravenscroft reprising his singing role.

Without giving away the whole story, you see the Grinch didn't stay good after Christmas and is back to being dastardly and mean. The citizens of Whoville notice the sour-sweet wind blowing and know that it means GRINCH NIGHT is coming. The "Whos" lock up their doors and windows to hide as this wind means that the Grinch is coming to terrify them on Halloween night. A boy named Eukariah decides that the Grinch must be stopped, so he faces his fears and confronts the Grinch and his countless monsters and spooks he has brought to attack the town. It is an enjoyable tale for the holiday.

Dr. Seuss personal influence is always apparent in his specials. He was the Producer this time along with Warner Brothers Studio's Friz Freleng. His original story and artwork comes alive. There is a different, more muted color scheme than most of his other films, but that is mostly due to the story occurring at night and the Halloween theme.

There were about 4 different releases of this story on VHS. This story also appears on a newer DVD with Green Eggs and Ham and 2 other short stories.

3. The Flintstones Meet Rockula & Frankenstone: "This 1992 release includes two classic TV specials. The first is the 48 minute "The Flintstones Meet Rockula & Frankenstone" from 1979. In this one, Fred and Barney appear on a spoof of the game show "Let's Make a Deal," where they win vacations to Rocksylvania. Shortly after arriving, the deceased former owner of the castle where the families are bunking, Count Rockula, awakens from a 400 year slumber and decides he has to wed Wilma -- but the only way he can marry her is to make her a widow first. Pebbles is mentioned near the end, but strangely neither her nor Bamm-Bamm are seen.

The second special is the 24 minute, Emmy-nominated "The Flintstones' New Neighbors" from 1980. A creepy Addams/Munsters-like family moves their home onto the vacant lot next door to the Flintstones. After bidding the new family welcome, Fred decides that they're "freaks" and quarrels with Barney, who likes the newcomers. But when Pebbles winds up in the path of a Pterodactyl, the three families must work together to save her. Father Frank Frankenstone is the exact same character design from the previous special, but he speaks with an English accent and is obviously not supposed to be the same character (which could be a bit confusing considering they've packaged them back to back). A slightly different variation of the Frankenstone family had already been seen in the previous year's "The New Fred and Barney Show."

All in all, they're great classic specials, and they're pretty scare-free for those looking for something tame to entertain the kiddies."

4. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad: "Disney's THE ADVENTURES OF ICHABOD AND MR. TOAD is one of the best Halloween DVDs available, especially if you are looking for something to entertain--and spook!--the entire family.

There are actually two stories on this film, the first segment being a "telling" of Kenneth Grahame's THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS. The animation is well done--as are most Disney cartoons from this era (c. 1949)--and the narration by Basil Rathbone is wonderfully literate. Voice characterizations are done by other actors, however, which detracts from the film's premise that the story is being "told" by the venerable Mr. Rathbone. While this segment is certainly entertaining enough, it is NOT the highlight of the DVD. That honor goes to the other segment....

The remainder of the film is a "telling" of Washington Irving's THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW, and it is sheer delight. This classic American ghost story is narrated by Bing Crosby, who also sings all of the songs and voices nearly all of the characterizations. The script is very loyal to the source material, even including--though a little less subtly than Mr. Irving--the same wry sense of humor. The depiction of the Headless Hessian himself is really spooky, too, though still gentle enough so as not to scare the little ones too much. Lots of fun for old and young alike, this, and a great film for the family to watch on Halloween night!

Also included on the DVD is the classic Disney animated short LONESOME GHOSTS. This one has Mickey, Donald, and Goofy working as ghost exterminators, and one could easily make the argument that it was the inspiration for 1984's live-action GHOSTBUSTERS. (Indeed, one of our animated heroes even utters the line "I ain't afraid of no ghosts!") A real hoot, and another great film to include in the family's Halloween celebration.

If you're already a fan of the animated THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW, you'll definitely want to include this DVD in your collection. The colors are much richer than on the VHS release, and the details are understandably crisper. You'll see Ichabod, Bram Bones, that little coquette Katrina, and the infamous Headless Horseman like you've never seen 'em before!"

5. Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery: "This was an ok little story that has the band Korn appear and deal with a Scooby-Doo mystery spoof. I never noticed the docks in South Park."

6. Roseanne: Halloween Edition: "There are two shows that treat halloween like a national holiday. The Simpsons (with their Treehouse of Horror) and Roseanne. Roseanne and her family always had fun on Halloween. It was a time for family. In a way that was roseanne and her show was all about. The humor is full of good cheer. These 8 of 9 yearly episodes is an enjoyable feast of halloween cheer. I enjoyed these episodes and laughed whole heartly

7. The Simpsons – Original Treehouse of Horror Episode: "Back in the olden days, before videos on the Internet or DVRs, my friends and I used to tape The Simpsons. We amassed a collection of Simpsons tapes, which were worth their weight in gold. Nothing on TV? Pop in a Simpsons tape. Too drunk to sleep? Pop in a Simpsons tape. But due to the unpredictability of Fox's rerun schedule, we never had anything as amazing as a THEMED Simpsons tape (we didn't even know which episodes were on each tape--label, schmabel). The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Collections are therefore like the best Simpsons tape ever. Watching this collection will get you in the mood for Halloween, or remind you why it's never a good idea to eat the forbidden donut. You need it."

8. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown: "I have grown up watching this movie every Halloween since age 5. Honestly, I've probably watched this video more than any other video I own and I love it EVERY SINGLE TIME--never a dull moment! If you love Schulz, Snoopy, the Peanuts gang and/or Halloween you simply must own this! It deserves the highest possible rating; five stars doesn't do it justice. It has perfect editing, illustrations, music, voices, script--EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS IS PERFECT! I've done over 70 reviews and I do believe this is the first time I have EVER used the word perfect in one of them!
My favorite scenes are the Snoopy ones, especially the World War 1 Flying Ace (flying doghouse scene with great colors) and the piano scene at the Halloween party where Snoopy dances and marches to the happy song and then changes moods and cries to the sad song..repeating twice. I laugh out loud til I cry every single time! YA GOTTA LOVE SNOOPY! He is so intelligent but sensitive too! What a dog!
My second favorite character in this video is Sally--the way she pitches a fit in the pumpkin patch and says "I was robbed!" then threatens to sue Linus--so hilarious also! Again it makes me laugh til I cry!
Lucy the bossy and sometimes downright grouchy (to put it mildly) shows a soft side the way she wakes up in the middle of the night, goes to check on Linus and finds his bed empty, then gets dressed and goes to get him freezing in the pumpkin patch and puts him to bed without a word. The ending with Charlie Brown and Linus is endearing as well.
Each character is so unique and entertaining! JUST GET THIS VIDEO! TRULY A TIMELESS CLASSIC! YOU'LL LOVE IT--TRUST ME!"

9. Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: "If you think the best movies are the ones that show you a world you've never envisioned before, then you will LOVE Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas". A benchmark in stop-motion animation, this incredibly difficult-to-make film (24 individually posed frames were needed to produce ONE Seconds worth of action) is a masterpiece of art direction, set design, and good old-fashioned storytelling. The plot revolves around Jack, the Pumpkin King of Halloween, and his attempt to run Christmas in place of Santa Claus. "Sleigh" becomes confused with "slay"; "stockings" become "stalkings"; and spirits go from joyous to ghostly as the two holidays clash together like oil and water, or fire and ice. One of the great surprises of the movie is that although it dances around material that could easily careen into cynicism, it remains refreshingly sweet and light throughout. Which is not to say that some of the comedy isn't a little dark and perhaps geared more towards older children and adults; for example, the brief scene in which a python puppet is shown swallowing a Christmas tree whole is hysterically funny, but not especially appropriate for the very young.
The special edition DVD is unquestionably the version of this classic to buy. Included are a wealth of extras: the teaser and theatrical trailers; a documentary on "The Making of ..."; deleted scenes and storyboards, etc, etc. The best bonuses are two short films by Burton: "Vincent", a poetic tribute to the magnificent Vincent Price, narrated by the subject himself; and "Frankenweenie", a canine send-up of "Frankenstein", starring Shelley Duvall, Daniel Stern, and a cast of talented character actors. This DVD is one that you can spend HOURS exploring happily! Highly recommended as both a Halloween and Christmas treat."

10. Casper The Ghost: "Who says there are no such things as ghosts? Not if there is the ghostly inhabitants of Whipstaff Manor in Friendship, Maine!
This desolate mansion is then, in the words of one of the members of the Ghostly Trio of Whipstaff, 'intruded' by Kat Harvey (Christina Ricci) and her eccentric father Dr. James Harvey (Bill Pullman), a ghost therapist. Carrigan Crittenden (Cathy Moriarty) had hired Dr. Harvey to exorcise the ghosts, including Casper the friendly ghost and his three obnoxious uncles, Stretch, Fatso and Stinkie, aspiring to gain Whipstaff's 'buried gold'.
Intertwining humour, all-time 'floating' fun and a modern Cinderella story, 'Casper' promises to please as a movie which is compelling, hilarious, captivating, heart-warming, witty and above all, truly 'fleshtastic'.
'Casper' is recommended for any audience, regardless of age. ... 'Casper' ... manages to appear endearing and ultimately special.
The magic of Bill Pullman, Christina Ricci as well as that of director Brad Silberling, executive producer Steven Spielberg, and other producers weaves between each and every scene to eventually lift us off our feet.
Above all, I LOVE THIS MOVIE! Casper is my all time favourite character. Truly fleshtastic. BOOlistic! You won't BOOlieve it until you see it.