Mad Monster Party was the Halloween special that enlisted the talents of Boris Karlof, Victor Borge and (shudder) Phyllis Diller. Dr. Frankenstein has developed an anti-matter destruction formula. He considers it his finest accomplishment and intends to retire as the leader if the secret monster society. The members include Dracula, the Monster, the Monster's Bride (Diller), the Hunchback, the Creature, Mr. Hyde, and the Invisible Man. When Dr. Frankenstein announces he intends to turn over the society to his only living relative, Felix, and this doesn't sit well with the other members. The Dr.'s secretary Francesca and Dracula plot to kill Felix and take over the society. All the other members are enlisted in the lot in some form or fashion and Felix has little idea of what's happening.

After multiple attempts are unsuccessful at killing Felix, Francesca sends an invitation to the only monster not invited to the party, It (a King Kong replica). After Francesca discovers her hidden feelings for Felix in a strange moment of S&M innuendo, she is determined to help him escape the island. When It shows up to the island, he grabs Francesca and the rest of the other monsters. Dr. Frankenstein's Zombie troops rally and try to shoot It down and things come to an explosive and strange conclusion for a children's story.

Aimed to take advantage of the success of the other Rankin-Bass schedules, it's decidedly more adult and hip than the other stories. Filled with 70's soul music and Adam West Batman style effects in the credits, it's still entertaining for adults and children today. The monsters all look distinctively different from the Universal monsters that were popularized in the 20's and 30's, but yet they're recognizable. The slightly strange plot is flat at times and displays less of the charm that was present in the Christmas specials.

Video: The older video looks dated quality wise, but the transfer is quite good. The color palette is full of purples, gray and blacks and it all looks good. It's a full frame 4:3 transfer that has no pixelation or other noticeable flaws, other than what was likely present in the original showings.

Audio: The digital stereo is quite good sounding considering the age. The musical opening song is impressively good and 70-ish. All of the vials are understandable, in both the dialog and the many musical numbers.

Extras: Despite the age of the material, there are a nice amount of extras. There are two full galleries of production and promotional art. Also included is a trailer for the original theatrical release. Also hidden on the same page (accessed by clicking the test tube) are trailers for the animated Mother Goose story and live action / animagic feature called Daydreamer. It's nothing comparable to other DVDs, bit it's a nice amount for an older animated special.

Overall: Not the best of the Rankin-Bass specials, it's still miles above much of the animated fare produced in the years since. Slightly more adult in nature, there still nothing that could offend children. Great for horror lovers, new viewers and those that remember it fondly from their childhood.