Bela Lugosi will forever be connected to the character of Dracula. His performance as the immortal count not only made him a household name, it changed the world’s vision of what a vampire is forever. Lugosi also has a connection with one of Disney’s most iconic villains, Chernabog.
On November 12, 1939, Lugosi posed as a reference model for the character of Chernabog (Fantasia, 1940). Featured in the Night on Bald Mountain segment of the epic Disney classic, Chernabog has since been featured in the animated series House of Mouse, the live action series Once Upon A Time, the Kingdom Hearts and Epic Mickey video games, and in numerous printed materials, theme park attractions, and other Disney productions. Chernabog is considered to be one of the greatest “representations of pure evil” ever animated for a Disney film.
Animator Wilfred Jackson posing as Chernabog. He was ultimately chosen as the character reference model.
Despite posing for the character, animator Vladimir (Bill) Tytla wasn’t pleased with Lugosi’s performance as Chernabog and ultimately picked fellow animator Wilfred Jackson (shown above) as the character reference model. The character was conceived by Heinrich Kley and sketched by Albert Hurter and Kay Nielsen (who added color to the character’s appearance), and ultimately animated for the first time by Tytla.
Lugosi posing as Chernabog.
Although he wasn’t chosen as the character reference, Bela Lugosi will forever be connected to one of Disney’s most feared characters.
I hope that you enjoyed this glimpse into the history behind two of the most iconic characters that were ever created, Dracula and Chernabog, and the man that is connected to both of them. More horror on the way tomorrow!
In 1986 Disney released a short made-for-television film on its The Disney Sunday Movie platform entitled Mr. Boogedy. Like many of Disney’s other films created just for television, this film featured an amazing cast of character actors and this one in particular starred three youngsters that were headed for bigger things.
Richard Masur and Mimi Kennedy.
The film tells the story of a family headed by Carlton and Eloise Davis who have recently moved to Lucifer Falls in order to open up a new store for the Gag City franchise. If the name of the town doesn’t throw you a clue as to what’s up, perhaps a few eagle-eyed viewers will catch the name of the “Devil May Care Realty” real estate agent: C.B. Karloff! Carlton (Richard Masur), along with his sons, Corwin (David Faustino) and R.E. (Benji Gregory), love playing jokes on the family, especially the oldest child, Jennifer (Kristy Swanson). Eloise (Mimi Kennedy), while not as enthusiastic about all of the pranks, tolerates them a lot more than Jennifer.
When the family arrives at their new home, a dilapidated “fixer upper,” they are greeted by the head of the local historical foundation, the odd Mr. Witherspoon (John Astin). He warns them to leave the home, but Carlton blows off his warnings as a joke. As the family settles in, however, strange things begin happening and the kids decide to investigate.
With the help of Mr. Witherspoon, the kids find out the terrible story of Mr. Boogedy and how he has trapped a young child in the house with him for over three hundred years while also forbidding the child’s mother to enter the home. The kids team up with their parents to battle Mr. Boogedy and help the mother and son. Do they win? Watch Mr. Boogedy on Disney+ to find out!
The film is cheesy fun that was standard for the 1980’s. It isn’t too scary at all, but it does drum up a few chills for youngsters. There’s one particular scene in which R.E. is apparently being attacked by a ghost that might scare little ones at first. The music by John Addison does a wonderful job of adding some eeriness to the atmosphere and builds up some solid suspense.
John Astin.
The cast features some amazing actors. Depending on your age at the time that you see this film, you will probably recognize at least one or two of the film’s stars. For older audiences, John Astin will be immediately recognized. He is perhaps best known for his role as Gomez Addams in The Addams Family, but his career has spanned decades and he has been in a number of significant roles. He also has a couple of famous children (one adopted) that I suggest you check out as well. Mimi Kennedy will be recognized by viewers for a number of roles that she has played over the years, but today’s audiences will know her from her supporting role on the sitcom Mom. Richard Masur has starred in numerous television shows and successful films over the years, primarily in supporting roles. You’ll know him from the original One Day At A Time, My Girl, Younger, or any number of other films and television series.
David Faustino and his Married…With Children co-star, Christina Applegate.
Those of us who grew up in the 1980’s and early 1990’s will definitely recognize the three Davis children. Mr. Boogedy was one of David Faustino’s earliest roles. One year later he would portray Bud Bundy on Married…With Children which would become one of the fledgling (at the time) Fox Network’s biggest shows. Faustino would remain with that series for the entirety of its eleven season run. While he has yet to achieve the level of success that he found as Bud, he continues to work to this day.
Benji Gregory was on the cusp of his own successful run on a television series as just a few months after appearing in Mr. Boogedy, he would star as young Brian Tanner for all four seasons of ALF. Gregory had guest starring roles in other shows as well including The A-Team and Punky Brewster. Gregory continues to act to this day.
While she didn’t achieve the level of popularity in a television series that her film siblings did, Kristy Swanson will forever be Buffy Summers for fans of the cult classic film Buffy The Vampire Slayer. The 1992 film spawned the wildly successful series of the same name and Swanson is permanently linked to the series despite not portraying the role that she made famous. Swanson appeared in a number of popular films throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s including The Chase, Flowers In The Attic, and Hot Shots!. She was also in The Phantom, one of my personal favorite films. She continues to act and has appeared on both film and television.
I enjoyed Mr. Boogedy. It’s not the greatest film in the world but it’s a fun little family creeper that features a ton of great actors. If you have youngsters in your family, definitely give this film a look for Halloween.
Thanks for reading my post. I’ll see you guys tomorrow!
“Suddenly I realized the power I held, the power to rule…”
For Halloween 2020, Walgreens and Funko have teamed up to bring Pop! fans two exclusive new figures to collect. Along with a Glow-In-The-Dark Frankenstein’s Monster, Walgreens is offering a black-and-white Invisible Man based on the classic 1933 film starring Claude Rains.
Personally, I’ve never been a huge fan of the full-sized Pop! figures, but I am a big fan of the Funko minis, especially the Universal Monsters minis. That being said, I decided to head out into the wild in order to find at least one of these two figures. As luck would have it, I managed to snag the Invisible Man Pop! at one of my secret gold mine Walgreens locations.
Holding a book while in his wonderful smoking jacket, the Invisible Man looks pretty cute. Like all of the other Pops in Funko’s famous line, his head is oversized and so are his sweet sunglasses. The detailing is great on the figure and I love the black-and-white color that only adds to the figure’s cool factor.
I personally know people that own hundreds of these figures. At last count, I own seven. Including this most recent purchase, I also have a Baby Groot, Hot Topic Exclusive Thomas Wayne, Arkham Knight Harley Quinn, Thor, Loki, and an Orion Slave Girl from Star Trek. For whatever reason, Pops have never grabbed my attention like other collectible items. I’m sure that I’ll buy one or two more, but I’m definitely not a rabid collector.
I hope that you enjoyed this little break from Disney horror. I’ll be returning to it tomorrow. Until then, thanks for checking out my post and let me know in the comments if you have any Pops in your collection.
In the age before the Disney Channel, the primary way for children and adults to watch Disney productions was via a weekly (for its run prior to the 1990’s) series that featured cartoons and feature length films, both of which were classic and original productions. In 1980, that series was called Disney’s Wonderful World. One of the original productions released as a two-part movie during that time was The Ghosts of Buxley Hall.
More of a comedy than anything else, the film tells the story of Buxley Hall, a once celebrated military academy that has fallen on hard times. Desperate to save the school, Colonel Joe Buxley (Monte Markham) agrees to combine the school with an all girls school in order to save the academy from financial ruin. Agitated by what is happening, the ghosts of the school’s founder, General Eulace C. Buxley (Dick O’Neill), his loving wife, Bettina (Louise Latham), and his best sergeant, Chester B. Sweet, are roused into action in order to save the school.
Young Jeremy Ross (Rad Daly), is a wealthy young man who is stuck in the middle of a custody battle between his loving Uncle George (John Ericson), and his greedy Aunt Ernestine (Ruta Lee) and her husband, Count Sergio Luchesi Di Gonzini (Vito Scotti). He’s also the newest student at the academy and Colonel Buxley’s best chance to not only save the school, but get rid of all of those pesky girls as well.
One of those young girls is a troublemaker with a heart of gold named Posie (Tricia Cast). A rebellious young teen, she keeps the former girl school’s director, Mrs. Emily Wakefield (Renne Jarrett) and the colonel on their toes. She and Jeremy team up with the ghost of Sgt. Sweet to battle the evil aunt and her husband in order to save the school while the ghost of the general tries to come to terms with girls at his academy and his wife champions their cause. Will Aunt Ernestine’s sinister plans be uncovered? Will the kids and Sgt. Sweet save the school? Find out in The Ghosts of Buxley Hall!
The film is a standard light Disney film. The comedy is sugary sweet and silly at times but it’s enjoyable enough. The strength of the film lies with its cast primarily composed with solid character actors like Markham, O’Neill, and Lee. Lee is completely over the top as Aunt Ernestine and along with Scotti, makes for a perfect villain in the film.
The film’s best performance is delivered by the always reliable Victor French. His portrayal of the well-meaning and kind Sgt. Sweet gives this film the heart that it needs to be enjoyable. His constant terrorizing of the school maintenance man, Ben (Guy Raymond, a brilliant character actor in his own right), is hilarious but never mean-spirited. French is probably best known for his supporting and co-starring roles in shows such as Little House on the Prairie and Highway to Heaven.
Tricia Cast, best known from her time on The Young And The Restless as Nina Webster, establishes herself as the primary adversary to the school’s uptight Cadet Captain Hubert (Christian Juttner) and as a troublemaker in general. She performs with plenty of spunk and attitude that was a token characteristic of many of the youngsters featured in Disney’s made-for-TV films that continue to this day.
I really enjoyed this feature that’s currently available on Disney+. It’s also available on DVD via the Disney Movie Club. It’s more of a comedy than anything, but the ghosts do have a lot of fun causing trouble for the villains. Give it a shot and you might enjoy it as much as I did.
As always, thanks for checking out my post. Another entry into my Thirty-One Days O’Horror is coming tomorrow!
The Disney Channel has always managed to produce lighthearted family films that are entertaining enough but rarely extend beyond the confines of children’s entertainment. There have been a few exceptions to this trend, however, such as the High School Musical films, which spawned careers for many of its young stars, became a catalyst for future musicals on both the big screen and on television, and influenced a push to expand theater programs at public and private schools, and the film that I’m covering today, Halloweentown.
Granted, Halloweentown‘s influence might not be as expansive as that of High School Musical, but the film was so popular that it spawned three sequels, garnered a rabid cult following of tweens, teens, and adults, and introduced a screen legend to an entirely new generation of children.
Kimberly J. Brown stars in the film as Marnie Piper, the daughter of an overprotective mother named Gwen (Judith Hoag, perhaps best remembered for her role as April O’Neil in 1990’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) who refuses to let Marnie and her younger siblings celebrate Halloween. Marnie’s brother and sister, Dylan (Joey Zimmerman) and Sophie (Emily Roeske) are polar opposites, with Dylan being grounded in science and logic and Sophie being an eternal dreamer like her older sister.
There’s obvious friction between Marnie and her mother, and things only get worse between them when grandma comes to town on Halloween. Grandma Aggie is played by legendary actor and singer Debbie Reynolds, and she plants the seed of witchcraft into all three of her grandchildren’s minds while visiting. Little do the kids know that their mother and grandmother are witches and that they are a part of the powerful Cromwell bloodline.
Fed up with her mom, curious about her lineage, and overhearing that her grandmother needs help, Marnie, along with Dylan and, secretly, Sophie, follows her grandmother to a bus station that appears out of nowhere. All three hop aboard the bus unseen and are transported to Halloweentown, a secret town in another dimension where ghouls, goblins, ghosts, and more monstrous creatures live in peace. When they arrive and reveal themselves to their grandmother, they find out that she is battling a dark power that seems to be slowly overtaking Halloweentown. Good-natured citizens have started becoming angry and ill-tempered and then they magically disappear. Who or what is behind this dastardly scheme? How will the Cromwell’s defeat the evil mastermind behind it all? Will Marnie and her mother ever see things eye to eye? You’ll have to check out Halloweentown to find out!
The film is fun to watch and features a few genuinely scary moments, especially once the villain reveals itself to Aggie and ramps up its activity in the town. The entire cast does a wonderful job, especially Brown, who carries the film with her enthusiastic performance. Other actors featured in the film include Robin Thomas as Kalabar (spelled Calabar in the first film’s credits but changes with later films), the mayor of Halloweentown, Phillip Van Dyke as Luke, a young thug with plans of his own in the film, and Rino Romano as Benny, a taxi-driving skeleton. The film also features Kenneth Choi (Sons Of Anarchy, The Wolf of Wall Street) in a minor role as a flying broom salesman.
The film has become a Halloween staple for many families and young adults that grew up on the film and its sequels (including my daughter). It introduced Debbie Reynolds to a new generation as I stated before, and her death one day after that of her legendary daughter, Carrie Fisher, on December 28, 2016, impacted not only older generations that knew her from her performances in Singin’ In The Rain, The Affairs of Dobie Gillis, and Charlotte’s Web, but younger audiences that first knew her as Grandma Cromwell.
Judith Hoag was already well known to many viewers of the film as April O’Neil from the first live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie (1990) and has continued to appear in numerous films and television shows. Joey Zimmerman has also appeared in numerous roles since being in Halloweentown, most notably (at least to me), as a young Steven Hyde on That 70’s Show. Apparently Emily Roeske is no longer acting according to Halloweentown‘s Fandom site.
Joey Zimmerman as young Steven Hyde on That 70’s Show.
The breakout star of the film was Kimberly J. Brown. Spending time at home in the country during the summer, if I was around the house I had to watch soap operas with my mom. That’s where I was first introduced to Brown’s work on Guiding Light as Marah Lewis, the young daughter of Josh and Reva, in the 1990’s. Brown has featured in a number of other shows and films over her career, most notably Rose Red (2002). Brown’s performance as Marnie developed a cult following, and when Disney Channel released 2006’s Return To Halloweentown with Sara Paxton cast in the role as Marnie, the film received a ton of criticism for not casting Brown in the role despite having much of the original cast return for the film. Brown continues to act, has written a children’s book, is active on social media, and has a website that features her acting achievements, photos, a store, and more. She also runs a popular Etsy shop that features items related to Halloweentown.
Brown in a shirt that she sells on her Etsy site, Craftily Creative. (photo from Etsy site)
I really enjoy the Halloweentown films even though I’m north of forty years of age. I grew up as an adult along with these films while watching them with my daughter. She really loves these films and I’m sure that if and when she ever has children, she’ll introduce the movies to her as well. Ultimately, this film and its sequels are almost guaranteed to remain Disney Halloween staples just like Hocus Pocus and The Nightmare Before Christmas. You can quote me on that. Thanks for reading my post. More Disney-flavored Halloween fun is coming tomorrow!
Clocking in at about five and a half minutes, the Silly Symphony short “The Skeleton Dance” is considered by many to be one of the most twisted and wonderful things ever released by Walt Disney.
Walt Disney produced and directed the short and his long-time cohort, Ub Iwerks, did the animation. Carl W. Stalling provided the music. The short was the first Silly Symphony released by Disney and is often considered to be one of the best of the bunch.
Walt Disney (L) and Ub Iwerks.
The short opens with a flash of lightning and then two large eyes fill the screen. The camera zooms out to reveal an owl who, along with a church bell, bats, a howling dog, and screeching cats, announces the witching hour. Then four skeletons come out of their graves to dance for the viewing audience. The short ends with a rooster crowing, welcoming the morning and warning the skeletons that playtime is over. The skeletons pile into a grave with one apparently forgetting its feet in the process.
This creepy little short is the perfect primer for any Halloween party. It is legitimately spooky and definitely worth watching. It is available on YouTube at the moment and can also be found in the 2001 Walt Disney Treasures boxed set Silly Symphonies and as part of Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. Carl W. Stalling’s musical composition is available in Disney’s The Silly Symphony Collection Volume One (pictured in the featured image).
Carl W. Stalling, creator of the music for “The Skeleton Dance” and eventual composer for Warner Brothers’ Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies.
Thanks for checking out this post. As the month continues, I’ll dig deeper into more horrific Disney goodies!
Four lonesome ghosts, desperate for a few new souls to haunt, make a phone call to the Ajax Ghost Exterminators hoping to “scare the pants off of them.” Luckily for Disney fans, the exterminators happen to be Disney’s Holy Trinity: Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy.
The trio, surprised by the fact that someone called them, head out to the haunted house in order to eliminate the terrors within. They decide to split up in order to surround the ghosts and each one has a prank-filled encounter.
Mickey has a run in with surfing ghosts. Donald gets paddled by one of the specters. Goofy, in the longest sequence in the short, utters the line, “I ain’t’a scared’a no ghost” while being taunted by a trombone playing apparition who tricks him with a mirror. Do our heroes save the day or do they succumb to the terror of four lonesome ghosts? Check out the short for yourself to find out!
Directed by Burt Gillett and featuring the voices of Walt Disney as Mickey, Clarence Nash as Donald, and Pinto Colvig as Goofy, this nine minute short is perfect for youngsters and older Disney fans alike. Billy Bletcher, best known for voicing Pete during the 1930’s through the 1950’s, voices the “short ghost” in the animated short. That’s four legendary voices in one nine minute film!
People that know me are well aware of the fact that Goofy is my all time favorite Disney character. Originally created in 1932 by Walt Disney, the character has always held a special place in my heart. Seeing him take the spotlight in this short was wonderful. It’s currently available to stream on Disney+ and has been released multiple times on VHS and DVD as either an extra or as part of a compilation. As far as I know, it is not available on Blu-ray just yet but I may be wrong.
As always, thanks for checking out my post. If you haven’t seen this short, be sure to give it a look. I’ll have another animated short review for all of you tomorrow!
My first trip to Walt Disney World was way back in 1999. Having been a massive fan of Disney for my entire life and wanting to visit at least one of the company’s theme parks, this was a major moment for me. My wife and I visited all of the parks at Disney World over our week-long honeymoon that year. One of the highlights for me was getting the chance to visit the Haunted Mansiondark ride.
One of the first things that I noticed about the line queue leading up to the mansion was the numerous headstones that littered the path. “Here Lies Good Old Fred, A Great Big Rock Fell On His Head” is just one of the many humorous epitaphs that I read along the way. Once my wife and I were inside the mansion, a “ghost host” welcomed us and the rest of the foolish mortals. Then the walls began to stretch and the lights go out. Above our heads, a person is hanging from the ceiling. Then we enter a corridor that leads us to our “doom buggies.”
The buggy takes us through the rest of the mansion. It features numerous animatronic ghouls and ghosts, projected images (including a breathtaking ballroom full of dancing ghosts), eerie music, and tons of spooky sound and light effects.
The ride eventually ends up in a graveyard where the ghost host warns us to not pick up any hitchhikers. We then see three ghosts hoping to hitch a ride in our doom buggies. As we make the final turn to exit the ride, there’s a special surprise waiting for us in our doom buggies!
This ride is one of my favorites at Disney World. Sure, there are plenty of other horror rides out there that will scare the bejeezus out of you, but the attention to detail, the brilliant effects, and the wonderful music make this my favorite haunted ride. Be aware that there are definitely a few scary moments during this ride that will definitely spook younger audiences, but overall it is a very fun and enjoyable ride.
In 1996, Disney released an album entitled Music From The Park that featured a number of famous artists performing covers of park songs and a few original songs as well. Artists as varied as Tim Curry (he performs a spoken word version of The Ballad of Davy Crockett) and the Pointer Sisters (Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life For Me)) appear on the album with highlights including the original tune Remember The Magic by Brian McKnight and the hard-to-find Illuminations 25 by the Disney Big Band. My favorite track on the album is a cover of Grim Grinning Ghosts from the Haunted Mansion attraction by the Barenaked Ladies. Copies of the album are available online, but copies that contain Illuminations 25 are difficult to find. I was fortunate enough to get a copy of the rare release from my sister who visited the park in 1996.
Thanks for checking out my post. I hope that you get a chance to visit one of the Disney theme parks and experience the Haunted Mansion. I’ve been to Disney World a total of three times and plan on going again in a few years. If you have visited the mansion, let me know what you think about it in the comments section! More spooky goodness coming up tomorrow!
When one thinks of horror films, they probably don’t think about films produced by Disney. While the Mouse is best known for its family films, it has managed to produce a few solid horror flicks, albeit mostly of the family friendly variety. One of the earliest Disney horror films to push that family friendly envelope was 1980’s The Watcher In The Woods. Based on the novel A Watcher In The Woods by Florence Engel Randall, the film has garnered a decent cult following over the years.
Non-Spoiler Review Ahead!!!!
The film starred Bette Davis, Carroll Baker, Lynn-Holly Johnson, and Kyle Richards. It tells the story of two young girls, Jan and Ellie (Johnson and Richards), who experience bizarre occurrences and witness strange lights and ghostly apparitions in the woods near their new home in England. They are also creeped out by their landlord, Mrs. Aylwood (Davis), who tells Jan that she looks very similar to her own daughter who went missing thirty years prior.
Ellie buys a dog in town and is compelled to name it Nerak. That name stuns Jan and a local boy that she’s taken a liking to named Mike (Benedict Taylor), who tells Jan about the mystery that surrounds the disappearance of Mrs. Aylwood’s daughter. Driven by a desire to find out the truth and pushed to do so by an apparently supernatural force, Jan goes on the hunt to find out what really happened to Mrs. Aylwood’s daughter and hopes to bring her home. Does Jan find out the truth? Check out The Watcher In The Woods to find out!
I decided to give this film a spoiler-free review because even the smallest spoiler could ruin the film as a whole. It’s not Disney’s best film and I wouldn’t rank it very high as a horror film, but it definitely has tons of creepiness and atmosphere throughout its run time. It’s safe enough for children to watch but younger kids will probably get very scared at certain moments.
The film’s original ending and original opening sequences were met with criticism by early audiences in a limited release. Disney went back to the drawing board and completely changed the original opening and edited the ending for special effects, monster effects, and even deleted an entire sequence that many felt was just too “out there” for audiences to understand. There are currently three different endings and two opening sequences available to check out.
The cast does a surprisingly good job, especially Lynn-Holly Johnson, who carries the bulk of the film on her shoulders. Bette Davis is sufficient with her limited role and Carroll Baker does a superb job as Jan and Ellie’s mother, Helen. David McCallum, perhaps best known for his role as Illya Kuryakin in The Man From U.N.C.L.E., does a nice job as the father of Jan and Ellie. The rest of the cast do a great job of building tension during the film and bringing the suspense level to its peak near the film’s climax. The film’s music also did a great job of building the creepiness of the film overall.
The film isn’t currently available on Disney+ and was last released on DVD in the early 2000’s. It is available for purchase in the Disney Movie Club if you’re a member of that particular group. You can also find the film on YouTube but you’ll have to do some digging to find the original opening and/or the other ending sequences.
Thanks for reading my brief review. I hope that you check out The Watcher in the Woods if for no other reason than to see just how bizarre a Disney film can be when the “family friendly” reins are loosened a bit. More horrific Disney fun is on the way the rest of this month!
Despite a major hurricane destroying most of my home and internet service that won’t be very reliable, yours truly will go forward with Thirty-One Days O’Horror! My first post will be published tomorrow and I will do my best to review a minimum of three films each week and I’ll also throw in a few other horrific goodies not pertaining to this year’s theme: Disney Horror.
One of those wonderful extras will be a review of David J. Skal’s Hollywood Gothic. Be sure to look for that review in a couple of weeks. Other reviews will include a few creepy collectibles, possibly another book or two, and a few other spook-tacular tidbits that I’ll surprise you all with during the month.
My research into Disney horror started prior to the hurricane, so I’ve already found some ghastly gems that will definitely haunt you as you read my posts this month. If there’s something in particular that you’d like me to cover, let me know in the comments section!
As always, thanks for reading. Get ready for a month of monsters, mayhem, and Mickey!
Featured image from the flickr account of Matt Pasant. Check out his work here.
Ken's Alternate Universe! 