This AWFUL Halloween Variety Show Will Haunt You (Boo!) (Movie Nights)

[@lanceturley7745]

When they cut to the "live" audience, it should have been a bunch of prop skeletons sitting motionless in the seats while the canned applause plays in the background. But I guess they couldn't allow that, since it would mean putting an actual joke in the show.

[@sholem_bond]

Or like a "zombie" audience that groans when the jokes are really bad, maybe; some excuse for either an "undead audience" or a "living dead audience" pun would be kind of funny, IMHO. (An audience of inanimate skeletons not laughing would be funny too, though.)

[@cameronstone4495]

Most people don't know that in the original Dracula novel, Johnathan Harker, Dr. Seward, Arthur Holmwood, Abraham Van Helsing and a cowboy assembled for the purpose of saving Mina Murry from appearing on Count Dracula's lame variety show.

[@HTFWSFWWE]

It's a shame the "cowboy" (also known as "Quincy Morris" to his friends) didn't deserve to be referred to by name. As an American myself, I appreciated how accurately Bram Stoker portrayed the character. Some people say he's a Foghorn Leghorn level stereotype, but those people aren't real Americans so don't believe them!

[@graemesmith6721]

@@HTFWSFWWE Remember, to Europeans (especially in 1898) ALL Americans are cowboys.

[@Geospasmic]

Love that they call it "Boo!", saving us the trouble of saying it.

[@TheFlamingDoh2]

16:52 🎶She may be selfish and all of that But the one thing Ziggy’s not is a scaredy cat🎶

[@LaNoLaCola]

This variety show may be scary, but it wasn't as scary as that jigsaw puzzle Allison and Phelan did a while back

[@Jiddy12345]

Fun fact: Rip Taylor was doing an interview once and took off his toupee live on my local news station.

[@ryandowney8743]

Being the "worst" variety show is like being the smelliest corpse in the morgue. Has there ever been an genuinely good variety show except for The Muppet Show?

[@LittleMissLounge]

Variety shows often contain stellar performances by genuinely talented people. However, I'd rather type "The Beatles on Ed Sullivan" or "Schweddy Balls" into KZbin than watch the full episodes most of the time, so there's that.

[@ken131]

I have to respect The Lawrence Welk Show for its focus on performance and its value as a historical record. No BS, just song and dance and etc. Competition type variety reality shows of today have far less actual content in them by comparison.

[@charliepie1212]

I've always been a fan of the Carol Burnett show.

[@Scatscar1985]

"special effects by John Sleep"?

[@sholem_bond]

The Amanda Show

[@SevWildfang]

this show doesnt have a wikipedia page, but Hilarious House of Frightenstein does!

[@seraphonica]

Imagine seeing the Stae Wars Holiday Special, and the critical response to it, and thinking "yes, and..."

[@jonothanthrace1530]

I love Alison's Care Bears shirt!

[@jamesoblivion]

I can't believe they got Peter Cullen, just to make weird animal noises. That's Frank Welker's job!

[@Tareltonlives]

I like to think Frank Welker redirecting the contract to Peter Cullen so he gets the role instead- "Sorry Peter, but it's you or me"

[@shaunmccomish8572]

Halloween III reference for the win! Also in regards to the Wolfman, wouldn't Frank Welker have been a better choice given how good he was at imitating the noises of actual animals?

[@wstine79]

Makes you appreciate the subtlety dignity of Paul Lynn.

[@Geospasmic]

Hey, camp isn't for everybody but at least he had jokes!

[@graemesmith6721]

@@Geospasmic Yes, Paul Lynde's Halloween special may have been silly, corny, and embarrassing, but it actually had some legitimately funny moments.

[@BrianDavis13]

The highlight of this special is definitely the palm springs joke, followed closely by the commercial for Peter Pan peanut butter.

[@graemesmith6721]

Rip Taylor's "backgammon . . . frontgammon" joke actually got a laugh out of me.

[@Silverstar_]

Wow, thanks for unearthing this, guys. For a long time, I thought that my brother and I were the only two people on the planet who saw this special. We would tell people, "There was this TV special which was basically Laugh-In with schticky, vaudeville comedy versions of the Universal Monsters" and get the strangest looks.

[@lotus-prince]

The bad edit of the cheering suddenly getting louder slayed me. Props for showing the audio file - amazing. :-D

[@mathieuleader8601]

I wish Peter Cullen's werewolf was lathargic like Eyeore

[@michaelthomas5433]

As a Canadian I think I have PTSD from seeing The Hilarious House of Frightenstein as a child. Verily my young impressionable mind was warped by the experience. And also You Can't Do That On Television.

[@EpicJasonX9000]

I wanna see a modern retro throw back Variety Show but with slasher villains. The jokes wound write themselves and they could get away with making it gory.

[@hoodoozephyr4506]

I remember seeing this in the early 80s. If If I’m recalling correctly, it was in a holiday syndication package that was on the independent UHF stations it the area. I think it was paired with the much better Witch’s Night Out, also Canadian. So maybe there was just a Canadian Halloween special syndication package in the 80s.

[@DonaldRilea]

This seems like a "SCTV" joke show made reality, only without Count Floyd, Dr. Tongue, and company.

[@montyr2083]

THAT would have been an amazing thing to watch; an actual SCTV Halloween Special.

[@surpriseandterror9698]

Dr. Tongue's 3D House of Has-Beens and Never-Was-s

[@gracestarkes2644]

I'm pretty sure Ziggy is either scared of or just really grossed out by that Fat Orange Cat plush.

[@SiameseBuche]

“At least when you have Covid, you get to rest.” “And if you really like Halloween, DON’T watch this.” 💀

[@famijher]

Well, I lived through 1980. Fortunately, I never saw this special when it was aired in America. I feel like I dodged a bullet.

[@Thegamebasement]

It looks like this reaired on WGN, a local Chicago network. It actually makes total sense, this kind of show would fit in well with their local programming at the time. For context, WGN produced the Bozo show for decades, along with a lot of other local Chicago shows. They all have that classic 1970s look and feel to them, well into the 80s, so something like this wouldn't look too out of place.

[@TheGerkuman]

It's terrible, yet the Backgammon/Frontgammon joke made me laugh, out of it's sheer ridiculousness.

[@CyclopsWasRight616]

"Doing nothing but making noises" should be the name of Peter Cullen's autobiography

[@Tareltonlives]

Or Frank Welker

[@KenoshiAkai]

The Hilarious House of Frightenstein was actually entertaining. It's an October tradition to bingewatch it.

[@quesoblanco444]

I loved Hilarious House of Frightenstein as a kid. It was very popular with kids and stoners.

[@rodrolliv]

Lunar-tic callback! :P

[@paultapner2769]

Talking of audiences being prompted to cheer for things not worthy of such: here in Britain from 1994 to somewhen in the 2000's we had the national lottery show on a saturday night on BBC1. Which tried many formats to fill air time working around the numbers for the National Lottery draw being made. Live. When they chose which of the two machines for the draw to use the audience would cheer. When numbers came out the audience would cheer each one. Why?

[@FilmBrain]

Stay away from storm drains.

[@Tareltonlives]

But what if they have Peter Pan Peanut Butter?!

[@BackWordsJane]

You need to check out the Paul Lynde Halloween Special from 1976 or 77 It had KISS as guest stars as well as the lady who played the wicked witch from Wizard of Oz. Strange show

[@user-lb9xw4xf2q]

The makers of the show were so inept that they missed easy jokes in cast names. Peter CULLen and RIP Taylor. Also, should have had Dracula played by Scott Bakula.

[@Lunchladydoyle]

Happy Halloween to my favorite review duo 🎃 many years ago I saw a video of Rip Taylor opening for Debbie Reynolds and he was very raunchy and very funny. I think a lot of the old time comics struggled when they couldn’t do their blue material.

[@RedSpade37]

By Grabthar's Hammer... What a special...

[@edwardscales5503]

Im honestly surprised there is no media of Optimus prime as a warewolf! I guess this will be the closest we get

[@mathieuleader8601]

what do you call a zombie that is a good impressionist? A dead ringer

[@johnwatson3948]

I didn’t create Frogger...but I came up with the name for it. Can you believe they wanted to call it “Highway Crossing Frog”?

[@werecorgi]

So glad we have another spooky month with our favorite hostess of shlock.

[@NuraCalise]

I saw this as a kid, but I only remember the "And these are my friends" bit, so I didn't realize it was the one I remember until that clip near the end of your video

[@cameronstone4495]

Damn it Phelan, I was gonna comment with the Boo-urns bit , but you had to take it just before the credits.

[@iamathousandapples]

The original has come up on my algorithm a billion times, thanks for sparing me from watching this!

[@ecmelton8633]

The Hilarious House of Frightenstein also had a lot of bad ethnic characters (played by white Canadians) including one that directly inspired Mike Myers's character in the Love Guru, so add that to the list of the creators' crimes.

[@Lost-Lilim]

The Star Wars Holiday Special was far more frightening.

[@vgtrp]

This is probably the scariest thing I'm going to see all Halloween season. Also, I'm guessing the only reason this re-aired in the States is because stations were desperate for programming.

[@themexicankitchen]

I'm commenting on this as soon as I saw this go up So in Australia it's spooky season just yet So its not even less Dead?

[@EnsignRicky011]

So which was worse, this or the Monster Police video?

[@makeghandi]

I wonder if this is the origin of Gex's line about Halloween at Rip Taylor's.

[@1000huzzahs]

Boy, this special had Charley Douglass working overtime...

[@Froggievilleus]

Huge thumbs up for the peanut butter ad towards the end. Brilliant!

[@markiangooley]

My parents both had a weakness for TV variety shows in the Seventies and Eighties, though us kids came to dislike them. I think that my Mom would have thought this one too stupid, though.

[@KingOfDoma]

... I completely forgot Hilarious House of Frightenstein existed, but now the memories are flooding back... what a friggin' weird show...

[@PJFrye]

I always need a good Season of the Witch nod. And anything so awful as to justify my SW Holiday Special love is appreciated LoL

[@BrianS1981]

Sorry to hear about the Covid. Hope it was a mild form, still a pain.

[@SirWilliamKidney]

I was waiting for the punchline that actually this was Film Brain's other favourite movie from childhood! Edit: Boowhacked!

[@kemmdog4444]

Oh god, I watched this on KZbin a couple of months ago. Now Every time the show is mentioned, I act like Cullen’s Wolfman.

[@flippedoutkyrii]

Hilarious house of frightenstein! I used to watch reruns of that before grade school very early in the morning. Amazing the guy made a series of shows with the same flat comedy lol

[@mathieuleader8601]

honestly being in the audience for Boo! feels like a punishment you would have if you got put in Limbo

[@mossena]

Thank you for your sacrifice

[@TonyGearSolid]

A more talented group of writers would've leaned into it being a shitty variety show and ended it with the crowd booing over the credits.

[@MinmoKitty]

Ah, what a great way to start off the spooky season!

[@DiarraHarris]

This was on CBC? Surprised I didn't see it. Then again I'm kinda glad that I didn't!

[@jankarieben1071]

Lupa and Phelous for Halloween President! 🍻🎃 also: this count sure ain’t no Count Floyd! 🧛‍♂️

[@roddmatsui3554]

Oh take me back to them 80s. That was the time to party with monsters! I missed this in the 80s (although I DID absolutely watch “Frightenstein” in the early 70s)! *Well, here’s October again. Good wishes to you film buddies.* . -rodd matsui

[@Life.can.be.smelly.]

You, too, are so hilarious. You make everything more enjoyable, no matter the quality, live on Car Man

[@StarSnowGhost]

You are unironically selling me on this, guys. I love trying to hard, not-scary cringey monster mashes. I love legit good ones too, like What we do in the Shadows, but this garbage is my jam and I'm not even a stoner. I'm the kind of troll who loves to bring this to a party to torture people. Weirdly I've heard a lot of unironic praise for Hilarious House of Frightenstein- I guess because it was made for small children and people are weirded out to see monster stuff for preschoolers?

[@TommyDeonauthsArchives]

I was saying Boo-urns... 16:00 Oh, guess i don't need to make the Simpsons joke when the video is going to do it on its own...

[@dc9662]

That show makes me wish I had some boo-ze.

[@henrygvidonas9573]

Two people in New York in 1938 thought it would be a good idea to name their son Rifael Ronald Markowitz. Yup, his stage name in the credits isn't "Riff Markowitz" because he's a master of improv comedy - it's because his parents named him Rifael. Ahem... that explains a lot about the quality of the comedic material in this TV special. This thing is from 1980, but the clips make it feel like something that was written in1960 and collected dust on a shelf for two decades. As if the 1970s edgy comedy boom never happened. This is was broadcast in the same year Eddie Murphy started on SNL. Riff Markowitz is/was a year younger than George Carlin and only two years older than Richard Pryor. It's incredible how lame and square this is.

[@norbertovalle7928]

And so it begins,… The first signs of Halloween. Life is good, bring on the old man reading creepy pastas Phelous, bring on the so bad it’s good scary shit Lupa, bring the Halloweenie,… ok idk about that lmao (I still love him phelous) because being evil,… “ITS THE BEST!” Hee Hee Heeeee

[@EpicJasonX9000]

Was this movie secretly made by Halloweenie?! XD

[@MrPatrick1980]

Starring the Joe Flaherty Experience as Dracula. Not Joe Flaherty but an incredible simulation! (RIP Joe).

[@danecranberry6025]

The more examples that I see, especially Just for Laugh:Gags, the more I realise that I've given Canadian TV way too much credit.

[@graemesmith6721]

Remember, just saying "BOO!" is hilarious in and of itself. Because BOO is part of BOOGEDY, and the Mr. Boogedy movies taught us that you can't say that word often enough.

[@bongchoof]

Nooo, frontgammon made me laugh!

[@Tareltonlives]

This is actually a good companion to that Shot on Shitteo "Transylvannia PD" . The scary thing is deciding which is less funny

[@adamcraig7842]

"Movie Nights"? More like "Move Frights"

[@cloudstrife532220]

A variety show beneath even the Pumpkin Rapper

[@Tareltonlives]

Ziggy is so cute "I'm not gonna watch this, eesholes!"

[@MrZerothejedi]

Holy shit you guys, all I could think until it was revealed was "This looks like a bad rip off of Hilarious House of Frightenstein." so to have it turn out the same guy made the same thing twice in such a way is really just, tin gold flakes for me.

[@gracestarkes2644]

This leaves me haunted by its bizarre choices.

[@jenniferschillig3768]

I remember seeing this when I was a kid! I think it was 1983 and I'd just turned eleven, and they ran it some Saturday afternoon just after the cartoons ended.

[@michigo]

This was truly scary, good thing I'm never really that bored :D

[@millennialmatt7]

6:34 Be careful not to CHOKE on your aspirations.

[@viraltang]

Hello new thing to inflict on my friends on our next bad movie night.

[@Tareltonlives]

I just watched the Ducktales episode where Peter Cullen is an evil robot who almost takes over the world, and he's a lot scarier (and funnier) in that. Wow, what a waste.

[@Tareltonlives]

Say what you will about the Star Wars Holiday special, but at least it had Harvey Corman and Bea Arthur rather than Rip Taylor

[@Tareltonlives]

"They couldn't find a blank audio file?"

[@someidiotmetalhead]

This really just looks like a parody of variety shows. But a badly-executed parody.

[@sholem_bond]

"Front gammon" got me, NGL

[@ATStormRider]

BOO! At least they tried!! 🎃

[@smilingkevin]

Oooh, Venture reference! Loved that game!

[@christophermerlot3366]

How dare you make fun of the Hilarious House of Frightenstein. For a southern Ontarian it was essential viewing. Long live Billy Van!

[@AshtonGarland]

If you want to watch a better Halloween special I recommend the Paul Lynde Halloween Special. It’s campy, it’s fun, it has Betty White, Margaret Hamilton, Kiss, and many other celebrities of the era. I really like it, it’s not great but it’s fun.

[@shioq.]

i still remember lunartic

[@charlesmtaylor31]

Well, that's a thing that exists.

[@winewithhedda]

Tread gently. Hilarious House is beloved. 🙂

[@dunes8817]

So many bizarre decisions...

[@marcherwitch9811]

reminds me of that awful count ffloyd thing that was on something space ghosty...

[@gracekim1998]

This will go perfectly with the fact that I just watched the ‘93 Mario movie 😊❤

[@cartoonkelly7924]

Yet another argument for recreational Marajuana. Or grain alcohol. It’s probably HILARIOUS while high.