The Hilarious House of Frightenstein (DVD)
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The Hilarious House of Frightenstein is like Laugh-In for horror fans. (Make that a Laugh-In for horror fans who have been smoking massive amounts of dope.)
The mock-horror variety show reportedly ran for 25 years beginning in Canada in 1971, then spread across the United States (quite frankly, I don’t recall ever having seen it before the DVD was sent to me). It was narrated, introduced and sketch-cameoed by the quintessential horror king Vincent Price, but the two stars of The Hilarious House of Frightenstein were undoubtedly the ever-present hosts Count Frightenstein (Billy Van) and Igor (Fishka Rais).
In the beginning of the show, they do their trademark duet to the tune of the Battle Hymn of the Republic:
Gory, gory
Where werewolves and bats will always maim ya
The murky moor will likely claim ya
As we go stumbling through-oooo-oooo-ooooo...
I pledge by the sign of the three toed sloth
To do my best to do my duty
To always obey the laws of the werewolf pack
And to never rest, until Brucie lives once more
And takes his rightful place in the annals of distinguished monsters
And I can once again return to that most goriest of homelands...
Gory, gory
As we...
Go...
Stum-...
bling...
Through-oooooooooooooooooo!
The show is quite goofy and there are some whackily memorable characters — such as Grizelda the Ghastly Gourmet, an African explorer called Bwana Clyde Batty, and goofy puppets like Brucie J. Monster and Sea Serpent Gronk — but I think you have to have been a 1960s hippy (sitar music is quite popular on the soundtrack, as is a Ravi Shakar-styled character) and a big fan of the show when it originally aired to get much out of the DVD.
Personally, I found The Hilarious House of Frightenstein a vaguely entertaining oddity for one episode, but I could not imagine sitting though any more. If you’re already a fan you’re sure to be delighted with this disc — it’s got two hours worth of programming on it, plus several text-based featurettes.
If you’re not an existing fan, use some caution and rent before buying. (If you’re curious, there is a very extensive website dedicated to the show.)
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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson