The mid-1960s were the watershed moment for Rankin-Bass, with all the elements that would make them such a creative force coming together. Conceptual artist Jack Davis, who joined the company soon after Rudolph aired, brought a fresh and distinctive look to the specials, and specifically the monsters in Mad Monster Party? Though drawn from the classic look of the Universal Monsters (and a few others), Davis gave them a unique style that evokes the original movies while augmenting the look into something appealing for all ages. When these designs were paired with the storyboards of Don Duga, who beautifully captured the Expressionistic style of F.W. Murnau and Fritz Lang with the classic monster template set by Tod Browning and James Whale, there was magic in the making. With a very funny script by Len Korobkin and Harvey Kurtzman, the film was ready to be brought to life.

Not long before the making of Rudolph, Rankin discovered the Japanese stop-motion animation company MOM Productions. Rankin was thoroughly taken with their work and, with some direction from himself and Bass, dubbed it “AniMagic.” Of course, stop-motion had been around for decades and had changed very little since the pioneering work of Willis O’Brien (The Lost World, 1927; King Kong, 1933) and Ray Harryhausen (The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, 1953; The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, 1958; Jason and the Argonauts, 1963). Rankin saw the potential of using stop motion on television to stand out from the crowd of traditionally animated series and specials. This, combined with creative stories, unique designs of the characters, and artful execution, worked like gangbusters.

The creative team was rounded out by composer and songwriter Maury Laws, who first joined the company for The Daydreamer in 1966 and continued to work with Rankin-Bass for many years. His songs, with lyrics by Jules Bass, capture the fun of the era and the spirit of the holiday featured in each special. For Mad Monster Party?, Laws and Bass wrote the Bond-esque main theme sung by Ethel Ennis doing her best Shirley Bassey, “You’re Different”—the Monster’s Mate’s ode to her man, “Mr. Mummy”—performed by a Beatle-haired band of skeletons called Little Tibia and the Fibula, “It’s Our Time to Shine,” the love song “Never Was a Love Like Mine,” and the earworm “Stay One Step Ahead” sung, or rather spoken in rhythm, by the star of the film Boris Karloff.

Karloff was still the biggest horror star in the world in the late 1960s thanks to a resurgence courtesy of Roger Corman, Mario Bava, and the Grinch, for whom he had provided voices the year before. Also receiving star billing was comedienne and television pioneer Phyllis Diller, credited as “The Monster’s Mate” but never given a name, though the Frankenstein Monster itself is given the name Fang. Gale Garnett was brought in to voice the female lead, Francesca, Dr. Frankenstein’s secretary. All the other voices in the film were provided by the incomparable Allen Swift, a master of celebrity imitation, along with providing plenty of original voices. In Mad Monster Party?, he provides Felix with the voice of Jimmy Stewart, Yetch with Peter Lorre, and Dracula with, of course, more than a little Lugosi, along with unique voices for most of the other monsters.

The film itself is a monster lover’s dream, packing its 90 minutes with more monsters than arguably any other movie ever made, surpassing even the classic Universal Monster mashups like House of Frankenstein (1944) and House of Dracula (1945), while clearly looking to them and the Abbott and Costello Meet the Monsters films for inspiration. The story is simple. An aging Dr. Boris von Frankenstein (Karloff) sends out invitations to all his monster friends to announce his greatest discovery, and they all congregate at his castle. Among the guests is Felix Flanken, the Baron’s klutzy nephew, whom Frankenstein plans to make his successor as Chairman of the Board of Monsters Incorporated, the worldwide council of monsters. Dracula, the Monster’s Mate, and Francesca each feel they are best suited to follow in the Baron’s footsteps and seek to sabotage Felix. It all culminates with Francesca falling in love with Felix and the monsters joining forces to capture the couple, but they are foiled by the arrival of royalty—King Kong.

Of course, Mad Monster Party? is less about plot and more about the madcap monster fun to be had along the way. Some of the most memorable moments include a monster food fight, a series of nocturnal rivalries between snoring roommates, and a picnic between Felix and Francesca that leads to Dracula losing his fangs in a tree. Joining in on the fun are the Wolf Man, the Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Gill Man, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, the Mummy, and Yetch, Frankenstein’s Peter Lorre-inspired servant. On top of all this is a whole army of zombies dressed like bellboys. It is all truly inspired madness.

By Arthur Rankin’s own admission, the pacing is bogged down at times as the original script was lengthened to feature length due to the success of Rudolph. Even in these padded sequences, such as the zombies flying airplanes and the Chef Machiavelli sequence, are still a lot of fun and well executed. At times, they are reminiscent of Abbott and Costello or Marx Brothers routines that do not necessarily forward the plot but supply plenty of good laughs.

Though still best known, and probably always will be, for their Christmas output, Rankin-Bass made specials to last year-round, including two more Halloween specials in 1972, Jack O’ Lantern and Mad Mad Monsters, both of which are traditional hand-drawn animation features. In Jack O’Lantern, made for the television series Festival of Family Classics, a leprechaun changes himself into a pumpkin for the winter. He comes to life as a kind of scarecrow with a Jack-o-lantern head and helps a pair of children scare off witches and warlocks. Mad Mad Monsters is an official follow-up to Mad Monster Party? in which the monsters attend the wedding of the Frankenstein Monster and his Bride at the Transylvania Astoria Hotel. Allen Swift returned to voice the monsters, but the absence of Boris Karloff and Phyllis Diller, along with the traditional rather than stop-motion animation, all make for a very different experience.

All told, there is nothing quite like Mad Monster Party? It is perfect entertainment for the whole family during the Halloween season. It is a “barrage of jokes” kind of movie, many of which hit, though some admittedly don’t, and some of them go by so quickly that it may well take multiple viewings to catch them all. I first came to the movie as a Frankenstein completist but have found myself returning to it time and again and enjoying it more each time. It may not reach the heights of the very best Frankenstein and monster parodies like Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), Young Frankenstein (1974), and The Man with Two Brains (1983), but few films can. And if you love monsters, Mad Monster Party? is second to none for sheer volume of monster laughs and mayhem.

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This iconic adaptation begins with two hunters coming upon a seemingly vacant forest where neither leaf nor snow falls. This eternally spring wood is home to a legendary creature; a unicorn who remains unseen not because she evades sight but because not all can see her. As the hunters hurry away without even launching a single arrow, one man bids adieu to the local protector of these parts: “And good luck to you, for you are the last.” His parting words of reverence soon set the lonely unicorn on a journey fraught with danger and reflection.

The Last Unicorn was — and still is — my perfect cinematic escape because of its fantastical story; nothing about the film quite ties it to reality at any age. After a stunning opening sequence paired with Jimmy Webb and America‘s equally bracing title song, the solitary namesake of the film dwells on the hunters’ farewell. “I am the only unicorn there is?” she asks herself. Had it not been for these men, the Unicorn (voiced by Mia Farrow) might have never realized her own loneliness. Her life was peaceful if not sheltered, but like so many of us who endure and suffer without awareness of the fact, knowing our troubles have a name as well as a cause only leads to further discontent. There is now an established problem in need of fixing. An eccentric, all-wise butterfly (Robert Klein) eventually sends the Unicorn on her way to find the Red Bull, a fiery horned beast that pushes others like her “to the ends of the Earth.”

Having been introduced to horror at a young age, I was drawn to all things scary. So of course I call attention to the terrifying Midnight Carnival act. After leaving the safety of her forest and going in search of the Red Bull, the Unicorn is captured by witch Mommy Fortuna (Angela Lansbury) and her assistants, Ruhk (Brother Theodore) and Schmendrick (Alan Arkin). The average person sees only a mare when looking directly at a live unicorn, but to a witch-like Fortuna or a wizard-like Schmendrick, they see the truth. The latter has to hide his ability until the time comes to save this rare creature from living life as a cheap sideshow act. The Unicorn, sympathetic toward other magical animals regardless of their temperament or appearance, then frees a real harpy named Celaeno. Although she knew her “death [sat] in that cage,” Fortuna did not fear her imminent demise at Celaeno’s talons. While we never witness the old woman’s grisly fate in detail, our imagination fills in the blanks.

Joining the Unicorn on her voyage is Schmendrick, the amateur wizard whose magic is as unreliable as it is inaccurate. Even though he starts off as the bumbling fool who occasionally requires an enchanted lift from the Unicorn, Schmendrick winds up being an astounding friend who goes to great lengths to help those he cares about. Indeed he is initially consumed by his own desire to become a masterful magician, but Schmendrick realizes magic does not necessarily make him happy. He stands out in the best ways from the majority of the male characters shown in the film.

Also present is Molly Grue (Tammy Grimes), whose first encounter with the Unicorn is downright hostile. She approaches her in anger — “Damn you! Where have you been?” — before bursting into tears. Author and screenwriter Peter S. Beagle does not go into great detail about Molly’s background aside from mentioning a tapestry contest she placed fifth in. However, we can assume her capricious disposition has all to do with a laundry list of life’s regrets. Molly might not have an agenda like everyone else does in the movie, but at the same time, she is aware of her lack of ambition and how miserable that makes her feel. Of course, all that will change now that she is on a new path.

No hero is complete without a villain. Although The Last Unicorn lacks the standard good versus evil story, it does provide an antagonist. The Red Bull would appear to be the Unicorn’s main adversary; the monster rips through the night like a demon and mercilessly stalks its prey. As it turns out, the Red Bull is a mere elemental created to do its master’s bidding. And that master would be no other than King Haggard (Christopher Lee), a tyrant whose appearance matches his name. Haggard’s wish to catch and imprison every unicorn points to his resentment toward all things young and eternal. Nothing pleases him for long; be it an adopted son, Prince Lir (Jeff Bridges), or a wizard’s party tricks. His only delight is removing joy from the world because he can.

Like any child entranced by visuals first and story second, I was immediately snared by the sheer beauty of The Last Unicorn every time I rented it from the local video shop. The film is a medieval tapestry brought to glorious life. The character designs all possess extraordinary weight and energy in spite of their two-dimensional origins and the film’s smaller budget. The landscapes are evocative, the colors are rich, and the backgrounds are finely detailed. The Last Unicorn having been animated by Topcraft, a Japanese team of animators that would later form the heart of Studio Ghibli, explains why it looks so crisp and fluid even after four decades.

This distinct era of hand-drawn films refused to treat its younger audience with kid gloves. A contrast to the Saturday morning cartoons were the more full-fledged stories that appealed to broader audiences. Disney had its small share of mature productions before going the other direction, and Don Bluth is synonymous with darker and less safe animation. Rankin/Bass has always managed to sneak in questionable material in their works; their vintage, stop-motion Christmas specials are home to incidental frights. The Last Unicorn is no different in view of the fact it delivered overt scares on top of existential unease. Knowing that, it was undoubtedly difficult to market The Last Unicorn back then as something it clearly is not.

When younger, I felt confused and disappointed when the Unicorn’s temporary human form, Princess Amalthea, and Prince Lir parted ways rather than live happily ever after together. Other fairytale narratives had me thinking there was no other way to end these kinds of stories. Especially after the Unicorn experiences a crash course in the human condition. According to Schmendrick, though, “There are no happy endings because nothing ends.” Today that specific line resonates deeply and brings solace in hard times. I shuffle between periods of content and malaise, community and withdrawal. But like the Unicorn and Prince Lir who go their separate ways (for now), I remember the story always continues. There is still time to find that fabled happy ending.

What I lack in fond childhood memories I make up for in runaway nostalgia. Being raised by movies and television had a silver lining; I found my way to something as exceptional as The Last Unicorn. The characters, the music, the themes. Every aspect of this gorgeously animated, poignant fantasy still courses through my mind and brings immeasurable comfort when reality starts to feel like too much.

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