Greetings, Boils & Ghouls...
... and welcome to 'Day Three' of "Abnor Mal's Guide To Creepy Cartoon Classics on Roku" where I aim to bring you another creepy cartoon classic from the plethora of spooky animated short films that have been released throughout the course of animation history - any of which can be streamed on TV via the magic of Roku media players - so let's dim down the lights, for some more fun & frights! :-O
If you read my special hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - which I published three days ago, you'll know that I plan to post a Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, featuring one vintage cartoon classic with spooky overtones each and every day. With recommendations for thirty-one of the most spook-tacular shorts I can find, by the end of the month, this means you'll have plenty of great choices for your creepy cartoon viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en... as well as ensuring lots of laughs & screams come October 31st! :-D
Likewise... if you read my post from 'Day Two' of this month-long blogathon, you might recall a brief reference to how a quote by one of our trio of ghost chasers - the "Ajax Ghost Exterminators" - who (themselves) could have provided some inspiration for the 1984 feature-length film "Ghostbusters", may well have been the origin of the line "I ain't afraid of no ghosts!" in the song by Ray Parker Jr. from the soundtrack to that very same film. Anyhow, a couple of years after that movie was released, along came animation's answer to that film... in the shape of "The Real Ghostbusters" cartoon series which, starting in 1986, lasted for six years and provided kids with almost 150 enjoyable episodes! :-)
During the first two years that the series ran, there were a couple of Hallowe'en-themed episodes: the first being “When Halloween Was Forever”, which originally aired in 1986, and; the second one was an episode called “Halloween II 1/2”, that originally aired in 1987, while both featured a character by the name of 'Samhain' as the main antagonist in the story. However, when the time came around for a third Hallowe'en-themed episode, the decision was taken to air "The Halloween Door" in prime-time on the 'ABC' network... with the idea being that, instead of just broadcasting it as a part of the regular Saturday morning TV line-up, an 8pm time-slot would enable parents to watch it with their children. To mark the occasion, the show was treated to both a custom opening, and a custom closing segment, but the icing on the Hallowe'en cake was to be this specially-designed custom title card:-
In this episode, the Ghostbusters are confronted by 'Crowley' - who happens to be the chairman of an organisation known as Citizens United Against Halloween (and Lots of Other Stuff We Don't Like) - and he asks for their assistance in putting an end to Hallowe'en plus all the celebrations that go with it. Following the encounter, one of the PKE meters belonging to the Ghostbusters is stolen after they decline to help 'Crowley' realise his ambition. However, by using the stolen meter, 'Crowley' plans to finish building his "Electronic Positronic Anti-Halloween Machine" and then set about erasing every aspect of Hallowe'en from the world... from costumes, to Jack-O-Lanterns, and even candy! :-O :-(
Unfortunately, along the way, he breaks a seal and inadvertently opens "The Halloween Door" which is a gateway to another dimension, where demons were sent after leaving Earth, resulting from an old contract made with the ancient Druids. The subsequent re-opening of "The Halloween Door" left our planet vulnerable to numerous ghosts and demons, including their leader: the rampaging Boogaloo, whose body is made-up of a multitude of faces, and all of them fully intent on wreaking havoc and destruction upon us - meaning the Ghostbusters were going to be very busy this Halloween night! ;-)
The fact that "The Halloween Door" talks about the meaning of Hallowe'en, with the writers placing the sort of emphasis on Hallowe'en that is usually reserved for Christmas - i.e. that the holiday is overly-commercialised and how many people just don't "get it" anymore - only makes it more special because it helps everyone get into the (ahem) "spirit" of things (if you'll pardon the pun). Of course, it still oozed with the kind of charm that made "The Real Ghostbusters" series so popular to begin with, but the underlying message about the "true meaning" of Hallowe'en added grown-up sensibilities that ensured this prime-time 'TV Special' would appeal to parents and other adults just as much. Although this episode might be considered (by some) as merely a sugar-coated retelling of the 'Christmas' story, there's no denying that it's a fun watch and helps further set the mood as we continue to count down the days until October 31st. So, if you've not seen it before - or wish to see it again - here it is:-
If you read my special hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - which I published three days ago, you'll know that I plan to post a Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, featuring one vintage cartoon classic with spooky overtones each and every day. With recommendations for thirty-one of the most spook-tacular shorts I can find, by the end of the month, this means you'll have plenty of great choices for your creepy cartoon viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en... as well as ensuring lots of laughs & screams come October 31st! :-D
Likewise... if you read my post from 'Day Two' of this month-long blogathon, you might recall a brief reference to how a quote by one of our trio of ghost chasers - the "Ajax Ghost Exterminators" - who (themselves) could have provided some inspiration for the 1984 feature-length film "Ghostbusters", may well have been the origin of the line "I ain't afraid of no ghosts!" in the song by Ray Parker Jr. from the soundtrack to that very same film. Anyhow, a couple of years after that movie was released, along came animation's answer to that film... in the shape of "The Real Ghostbusters" cartoon series which, starting in 1986, lasted for six years and provided kids with almost 150 enjoyable episodes! :-)
During the first two years that the series ran, there were a couple of Hallowe'en-themed episodes: the first being “When Halloween Was Forever”, which originally aired in 1986, and; the second one was an episode called “Halloween II 1/2”, that originally aired in 1987, while both featured a character by the name of 'Samhain' as the main antagonist in the story. However, when the time came around for a third Hallowe'en-themed episode, the decision was taken to air "The Halloween Door" in prime-time on the 'ABC' network... with the idea being that, instead of just broadcasting it as a part of the regular Saturday morning TV line-up, an 8pm time-slot would enable parents to watch it with their children. To mark the occasion, the show was treated to both a custom opening, and a custom closing segment, but the icing on the Hallowe'en cake was to be this specially-designed custom title card:-
In this episode, the Ghostbusters are confronted by 'Crowley' - who happens to be the chairman of an organisation known as Citizens United Against Halloween (and Lots of Other Stuff We Don't Like) - and he asks for their assistance in putting an end to Hallowe'en plus all the celebrations that go with it. Following the encounter, one of the PKE meters belonging to the Ghostbusters is stolen after they decline to help 'Crowley' realise his ambition. However, by using the stolen meter, 'Crowley' plans to finish building his "Electronic Positronic Anti-Halloween Machine" and then set about erasing every aspect of Hallowe'en from the world... from costumes, to Jack-O-Lanterns, and even candy! :-O :-(
Unfortunately, along the way, he breaks a seal and inadvertently opens "The Halloween Door" which is a gateway to another dimension, where demons were sent after leaving Earth, resulting from an old contract made with the ancient Druids. The subsequent re-opening of "The Halloween Door" left our planet vulnerable to numerous ghosts and demons, including their leader: the rampaging Boogaloo, whose body is made-up of a multitude of faces, and all of them fully intent on wreaking havoc and destruction upon us - meaning the Ghostbusters were going to be very busy this Halloween night! ;-)
The fact that "The Halloween Door" talks about the meaning of Hallowe'en, with the writers placing the sort of emphasis on Hallowe'en that is usually reserved for Christmas - i.e. that the holiday is overly-commercialised and how many people just don't "get it" anymore - only makes it more special because it helps everyone get into the (ahem) "spirit" of things (if you'll pardon the pun). Of course, it still oozed with the kind of charm that made "The Real Ghostbusters" series so popular to begin with, but the underlying message about the "true meaning" of Hallowe'en added grown-up sensibilities that ensured this prime-time 'TV Special' would appeal to parents and other adults just as much. Although this episode might be considered (by some) as merely a sugar-coated retelling of the 'Christmas' story, there's no denying that it's a fun watch and helps further set the mood as we continue to count down the days until October 31st. So, if you've not seen it before - or wish to see it again - here it is:-
Unlike the previous videos that I've shared (thus far) in this series of posts, "The Halloween Door" did not seem to be available via 'YouTube' and, as a result, the version I am sharing with you today is hosted on the 'Vimeo' website. Of course, in addition to watching this embedded video of the cartoon right here on this blog, you can also choose to stream it on your phone or tablet by using the 'Vimeo' app(s) for both the iOS (Apple) plus Android platforms on your mobile devices. For those who prefer to watch on their big screen television, there is also a Roku channel for 'Vimeo' which is available via the built-in 'Channel Store', found under "Streaming Channels" from the 'Home' menu of your Roku streaming media player, and the channel icon [aka 'HD Poster' image] to look out for is as follows:-
VIMEO....................................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "WEB VIDEO" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
TOP TIP: The built-in 'Search' function within the Roku channel for 'Vimeo' is a fairly basic affair and does not permit you to search easily by 'Username' - in this case: "user69913965", also known as "antavious mitchell" - or the unique identifier (which is "244739496" for the video shown above) - so your best hope of finding "The Halloween Door" within the 'Vimeo' channel on your Roku device is to use the exact title provided by the uploader... so, in this case, you would need to type in all (or part) of the following text: "The Real Ghostbusters 509 The Halloween Door [MeR-DeR]" which is shown (in full) across the top of the embedded video included in this post. Experience has taught me that not all the video titles will be included within the 'Vimeo' search results so, if you adopt the same method when searching for another video from their website, your chosen title may not show-up at all. That said, having personally tested this one myself, I can confirm that you will see it listed as the sole title shown in the 'Search' results if you type-in "The Real Ghostbusters 509" (you can ignore the rest) and also that you should be able to stream it on your Roku device(s) in it's entirety, without any issues! :-)
On whichever platform you decide to watch this video, be sure to watch-out for the musical numbers that are featured in this episode. The first, performed by the Ghostbusters themselves, talks about the "holiday" of Hallowe'en and the wonder that it brings. The second of the two full-length tunes which you will hear is from the 'Boogaloo' character, voiced by none other than Brian O'Neal. Interestingly, Brian was a former member of 'The BusBoys' who performed the song "Cleanin' Up The Town" for the original 1984 "Ghostbusters" movie soundtrack... further enhancing the pedigree of this episode!
Meanwhile, if you're wondering where you've heard the name 'Crowley' before, aside from in this episode of "The Real Ghostbusters" where the character is a giant demon, whose body is made-up of a multitude of faces, then - in the context of Hallowe'en, at least - it might be down to the existence of one 'Aleister Crowley', who was a well-known British occult figure and Satanist many decades ago. It appears the writer of this episode, J. Michael Straczynski, avoided reviving the 'Samhain' character of previous Hallowe'en episodes and (instead) used 'Crowley' as the villain, to mock the "parent groups" who were very active at that time. Other interesting tidbits of trivia include the scene, narrated by the episode's bad guy 'Crowley' - when the Electronic Positronic Anti-Halloween Machine starts getting rid of Halloween - being an homage to "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas", and; another, in which the 'Stay Puft Marshmallow Man' appears among the crowd, in the "Boogaloo's Back In Town" sequence, by way of an homage to both the 1984 "Ghostbusters" movie - as well as all the Hallowe'en Parade(s) that take place in the United States each year - providing yet another nod to Halloween's past! ;-) :-D
As if that wasn't enough, writer J. Michael Straczynski is known to have pointed-out (during a visual commentary) that the destruction of the Containment Unit is stylistically lifted from a similar scene in the first "Ghostbusters" film. Likewise, when 'Peter' says he's been waiting for five years to "slime" the character, 'Slimer', the fact that the "Ghostbusters" film was released in 1984 and that quote was first uttered during the original broadcast of this episode, on 29th October 1989, means he was spot-on!
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Anyhow, that's all I've got time for today... but do remember to come back again tomorrow, for my next creepy cartoon recommendation from the archives of animated film history, when I will suggest another spooky short for 'Day Four' of "Abnor Mal's Guide To Creepy Cartoon Classics on Roku" you can stream right here on this blog - as well as through the equivalent channel on your Roku player(s). Meanwhile... please be sure to visit the "Countdown To Hallowe'en" website & show your support for this annual online Hallowe'en extravaganza PLUS don't forget to use the links you find there and check out all the other 'Cryptkeepers' taking part this year. I know they'll appreciate it, if you visit their blogs and share your thoughts on the contribution(s) they've made.
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ONE LAST THING, BEFORE I GO: Don't forget that, aside from the Hallowe'en / Horror-themed ghastliness going on around these parts for the next month, you can also keep up with the UK Roku action (as it happens) by checking-out my regular 'Weekly RoundUp' posts each weekend where you will find up-to-the-minute info on all things Roku-related is posted on a weekly basis (well, almost).
Until the next time, then...
That's all folks !!
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