1980s-1990s A Very Arcade Halloween!

A 1hour 49min VHS mixtape edited to look like a block of kids programming featuring cartoons, shows and commercials about video game characters, classic monsters, and All Hallows Eve. Happy Halloween!

Watch Dr. Frankenstein's monster and Count Koopula vs. Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Toad in an animated segment called Turtlevania on The Super Mario Bros. Super Show (1990-1991).

A spooky episode of Video Power (1990-1992) with animated short The Power Team: Big Footenstein.

Saturday Supercade (1983-1984) features three animated segments, Frogger and friends track down the campus Phantom, followed by ghosts haunting Q-bert and the Ghostgetters, and ending with Pitfall Harry, his pet mountain lion Quickclaw, and his niece Rhonda trying to stop the Shark and his band of pirates.

1998 I've Been Waiting for You

I've Been Waiting for You is a 1998 made-for-TV horror/slasher film directed by Christopher Leitch. The film was released in a time when teen horror films like Scream (1996), The Craft (1996), and I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) were very successful. It was even advertised as made by the creator of I Know What You Did Last Summer, not Kevin Williamson the writer of the 1997 film, but the author of the book version Lois Duncan who also wrote the 1997 novel Gallows Hill that this film is based on. Reception was largely negative, with reviewers particularly criticizing its similarity to other teen slashers. You can find a VHS of the movie on eBay and Amazon for a low price but expect to pay 3x more for the film on DVD due to it being out of print and a rare find.

The film is about single mom Rosemary Zoltanne (Markie Post) and her smart-ass teen daughter Sarah (Sarah Chalke) who move from L.A. to a big house in Massachusetts where a witch was burned at the stake 300 years earlier. Sarah makes friends with a geeky outsider (Ben Foster) but also attracts the attention of teen members of the "Descendant's Club"-- obnoxious jocks (led by Christian Campbell, brother of Neve) and the high school bitch queens (led by Soleil Moon Frye) who think she's the reincarnation of the dead witch. Sarah gets harassing phone calls ("I've been waiting for you!") as a killer lurks around with a witch mask and a steel claw that looks like a bad cross between Freddy's glove and Wolverine's claws.

1980s-2010s The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Promo Collection

A collection of promos for The Simpsons Halloween Specials aka Treehouse of Horror. The first one aired on October 25, 1990 as part of the second season, since then there have been one new special airing every year for the last 28 years. I stopped watching The Simpsons years ago, but every year I still love watching the new THOH episode on FOX and the THOH marathon on FXX.

1987 Friday Night Videos with Elvira

Friday Night Videos (later becoming Friday Night and then Late Friday) is an American music video show that was broadcast on NBC from July 29, 1983 to May 24, 2002. It was the network's attempt to capitalize on the emerging popularity of music videos as seen on MTV and VH1 of the same era.

In 1985, FNV began featuring celebrity guests as weekly hosts. Elvira Mistress of the Dark (Cassandra Peterson) hosted this episode the day before Halloween in 1987. The music videos were edited out due to copyright reasons but I included a YouTube playlist below that contains all the official music videos/songs that aired. Video found on YouTube account called Elvira Mistress Of The Dark, I'm not sure if this is her official account:



Youtube playlist of music videos that were edited out of the above video:

2007-2008 Chiller's Dare 2 Direct Short Film Festival

Chiller's Dare 2 Direct was a short film contest held in 2007 and again in 2008 by the now defunct Chiller Network, a channel that ceased operations on December 31, 2017 and specialized in horror, thriller and suspense programming and films. Viewers uploaded 300 short films to the Chiller website. The winners received a $5000 prize and Chiller aired the shorts they liked best as a Halloween special on All Hallows Eve.

YouTuber James Coker video-recorded both of these specials back then and edited both of them into an hour long video with the commercials cut out. To those who remember the Chiller Network and the short film contest Halloween specials...Enjoy



Here is the same video but with an introduction by James Coker:

2011 Halloweenville

Halloweenville is a documentary about the outrageous and unique celebration of Halloween in Lambertville, New Jersey, which is Mardi Gras-like in its scope. Originally released on VHS (limited to just 13 copies with reversible artwork) at 2017's TAPE OR TREAT VHS SWAP in South Philly presented by LUNCHMEAT. The event marked the first time it was available on any home video format.

The doc was written and directed by Paul Kaye and Gary P. Cohen, the latter of which horror fans may know as director of Video Violence, a 1987 American Independent horror film shot with a VHS camera similar to many rental films of the 1980s and early 90s. And thanks to Cohen himself, who uploaded it to his youtube account, you can check out the full doc below:

1988 Lone Wolf

Lone Wolf is an incredibly cheesy 1988 shot-on-video horror movie with a bad 80's heavy metal band and a cast of characters with horrible 80's hair-do's and clothes vs. a werewolf. The actual werewolf scenes are few and far between, but the make up effects and some gore scenes are decent. Look for a fun late-on rubbery werewolf transformation scene which is heavily derivative of the one in An American Werewolf in London.

The film is about a struggling rock band and other college students who cope with the trials and tribulations of their young lives and find themselves in the role of determining what exactly is behind the recent full-moon killings which have been attributed to wild dogs. You can watch the full film below. If you just want to see the very short and only Halloween scene in the whole film look at the video below this one:



Short clip of the werewolf rampage at what looks like a Halloween dance with everyone wearing costumes but it's called a "winter dance" in the film. Don't be fooled, the movie isn't this amazing the whole time. The sound is a little off, but don't let that spoil it's awesomeness for you.

1993 USA Cartoon Express's Monster Bash

Monster Bash is a series of 30-second animated shorts created in 1993 involving a series of ghosts and ghouls, that resemble the classic Universal movie monsters, running a hotel in a castle. A precursor to Hotel Transylvania. The segments were produced for the USA Cartoon Express, a programming block of animated cartoons which aired on cable TV's USA Network from September 21, 1982 to September 15, 1996.

The shorts aired at the end of a commercial break shortly before resuming the feature cartoon, it was sometimes more interesting than the cartoon you were watching. This unofficial 8 minute compilation video features 16 shorts. The skeleton Bell-hop sounds like he was voiced by Jim Cummings.....And now back to Cartoon Express, but first, MONSTER BASH!

1995 Attack of the Killer B-Movies with Elvira

Attack of the Killer B-Movies is an NBC prime time special that aired on Saturday, September 2, 1995 at 8pm. The special was hosted by Elvira, Mistress of the Dark and featured several stars from NBC's teen-centric comedy series, including Dustin Diamond and Natalia Cigliuti (Saved by the Bell: The New Class), William James Jones and Kelly Packard (California Dreams) and Megan Parlen (Hang Time). It was written by Frank Conniff, with "Special Material" written by Elvira performer Cassandra Peterson.

In the tradition of Mystery Science Theatre, the special consisted of Elvira and the teens making jokes, gags and one-liners about 4 films that have been colorized and heavily edited to fit half hour segments. The films are The Wasp Woman (1959) starring Susan Cabot, Killers from Space (1954) starring Peter Graves, Monster from Green Hell (1957) featuring music by Albert Glasser, and The Navy vs. the Night Monsters (1966) starring Mamie Van Doren.

The hosts comes across as an awkward combination with Elvira seated alone on the opposite side of the room, all but removed from interaction with the teens, who are seated together on a couch. You can watch the somewhat entertaining and campy 2 hour special with commercials below. Video was uploaded by YouTube user ekim bazray.

1988 Grampa Munster's Sci-fi Hits

During 2012's Halloween countdown I posted 3 videos featuring Grampa Munster hosting spooky cartoons and monster movies, here is a fourth video, this time Grampa hosts some of the best and worst Sci-Fi/Horror trailers of classic films and making bad jokes about them, while commenting to and mocking his unseen off-screen assistant, Igor.

Like the first 3 videos this is also a very low budget video with Grampa standing in front of a green screen with cheap low budget effects and backgrounds of spaceships and planets added in. This is good campy fun, anyone who likes watching old movie trailers, or making fun of them, or going out to the Rocky Horror Show, probably would enjoy this.

1988-1990 Freddy's Nightmares - Halloween Episodes

Freddy's Nightmares - A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Series is an American horror anthology series, which aired in syndication from October 1988 until March 1990. A spin-off from the A Nightmare on Elm Street films, Freddy Krueger was played, as in the movies, by Robert Englund who was the only actor from the film series who appeared in the TV series. Due to budget restraints, the producers of the series were forced to use unknown actors, rather than some of the stars associated with the theatrical franchise. Some of the featured actors went on to later become notable. Most of the episodes featured two different stories that each take up the first and second halves. Every second story, however, usually built on a character who played a minor (or supporting) role in the first.

Each week Freddy's Nightmares told a different story of a dark rooted and/or grim nature that took place in the fictitious town of Springwood, Ohio, and in particular, on Elm Street; the same setting as the A Nightmare on Elm Street films. Krueger's primary function was to host the series. He was featured in regular bumper segments, where he would offer an ominous or slapstick reaction to the happenings of the episode—culminating in him giving a quick, and usually eerie, epilogue at the end. Though Freddy would occasionally play a part in the plot, most of the stories did not involve him (it was, however, often hinted that Krueger indirectly influenced the desolate nature of the plotlines).

I loved this show, I recorded the two Halloween episodes on VHS along with the 1989 Elm Street: The Making of a Nightmare 4 documentary and used to watch it all the time when I was a kid. I think I still have the tape in my attic. Though a few episodes were released on VHS and DVD, the full series has never received an Official DVD or Blu-ray release containing all episodes. All episodes of Season 1 and Season 2 of the series has been uploaded to Archive.org.

In the first season's episode 4 called Freddy's Tricks And Treats, a college student (Mariska Hargitay) is tormented by Freddy on Halloween after he hears that she does not believe in him.


In Photo Finish, the 4th episode of season 2, a photographer (Patty McCormack) who is anxious to get her career back on track gets some unexpected help on her latest photo shoots from Freddy, who is terrorizing her models. Meanwhile, three FBI agents come to Springwood to investigate a family homicide that happened on Halloween, but Freddy has some surprises in store for them.

1981 Public Domain Collection: Halloween Special

Magnetic Magic Rentals presents a Public Domain Collection: Halloween Special jam-packed with plenty of haunting extras to rattle your bones. Bryce & Elijah, of the Magnetic Crew, host Lucio Fulci's 1981 horror film The House by the Cemetery: Dr. Norman Boyle moves himself and family to the woods of New York to take on research of the late Dr. Freudstein after his suicide. Housed in complete isolation, it isn't long before creepy things start happening to the Boyles. However, nothing can ready them for the evil that lurks in the basement.

The video looks like an old VHS recording and begins with closing credits of the previous show, then followed by the hosts in Halloween costumes introducing a short Halloween safety film and then the horror film with a few Halloween commercials edited in to mimic a TV broadcast. The hosts segments were fun to watch but the movie was very boring to me personally. I would have enjoyed seeing more Halloween commercials, there were only four total. I also found the little boy's dubbed in voice/lines to be really annoying, It sounds like an adult trying to talk like a baby.

The film is not rated and contains content (nudity and lots of bloody gore) that is inappropriate for children. Parental discretion is advised. If you would like to own a copy of this video and you still have a VCR, you can buy it on VHS here along with many other videos and t-shirts at Magnetic Magic Rentals storeny store. The release comes in a slip sleeve cover, sealed in a Squeeze & Shake VHS case and also includes a Halloween Activity 'Zine with plenty of frightfully fun puzzles and games.

1994 Nilus the Sandman: Monsters in the Closet

Nilus the Sandman: Monsters in the Closet is a Canadian part-animated and part-live-action Halloween special which premiered on the CTV Television Network in Canada on October 27, 1994. The Halloween special was preceded by a Christmas special called The Boy Who Dreamed Christmas which premiered on December 1, 1991 then followed up by a back-to-school special, The First Day, on September 3, 1995. A Nilus the Sandman TV series was produced a year later and aired a total of 26 episodes over two seasons on The Family Channel from October 5, 1996 to November 23, 1998.

The scenes at the beginning and the end of each episode and the 3 specials are live action shot in Vancouver, British Columbia and feature an animated Sandman, named Nilus (voiced by Long John Baldry), who helps children with day-to-day difficulties through helping them achieve happier dreams. While the children sleep he sneaks in and takes sand out of his pocket and flicks it into the air, which leads the children into their dreams that are animated as well. The ending is missing in the video below. It would've shown the mother coming back in the room, waking the kid up and he tells her about the dream.

1990s-2000s The ULTIMATE Goosebumps Commercial Collection

To celebrate the release of Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween tomorrow Friday 12, 2018, here's a 1+ hour video full of promos and commercials from the popular Goosebumps TV series. I wrote about the series and I posted the 1995-1996 Goosebumps Halloween episodes here back in 2015.

These commercials were recorded from Fox Kids, Cartoon Network, The Hub, YTV and also features food promos from Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC, Burger Kings, Count Chocula, plus ads for Goosebumps first film, books, toys, board games, video games, vhs/dvds, sweepstakes promos and other stuff. Video by YouTuber IsaiahTheVargas1117. Enjoy!

1990 The Ghost Writer with Anthony Perkins

The Ghost Writer was a tv pilot that starred Anthony Perkins and originally aired on Fox August 8, 1990. Perkins contacted Alan Spencer, the creator of Sledge Hammer!, about creating and writing a horror/comedy show for the actor. What resulted was a cheesy, campy and just plain great pilot. It also received a favorable response and the live audience taping was memorable. It's a shame it wasn't picked up, it could have been a new Addams Family.

Sadly, Perkins died in 1992, so the show might not have lasted too long as it is. This version features some unaired footage. A RARE treat for Anthony Perkins fans. Here's the synopsis: Blocked novelist Anthony Strack is desperate enough to plot suicide. Before he completes the deed, he is visited by unearthly beings, whose presence helps him to write again.

1988 TerrorVision (Lifetime TV Movie)

Not to be confused with the 1986 sci-fi/horror/comedy film of the same name, this TerrorVision is an anthology horror tv series that aired on the Lifetime channel in March 1988. It consisted of seven episodes, each approximately 10 minutes in length and were used as time filler between movies back in the early days when they didn't have enough commercials. The episodes are: The Closet Monster; Final Edition; The Craving; Reflections of a Murder; One of a Kind; A Cold Day in July; Rosemary's Lot.

The video below contains all 7 segments combined into an 81 minute anthology movie. Not as good as Tales from the Crypt or Tales from the Darkside series but for what it is, it's an entertaining show with low budget effects and ok acting. Halloween is not mentioned but I guess this lost horror gem is Halloween related. Worth a watch if you like the anthology subgenre just don't expect anything frightening, it is Lifetime network horror tales after all.

2009 The Garfield Show - Orange And Black

The Garfield Show is a CGI animated tv series based on the American comic strip, Garfield, that aired originally aired on France 3 (France) then re-aired on Cartoon Network (U.S. 2009–2012) and then moved to Boomerang (U.S. 2015–2016). The series was executive produced by Garfield creator, Jim Davis, and co-written and voice directed by Mark Evanier, who also wrote most of the episodes for the Garfield and Friends (1988-1994) series. Returning from Garfield and Friends are the voice actors Julie Payne (Liz) and Gregg Berger (Odie). Frank Welker replaces Lorenzo Music (due to his death in 2001) as the voice of Garfield, and Wally Wingert replaces Thom Huge (due to his retirement that same year) as the voice of Jon Arbuckle.

I loved the Garfield Halloween/Christmas specials and the Garfield and Friends series when I was a kid and though not as good, I still enjoyed watching this series. I'm guessing most people who grew up watching the original specials and series either haven't seen this Halloween episode or they hated the whole series because it's not the originals, but I liked it and that's why I'm posting it. This first aired November 3, 2009 on Cartoon Network. Garfield disguises himself as Catzilla, a deadly cat from the zoo for Halloween. The problem is that when the real Catzilla breaks down from the zoo, Garfield is mistaken for it and captured. It soon gets worse when the real Catzilla enters Jon's house, and Garfield has to break out from the zoo and rescue Jon and Odie.

1989-1991 Elvira NWA/WCW Halloween Havoc Promos

Halloween Havoc was an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1989 through 2000. Since the event was held in October, it had a Halloween themed show. The first four events were held when WCW was affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). Here are 7 commercials from 1989 to 1991 featuring Elvira Mistress of the Dark promoting the event.

1980 Boo!

Boo! is a Canadian Halloween TV special that originally aired over the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on Sunday, October 26th 1980, but the video below was recorded on local Chicago TV's WGN Channel 9 on Saturday, October 30th 1982 during the 4:30pm to 5:30pm timeframe. This obscure variety/skit show was created and produced by Riff Markowitz, who also brought us "The Hilarious House of Frightenstein". Musical Director of "Laugh-In", Ian Bernard composed the disco theme. Strangely, no writers are credited.

The cast of great Canadian talents included Peter Cullen as The Wolf Man, Jack Duffy as Dr. Frankenstein, Ben Gordon as Dracula, Barbara Law as The Countess and Ted Zeigler as Frankenstein's monster, with special guests Dionne Warwick and Rip Taylor. I'd say this is a mashup of "Saturday Night Live", "The Star Wars Holiday Special" and "The Paul Lynde Halloween Special", so bad and not funny that I hope it doesn't ruin anyone's holiday. The hour long video includes the special with commercials.

2004 Dark Shadows

Dark Shadows is a one-hour 2004 tv pilot remake of the 1966-1971 Gothic soap opera tv series of the same name. The pilot was directed by P. J. Hogan and stared Alec Newman, Jessica Chastain, and Marley Shelton. Commissioned by The WB, but never aired because The WB passed on the series. It was then screened at many Dark Shadows Festivals starting in 2005 held in Los Angeles, with subsequent showings at the 2006 40th Anniversary Festival in Brooklyn, New York, in 2008 in Burbank, California and 2009 in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

The colorful pilot (which kinda reminds me of 1977's Suspiria) was only seen by a select few fans at these Festivals until it was leaked online and is available for viewing below, thanks goes to the uploader DKL3 at archive.org. Though filmed at the Greystone Mansion, which also served as the Collinwood Mansion for the previous 1991 remake, it was never quite finished and some of the special effects still needed some work. The story opens with Victoria Winters arriving by train to Collinsport on Halloween. There are currently no plans for a home video release.

1995 Here Come the Munsters

Here Come the Munsters is a tv movie that aired on the Fox Tuesday Night Movie on October 31, 1995. Here is the synopsis: Herman Munster (Edward Herrmann) and his wife Lily (Veronica Hamel) learn that they are no longer welcome in Transylvania, so they relocate to California with their children Eddie (Mathew Botuchis) and Marilyn (Christine Taylor), as well as Grandpa (Robert Morse). The Munsters try to adjust to their new life in laid-back, sunny Los Angeles.

A worthy followup, but not as good as the original series, of course NOTHING will be. Funny, entertaining, clever, and well acted, with a few changes of the original features in the TV sitcom. I loved 3 scenes, the black and white opening scene in Transylvania definitely a tribute to the series and old horror films, Eddie actually changing into a werewolf on a full moon (which was never portrayed in the original series), and Lilly biting someone on the neck. Keep an eye peeled for the fun scene in the restaurant where four of the original Munsters surviving cast members Yvonne De Carlo, Al Lewis, Butch Patrick, Pat Priest make a cameo appearance.

I you can't see the video below, watch at https://ok.ru/video/731727923807:

1985 A Pumpkin Full of Nonsense

The Adventures of the Scrabble People in A Pumpkin Full of Nonsense is an animated television special that first aired in syndication on October 31, 1985, and was re-run in August 1986. It was produced and directed by Alvaro Arce, and co-directed by Jaime Diaz and made at Jaime Diaz Studios in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The special was financed and developed by Selchow and Righter, the owners of the Scrabble board game at that time. It also showcased, and was based on, the company's Scrabble People property, which was introduced in 1984 and created by the designers of Coleco's Cabbage Patch Kids.

In the special, Sir Scrabble and two children are going to a Halloween party but end up falling down a giant pumpkin where they travel to a lost land called Nonsense where education has been forbidden and people are deprived the ability to read. Sir Scrabble teams up with the residents to defeat an evil ruler, the Muddler, through the power of learning and spelling. Released on VHS and Beta July 16, 1986 by Vestron Video through its Children's Video Library label.