EXCLUSIVE: The 1962 song “Monster Mash,” which has become an annual Halloween hit, is becoming an animated movie at Miramax.
Miramax CEO Jonathan Glickman, who has been behind such haunted hits as Netflix’s second most watched series Wednesdayand The Addams Family animated movies at MGM, has optioned the rights from Reservoir and Capizzi Music Co.
Performed by Bobby “Boris” Pickett, who co-wrote it with Lenny Capizzi, the song has been ranked by Billboard nor the “Biggest Halloween Song of All Time.” “Monster Mash” has continually re-emerged on the charts during the holiday season over the decades, and it’s been streamed more than 500 million times worldwide with reported annual $1 million royalties. Pickett said Billboard that he penned the ditty in less than two hours with Capizzi, and the song was recorded in one take, produced by Gary S. Paxton.
In its lyrics, “Monster Mash“ lends itself to a movie: The tune is sung in the first-person by a mad scientist whose monster, late one evening, rises from his slab to perform a new dance, inspired by the early-’60s dance craze the Mashed Potato. The new dance becomes “the hit of the land” when the scientist throws a party for other monsters, those guests including Wolfman, Igor, Mummy, vocal group The Crypt-Kicker Five, Dracula and his son.
No more than now is there a need for more spooky family movies at the box office: In years past, there’s been several hits including The Addams Family, Sony’s Hotel Transylvania animated franchise as well Goosebumps. The hope is that Monster Mash catches on in a flash with moviegoers.
Reservoir is an independent, publicly traded music company. In addition to Monster Mashthe company represents Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, Snoop Dogg, Hans Zimmer and many more.
Said Glickman: “For more than 60 years, nothing has said Halloween quite like the ‘Monster Mash.’ We’re thrilled to be entrusted by the Pickett and Capizzi families and to be partnering with Reservoir Media to bring this iconic song to life as an animated musical for all audiences. It’s a project that celebrates the fun and spirit of the original — and should become a perennial ‘graveyard smash’ for years to come.”
According to a recent UCLA study, Gen Z shows a growing interest in animation, with numbers rising from 42% last year to almost 49% this year.
Miramax recently released the Derek Cianfrance-directed Roofman starring Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst and Peter Dinklage. It also had the fourth installment of the Bridget Jones franchise and Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, which grossed $130 million internationally, and is currently in production on the sequel to the hit film The Beekeeper (which grossed more than $160 million worldwide) with Jason Statham and Timo Tjahjanto directing. On the TV side, the studio is behind the Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated The Gentleman at Netflix, which recently wrapped production on Season 2.
Miramax also acquired Glickman’s Panoramic’s position in the hit show Zero Day with Robert De Niro, which topped Netflix’s Most-Watched TV list, as well as the Jenna Ortega-led comedy Wednesday, which holds the record for most hours viewed in its first week for an English-language series on Netflix.
Upcoming Miramax projects include the next installment in the Scary Movie franchise, set to premiere summer 2026, distributed globally by Paramount Pictures, with Marlon, Shawn, and Keenen Ivory Wayans writing and producing; Colman Domingo’s directorial debut Scandalous!starring Sydney Sweeney and David Johnson; and The Faculty remake, being written by breakout talent Drew Hancock.
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