For this year’s 31 Nights of Horror Challenge, the Day 1 prompt is Tim Burton. We watched the stop animation movie Frakenweenie on Amazon Prime Video.
Storyline
When a car hits young Victor’s pet dog Sparky, Victor decides to bring him back to life the only way he knows how. But when the bolt-necked “monster” wreaks havoc and terror in the hearts of Victor’s neighbors, he has to convince them that Sparky’s still the good, loyal friend he was.
Out Thoughts on Frankenweenie (2012)
This is the first time seeing this movie for me and it is a cute family fun type “scary.” I loved all of the references to the classic monsters and it was fun to find all of the easter eggs.
7 out of 10
Trivia
The pet cemetery features the grave of Zero from The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993).
Victor’s friend and next-door neighbor is Elsa Van Helsing, a reference to Abraham Van Helsing, Bram Stoker‘s Dracula character, and Elsa Lanchester, the original Bride of Frankenstein (1935).
The hair on the head of Elsa Van Helsing’s dog Persephone is copied from the hair of Elsa Lanchester‘s character in Bride of Frankenstein (1935) right down to the white streaks.
The turtle “Shelley” is named for Mary Shelley, who wrote “Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus,” the 1818 novel on which this film is loosely based.
The mayor of the town is Mr. Burgermeister, which means “mayor” in German. His name/appearance is also a homage to Burgermeister Meisterburger, the antagonist of the stop-motion film Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (1970).
Some of the characters represent famous monsters/people:
Victor Frankenstein: Dr. Frankenstein
Elsa Van Helsing: Her first name is an homage to Elsa Lanchester, who played the title character in Bride of Frankenstein (1935). The “Van Helsing” part is a reference to Professor Abraham Van Helsing, a vampire hunter who is Count Dracula’s nemesis.
Mr. Rzykruski: combing is his voice actor Martin Landau, horror icon Vincent Price, and surrealist painter and short filmmaker Salvador Dalí.
Edgar “E” Gore: Igor, a stock character from Frankenstein movies
Sparky & Nassor: Frankenstein’s Monster
Mr. Whiskers: Dracula
Nassor’s hamster: The Mummy
E Gore’s fish and rat: Fish – The Invisible Man; Rat – The Wolfman
Elsa van Helsing’s poodle Persephone: The Bride of Frankenstein.
Toshiaki’s turtle: Giant Japanese monsters (most likely Godzilla)
Bob’s Sea Monkeys: The title monsters from Gremlins (1984)/Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990).
