HallowScream - Frankenweenie (1984)

        Hey guys, Chuck here, and it just wouldn't really be a HallowScream without a little something from Tim Burton. So, this year, we're taking a look at a short film that is one of his earliest directorial efforts. Frankenweenie, released in 1984, was inspired by Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, and it stars a cast that includes Shelly Duvall, Daniel Stern, Barrett Oliver, Joseph Maher, Paul Bartel, Jason Hervey, and Sofia Coppola. 

        So, Frankenweenie tells the story of a boy named Victor Frankenstein, who makes his own homemade monster movies, featuring his family dog Sparky as the monster in his little movies. One day, a tragedy occurs when Sparky is hit by an oncoming car, and he dies. Some time passes, and after Sparky is buried, Victor does something truly insane: uses an experiment akin to the one from the story of Frankenstein to bring Sparky back from the dead. However, Victor does his best to keep Sparky a secret, as there's no telling what people will think. 

       Unfortunately, Sparky does get loose, and Victor's parents, as well as their neighbors, find out about him. Victor is confronted by his parents about Sparky, and are at a loss about Victor's experiment. However, they plan to show everyone that it's still the same old Sparky. This, unfortunately, backfires, and Sparky and Victor wind up running to the abandoned miniature golf course, where they wind up in the windmill. The windmill, of course, catches fire, and Sparky save Victor at the cost of his own life. Feeling guilty, the neighbors all gather up their cars and as many jumper cables as possible to produce enough electricity to bring Sparky back, and it is successful. The short ends with Sparky alive again, and even spotting a poodle with a hairdo akin to the Bride of Frankenstein. 

        Frankenweenie was a really interesting project, as it tells a story similar to that of Frankenstein, but in a much shorter manner. The performances,. especially by the trio of Shelly Duvall, Daniel Stern, and Barrett Oliver, were all pretty good, and the makeup effects done for the dog Sparky, played by a dog of the same name, were pretty good. And, as far as an early Tim Burton project goes, this was a fun one that I highly recommend. The only hiccup about it is that Disney, which is where it was produced, felt that it was a waste of studio resources and dismissed Burton from his job as a Disney animator because of it. However, it seems Disney turned around on it, as the short is very prominently featured on Disney+, as well as on Blu-ray releases of The Nightmare Before Christmas and Burton's own stop-motion animated feature film remake of Frankenweenie, which I will probably get to for next year's HallowScream. But, for the live-action short film version of Frankenweenie, I give it a rating of 5/5. Defeat check it out. 

       Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and we'll continue HallowScream next time with the Mel Brooks comedy classic Young Frankenstein.