The Halloween That Almost Wasn't

I love this short film--it is hilarious, fun, witty, and also seems to get me excited about Halloween. Judd Hirsch is so funny, and he's a perfect Dracula. The rest of the cast is also great and they do a superb job at poking fun at the typical Hollywood monster.

This movie is a must-see, and I've loved it since I first saw it about 12 years ago.

Lol, when I saw this movie listed on imdb.com, it made me laugh. I have this movie lying around my house somewhere, under the title "The Night Dracula Saved the World" I dont know why I watched it all the time as a little kid, I guess because it was sorta kinda funny. I laugh now thinking of the corniness of the short little crappy 70's video,like the disco dancing and the cheap special effects and the really bad acting, especially those damned kids. If you ever come across this little oddity, and I doubt you will, view it for a good laugh

I happened to be on the Rifftrax channel on PlutoTV watching Mike, Kevin & Bill riff Manos: The Hands of Fate and what followed after? Something that was deep, deep in my psyche I forgot about for years! Wow, the human mind is a mystery. I wouldve been 5 or 6 years old when this oroginally aired and remember my mom being excited about my watching it.I even remember being scared of the witch. The teenie tiny bat sneaking under the door...omg! I was watching with a HUGE doofy smile on my face the whole runtime as I felt transported back in time many many (many) Halloweens ago (my favorite time of year). That said, this aged HORRIBLY and is beyond cringy, but for nostalgic purposes like most reviews Ive read so far, it's old school, simple fun. Thank you Rifftrax crew for using what looks like an old, beat up VHS tape to riff this TV special! Definitely brought out a hidden memory & why I love Halloween so much!

This one is not to be missed! So much kids TV from the 70's was beneath contempt. This little film is a gem. We snatched it off the Disney Channel in 1989 and have watched it with our kids every Halloween since. It is charming and sweet, even now that the kids are grown! Makes a great double feature with either "Mr. Boogety" and/or "Bride of Boogety"! A triple! Judd Hirsch is great Dracula! Marianne Hartley was a doll! Henry Gibson! And the dialogue! "Disco Dancing? I don't remember disco dancing!" "Teeny Tiny Bat, teeny tiny bat!" "I can see him clearly, coming through the fog!" "How many times do I have to tell you: Open at night, closed in the day!"

Aside from It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown there weren't a lot of Halloween staples which were required viewing for the arrival of Halloween to be official but this classic was one of those for me. It is largely forgotten and was so cheesy and goofy but also just filled with the god cheer of the time. They haven't made holiday specials like this in a very long time and I really hope this one can experience a comeback and be appreciated more than it was when it aired on network tv and had a short run on Disney. It's a lovely special from the era of highlighting what you were going to watch in the TV Guide over the next week and that era will be missed forever!