| The Hilarious House of Frightenstein | |
|---|---|
 Title card | |
| Created by | Ted Barris, Ross Perigoe |
| Starring | Billy Van Fishka Rais Guy Big Mitch Markowitz Vincent Price Julius Sumner Miller |
| Theme music composer | Jean-Jacques Perrey, Harry Breuer, Gary Carol and Pat Prilly |
| Opening theme | "March of the Martians" |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 130 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Rafael "Riff" Markowitz |
| Camera setup | Single camera |
| Running time | ~48 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | CHCH-TV |
| Release | 1971 |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
The Hilarious House of Frightenstein is a Canadian children's television series, which was produced by Hamilton, Ontario's independent station CHCH-TV in 1971.[1] It was syndicated both in Canada and internationally,[2] and occasionally still appears in some television markets. In Canada, the series has not aired on broadcast TV for several years, and used to be available on the streaming service Crave. 100 episodes are now available on the free streaming service Tubi (2021), and Pluto TV (2024).
A quirky sketch comedy series that included some educational content amid its zany humour, the show's cast included Billy Van, Fishka Rais, Guy Big, Mitch Markowitz, Vincent Price, and Julius Sumner Miller.[2] Van played most of the characters on the show.[2] All 130 episodes were made in a nine-month span starting in 1971; the scenes with Miller were all filmed within one summer, and Price taped all of his scenes in four days.[3][4]
In 2018, Headspinner Productions, the production firm of Ken Cuperus and Michelle Melanson, announced that it had acquired licensing and merchandising rights to the series, and was exploring the possibility of creating a new reboot.[5] In 2021, the company announced an animated version for preschoolers, titled Happy House of Frightenstein.[6]
In 2019, spoken word label Bleak December Inc completed a brand new full-cast audio production, Return to Frightenstein. The audio drama is a licensed production featuring Malcolm McDowell standing in for Vincent Price as host, Canadian actor Anthony D.P. Mann voicing several of the characters (including The Count, The Librarian, The Oracle and Dr. Pet Vet), Steven Spencer as Igor, and original series actor and co-producer Mitch Markowitz returning as Super Hippy. Other voice actors include Nikolas Yuen as The Wolf, Man!, Terry Wade as Bwana Clyde Batty, comedian Dave Hudson as Harvey Wallbanger, and Anne-Marie Bergman as Grizelda. The album has been announced for release in quarter three of 2019.[7]
In 2024, Lev Gleason's New Friday announced a continuation of the series as a one shot digest comic.[8]
- ^ "Fit and 40: CHCH Channel 11 was built on one man's dream, big-name movies and Tiny Talents". Toronto Star, August 14, 1994.
- ^ a b c Vincent Terrace, Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials, Volume 2. VNR AG, 1985. ISBN 9780918432612. p. 193.
- ^ Hickok, Rufus (7 May 2021). "Canadian Monster Kids Return to Castle Frightenstein". Fangoria. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
- ^ Maxford, Howard (2022). TV Gothic: The Golden Age of Small Screen Horror. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. p. 209. ISBN 9781476679754. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
- ^ "'The Hilarious House of Frightenstein' Is Coming Back". Exclaim!, May 31, 2018.
- ^ Greg David, "Headspinner Productions has begun production on re-imagining of classic Canadian TV series Hilarious House of Frightenstein entitled Happy House of Frightenstein!". TV, eh?, July 7, 2021.
- ^ "Return to Frightenstein – TRAILER feat. Malcolm McDowell!". Bleak December Official Website, March 30, 2019.
- ^ https://www.levgleason.com/shopnewfriday/the-hilarious-house-of-frightenstein