After struggling for the past several years to turn their stable of classic monsters into a cinematic universe, Universal seems to be leaning hard into the “let's try anything” approach and has just greenlit a musical based on the hit novelty song "Monster Mash". Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s song about a bunch of ghouls ripping it up on the dance floor hit #1 on the Billboard charts in 1962, despite the notable handicap of being one of the most irritating pieces of music ever written. But there’s an undeniable charm to its harmless goofiness, which has guaranteed it a spot on the playlist of every single Halloween party of the past half century.
As reported by THR, the film will be directed by Grammy-nominated music video director Matt Stawski, who also wrote the initial treatment. The script is being handled by Will Widger, but at this early stage absolutely no plot details are known. That said, it is a near-certainty that Josh Gad will be cast at some point.
After the hilarious disaster that was the failed launch of the Dark Universe, Universal has been making some interesting choices. Writer/director Leigh Whannell’s take on The Invisible Man releases later this month, starring Elisabeth Moss as a woman being terrorized by her translucent maniac ex-boyfriend, looks pretty great. Elizabeth Banks currently has a version of The Invisible Woman in development. And the studio recently greenlit Dark Army from Paul Feig, who indicated that the movie would include a mix of both classic and new monsters and be told from their point of view.
With the announcement of Monster Mash, it seems like Universal is steering away from the lofty shared universe goal they tried to establish with both Dracula Untold and The Mummy, and focusing on using their well-known stable of creatures to make fun horror movies that can stand on their own. For more on The Invisible Man, check out our list of 26 things you need to know about the film and click here to watch the trailer. And for more on Dark Army, check out this extended interview with Feig shedding some light on the monster film and his recent projects.