It's Grinch Night

I never heard of this movie, and when I discovered there was an Emmy- winning Grinch sequel written by Dr. Suess, I had to see it. Unfortunately, it's not very good. I realize I'm going against the tide here, but I suspect all these glowing reviews are by those who first saw the movie as a kid, and thus have an opinion based on a child's mind. From an adult perspective, it's really not very good.

The most surprising thing is how poor the writing is compared to classic Dr. Suess books. I had to check the credits to make sure this was really written by Dr. Suess, because the meters and rhymes are much less elegant than one would expect; it actually sounds like someone trying to copy Suess and failing. I can only suspect that he simply wasn't putting the same effort into perfecting the rhymes of the show as he did in his books.

While the original Grinch story had a wonderful fable-like quality, this is pretty much just standards kid fare, with an overly busy plot and poor songs. But apparently if you're a kid there's a good chance you'll love it.

Ah, the lesser known Grinch holiday movie. In my family it's always been regarded a classic, kept on a dingy old VHS recorded from TV when I was just a small child. It is truly a bizarre film, much different than it's Christmas counterpart, and probably wouldn't appeal to lots of people. But for me, it is pure DECADENCE. I ADORE it. This is a quality film, undeniably, and anyone who says different, well, it's just not their thing I guess. But really, MAX SINGS!!! Can it get any better than that?? I think not. There's actually quite a bit of singing. As well as fun creepy creature things. I dunno, I'm weird, but I love this movie. It's excellent in a very bizarre way, I can't describe. I'd say it helps to be a bit abnormal yourself, as an indication of whether u may like it or not. Mmmmm yes.

A strange wind blows into Whoville, making all the inhabitants stay indoors. They know the wind means the Grinch will be in a foul mood and out to do harm. However, young Eukariah decides to confront the Grinch.

Written by Dr. Seuss but not really up to his usual high standards. The creativeness and imagination are there in terms of strange animals, names for things, narration and general wordplay but the plot is so-so.

Entertaining enough but a bit disappointing too. Certainly not in the same league as How The Grinch Stole Christmas.

The second animated TV special featuring Dr. Seuss' arguably most famous creation, The Grinch. This one isn't the absolute must-see classic that "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is, but it is decent on its own. The animation is good, especially by the standards of television animation at the time. The voice work is solid. Yes, Boris Karloff is missed but Hans Conried is an admirable replacement. I found the songs unimpressive. Certainly no standouts like in the Christmas special. All in all, it's an interesting effort that should please most Seuss fans. Just try to go into it not expecting anything on the level of the more famous Grinch story.

Halloween is Grinch Night is not going to appeal to everybody, people will find it hugely entertaining and others will find it bizarre. I do belong in the former category, but I can certainly understand the latter opinion as well. It is not as good as How the Grinch Stole Christmas, but is still very impressive. The animation is very good, it is full of colour and the Paraphanelia Wagon sequence is memorably trippy. The music is wonderful, I love the jauntiness of the incidental scoring and the songs are very catchy. Max also sings and his song I found touching as a child and still do at 20. There are more faithful Dr Seuss adaptations out there, but the rhymes that form the dialogue are witty and elegant at the same time, while the story is briskly paced and bewitchingly oddball. The characters are ones you engage with, The Grinch himself will live long in the memory, and the voice acting is superb especially the soothing then terrifying narrator/Grinch of Hans Conreid, a worthy successor to Boris Karloff. So all in all, a great and underrated special. 9/10 Bethany Cox