Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

graveyard smash

Quiz: How much do you know about the Monster Mash?

Did it catch on in a flash?

BOBBY PICKETT’S 1962 hit ‘Monster Mash’ is getting its annual airing during Halloween season.

The song is a spoof on the Twist and Mashed Potato dance crazes, which were massively popular at the time.

The novelty number was fortuitously created after Pickett began imitating horror icon Boris Karloff  – who starred as Frankenstein’s monster in hit films during the 1930s – with an off-the-cuff monologue that proved popular with audiences.

It’s gone on to become a Halloween classic. But how much do you know about it?

Where was the singer working late one night when his eyes beheld an eerie sight?
The cemetery
The factory

The lab
The pub
What was the eerie sight?
Alamy
The monster from his slab, began to rise
The knife from his hands, he tried to prise

The food on the table, covered in flies
The comedian on the stage, tried to improvise
What did the monster do then?
He did the mash
He did the monster mash
The lyrics say the Monster Mash dance evolved from...?
The Tasmanian tango
The Transylvania twist

The Philadelphia foxtrot
The Bohemian ballet
Who raised concerns about this?
Shutterstock
The zombies
The Crypt-Kicker Five

Frankenstein
Dracula
Where do the Vampires feast?
Alamy
The kitchen
The pantry

The walk-in wardrobe
The master bedroom
What kind of homes do ghouls have?
Wikimedia Commons
Opulent palaces
Humble abodes

Contemporary cottages
Shotgun shacks
Why did the ghouls go to the party?
They were passionate dance fans
They were friends of the band and wanted to show support

They wanted a jolt of electrodes
They were at a loose end
Who wasn’t a guest at the mad scientist’s monster bash (as far as we know)?
Wolfman
Dracula

Dracula's son
Dracula's aunt

Igor
Igor's baying hounds

The coffin-bangers
As mentioned above, Pickett imitates Boris Karloff during the song. But what other horror icon does he impersonate?
Alamy
Aela Korosi
Bela Lugosi

Cruella Morosi
Daniella Nurosi
The BBC bizarrely banned the song when it was first released. Why?
They said it was “too morbid”
They said it was “factually inconsistent”

They said it was “too catchy”
They said it “glamorised dangerous scientific experiments”
Finally, where did the song place in the US charts the year it was released?
Wikimedia Commons
It was number one
It was a graveyard smash

It caught on in a flash
It was the hit of the land
Answer all the questions to see your result!
Alamy
You scored out of !
Dracula
You invented the Transylvania twist!
Share your result:
Alamy
You scored out of !
Frankenstein
You did the mash!
Share your result:
Wikimedia Commons
You scored out of !
You are Dracula's son
You might follow in your father's footsteps one day.
Share your result:
Alamy
You scored out of !
Wolfman
Thanks for showing up.
Share your result:
Wikimedia Commons
You scored out of !
You are a Ghoul
Another jolt of electrodes required.
Share your result:

 

Your Voice
Readers Comments
12
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

    Leave a commentcancel