The Halloween Tree (1993)
Starring Annie Barker, Ray Bradbury & Darleen Carr
Directed by Mario Piluso
Written by Ray Bradbury

 

Well known author Ray Bradbury would explore its history and themes when he wrote a children's book about it. That book was written and published in 1972, and 20 years later be made into an animated TV movie starting Leonard Nimoy. Both go by the title of "The Halloween Tree".

The Halloween Tree

The film starts with the opening credits of spooky dark clouds. After some nice animation images, it cuts to a small town neighborhood. As it shows people preparing for the night, the narrator talks about the town and it's children, who's getting ready for the 1 night of the year better then Easter and Christmas, Halloween night.

We're shown Jenny is dressed up as Witch and is putting a Broomstick on her Bike to add to her costume. We then see Ralph who dresses up as a Mummy with his dad's medical bandages. Next we find Ralph preparing his costume of a Gargoyle. Finally we see Tom (conveniently last named Skeleton) dressing up as a Skeleton. All of them are in a hurry as they want to meet up with Pip.

As they all meet up at a road intersection, they complement each others costume, but are baffled that Pip isn't there. While they take the Short cut to his house, the Narrator explains how Pip was one of the most popular kids among the children in town and so very loved.

The children finally make it to his house, but are shocked to see the lights out and it not decorated for the holiday. When they head down and look to the other side, they see an ambulance driving away.

When the kids go to the door, they see a note left by Pip. It explains that he is very sick and has to go into the hospital to be treated right away. The kids are shocked as they've never had a Halloween with out Pip. Deciding to disobey his request, the kids take a short cut to the Hospital.

As they head through the woods, they stop at the area most of them are afraid of, the Ravine. While looking down, they suddenly spot Pip, Tom thinking this whole thing being a joke by him. While the kids go running after him, the Narrator tells of how the Ravine is one of the most feared places in town by children.

While looking for Pip, they suddenly stop as they come up to a rather old and scary looking house. After the Narrator describes to the rather creepy looking place, the kids insist that it's Pip on a prank and hurries to the front of it.

Before they even put a foot on the steps, they instantly begin to shake and movie. After they stop, the kids rush up still thinking it's a joke. When they see the Knocker, Jenny knocks it as she's the only brave one. However, after knocking, the boards to the stairs break, trapping them.

It's then that the door opens and rusty old voice calls "Enter". When they resist, the wind blows hard and sends them flying into the house, trapping them inside. After they regain themselves, they look to see a very old man who's tall, skinny, yellow skinned and bald.

They first try doing "Trick or Treat" but he instantly scolds them for wasting there time. He then one at a time questions them on the costumes they wear and the meaning behind them and the holiday, and even more scolds them when they can't answer. He then reveals himself as Moundshroud.

When Wally knocks over a chair, Pip suddenly comes out, now a ghost. The kids are shocked, but Moundshroud is angry and says they have an appointment. As the kids go outside to see where Pip has run off too, they see a colossal tree with Jack-O-Lanterns in it, more then they can count. From above on the Balcony, Moundshroud informs them it's a Halloween Tree, to which they the Narrator explains about the pumpkins in it.

Pip then is seen climbing the tree, which further angers Moundshroud. The kids go to help, but are stunned to see Pip go for a Jack-O-Lantern which looks exactly like Pip himself. When he falls with it into some leaves, the kids go to help. Moundshroud, having enough, swings his arm and strong winds form a small twister, taking the leaves and Pip away.

As they re-group, Moundshroud berates them for there interference, but the kids stand there ground wanting Pip back. After some argument, the kids request to go with him. At first, Moundshroud, refuses as they know nothing, but then reconsiders, and agrees.

As they make there way from the tree, they spot an old barn. As they near, they see it's covered with old circus and freak show posters of wild beasts, to which the Narrator explains. With magic, Moundshroud uses wood, barbwire and the posters of beasts (coming alive) to make a giant kite, and the kids form the tale and Moundshroud tied to it.

After it gets airborne, kids fly over the town (much to Jenny's fear) and chase Pip into a vortex of sorts. After the moon sets back several times, they crash in what appears to be Egypt 4000 years ago.

Wandering into the city, they see people leaving food out before there doors for spirits and learn the earliest form of Trick or Treating. When they see Pip, they chase him into a house, but instead find a family offering them food. Not sure what the food is, they look to see someone bandaged up, and then are shocked to find it being a real dead mummy.

When they find Pip, they chase him out (partly out of fear of what they saw). As they run through the city, they see Moundshroud flying with his cape over the city and fallowing. They then stop at a giant temple. A long wrapping slowly folds out of the entrance snags Ralph, pulling him. After being pulled in, he comes to a Mummy inside the temple.

After the rest of the gang joins him, the Mummy is revealed to be Moundshroud who explains the origins of Halloween in Egypt and Mummies. He then warns Ralph about Pip being in danger, to which he goes and runs down an air shaft to save. After landing, he finds a Sarcophagus with Pip's face.

They talk briefly before some Egyptians come and take away the Sarcophagus. Hiding, Ralph fallows as they take Pip to the room with the others. Ralph then comes in and scares them with his costume, Pip being dropped and freed.

When Moundshroud demands the pumpkin, he spins it and flies away. As the kids climb the air shaft, they and Moundshroud fly after Pip who flees again.

Following Pip, Mounshroud shows the kids New Years Eve in Medieval times at the end of summer and start of winter. They then fallow Pip to an early stone structure which it turns out is Stone Hedge. As the moon is covered in cloud, Moundshroud reveals that people at this time believed the dead would return as beasts and feared them. The kids then see Pip turn into a shadowed cat and flee on top of the stones. Jenny tries to get him, but he flees.

The five of them then look to see some peasants creating Brooms for a broom festival. After the Narrator explains the event, Jenny touches one which then flies around. It then picks her up and flies away, with 3 more at Mounshrouds command picking the other kids up and flying away.

As they fly, Jenny spots a coven of Witches and crash lands. When the others join her, she tells. The kids ask Moundshroud about all the normal rumors of Witches, but he tells them none are real. When they head to look, Moundshroud explains that Witches where really people who're smart and intelligent, but feared because of what they tried at the times. The Narrator then explains of religious fear while some villagers burn the woods the witches are in, Moundshroud and the kids fleeing.

While fleeing into the sky, the 5 see Pip flying on a broomstick as well, holding close his Pumpkin. Moundshroud manages to get ahead of him and the 2 fight for the Pumpkin, Pip falling off his broom and plunging below. Jenny manages to get his hand and saves him, but when Moundshroud nears, he lets go and flees with the Pumpkin.

Flying on, the kids fallow Moundshroud over a town and in front of a non complete Cathedral. Looking around, Moundshroud questions Wally on what exactly it is that could frighten all the demons and evils in the world. After pondering, he answers a Cathedral. The kids then go on (Moundshroud not willing to go in) climbing the unfinished stairs.

After a slight nudge, Wally steps onto thin air to have a stone fly up and stop his fall. The Narrator then explains as the kids start to run all over and build the cathedral as they sprint. As Mounshroud clouds the sky with his magic, the kids relies they've finished the legendary Notre Damn. They then notice it's missing something, Gargoyles. Moundshroud tells Wally to summon them, and he does. The Narrator tells of the monsters in shadow form come and form on the Cathedral.

Looking around, they find Pip trapped into the stone as a Gargoyle holding his Pumpkin close. The kids then climb down and try to reach him. Wally, being the real Gargoyle, gets lifted up by the others. He and Pip talk briefly; Wally then grabs the pumpkin and pulls it out. After it falls, Pip is freed and falls to it, grabbing it and escapes again. The kids then mount the Gargoyles, making them come to life and fallow.

While chasing Pip, the start to hear music and recognize that it's Mexico, Moundshroud explaining that it's the Day of the Dead. They observe as the town below celebrate with food and costumes and find newspapers with bones in it. They then see Pip in a Newspaper. After they know he's there, the Gargoyles buck them off and fly away, the kids falling into some hay safely.

After recouping, the kids see Moundhshroud arriving with some candy skulls with random names. He gives them 1 skull for each of there names and they eat them, and then hurry on as the night is almost up. He then has Piñatas of all of the kids and he float in the air and some kids come and hit them. When his is hit, bats explode out and take the kids away to a local graveyard.

Opening the door to the Catacombs, Moundshroud warns that the games are over and they must now hurry. Going down, the kids witness several corpses, fresh and old, down the rowed up. Moundshroud warns that the families couldn't afford a normal burial and had to put them here.

Seeing Pip trapped in cobwebs in the back, Tom tries to go to help, but stops when the corpses come alive as he nears. Moundshroud questions Tom then about the meaning behind bones and death on Halloween. After simply thinking of his name, he relies that it's about facing Death in the face with out fear. Seeing that it's in his hands Tom faces his fear and makes a dash for Pip, out running the corpses as they come out and try to grab him.

As they collapse behind him, Tom stops before Pip. The 2 then talk about something Tom regretted thinking and Pip forgives him. He then takes his hand and Pip becomes sand. Looking back, they see the Pumpkin is now in Moundshrouds hands.

They kids then demand he free Pip, but the Moundshroud tells them that his illness is what it is and he has no option but to take him, despite them helping him. The kids then begin to leave until Tom has an idea.

Confronting him, Tom offers 1 year from the end of his life in order to save Pip. Moundshroud finds the deal tempting, but warns him that he might regret it. The rest of the group then join in and offer the same deal, 4 years from the end of there lives to save Pip. Moundshroud finds the deal worthy and agrees, then takes a candy skull with pips name and breaks it into four pieces, feeding it to the kids. Pip regenerates and flees with his Pumpkin. The kids ask where he's gone, to which he tells them home. He then spins and causes a whirlwind which takes the kids away as the Narrator explains.

The Narrator continues on as the kids go through the vortex. He recaps there adventure, Egyptian traditions, Witch covens, medieval cathedrals and Mexican bone yards. They then land in front of Moundshrouds house. Above on the balcony, he thanks them for there help and tells them to go find Pip as the sun rises.

Hurrying through the town, they quickly get to Pips house. In front, they find the pumpkin Pip was holding onto so badly. Up above, they see Pip, doing ok. He questions them on a dream he had, hinting he remembers, and the kids' teary-eyed act like they did nothing.

The Narrator then tells of how the kids where then tired and hurried home, and how they'll never forget that night. Back at Moundshrouds house, he then dissolves into smoke and a wind takes away all the pumpkins from the tree, including one at the very top which is old, wrinkled and looks extremely like Moundshroud. The Narrator mentions that all where taking, all but one, Pips who's was saved by his 4 friends.

Fun Facts

Ray Bradbury, the man who wrote the original book, also narrated this as well.

In the original book, there where twice as many children and none of them where girls, as opposed to the four which each has to face a theme.

The film also got an Emmy for best Screenplay.

My Rating: G

The Reasoning behind my rating seems pretty obvious. The original book itself was meant for young children, as was this. The Animation, while not top notch, is very good and fallows classic Halloween style, as does the soundtrack. Leonard Nimoy might come off as creepy with his portrayal as Moundshroud, but in a way that'll not give anyone nightmares. Plus, it comes off as educational, who said learning wasn't fun?

That's it for this issue. My next few will try to fallow the same vein as this, a kind of Halloween series if you would. Next time, we watch as an evil Troll does battle…with an idiot.

So for now, happy scaring.