Great Halloween Commercials

Elvira's for Coors Light Party

This commercial premiered when I was in 6th grade so despite what "very special" sitcom episodes told you, I did not care about beer at all. If you look closely, this commercial has it all: monsters, stupid puns, cool music and yes, beer.  Elvira herself has always been a fixture for Halloween promotions whether it be drinks, wacky movies or theme parks.  Speaking of which, she is currently performing her last show at Knott's Scary Farm.  She's so hot.   What makes it great is the attention to detail to the various creatures walking around.  They could have had 4 cheap looking monsters but the fact that it's a congregation of creatures with awesome music really yells "Halloween Party."  Even if there is a random bear and a Ruth Buzzi walking around.  I guarantee that is the last time most of you will hear a Ruth Buzzi reference this year, those of you who know who she is.  I'm old, old and weird.  Anyway, part of these great Halloween beer/soda promotions from the 80's/90's was the cardboard stand ins that the stores would prop up.  I remember being around 7 or 8 and going into Circle K with my dad and falling in love an Elvira cutout.  I really wanted to take it home  but my dad was there and that would have been uncomfortable. The display advertised here is not half bad and I am glad I lost my Ebay login information.  

Frankenstein Twix

This ad features the closest likeness to the Boris Karloff version of Frankenstein that I have ever seen.  If the video description is to be believed, the make up was done by Academy Award winning make up artist Rick Baker.  I will always love Rick for the awareness he has brought to us werewolves.  The description also says this commercial was shot in the same location the Little Maria scene in Frankenstein was shot.  I cannot confirm the validity of that statement but the scenery looks very close to the original.  I remember this commercial played a couple times year round but they really milked it during Halloween.  The make up is just amazing and I'm sure they had to get permission from Universal to use Jack Pierce's design.  It's shocking that Universal's name doesn't appear anywhere on this commercial.  That would certainly not be the case today but let's not open that can of worms.  I delve to that issue a little in my post about the Dark Universe below.  You have to scroll.  It's also important to point out that this little girl, unlike Maria is pretty annoying and should have been tossed into the water.  Instead, Frankenstein rips his arm off, he has a heart of gold despite what you or the mob thinks. 

Monster McNuggets

I wrote about the powerful McDonald's-Halloween connection in the last post and this commercial clearly illustrates how McDonald's used Halloween to market to kids. Successfully.  By the looks of it, the commercial is from 1986 when the pails were first introduced.  I had the scared looking bucket and I think my sister had the one that's looking sideways for some reason.  In any event, we're here to talk about this commercial not the pails, there's articles for that.  Back when McDonald's had anthropomorphized characters in their commercials, the Chicken McNugget's were one of the most famous items, right alongside the fry guys. Fry guys look like upside down rainbow pompoms  and nothing like fries.  The McNuggets are dressed up as little monsters in this commercial and live in an amazing spooky castle.  If they're supposed to look spooky they failed because they look so damn cute, everyone from Dracula to the Bride.  I remember that whenever this commercial first aired during cartoons, that was the first day of the official Halloween season.  I knew a lot of kids who really loved this commercial  for that very reason and we every year we would all look forward to its first airing.  Even during the years where McDonald's was too cheap for pails, this commercial aired and was followed by a Halloween inspired toy.  On a personal note, these McNuggets reminded me of the food inside of Pee Wee's refrigerator in Pee Wee's Playhouse because they were both cute and could talk.  Whenever Pee Wee's food begged him not to eat them and he didn't, I always felt cheated and angry.  There is nothing I wanted more than for him to eat the various foods begging for their lives.  Therefore, I always had a secret urge for someone to eat one of these McNuggets as well.  These guys would even jump into sauce containers, pretty much begging for you to eat them.  My heart hurts because I know I will never see that happen.  

The Greatest Halloween Commercial to Ever Exist 

Let's start with the small details. This actually takes place during Halloween as shown by the abundance of trick or treaters.  The first boy looking like a possible (but not likely) tribute to Los Angeles legend  Count Smokula.  The little girl/boy in  the flower costume is pretty cute even when he/she is "terrified."  Then we have Frankenstein (a pretty good version at that) lifting and walking with an entire Pepsi truck.  If I was a kid trick or treating on a foggy street and I happened to see Frankenstein carrying a huge truck, I would not just stand there and scream.  I would obviously befriend him, maybe tell him it's easier to push the truck since it has wheels, instead of carrying it over his head.  I would follow him to wherever he was going because he is obviously going somewhere cool carrying that truck on Halloween night. He drops the truck on the floor right in front of the freaking Psycho house!  It doesn't end there, there is a Halloween party inside the Psycho house with all the Universal Monsters.  When snooty Dracula opens the door you can see every monster inside conversing and partying.  Most of them are very blurry but the main 5 are all there. In fact, this may be the Creature From the Black Lagoon's only television commercial!  This ad is from either 1992 or 1993 at the tail end of when Universal was promoting the heck out of the Universal Monsters for the 60th Anniversary of Frankenstein.  Obviously Dracula too but they could not get the Bela Lugosi likeness and Frankenstein became the most prominent figure in promotional material.  At that time, the monsters were everywhere: Pepsi boxes, Doritos bags, Pizza Hut, and new VHS tapes.  This is also the time when I first noticed and became seriously interested in these creatures and shaped who I would become today. Bruh, I would give ANYTHING to go to that party and be in there with the monsters.  Life is not fair. 

I hardly see any Halloween or Halloween themed commercials on television anymore.  I can't think of a single one right now.  Sure, there's Party City literally selling you Halloween via costumes.  Interesting how Frankenstein is in all of these commercials in one form or another, he has become one of the lasting symbols for Halloween.  Sad how McDonald's is not likely to do pails again this year after a couple straight years of doing so.  It's really too bad because I know some thirty somethings who would line up at McDonald's pretending to text my fake sibling for what kind of Happy Meal they want, in order to avoid getting judged by employees.   By the way, in reference to eating McDonaldland characters, don't google "Dead Chicken McNuggets" that was a big mistake, good lord.