Two sci-fi giants, one spooky Halloween classic

Well, it’s that time of year again. Candy. Costumes. Holiday specials airing nonstop for a month.

Wait. What was that last one? Technically, there aren’t a ton of Halloween movies (not counting the Halloween(tm) series itself). I guess with the main showpiece of the holiday being Trick-or-Treat, society at large felt like kids were getting plenty out of the season. A few stray pieces of media aimed at kids was fine, and for adults, drunken costume parties and gory horror movies.

But Ray Bradbury thought differently. In 1972, he wrote a novel called The Halloween Tree, and in 1993, he narrated a cartoon adaptation (produced by Hanna-Barbera, makers of the Flintstones, Jetsons, and nearly every inexpensively animated series of the 60s-90s).

The story involves four friends on Halloween night, going out for trick-or-treating missing a 5th member of their little clique who dashes ahead mysteriously. The chase leads to a haunted old mansion, where Mr. Spock agrees to help them track their evasive friend down.

record scratch OK. Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud (one hell of a moniker) isn’t actually Spock, but he sounds like Spock because he’s voiced by Leonard Nimoy.

The plot turns mildly educational, as the group whisks off on a time-traveling world tour where the trick-or-treaters learn the various rites and traditions that mixed to form modern suburban America’s concept of Halloween and breaking down the origins of the character each kid has dressed as.

I won’t spoil the main plot, or the supernatural twist. Go watch it for yourselves. (Currently on Prime Video.)

The real treat, aside from the Spock cameo, is that Ray Bradbury himself narrates the story. The narrator is a major character, and it’s always great to hear an author putting a voice to his own work (unless that author is me; I know a lot of people hate the sound of their own voice, but I’m in the majority opinion regarding mine).

So, in summary…

• Leonard Nimoy as Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud
• Ray Bradbury reading his own story
• Spooky soul-stealing pumpkin tree

(Did I not mention the spooky soul-stealing pumpkin tree? Maybe there isn’t one… I guess you’ll have to watch it to find out.)