So Halloween is naught but three days away and the cable channels are breaking out their Halloween Specials for prime time consumption. Of particular interest this year is Scared Shrekless, a new short by the Dreamworks Animation crew that sees the return of its feature film stars Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas. The plot follows the gang on Halloween (Shrek's favorite holiday). However, instead of the usual tricks or treats, Shrek brings his ogre sensibilities to the occasion, challenging Donkey (portrayed by Dean Edwards), Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) and the other fairy-tale characters to a scary storytelling contest. Before the night of frights can begin, however, they learn that they must all spend the night in Lord Farquaad’s haunted castle. The last one to be scared “Shrekless” will win.
If the first film was any indication of the brilliant parody Shrek is capable of, then I'm sure we can expect a special of vintage Treehouse of Horrors proportions with plenty of stabs at the horror genre. But what's that you say, one Halloween special isn't enough? You want more? Well then... how about a repeat of last year's Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space airing right after Scared Shrekless? Still not enough?! Okay then, what say you to It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown? That's what I thought.
Toss these in with the more "adult-oriented" fare on MTV, AMC and Spike and you're in for 3 nights of hauntingly good "frightentainment." I also wanted to give a shout-out to reader LaDracul (Joanna) who provided this interesting article on tonight's Shrek special. Thanks Joanna!
This article is part of the Countdown to Halloween blogathon, a month-long blogging marathon dedicated to honoring the Halloween season. For more information and a full list of participating sites, please visit www.countdowntohalloween.com.
Can't wait for all the Halloween specials. I really can't get enough of them. Charlie Brown is a must. Mutant Pumpkins sounds awesome! Warming up that Tivo.