The Halloween Tree

Many people have said The Halloween Tree is really creepy and I had never seen it before, so I decided to rent it on Amazon and see for myself. I have to admit, I have not read the book by Ray Bradbury, though I did buy it last year. I planned on reading it in October, but I had a very limited amount of free time because I had a wedding to get ready for, I was with my boyfriend (now ex-boyfriend) almost every day after work because he was leaving at the end of the month and I also started reading A Night in the Lonesome October (one chapter every day for the entire month of October), so I just never got around to it. I was going to wait until this October to read it, but having watched the movie, I would like to see how it compares to the book so I'm not sure I want to wait that long anymore.

The Halloween Tree originally aired on TBS in 1993, eventually going on to be broadcast on Cartoon Network in later years.

On Halloween night, Pip's friends (Tom, Jenny, Ralph and Wally) arrive at his house to find a note on his door that says he is on his way to the hospital for appendicitis. Tom insists on taking a shortcut through the ravine so they can get to the hospital quickly, but once they arrive at the ravine, Wally claims to see Pip running and says he can "see right through him." Believing Pip is pulling some sort of prank, Tom runs after him, while his friends reluctantly follow along.

Upon exiting the ravine, they see a sinister looking house. They slowly build up the courage to knock on the door, the staircase collapsing behind them. Once inside, they meet a man named Moundshroud who looks almost as sinister as the house does. Moundshroud asks why they are dressed up as a skeleton, a witch, a monster and a mummy, then proceeds to chastise the children for being completely unaware of the meaning behind their costumes.

Pip appears, as a ghost, runs outside and climbs up what Moundshroud calls the Halloween Tree. Pip traverses the tree, making his way high up to reach a Jack O'Lantern that looks just like him, while Moundshroud yells that they had an appointment with each other. Pip grabs the pumpkin, jumps from the tree, and is carried away by the wind. The children demand to be taken to Pip and Moundshroud relents, taking them on a journey through history to the pyramids in Egypt, Europe in the Dark Ages, Notre Dame and finally Mexico for The Day of the Dead, where the children finally come to understand the meanings behind their costumes.

In each location, the friends have to face their fears to rescue Pip, but in the end, it still isn't enough and they each decide to sacrifice something in order to save him.

The Halloween Tree may be a children's cartoon, but even as an adult, I really enjoyed it. It's very informative, so it definitely serves a purpose other than giving kids nightmares for days. The music sets the mood and I liked the animation a lot. It almost felt like it could be an episode of Tales From the Cryptkeeper (if you never saw that cartoon on Saturday mornings, you missed out). I do agree with everyone who said the movie is creepy. The Halloween Tree is definitely dark, but it's also a great tale of courage and friendship.