The song was released as a single on Gary S. Paxton's Garpax Records label in August 1962 along with a full-length LP called The Original Monster Mash, which contained several other monster-themed tunes.

"Monster Mash" has sustained a lasting impact in various recordings, film inclusions, and re-releases since its initial release.

[2] Pickett was an aspiring actor who sang with a band called the Cordials at night while going to auditions during the day.

The audience loved it, and fellow band member Lenny Capizzi encouraged Pickett to do more with the Karloff imitation.

The band with which Pickett recorded the song is not known with certainty, except for some session backing singers including Paxton himself: Fred "Johnny" MacRae, Rickie Page and Terry Berg, credited as "The Crypt-Kickers" (in the song is mentioned a fictional vocal group, "The Crypt-Kicker Five").

"[6][7] Some sources cite Darlene Love and her group The Blossoms as female backing vocalists, but this is not officially accredited.

[8] Pickett sings his song as a humorous horror story that never repeats the lines, except the term "Monster Mash".

It was partially inspired by Paxton's earlier novelty hit "Alley Oop," as well as by the Mashed Potato dance craze of the era.

[11] The dance becomes "the hit of the land" when the scientist throws a party for other monsters, among them classic 1940s horror film icons such as the Wolfman, Igor, Count Dracula, and his son.

In addition to narrating the song in the Karloff voice, Pickett also impersonated fellow horror-film actor Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula with the line, "Whatever happened to my Transylvania Twist?

The mad scientist explains that the twist has been replaced by the Monster Mash, which Dracula embraces by joining the house band, the Crypt-Kicker Five.

[13] The BBC had banned the record from airplay in 1962 on the grounds that the song was "too morbid",[14] but it was later performed on the network's television program, Juke Box Jury, by "The Children of the Night", a novelty group.

[40] The Misfits' version of "Monster Mash" was used in a cross-promotion campaign arranged by Deluxo and John Cafiero, who had directed the Misfits' music videos for "American Psycho" and "Dig Up Her Bones," to create awareness of a home video release of the 1967 Rankin/Bass stop motion film Mad Monster Party?.

A music video for the Misfits' live recording of "Monster Mash" was created, interspersing clips from the film with footage from their "Power Play" performance, and was intended to be included as a bonus feature on a forthcoming DVD release.

[40] A DVD version of the film was eventually released in 2003 by Anchor Bay Entertainment, restored from a different 35 mm print.

was used under license from his daughter Sarah Karloff in artwork for a 7" vinyl single of the Misfits' version of "Monster Mash.

The Misfits single was intended to be released the following month, but was delayed due to lack of time to properly mix the studio recording.

[40] Instead the artwork was used in connection with a free MP3 download of the band's live recording of "Monster Mash," available through their website as a "virtual single.