The Monster Squad (1987) User Reviews (212)

Fred Dekkar's Other Cult Classic

[vertigo_14 · 8/10 · 16 March 2004]

Prospective Monster Squad viewers may recognize the name Fred Dekkar, the director of another 80s cult classic, a zombie horror called Night of the Creeps. Monster Squad follows in that tradition as the horror-comedy about a gang of young kids who save their town from Dracula and his goons. In my opinion, Monster Squad is a much more enjoyable movie than Night of the Creeps.

The Monster Squad refers to a tree house club of five kids who are self-proclaimed horror fanatics. Little did they know that their enthusiasm in the genre would suddenly come in handy as their town in suddenly invaded by Dracula and a few other memorable horror villains in their classic form. Drac is terrorizing the town, trying to locate a powerful amulet which has the potential for serious disaster. When no one else believes the kids, or when no one else is powerful enough to stop them using traditional crime fighting methods (arresting the Wolfman didn't seem to work out), the Monster Squad (with the help of Scary German Guy and Frankenstein) takes things upon themselves to save the day.

This movie was great because, although the monsters may appear somewhat corny (not forgetting that it is technically a family horror film), it still has a heap of great qualities. The kids are actually all pretty cool (especially Rudy, even though his wears his pants so tight, you can see what side he tucks on). Great music, great cast (Andre Gower, Robby Kiger, Ryan Lambert, Stephen Macht, and Jon Gries), and great fun!

Fans of obscure 80s movies are sure to add to the cult following. You won't be disappointed. It is loads of fun. Bona Fortuna!

Highly Entertaining Cult Movie

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 21 April 2015]

One hundred years ago, Dracula and other monsters survive to the attack of Dr. Van Helsing and his men to his castle with a magical amulet. In the present days, Dracula travels to the United States and arrives in a small town. He summons the Werewolf, the Mummy, the Swamp Thing and Frankenstein's creature to help him to retrieve the amulet.

In the town, a man claims that he is the werewolf and goes to the police station to ask to be locked up in a cell. Meanwhile a mummy vanishes from the local museum and police detective Del (Stephen Macht) is assigned to investigate the case. When his son Sean (Andre Gower), who is a monster fan, learns the news, he joins his friends Patrick (Robby Kiger), Horace (Brent Chalem) and Rudy (Ryan Lambert) in his monster club to read a Van Helsing's journal that was given by his mother. However the book is written in German and they are not able to translate it. So they asks for help from their weird neighbor that they call Scary German Guy (Leonardo Cimino) and they discover that they need to recover the amulet and a virgin to get rid off Dracula and the monsters. Meanwhile Sean's little sister Phoebe (Ashley Bank), who is unsuccessfully trying to join the club, befriends Frankenstein's creature. The unlike group brings Patrick's sister (Lisa Fuller), who claims that is virgin, to read the passage that sends the monsters to the limbo. Will they be successful in their intent?

"The Monster Squad" is a highly entertaining cult movie with a funny story that entwines adventure, dark comedy and horror. This film is also a tribute to the Universal Monsters. There is a touching moment when the Scary German Guy tells to the kids that he has experience with monsters and we see a concentration camp number on his arm. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Deu a Louca nos Monstros" ("The Monsters Have Gone Crazy")

Note: On 24 July 2016, I saw this film again.

Note: On 09 Sep 2018, I saw this film again.

Really enjoyable...and definitely 80's!

[ivony · 7/10 · 19 May 2003]

Having grown up a child of the 80's crazes, I happen to love just about anything 80's...even if for no other reason than to now poke fun at it. Monster Squad is no different. I absolutely LOVED this movie when it came out and watched it over and over again. A few years back I decided to watch it again and, well, I still loved it. Ok, so it was a lot cheesier than I remembered, but it's still great fun.

Monster Squad has some great dialogue and really entertaining scenes. Plus, you've got all the classic monsters which truly make this film worth watching.

I highly recommend anyone who has a love for anything 80's, or just like fun, simple movies to check this out. It really is worth it!

Great monster movie for films buffs

[Chiron1987 · 28 December 1998]

The Monster Squad is a terrific re-telling of the House of Frankenstein, set in the late 80s. A group of young boys unearth an evil secret within the diary of vampire hunter, Dr. Abraham Van Helsing (Dutch, not German, but forgivable). Dracula has returned, and has re-animated Frankenstein's monster, and brought along a innocent, but tortured werewolf, the frightening, Creature of the Black Lagoon-esque Gill-Man, and a 2000-year old Mummy.

The SFX are spectacular, and the make-up and costuming are very well-made. This movie closely follows the the myths and folklore of popular monsters (only wooden stakes and garlic are effective on vampires; even dynamite cannot stop the silver-prone werewolf; etc.)

The acting is somewhat lacking, but this is a kid's Saturday night drive-in type movie. Only Duncan Regehr (syndicated TV's Zorro) as the truly and unrelentingly evil Dracula is worth mentioning. However, Tom Noonan as the kindly and gentle Frankenstein's monster is a great departure from the malevolence of his counterparts.

Highly recommended.

"Creature stole my Twinkie"

[Kingkitsch · 7/10 · 1 March 2015]

"The Monster Squad" is fondly remembered by many, especially guys like myself who actually were part of "monster clubs" in the 60s. Fueled by the release of classic Universal horror films of the 30s to television at the time, and the ubiquitous Famous Monsters of Filmland Magazine as well as the arrival of the great Aurora Plastics "long box" monster models....there were monster clubs nationwide. One suspects that director Fred Dekker was influenced by all this horrormania when choosing to helm TMS in 1987.

TMS hasn't aged particularly well. A recent viewing after first seeing this in a theater on it's original release reveals a number of problems with the film as a whole. TMS can never seem to decide exactly what it's going for. Horror? Comedy? Adults? Kids? For every silly moment and laugh, there's genuine unpleasantness. Characters are easily disposed of and instantly forgotten, such as the cop who gets blown up by Dracula. One minute he's spouting one liners and the next he's killed in a fairly grim fashion. No other character reacts to this in any fashion. The three vampire mistresses show up in classic Universal style, but are so obviously tacked on to the climax to provide the resident "badass" kid with a couple of kill shots we forget about them immediately. Only two are shown killed, so what happened to the third? The monsters, lovingly re-imagined by the late makeup genius Stan Winston, are so easily destroyed that we don't really care about them. They're simply there to be killed by a gang of kids, Scooby-Doo style. Only these kids use real weapons instead of their wits. Easier to shoot the Creature (known here as Gillman) and call it a day.

TMS appears to have been heavily edited since the "extras" on the new DVD release show a number of scenes that were cut. The simple plot of TMS could have used some of the deleted scenes to help fill the many, many plot holes in the final version of the film. What remains to be viewed really does play out like a cartoon. Heavily Un-PC in places (mostly some gay slurs hurled by resident mega-jerk actor Jason Hervey) firmly root TMS in the awesome 80s. Two things to look for here though, the startling reveal of Dracula as half-man and half-bat lying on the floor, and the jaw-dropping "head lift" of the little sister by Dracula, calling the tyke a "bitch".

The real hero of this monster mash is Eugene. He's little, has a dog named Pete, and no one, except for the US Army pays any attention to his encounters with the monsters. He has a couple of the movie's best lines, including the great "creature stole my Twinkie". In any event, TMS is still worth a viewing, decent effects for the time in which it was made and the natural inclination to see this homage to the Universal monsters as a low-budget rip-off of "The Goonies".

A good Halloween treat for adults who want to share a few thrills with their kids without excess amounts of violence and bloodshed. Despite the flaws, TMS still invokes that shuddery frisson in those who remember the good old days.

The Eighties Had Monsters, and They Were Fun

[lanzman · 7/10 · 14 September 2002]

This is one of those movies where all the details come together to make something a lot more fun than it should be. A great late-night popcorn seller. The monsters are done well, the dialogue is funny, the F/X are competent, and the mood of the film is consistently creepy-yet-upbeat.

I don't understand comparisons to "The Goonies" . . . about the only similarity is that both movies revolve around a group of "outsider" kids, which is hardly a concept new to Hollywood.

Another film that just screams for a DVD release.

Childhood Memories

[macgruder · 10/10 · 19 January 1999]

This movie brings back childhood memories of watching TV all day long during the summer vacation. This movie was, and still is, one of my favorite movies of all times. Just watching it makes me happy. So what if the acting is not top-caliber. It has a great story and the characters are all fun to watch. It is a highly amusing film that you should watch if you've never seen it.

Those old horror flicks

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 8 August 2015]

Some kids who are really into those old Universal horror flicks have this club they call The Monster Squad. But soon enough their knowledge about how to kill some of these legendary creatures comes in mighty handy in their small town.

Andre Gower and Robby Kiger head the group and it's a good thing their services were needed right at this point in time. By the look of them in another year these kids would be hitting puberty full stride, one of them Ryan Lambert is already showing inclination of interest in the opposite sex.

Best scene in the film is during the climax when a virgin is needed to read an incantation and when it doesn't quite work because the virgin's not quite a virgin Gower's little sister is brought in as a pinch hitter.

Duncan Regehr makes a fine, menacing Dracula topping the cast performance list. Regehr plays it absolutely straight for the young audience this film was aimed at.

With an original premise based on how Bud&Lou got tangled up with all their monsters in Abbott&Costello Meet Frankenstein and a climax which liberally borrowed from the Back To The Future films, The Monster Squad is still an enjoyable film for young audiences.

Why the dismal ratings?

[Axesbowledaslove · 10/10 · 6 July 2001]

Give this movie a chance.

Imagine "The Goonies" without the budget but with all the heart. The Monster Squad is a pack of grade-schoolers with an ear to the rail on the evil doings of monsters. No, they haven't seen any monsters-- but that doesn't mean they don't exist.

You guessed right. Turns out there are monsters running around all over the place, and they are fixing to put the mortal screws to Portland, Oregon. Lucky for us there are a few heros, mostly fifth or sixth graders and a beagle pup, who will act instead of sitting around worrying about their marriages like some stupid adults we know.

The Monster Squad is one of these rare movies that treats kids, the problems they face, and their unique solutions to the same with grace, wit -- and solid respect. This superbly sweet and memorable movie deserves more than the 5.5 it got here at IMDB.

Great scene: Leonardo Cimino plays the film's Boo Radley, the strange recluse whom all the kids fear without knowing why. When Sean, the leader of the Monster Squad, is given a book that can illuminate why the monsters are reappearing, he has no choice but to seek the man's help. The book, it turns out, is in German. Not only does the scary man speak the language, and kindly help them get through the important passages in the book; it also happens that he knows what monsters are.

You might need to explain to your kids what the numbers tattooed on the scary mans forearm are.

Monster Mash

[questl-18592 · 7/10 · 8 November 2020]

Had very little in the way of expectations with this one, I'd heard a little here and there but nothing really praising or condemning it strongly. Actually watching it was a really pleasant surprise. It's super campy in all the best ways, it totally buys in and lives in it's own world and I really appreciated that. I totally see why this has cult status because it's absolutely the kind of movie that would get people to really fall in love with it's quirky charms. People should definitely give this a shot if they haven't seen it. At the very least, this should be added to people's Halloween repertoire but I think it's got a life outside of that as well.

Cult movie but one big mess

[borimor · 4/10 · 22 October 2016]

Not doubt, that this a movie have the tag "cult movie" all over is forehead; the strange plot, the wink to classic horror characters/movies & the box-office failure.

For me, it's bad cult movie, just like many films before. The movie is one big mess, for example, it's hard to understand the motives and the actions of the heroes - The Monster Squad - many time it's not make sense. The same villain can be very weak and very strong at the same time, and like the heroes, you didn't understand their decision making. Also it's a child movie or adult movie? I never seen such a confusing movie, there's violence, sexual comments and bad language, but the plot and the characters are childish.

Some people will enjoy the movie, and the producer choose few good decision, for instance, shorten the movie to less than 90 min. I think, the movie have a potential for sequel, with new cast.

In conclusion, it's not the The Goonies.

4/10

"That's discrimination, jerkoid."

[gigan-92 · 10/10 · 24 July 2012]

One of the quintessential vintage monster movies. Inspired in part by the "The Little Rascals", "The Goonies" (this film and that Richard Donner movie obviously giving rise to Abram's "Super 8") and the all-time champion Universal classics. This movie is pure awesomeness, headed by Fred Dekker and with special effects by none other than Stan Winston (the man behind "Jurassic Park" and other legends, enough said). If you, like me, saw Stephen Sommer's "Van Helsing" and felt your favorite monsters had been turned into CGI monstrosities, then this is for you.

Every monster is somewhat updated, but for the most part they retain their classic features. The make-up and animatronics are done quite awesomely. Duncan Regehr is so great as Dracula ("Meeting adjourned"….BOOM!!) and Tom Noonan is just fantastic as Frankenstein's Monster. The 'Gill Man' and the Mummy look pretty bad-ass as well. Enhancing these beasts are great sets and a spectacular score by Bruce Broughton.

Andrew Gower, Ryan Lambert, Stephen Macht, Leonardo Cimino are all very good in their simple but very enjoyable characters. Brent Chalem will always be remembered as Horace, R.I.P.

The tone of the film is odd but that's what makes it so memorable. I can see why at the time of its release why audiences may have been put off by the movie. After all, plenty of swearing, strong content, but the leads are children. Who exactly was the target audience? The dialogue is snazzy, the comedy well-staged and yet these characters feel very real to us. That's really where the audience is; anyone who is willing to embrace the characters really. And no worry, all along there is some excellent carnage. After all, if nothing else, the film answers the age old question if a silver bullet really is the only way to kill a werewolf.

Loads of fun and a classic that's for damned sure. In honor of Fat Kid: "Wolfman's got nards!!"

Cult Movies 39

[TYLERdurden74 · 7/10 · 9 November 1998]

39. THE MOSTER SQUAD (horror-comedy, 1987) Dracula travels to 20th century America in hopes of retrieving a mystical amulet stolen from him 100 years earlier by long time nemesis Van Helsing. Within the amulet the forces of evil rage and whomsoever wields it can set them loose. Dracula seeks the help of other mythical creatures: the Wolfman, the Mummy, the 'creature from the Black Lagoon', and the indomitable Frankenstein monster. Just when their victory seems assured a group of young teens, dubbing themselves 'the Monster Squad', step in to thwart their nefarious plans.

Critique: For lovers of those old monster movies from the 30s and 50s this is a treat to watch. The real 'star' of the film is make-up and special effects wizard Stan Winston (creator of 'The Terminator', 'Predator', and 'Aliens' creatures, to name a few). With an amazing eye for detail he has been able to capture the monster's legendary traits, and individual demeanor to perfection. They're really wonderful creations (not too corny or too scary) that hark back to their previous incarnations with a touch of the modern.

Though the film borrows heavily from others such as 'The Goonies' and 'Gremlins', and its intended kid audience may be too young for some scenes, it's still a fun movie with the works.

QUOTE: "We just went through some major s*** and where's the big limbo thing."

Exactly why is this movie bad?

[zodreb · 2/10 · 18 July 2007]

I'm not gonna say this movie suck because it's stupid and has bad acting or whatever. Fact is, this movie could have been great. The actors were cute, the monsters looked incredible, and the effects were fine for the time. It's 80s camp, it's monsters, it's kids kicking crotches - all that is awesome.

The sole thing that brings this movie down is how choppy and incoherent it is. It seems like there is a story (which actually seems to be a cool story for an 80s kids/monster film as far as I could tell) but only the writers knew it well, and as a result it's edited in a way that if you knew the story and characters it would make sense, but to anybody in the audience it's hard to identify with the characters or feel with them or even follow the story well at all. I very much wanted to like the movie simply due to its 80s charm. I love that kind of stuff, really I do. But the story is so badly structured you can't enjoy the movie.

Characters join the Monster Squad for no reason. Bad guys do things with little or no setup. Characters seem to have knowledge of things happening that they shouldn't have. People have odd motivations and strange reactions to events. All this could have been corrected with good editing, both writing and film editing.

The characters were lovable but that was destroyed by the bad film structure. Ruining lovable characters and monsters like those kids is simply a travesty.

At the same time, the movie seems incredibly confused as to whether it's for young kids or old kids. Lots of swearing and other "big kid" things (over 13 please), but lots of characters in elementary and grade school.

I love 80s kids adventure movies. This is not a good one. At the end I felt cheated because not only was it a bad movie, but it was a bad movie that definitely could have been totally rad 80s awesome. Nostalgia nothing, even as a kid it's not memorable simply because you couldn't get close to the characters because of the bad way it was edited/written.

This is saved from one star because of the potentially cool characters and the 80s-ness of it.

Classic '80s kids movie!!!

[roy-budge · 31 July 2003]

I first saw this movie in 1990 on Sky TV when i was about 12,and obviously loved it. when i was young i used to wish me and my mates were grouped together in a common gang like Sean and Co. they seemed to have so much in common and always had a good laugh, thats the special thing about kids films from the eighties, with Licence to Drive and Goonies being top of the list having the same feel about them as The Moster Squad. films nowadays for young ones are not like this anymore as most will agree, they have done away with the cheesy dialog and juvenile relations and replaced it with complicated storylines and big budget effects that really dont make them watchable anymore.

Basic plot:

a group of youngsters from the US form a squad to stop evil taking over the world by following an ancient ritual with an unusual amulet. in the meantime they are faced with Dracula,Wolfman and a mummy along with a couple of other creatures of the night to save the world.

it really is a simple formula that works very well and is a must see for kids and yourself.

Note to fans of this film and future fans of this film: Brent Chalem who played Horace (Fat Kid) is no longer with us,which was quite sadening for me as i felt i knew him when i was younger as i watched the film several times as a kid and these kids were a cult for me. He died in 1997 - whilst working for a US legal firm - in Las Vegas,Nevada,USA, he was just 22 years old. he had a rather short career so theres not much info anywhere on the web about him....but i feel someone somewhere who knew him could provide us with a little more information about him and the circumstances surrounding his untimely death and post it here on IMDB.

Go get this, you'll love it. RIP Brent Chalem.

A nostalgia trip done right

[Groverdox · 7/10 · 15 October 2022]

"The Monster Squad" is a lot of fun. I wasn't surprised to see that it's become a cult classic. If I could give it 7.5, I would.

Why don't I score it higher than that? Unfortunately, I found some of the plot details needlessly obscure. Plot developments seem to happen off screen. It was like, suddenly the kids know about the monsters and are preparing to fight them, but I missed how they found out.

The movie has a lot of quotable lines. It's an example of a nostalgia trip done right: ie. Filled with affection for the movies the film references, and also filled with affection for its modern-day child characters, and thus they succeed in making a movie that nostalgic adults and kids could both enjoy.

Add a dash of The Goonies with classic Monster's, simmer with 80s styling and you have a hit!

[edwardjonb · 7/10 · 16 May 2023]

So much nostalgia for this film ..however I first discovered this film back in the mid nineties. Funnily enough it was scrawled onto a label of my friends blank VHS tape which obviously they used to tape from regular TV with old adverts and all lol

Sidenote: one of the adverts was of a Marathon bar before it turned into snickers UK readers will remember the brand change lol

Anyhow I digress.

I was staying over at my friends house and I noticed this name Monster Squad because it sounded so silly and I said we should watch it later. ..obviously hoping it was going to be that type of movie that was ..so bad it was actually good.

Something strange happened we giggled at the premise and the B movie styled monster's but gradually became instantly hooked . If you have not seen this movie and loved The Goonies then you are in for a treat .

80s films have this timeless quality and over time this movie has almost surpassed The Goonies in my opinion.

The Monster's are a B Movie styled but it is intentionally done due to being a family film .

Embrace yourself in a time where it was a innocent time period where we played .. with freedom and adventure with our childhood friends and that feeling is encapsulated here.

Not going to win any awards but it's a cult film and needs to be remembered.

Great kids film

[Mori · 10/10 · 15 April 2002]

This is a great and imaginative kids adventure film. Well acted, well written and the monsters look great. I'm sure that many parents would be conserned by the cursing in this film done by 12 year olds (most likely the reason this gem hasn't hit DVD yet) but I have never understood how some people think that cussing will destroy your kids brain and turn him into a drug addict. It's good wholesome fun for everyone.

Cheesy high camp in a good time flick!

[The_Void · 7/10 · 16 July 2006]

What we have here is an eighties version of the same idea that Stephen Sommers would have almost two decades on, just before he made the terrible 'Van Helsing'. In this film, we have five of Universal's most famous monsters - Dracula, The Wolf Man, The Mummy, Frankenstein's Monster and (best of all) The Creature From the Black Lagoon, all moulded into a plot that follows a bunch of kids that group themselves into 'The Monster Squad' to battle the classic fiends. Director Fred Dekker is undoubtedly most famous for his cult classic 'Night of the Creeps', and while this follow-up isn't quite as good; it certainly shows the director's talent for making enjoyable lightweight horror films, and this film triumphs because it throws caution to the wind where logic and seriousness is concerned; and plays out solely for a good time. The film opens with a sequence that sees Van Helsing attempting to thwart the evil Dracula, before moving swiftly to the modern day where we are introduced to a bunch of monster-obsessed kids who, after a series of odd occurrences; begin to believe that the movie monsters are about to take over the world.

By keeping the film true to all the rules of the classic Universal films, Fred Dekker gives it a sort of credibility over and above what a film of this nature should have; and that is the main reason why the film works so well. Dekker manages to ensure that the film will appeal to two big horror audiences; fans of the classics will appreciate the plot and humour, while young kids are bound to get a kick out of the characters and their witty dialogue. The film is very short, running at just over eighty minutes; and while the plot that we do have is meaty enough considering the type of film; this is one of the few occasions where a lack of padding actually harms the film. Somehow, Dekker manages to gives ample screen time to all the monsters, however; and just as was the case in Universal's attempts to blend their monster flicks together, it is The Wolf Man that gets the best scenes. One major criticism of the film that I'd like to make is that Duncan Regehr is not charismatic enough in the role of Dracula, and the other monsters are all bigger highlights than him. Still, there is only one Bela Lugosi; and the fact that the cast of child actors isn't annoying in the slightest more than makes up for this. Overall, The Monster Squad is a great slice of eighties kitsch and comes highly recommended to the right people!

"Wolfmans got nards" a quote from Horace(also known as Fat Kid)

[styles-4 · 10/10 · 5 May 2000]

Great movie. This is the #1 all time best family/horror flick you can see. When I was in preschool I use to watch this movie all the time. Over, and Over. And I blame this one single movie for my great taste in cheesy, violant, Slasher/or not, horror movies. I'm now starting to wach more and more horror B- movies (anything by Troma team video I highly recommend). But back to the monster squad its all about these kids who are really into the whole idea of monsters and stuff. So, they start this Monster club(Hence the name "monster squad"). But the craziest thing happens, Dracula, Frankienstien, The Mummy, The Wolfman, and a swamp creature, all come back to life. With the help of the school tough guy, Rudy they challenge these classic monsters to the death.

FUNNY. 10 OUT OF 10

Great fun for preteens and those who remember Universal monster flicks

[keesha45 · 6/10 · 19 February 2007]

It seems that Fred Dekker (ROBOCOP 3 writer-director) and Shane Black (LETHAL WEAPON creator) trotted out everyone from the classic horror film vaults except the Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, and the Notre Dame Hunchback for this romp through the fright genre intended for family viewing. While it's a long way from being a good film, it has some well-done scenes and obviously it was well-liked by many of the previous user commentators. Stan Winston's work in the creature designs was very effective, but the special effects were not up to the same level. Even many of the original movies featuring these characters were not exactly noteworthy for outstanding acting and writing, but they entertained audiences with some memorable screen characters and some of them here, particularly the Wolfman and Gillman, came out quite well. Even some of the juvenile actors performed well enough to make the film interesting for younger viewers and for those of us old enough to remember the great old horror films and later takeoff works like the ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET... series. Dale Roloff

Hilariously bad

[MovieCriticOnline · 2/10 · 11 August 2018]

It's like it was written by a 8-year -old. It was just silly. Unlike other great 80s films, like Gremlins, E.T., Goonies, Back To The Future, and other films aimed at kids, they were cleverly written and well executed.

This, however, was just poorly written, structured and over all badly executed. I wanted to have some goofy fun with this interesting concept, but it was difficult to sit through.

Warm-hearted nostalgia kick for monster geeks

[Leofwine_draca · 8/10 · 29 August 2016]

THE MONSTER SQUAD is one of those '80s nostalgia films that can happily sit in the same company as THE LOST BOYS, GHOSTBUSTERS, and THE GOONIES. Essentially, it's the story of how a band of monster-mad kids manage to defeat a band of genuine movie monsters, and with a running time that barely reaches 80 minutes there's not a great deal of time for anything else other than the set up and the pay off. On the minus side, the film is light hearted and corny throughout, full of predictable clichés involving the monsters and lacking the smallest bit of characterisation.

On the plus side, it has genuine warmth, a good child cast for a change (the late Brent Chalem as Horace or 'Fat Kid' is the best), pretty decent-looking monsters and plenty of cheesy action to recommend it. Of the monsters, my favourite is the Creature from the Black Lagoon, a great guy-in-a-suit effect; Dracula has a little too much goth make-up while Tom Noonan's Frankenstein (sic) looks the part but is too much of a softy. The werewolf is the second best effect and recalls Oliver Reed in The Curse of the Werewolf.

Pacing is spot-on and there are some catchy '80s tunes to enjoy, as well as plenty of references to films, Universal classics and otherwise; the bit where Frankenstein's Monster approaches the little girl by the river bank is my favourite reference and a very clever one it is too. Leonard Cimino has a perfect role as a concentration-camp survivor. The ending of the film features a vortex in time that appears to have been "inspired" by the one at the end of EVIL DEAD II, which coincidentally was released a few months before this movie. Some scenes are hilarious, like the unravelling of the Mummy on the back of the car. The tone of the film veers wildly from kiddie (anything with the cute little girl) to teen-style bad language and bad taste to adult (guns, the black cop getting blown to pieces in the car, the werewolf exploding in a shower of guts and limbs) but it remains entertaining throughout, and that's what counts. Director Fred Dekker clearly loves his material, and it's this love that makes this film touching.

The Goonies 'R' Not Good Enough

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 7/10 · 31 March 2011]

The similarities between the Monster Squad and the Goonies are numerous, but while The Goonies is a more expansive and recognizable movie, I prefer this one. Produced by Peter Hyams and Rob Cohen, and with a script by Fred Dekker and Shane Black, the Monster Squad had a lot of creative talent behind it, so why did it fall into a limbo like the one featured in the movie? Set in small-town America, a bunch of young kids form a monster-movie fan club in their eccentric treehouse. But when REAL classic monsters show up (that would be the Wolfman, Gillman, the Mummy, Frankenstein's monster, AND Dracula) they begin to look deeper into their origin with the help of Van Helsing's diary.

I'd love to explain the film further, but the execs at TriStar Pictures ordered 15 minutes to be cut from the film, which results in a huge loss of coherence in the first act, thus creating many plot holes. Just where did the monsters come from? If Dracula's cargo was randomly jettisoned over small-town America, how come the amulet he's looking for just-so-happens to be there? Some scenes in this film are almost over before they begin. It's very frustrating. The credits begin to roll at the 77-minute mark too, so whoever thought that the film was overlong was clearly a fool.

For years, the Monster Squad was available only on a long out-of-print VHS release. Naturally, as was the logic at the time, this was a pan-and-scan version which butchered the film's brilliant anamorphic composition.

Fred Dekker killed his career beyond redemption with RoboCop 3, but The Monster Squad and Night of the Creeps will forever stand as two low-budget horror homages from a decade that endorsed risk-taking.

Even as a kid, I did not care for this monster squad.

[Aaron1375 · 3/10 · 7 July 2009]

The previews alone were enough to make me not want to see this film as a kid and when my dad rented it I was rewarded with what I thought I was going to be rewarded with...an annoying movie. The kids are indeed as annoying as they seemed on the previews, the whole kick him in the nards was incredibly stupid and repeated over and over during the trailers of the film, and the cast is a bunch of people you will never see again. I have seen adult movies with more recognizable stars than this boring foray into monster hunting. Probably seemed like a sure hit when it was pitched initially...we have some kids and we have some classic movie monsters, it will be like a Goonies II, however we will add bad plot points and stupid story and some kids out of some random playground to save on money. Do not worry though we will have a nard joke. Yes, I am somewhat sure that is what the pitch was like. I think this movie had some potential, but it just misses the mark. It just needed a little polishing of the script an entirely new cast of kids, and some stars in the roles of the monsters, especially Dracula.