It's easy 20 years later to forget this very low-budget horror anthology series ever existed. It was not up to competing shows of the period like TALES FROM THE CRYPT or even DARK VISIONS. But the occasional episode hit a home run, as readily evidenced by a recent rerun of many of the episodes on the CHILLER channel. There was usually a twist ending and some low-rent guest star or rising young star to liven things up. My favorite of those I saw recently: a middle-aged woman (Karen Valentine), not without her charms, is married to a crippled inventor. Her missing first husband, a real Tarzan type, shows up very much alive after years away, and the nasty fun begins. Valentine, who often played a goody two-shoes on TV, spends a lot of time in a flimsy negligee and has a silly yet oddly arousing sex scene with a headless body! Another truly creepy episode had two boys (one of whom, Matt LeBlanc, would go on to fame on FRIENDS) messing with alleged vampires in a barber shop. Better they should have stayed away. Or just gotten their hair cut. Yet another episode, starring a very young Tori Speling and Ashley Laurence of "Hellraiser" fame, has a quartet of teens conjuring up the long-dead and very evil owner of an old mansion. He soon returns to take back his mansion. The grue quotient for many of these episodes ran pretty high. MONSTERS may have appeared to be strictly for the kiddies, but not always. I recommend the series to all horror fans.
Add a Review
-
ctomvelu-19 March 2009
-
This was a pretty good show along the same lines as "Tales from the Darkside", in fact I tend to mix up episodes from both thinking episodes came from the other one. The shows here were more monster focused though, granted the same could almost be said about tales as well, but I remember episodes of it having nothing to really do with some sort of fiend or ghoulie. I seem to remember that this one had a cool show about a spider web that was really quite good I also remember one about a wasp woman, but that one might have been "Tales from the Crypt". I also remember a really good one about a guy getting stranded at an old farmhouse and having to spend the evening with what appeared to be a very lovely lady. All in all monsters was a rather good horror show in a time when there were quite a few good horror shows on television during a time when where were a whole heck of a lot more independent stations that would air them. This one had its moments, just not quite as good as say Tales was.
-
tlvasos2 February 2009I think that it's great how Chiller picked up this series and showing it for this generation. Film making has come such a long way especially with the special effects and for one to be able to watch archived shows that they never knew existed, they will certainly be able to see the progress compared to now. MONSTERS is neither lame nor spectacular but it is entertaining. It takes creativity for the types of story lines they came up with and each generation seems to have it's own horror series. This particular series was not as horrifying as the Friday The 13th, The Series, nor as adult oriented as the Freddy's Nightmares..it was something that an entire family could watch and still get a laugh and a fright at the same time. I am happy the Chiller Channel shows it in their line-up, I am just about caught up on the episodes I missed when I was growing up.
-
IPJ7817 December 2005This show has to be my favorite out of all the 80's horror TV shows. Like Tales from the Darkside, also from the same creators, this show is a rare gem. If you agree with me, PLEASE sign this petition I started, to get the word out for Monsters and get it out on DVD. Here is the petition address: www.petitiononline.com/19784444/petition.html Some of my favorite episodes would have to be Glim glim, and Rain Dance. I also loved the opening intro with the monster family. That used to creep me out! One of the things I would have to ask the DVD creators to include would be the organ sound heard right before where the commercial break would be. I don't know if any of you remember that part but that's one of the main things that brings back memories to me. I mean, come on! War of the Worlds the TV series already has been released on DVD, so I say Monsters, and also Tales from the Darkside, and Friday the 13th the series should be released too! We the fans need to speak our minds! We need this awesome show on DVD so PLEASE spread the word!!!
-
I picked up on this show towards the end of its original 3 year run and loved it. I continued watching well on until the reruns finally disappeared entirely.
Made by essentially the same people who made "Tales From The Darkside", (minus one major player), it was just as good, I thought. While "Tales" was the darker, more sinister show, with the creepy organ music and negative film forest shot intro, "Monsters" was both more humorous and more disturbing than "Tales".
The premise of the show was basically the same, borrowed idea from "The Twighlight Zone", featuring weird stories, some that made me feel creeped out when I'd turn out all the lights to watch, and some that were downright silly and made me laugh. They were all very entertaining.
I wish reruns would air again. -
Foreverisacastironmess12330 August 2016I enjoyed this series when it was shown on the UK Horror Channel several years ago. I found it to be a significant improvement over Tales From the Darkside but still weak compared to Tales From the Crypt, which is and will ever be the king of horror anthology TV shows. It had better production values and was a more fun and satisfying show to watch than Darkside, I liked the angle of the stories all involving a monster is some kind. And they came up with some pretty wild ideas. The alien in "Glim Glim" looks ridiculous, but the story was still kind of touching I thought, and I liked the episode that's reminiscent of "They Live" that's from the kid's point of view who can see that his stepdad is a hideous reptilian when he wears some special glasses. Some episodes were very sloppy and didn't quite work, but it was never the endurance test that watching the many bad episodes of Darkside were. The episodes that were the standout ones to me were the one with the young and beautiful Ashley Lawrence in the dark scary house with her friends because it felt like a lost mini 80s classic movie, the one with a guy in a Mexico jail and there's a cursed water statue, and the best one, for me, was "The Hole" that had soldiers in a death pit running through dusty underground haunted tunnels, falling victim to the skeletal dead that are exploding from the walls everywhere to prey on them and drag them down into the dirt, very claustrophobic and actually scary, and the zombies looked seriously fantastic. Monsters is a very worthwhile horror show to watch and it's one that definitely deserves a DVD release alongside the likes of Crypt and Friday the 13th the Series, but it really does appear that this show got the raw end of the stick as far as a release goes, and that's a bit of a damn shame, it's not perfect but it is a show that's well worth seeing. I liked this show a lot, it was fun and it had so many different monsters in! Thank you and goodnight fright fans, keep Monsters alive!!
-
collectorofsorts27 July 2021Truly one of the best! I remember watching this in my late teens when it originally aired and I just re-found it online. If you love the old school horror stuff, you'll love this. Younger folks who prefer multi-million dollar special effects instead of an actual story probably won't. Because this is pure Old School. A good story, solid acting and cheesy special effects and costuming. It's backed by a solid cast. Over the 3 season run, we saw TV greats like: David Spade, Meat Loaf, Adrienne Barbeau, Linda Blair, Abe Vagoda, Robert Lansing, Tori Spelling, Kent McCord, Billy Drago, Marc McClure, Barbara Billingsley, Leif Garrett, Steve Buscemi, Jerry Stiller, David Sage, Tony Shalhoub, Morton Downey Jr, Tina Louise, Pam Grier, and many others. {Let's not forget Darrin McGavin, of Night Stalker fame. He's got a Monsters episode}
-
huutheheckcares3 April 2017I've been an aficionado of science fiction most of my life both written, TV shows, and movies and I have given this series a 10 for frankly having some of the best shows overall. Have been "blown away" from some of the shows not only from some very well done creature effects, but even more so from the stories themselves. As rarely happens the stories are on a par with written sci-fi short stories. Haven't seen all the episodes, but two in particular stand out - The Offering and The Outpost, the latter being especially touching at the end. Good acting too in many episodes. Overall even surpasses one of my favorites - the original Outer Limits. This show could have been named "The Outer Limits II".
-
Aba7414 August 2020Some episodes are good while other are downright awful. You can usually tell in the first five minutes of each episodes.
-
www.petitiononline.com/19784444/petition.html An excellent TV series that should be captured on DVD. This was a show I rarely missed. I found a petition to bring it back on DVD. I recall one show where this obese lady wore a pair of glasses that let her food talk to her. Needless to say she could not eat her friends so she starved to death. Another episode had an accountant visiting an underground sewer & subway security branch. The accountant wanted to shut down the funding for the project. As it turns out the security branch was underfunded to fight the cannibalistic creatures that lived in the dark. www.petitiononline.com/19784444/petition.html
-
tampaaries3 October 2021I never really liked this show, I thought most the stories were lame and not scary at all. Never understood why some people liked this show, I mean compared to Tales from the crypt this show is weak!
-
tostinati20 October 2005The good thing about the backlash against this series, as exhibited by the sum of the negative comments here, is that it will lower the expectations of those coming to it for the first time to the point that they will actually enjoy it, thinking, "Hey, this isn't so bad!"
And indeed it wasn't. My favorite episode is the one with Barbara Billingsly, about a soul reaper haunting a particular old folks home. This episode skirted the terrain we know now from Bubba Hotep long before that film, and the book on which it is based, ever saw daylight.
But Fritz Weaver and his abomination in the jar, an episode that sort of combines Alien and Bradbury's short story The Jar, make for unforgettable viewing. And Soupy Sales starred in a wicked twist on the old farmer's daughter jokes that is also highly memorable television. There's some cool stop motion giant arachnid action in the tale of the young couple who check into a musty old hotel on their honeymoon night. And so on. Yeah, I could stand to see any episode I ever saw of it again. It was a series that, at very least, had its moments. You have to give it that.
The problem with Monsters is one shared by nearly every dramatic anthology series: how to generate a serious story you can really care about in 18 to 24 minutes (TV's "half hour", once you take away time for the commercial breaks that are the only reason TV exists). Twilight Zone rose above this territorial limitation far better than any other such series ever has and likely ever will. But even the early Alfred Hitchcock Presents suffered the limitations of the form more than one would expect: too cut and dried, an all-exposition approach that allows no building of atmosphere, major points spoken rather than seen, film over before you can get into it. You know the drill.
I have to say Monsters is no worse, and probably never quite as bad in this specific way, as Hitch's first several seasons. Monsters at least managed to infuse some Grand Guignol spirit into its 20 minutes. The shows makers seem to have decided that it was in creepy, well-built atmosphere, and not plot punchlines, that they would make their show resonate in the memory of the audience. And having decided on that route, they became very good at it.
So give it a try. I am seeing episodes on DVD for sale through various venues online for the first time in the last few months. After over a decade of spotting the same couple of VHS tapes of this series at older video rental stores, and wondering if it would ever be available in fuller form, this development delights me. It was a decent series that deserves to be remembered and mentioned in any discussion of TV horror. -
loralynnlove22 December 2021My boyfriend recently turned me back on to this show. I had forgot all about it and I suddenly remembered loving it back in the 80's. Fun stuff, yeah its cheesy horror television but its so fun to watch. Lots of cool appearance by yet unknown actors and cool cameos. This show needs a relaunch on Netflix!
-
kristendw-8433725 November 2022First of all, you can't compare this show to Tales From the Crypt, simply because that was shown on paid cable tv, and Monsters was on regular tv. Obviously you can show and do much more on a cable show. I used to watch Monsters right after Tales From the Darkside. Both shows were awesome to an 80's kid who enjoyed campy horror shows. I also grew up watching Svengoolie, and this fits right in. If you're looking for blood and guts, this isn't for you. But if you enjoy practical effects and makeup, then give it a shot!. I even re-watched them several years ago, and it still held up after all that time.
-
mhorg201824 June 2019This is one of the worst shows of the 80s, right down there along with Takes From The Dark side. While some of the casting was decent (Russell Johnson, the professor, who was also in Cormans Attack of the Crab Monsters, which is better than this entire series), but many of the stories have a contrived feel, the endings are predictable, and the extremely low budget didn't help, since its apparent that unlike great shows like the outer limits or the twilight zone, they didn't know how to film around it. It was only syndicated in the US, and I think the only reason it lasted 3 seasons was as a tax write off.
-
kwaidan_19649 July 2004I must first begin by expressing the fact that Monsters was a well done show and out did its' predecessor, Tales From the Darkside. Don't get me wrong. Tales had a great staff, a lot of world renowned writers, and a brilliant cast. But It stayed within the realms of family viewing. It was a show that even the most uptight and strict parents could let their kids watch. It was very tame. I believe policies and guidelines for TV shows may have been a factor, which is why we can really only compare Monsters to shows like Tales from the Crypt. Even though, Tales From the Crypt bares all, in terms of gore and murder and you won't find half naked women on the VHS tapes of Monsters. They are a better match because they delve deeper into horror, while being able to make you laugh and expect the unexpected. Monsters had great effects, a great score, and you can't deny the talent that went into that show.
I think that we should admire the creators of Monsters, because if it wasn't for shows like that one, there would have probably not been a place on television for great shows like, Tales from the Crypt. -
I used to love this show, even at the age of 8. I remember staying up late to catch it, I think on Saturday nights. I'll never forget the opening: a bird's eye view of a seemingly normal town, which continues down through the neighborhood, eventually ending up inside one of the homes in which all the family members are gathering around to watch some TV, then the camera reveals that they're all monsters. I believe the father was, like, a cyclops and he was eating something like little critters out of a popcorn bowl. The theme music used to bug me out.
The one stand out episode that I still remember was the one where the guy had a bed that he would feed his dates to. At the end, one of his dates feeds him to her refrigerator. I may be wrong about he details on that one, but I'm pretty sure that's how insane it was.
This show, in the end, was a campier Twilight Zone, but it definitely pulled it off. I'd probably still dig this if it were shown today. -
christopheles27 August 2002I caught this show on Sci-Fi a few times a several years ago and was very surprised that it wasn't half bad. If I remember correctly they usually had twist endings a la Tales from the Crypt which I genuinely love. I'm having trouble remembering specifics about the plots to the episodes I saw but I think they usually had a way of showing that the real monsters were ordinary people who did horrible things, pretty cheesy and predictable but entertaining nonetheless. One show, however, sticks with me years later, an adaptation of the Stephen King story "The Crawling Finger". Its about a guy who, for no real reason as is frequently the case in King's short fiction, finds a finger coming out of his bathroom sink drain. He tries several different ways to dispose of the finger, learning along the way that a) it takes a very, very long finger to make the journey through the pipes and into his sink, and b) there are five fingers on a hand. It was truly creepy and made the story that much better since I actually got to see how disturbing having an alien appendage coming out of one's plumbing would be.
-
uboat9631 March 2003I loved Monsters! Everyone in my family thought I was weird. I know they thought it but they wouldn't say it. Monsters was just a great low-budget, third-rate show but it never let me down. The plots were very silly at times. For example, I remember one about a human-eating bed!!! What were these writers thinking?? Now and then I check out the sci-fi channel to see if they could re-start showing the re-runs but unfortunately no such luck. Someone email me if they know what channels are running re-runs please...
-
bextra9 June 2000I remember being 12 or 13 years old and begging my mother to let me stay up on Saturday nights to watch this cheesy half-hour horror show. I always think of it as the 80s version of Goosebumps, though I don't think it was specifically aimed at kids. Not that scary, but fun for lovers of the horror genre! The best part of the show was the monsters, of course... different ones every week with not too shabby makeup and effects, considering that this was a low-budget show.
-
Monsters (1988) was an atrocious television series. I mean come on how can you go wrong with a series of short horror films? Well the producers of this one managed to not only do that but they made it unwatchable. This series was just horrible. The writing, acting and direction was plain awful. They tried to make a run at besting the Tales From the Darkside t.v. series but they wound up looking very bad. At it's worst, Tales From the Darkside was much more entertaining than this garbage. I have no love for this show. The only thing that was watchable about this show was the introduction (like a sucker I was hooked by it's opening the first time around). My cousins used to watch this show. The only thing good about that experience was how much fun they would have making fun of it!
Not recommended, best to avoid.
F
I don't remember a single episode that was the slightest entertaining. This series ranks up there with Friday the 13th, The Series! This one should come with a warning label. "Caution, this show will ruin your evening!"