Halloween Month: A Review of The Monster Squad!

Imagine, for one second, that Count Dracula is assembling the famous monsters from Universal’s classic horror films in your own town. Okay? Cool. Now imagine that a group of kids who love talking about monster movies are the only ones doing what they can to stop Dracula from wreaking havoc and putting his plan into action. Still with me? Good. Now imagine that you can kick the wolfman in the nards to buy time as you escape a creepy old house. That’s right. We’re talking about The Monster Squad!

Released in 1987, The Monster Squad is a film that didn’t quite find its audience until time went on, allowing it to become one of those “Why wasn’t this more successful?”-type of movies. When I think about it, it is pretty shocking that the film didn’t do as well as Ghostbusters and The Goonies, seeing as how it combines the best elements of those into a fun-filled spooky adventure.

The Monster Squad was directed by Fred Dekker, who also brought us Night of the Creeps (which itself is another great cult-classic). In addition to directing this, he also helped write the movie with his friend Shane Black, who would go on to do numerous action films such as Predator (plus its recent sequel The Predator), Lethal Weapon 1 and 2, Iron Man 3, and many more.

When I first saw this movie, I was blown away. I was surprised that it was something I could watch at a young age, and yet it didn’t shy away from putting kids in peril. It’s like The Goonies with its kid characters, but it also celebrates the classic Universal monsters while updating them for more modern times. The monster designs were provided by Stan Winston and are, in my opinion, among his best work. Because of legal reasons (Universal owns the design of their creatures), they had to make the monsters look different enough from Universal’s take, but still be recognizable.

Not only did the artists pull it off, they made the monsters look and feel threatening. Frankenstein’s monster is played by Tom Noonan and takes on a sympathetic role as he switches sides to help the kids. The wolf-man is played by Jon Gries, who would later play as Uncle Rico on Napoleon Dynamite. Funny, that’s not the only run-in he has with dynamite. Anyway, he’s a tortured man who hates what he becomes when he transforms and is manipulated by Dracula into killing people. Despite that, he still tries warning cops of the coming threat.

Then there’s the mummy, who’s really cool-looking but, unfortunately, doesn’t get much action scenes. The gill man is easily my favourite and looks awesome. Since he lives in the water, it only makes sense that he doesn’t have too much screen-time. Whenever he comes up, though, I always geek out and have a great time. The design is similar enough to Universal’s gill man, yet Stan Winston’s animatronics & effects make it different. I’d say he’s even more menacing here. Every time I watch this, it makes me want a remake of The Creature from the Black Lagoon.

And lastly, there’s the vampire count himself, Dracula. He gets the most screen-time out of all the monsters and is the one pulling all the strings as he seeks an amulet that will allow him to unleash his reign of terror on the world. He’s played by Duncan Regehr, who does a fantastic job giving a presence that’s both, intimidating and charismatic. In my opinion, he gives us one of the best and most-underrated Dracula performances in any film. I put him up there with Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee. Duncan doesn’t try to emulate either of them, but really does something special with the character. Dracula knows what he wants and is very capable and straight-forward with it. When he’s threatening the kids, he can be intense and savage, even swearing at a little girl. And when he’s dealing with adults, he has a very calm take-no-crap-from-anyone approach in quickly killing them.

The overall production value is beautifully-done and pays great homage to the classics. The score complements the visuals perfectly too, and was provided by the talented and often-overlooked composer Bruce Broughton. It has a very traditional sound that fits with the classic horror theme, even capturing the feeling of tension during the final showdown. At times, it makes the movie almost feel like a Spielberg film, and yet its unique with all the other things going on.

But what’s a great-looking and great-sounding monster movie without relatable protagonists? The Monster Squad has lead characters in the form of kids named Sean, Patrick, Horace, and Eugene. They’re all friends who love to hang out and talk about monster movies. They don’t quite fit in at school and are sometimes bullied, but that doesn’t stop them from doing their thing. Their dialogue is always entertaining too, the fact that they swear adds a little realism because let’s face it… not everyone is squeaky clean and some kids do swear when their parents aren’t around. They have great chemistry with each other too and it leads to a handful of funny lines.

There’s also Sean’s little sister Phoebe, who always wants to join their monster squad and ends up befriending Frankenstein’s monster. A lot of the film’s heart comes from this and it really adds to the charm. We also got an older kid named Rudy, who joins them early on and becomes a key part in helping them prepare to fight the monsters. There’s also a German guy who helps the kids translate a book that turns out to be Van Helsing’s diary. This is how they learn of Dracula’s plan.

And lastly, they got a pupper! Because many 80’s films for kids always had to have a dog with them. Just look at this cute little guy!

So that’s pretty much the gist of everything, and it all makes for a wildly fun time. This is a perfect film to watch with friends or by yourself during any Halloween movie night. It has tons of great moments. I’ve always loved the parts where the wolfman is trying to warn the cops of what’s happening, every scene with the gill man, the first shot with all the monsters coming together, and also this funny scene with the mummy.

Under 2 minutes and still better than the entirety of Tom Cruise’s version.

Although there are silly scenes like this, the movie doesn’t shy away from riskier things such as on-screen deaths, showing some blood, and slightly risque mentions of virginity. There’s even a brief moment that shows that the German guy is actually a holocaust survivor. That had to have been a risky move for the filmmakers. And while it’s very quick, it does a lot to keep the movie grounded. It gives the character more to his background and identity so that he’s more than just an interpreter for the kids.

With all these aspects in the film, some people have felt that the movie has an odd imbalance and doesn’t know what kind of tone to have. But I personally don’t think of it that way. The lighthearted scenes come from the characters; and for them, the stakes are perceived as threatening. I see the movie as being pretty consistent, it just has different emotions in different scenes. Plus, I can’t help but look at this as being kind of common for similar films. Maybe that’s just me though.

Watching the movie now is loads of fun and it’s not hard to see why it has devoted fans. Although it wasn’t successful in theatres upon release, it has gotten more attention in the recent years. Screenings and reunions have been happening, there are always people on Youtube sharing their love for the film, and a couple of the actors from it are even doing a podcast which you can find at ryanandandre.com.

Unfortunately, some of the actors have passed on. Leonardo Cimino, who played the German guy, died in 2012; and Brent Chalem, the actor who played Horace, tragically passed away from pneumonia in his early 20’s. He’s one of the most popular characters among fans and has what is, undoubtedly, one of the most famous lines in the whole film. If you’ve seen it, you know what I’m talking about.

And speaking of that line, there’s actually a documentary called Wolfman’s Got Nards directed by Andre Gower, the actor who played Sean. It features interviews with many of the people who worked on the film and touches on the film’s cult following. It’s been getting a lot of positive reviews and is being shown at numerous fan conventions, so I’m excited to see it.

As for the future of The Monster Squad? Well it’s unlikely there will ever be a sequel. With the way the movie ends, though, I can’t even imagine what a sequel would do, so it seems unneeded. And with the idea of a possible remake, there was an announcement that Platinum Dunes would make one a while back. It was going to have Rob Cohen, a producer of the original film, overseeing it in some form; but according to Brad Fuller of Platinum Dunes, the project is dead. 

If you ask me, I say that’s a good thing because this is one of those films that probably can’t be made the way that it originally was. At least, not without a lot of drastic changes. Plus, I’m not fond of Platinum Dunes’ remakes and many of their creative choices.

It’s possible that someone else might attempt a remake in the future, especially with the popularity of 80’s nostalgia and Stranger Things. On top of that, Universal has been trying to make their Dark Universe work. If that’s ever successful, maybe interest in revisiting Monster Squad would resurge and lead to a reboot or some other kind of project. Personally, though, I feel that it’s best as is.

And besides, 80’s montages work best in 80’s films. All the more reason to leave it alone.

In summation, this is a one-of-a-kind movie that keeps getting new fans with each screening and each year. It’s nice to see it finally get the love and attention it deserves. This, along with Poltergeist, were some of the first horror films I saw as a kid and I’m glad The Monster Squad played a part in shaping my love for the genre. The characters are great, the soundtrack is a lot of fun, the monsters are awesome, and, overall, the movie is among my all-time favourites. Definitely check it out if you haven’t seen it yet!

So until next time, always remember to carry pizza with you in case a vampire tries to get you. Trust me on this.

Have a good one! o/