The Monster Squad (1987) Review

 

The Monster Squad (1987)

The Monster Squad follows a group of kids, effectively known as The Monster Squad, whose deep knowledge of monsters comes in handy when a score of classic monsters arises, looking to rule the world. 

Released the same year and less than a month after The Lost Boys, The Monster Squad unbelievably got overlooked at the box office during it’s run in theaters, which is damn shame because boy is this movie a trip. Much like The Goonies, and many other coming of age adventure movies of the 80s, it’s up to a ragtag gang of mischievous, foul-mouthed kids to save day, this time pulling from the extensive Universal monster catalog, (that they weirdly don’t capitalize on all that often) featuring the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Dracula, Wolf-Man, the Mummy, and Frankenstein. This pairing is way too much fun and for someone like me who has always been a sucker for monsters and the lore behind them, this satisfies such a deep itch.

 

A lot of the film’s success falls on effects and costume designer Stan Winston though, (who worked on Predator, Aliens, & Terminator, just to name a few) whose brilliant monster designs really give the movie an updated but retro (for the 80s) look. He went straight to the roots for classic monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein, and Wolf-man, and fit them to look frightening as well as if they were ripped straight out of the 30s & 40s. It’s such an overlooked detail but it’s truly what keeps this from being a campy B-movie in the end. 

The film also sports a fun little cast, starring Leonardo Cimino, Stephen Macht, Brent Chalem, Ashley Bank, Tom Noonan, Ryan Lambert, Duncan Regehr, and Andre Gower. While Gower excels as the River Phoenix type of nerdy monster hunter, Regehr deserves the most credit for his spooky portrayal of the leader of the monsters, Dracula. He brings a certain melodramatic gravitas to the role that is perfect from beginning to end. 

The Monster Squad, directed by Fred Dekker (and written by Shane Black), definitely borrows a lot from several teen adventure flicks of the 80s (and feels sort of redundant after Lost Boys) but it's its corny premise and self aware, referential nature that keeps it super fun, if not a bit eerie, and a ton of fun for the whole family. 

7.5/10