Young, curious, and obsessed with horror movies, middle school student Sean heads a club that he has dubbed "The Monster Squad," wherein he and likeminded friends come together in a treehouse to gush over and talk about their love for the more macabre side of cinema. When Sean's mother gives him an old book one day as a gift, he is initially ecstatic, but discovers that the work is written in German. Once it has been translated by a mysterious neighbor, the crew discover that the book harbors tales of a fight between the forces of good and evil that has spanned centuries. Even stranger, it seems that during this year, evil may be resurfacing in the form of very eerie, familiar faces.
Several years ago, I was lucky enough to watch The Gate for the very first time (here's where I insert my review for it). It made me realize that perhaps my childhood, though admittedly filled with some fantastic little ditties that I still love to this day, could have been even better had I been exposed to certain horror films. No, I'm not talking about the classic Universal Pictures from the 1930s and 1940s (that's a given for pretty much anybody with the capability of breathing), but more along the lines of horror films that are made by those who want to clearly expose younger audiences to the same loves that they grew up with, while still making sure that it wouldn't be too "extreme" for them to be terrified of or for their parents to become enraged when they find them watching it by themselves without supervision. If I can be so crude as to use food comparisons, if The Gate was a trip to Outback Steakhouse, The Monster Squad is a full-fledged, paid vacation to Australia itself. Minus the possibility of being attacked by venomous creatures of course.
Noted director and fan favorite Fred Dekker has already made an appearance on Unseen Terror with the quite fun House (insert yet ANOTHER review), and his work on the very underrated Night Of The Creeps deserves more and more praise every time that I've mentioned it here on this site. In what can only be ascribed to sheer luck and magic, he's paired with writer and occasional director Shane Black, whose credits include Predator, Lethal Weapon, and Iron Man 3 among many others. The two have a remarkably good understanding of one another's style, mixing in just the right amount of humor without it coming across as obnoxious, while not forsaking on making Squad's characters relatable or even slightly realistic (we all knew at least one person in this film at some point in our lives). The duo's final effort definitely has an appeal to a younger audience, but there is a lot that wouldn't fly by today's standards of what we normally call a "kid's movie." There's people combustion/gore, the occasional curse word that rhymes with "mitt," and a few other nitpicks that most likely won't bother anyone such as yourselves, but it still might warrant a mild warning for those of you with very young children.
Thankfully, every single person should find a lot to enjoy about the antagonists of the The Monster Squad. Though the quality of the creatures' costumes are, to put it nicely, fairly mediocre (minus the Gillman, portrayed by Amalgamated Dynamics head Tom Woodruff Jr.), that adds to its overall charm, showing the obvious love of nostalgia from Dekker, Black, and their crew. Ugh, that ending rap song is another story though, as it is dreadfully dated and could make the Fresh Prince or The Fat Boys seem ruthless during a rap battle. Tom Noonan (Manhunter, The House Of The Devil) plays a pretty god damn good Frankenstein's monster, even if it is meant more for comedic or sappy moments than for horrific ones (it certainly beats the awful ones in recent years from garbage like Van Helsing or I, Frankenstein). Duncan Regehr's Count Dracula is fun enough to make you forget that he was in a movie like Blood Surf (which I will NOT insert a review link for).
Damn damn damn. If I had been writing this before I reached my teens, I....probably wouldn't be doing this actually. I'd probably have been playing Final Fantasy VII or wondering why Funcoland were so notoriously cheap when it came to trade-ins. Still, now that I'm almost thirty, I AM writing about my first exposure to The Monster Squad. and I am so happy that I finally watched it. Considering that this month will also see the release of a motion picture based on author R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series of books, I see this as a wonderful precursor to that flick and a great way for your kids to get into something with a bit more of an edge, but without treating them idiots. If you're so inclined, The Monster Squad is currently available to watch on Netflix Instant Streaming, and is readily available for purchase on DVD and Blu-Ray from various assorted retailers.
Tomorrow, I have to remember that in 1988, not only was Treat Williams a thing, but so was Joe Piscopo. And that they interacted with zombies. Oh my goodness...
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