You just know that The Monster Squad is going to be a great
movie just from the opening crawl that appears at the beginning of the film,
which describes the result of monster-fighter Van Helsing and allies’ efforts to
rid the world of all evil once and for all ("They blew it"). In the present day,
(actually, it’s 1987, but who’s counting?) elementary school students Sean and
his buddy Patrick are getting a stern lecture about how their beloved horror
movie monsters are not real. But Sean and Patrick know better, because they’re
part of the Monster Squad, a band of horror-movie obsessed boys who know
everything there is to know about the classic, old-school monsters.
Sean is the leader, and, along with Patrick, there’s big Horace, little Eugene,
and new recruit Rudy. Phoebe, Sean’s little creep of a sister, wants desperately
to join, but is not allowed in because of the no-girls rule. But that changes
when Phoebe shows up with a new buddy in tow: the Frankenstein monster. It
appears that Dracula is in town, and the vampire lord has assembled an all-star
team of monsters--including Frankenstein, the Mummy, the Werewolf, and the
Gillman--in an effort to take over the world. Looks likes the Monster Squad has
it’s work cut out for them!
Twenty years after it’s original theatrical release, The Monster Squad has
finally been released on DVD. I first saw this film during its original run in
the theaters, and was immediately hooked on its goofy charm. Simply put: it’s an
extremely enjoyable movie, especially for lovers of the classic Universal horror
films, whose monsters have been updated for a new generation. And having seen it again after all this time, I was pleased to
see how well it still holds up. The Monster Squad is essentially The Little
Rascals meets the Universal horror movie monsters, and while it has humor galore
("Wolfman’s got Nards!"), it also treats the monsters as a very real menace,
with scenes of sheer terror.
The classic monsters themselves have never looked better. Veteran actors Duncan
Regehr and Tom Noonan shine as Dracula and Frankenstein, respectively, and Stan
Winston’s make-up effects company outdid themselves in re-imagining the werewolf,
the Mummy, and the Gillman (the Gillman’s costume in particular has a very
impressive design). Director and co-writer Fred Dekker’s love for these classic
monsters clearly shows in the smart and reverential way that they’re treated.
The second disc of the DVD has a marvelous retrospective documentary that looks
at the making of the film, and the rabid fan base that built up around it over
the years, featuring interviews with many of the cast and crew. There’s also a
fun "interview" with Tom Noonan in character as the Frankenstein monster, as
well as commentaries, deleted scenes, and more. This is the first time that The
Monster Squad can be viewed in its original widescreen, and the film, as well
as its boundless fun, can finally be fully enjoyed the way it was meant to be.
--SF
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