BUZZ MAGAZINE - Oh, to be a kid in the late 80s again. If I could, I would go back to that young boy who begged and pleaded to his dad to rent a certain movie on VHS. The movie was The Monster Squad, a horror/comedy that sadly disappeared in the theaters. Audiences corrected their mistake once it went to home video and cable when they realized what they missed.
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More silly fun than terrifying The Monster Squad was written by Shane Black of Iron Man 3 and 2018’s The Predator fame and Fred Dekker, (Night of the Creeps) and also The Predator. 1987 was Black’s year, the man hit a triple with successes. Not only did he co-star in the mega-hit original Predator, but he also wrote the franchise creating Lethal Weapon as well as co-write this; not too shabby.
The Monster Squad is an ode to the universal monster mash-up with some rude and crude kids and juvenile humor sprinkled in. Trying to ride on the coattails of previous hits like Ghostbusters and The Goonies, The Monster Squad manages with the genuine chemistry of the child actors. Even though watching it now there is a thick layer of 80s cheese permeating, the work of award-winning creature and visual effects artists Stan Winston and Richard Edlund is impressive enough to counter this.
The late great Stan Winston does what he did best, designing creatures. He does it well, especially with a memorable lineup that includes Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolfman, the mummy, and Gilman of the Creature From the Black Lagoon - all amazing to look at.
So dedicated to their craft that actors Duncan Regehr (Dracula) and Tom Noonan (Frankenstein) stayed in character throughout production. Regehr made for an interesting and villainous Dracula. The movie is definitely for kids and those who are kids at heart. A gem for any teen and preteen boy. The Monster Squad is certainly a fun treat this Halloween season, just leave your brain turned to the off position.
Justin Childress loves movies and has been writing about them for as long as he can remember. Contact him at jchilli1981@ gmail.com.
This story originally ran in the October 2022 issue of The Prairie Land Buzz Magazine http://www.thebuzzmonthly.com.
