The Monster Squad (1987)
Directed by Fred Dekker
I want to start by saying that the years of '85 - '87 were some of the best years to love movies. Most of them from these years will end up on this page eventually. Today my fellow Junkie's is a good day because I give you The Monster Squad. This by far one of my favorite movies of all time. My friends and I searched for years to obtain this film on VHS, this is video tape before DVD. Kind of like a tape deck player, that was before CD's. This one only came out on DVD a few years back for their 20th anniversary. Next to my daughter being born that was the best day of my life.
After Space Camp, read my review in the previously viewed section, the studio got together and said, "Hey what other trouble can some spunky kids get into?" - They chose monsters from the 30's.
The Squad was directed by Fred Dekker, from such movies as Night of the Creeps and the dreadful Robocop not 1 or 2 but the 3rd one. I never mention the writer of these classics but today he gets mentioned. Shane Black, writer of Lethal Weapon, Last Boy Scout and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, pulled this movie out of his mind. He was the first screenwriter to make over a million dollars for a screenplay, I know you don't care but I can't keep that stuff in my head. The film stars a bunch of unknown kids and some semi-known adults as the monsters.
The films is about a group of feisty kids that have a club devoted to monsters, they love the shit out of some monsters. Their club house is a bad ass tree house in the back yard that looks like it's in the swamp land. One day their dreams come true and they find out that monsters are real and that they are hell bent on taking over the world. So the Squad has to stop them.
The monsters include Dracula, the Wolfman, Gillman, the Mummy and Frankenstein. Gillman is really the creature from the black lagoon, but who really wants to say that all the time.
Out of the kids Rudy stands out because he is a bad ass at the age of 12. He has a bmx and a smoking problem with a complex for the greaser look. Then we have Horace, or the fat kid as they call him, running around playing the fat kid. Why do these movies always have the fat kid or the loser kid, they should all be Rudy and kick ass and smoke a pack a day.
With the help of the scary German guy the kids set off to take out these screen legends.
This is a very well made movie for kids or adults. The violence gets intense sometimes but who cares let the kids watch and get desensitized like the rest of us. The make up on the monster is very well done by Stan "the legend" Winston.
This is very high up on the list of Forgotten Classics for me and for many people my age. Watch and enjoy again or for the first time.
10/10
Video Junkie Extra:
In this film the Army gets involved to help fight off the monsters. But before you go, "so what" let me add that the reason they are there is because a little girl boy no older than 6 wrote the Army a letter in crayola. I'm gonna get my little girl to write a letter and see if the Army shows up. This is all they need to go on, a crudely written letter by a little girl. Got to run and get that letter started.
*Thanks Aaron!
if my steel trap of a memory serves me correctly, it was the youngest boy, Eugene. Cause when the Colonel shows up with his men he says "Who here is Eugene. We got a letter" All the girl did was really did was play dress up with Frankenstein. That, and save the freaken day! Why don't I remember anything important?
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