Monster Squad - 1987

What It Is: 80's horror at it's best... or worst. Is there really a difference?

Why I Watched It: A friend recommended it.

What I Thought: If Monster Squad took itself seriously, it would have been a horrible experience. Luckily, the film didn't bother with any of that.

The premise is simple, a bunch of geeky kids have a Monster Club where they all read comics and debate the existence of The Wolfman's "nards". Their town is shaken up when Dracula drops out of the sky, summons a handful of classic movie monsters to his side, and begins his evil plans. The Monster Club becomes the Monster Squad because they're the only ones that understand the forces plaguing the town.

The Monster Squad is bad, really bad, but it's the exact same bad as the classic monster movies it honors. Now that I think about it, not only did it follow all the rules and formulas of classic monster movies, it also followed the rules and formulas of classic 80's movies. It was a really strange mix! Watching the movie now was like watching an excellent smash-up of two lowbrow film genres.

Of course, there are much better monster movies and there are much better 80's movies. If you want quality 80's horror, stick to Lost Boys or The Howling. But if you want The Goonies plus Frankenstein and the Wolfman (minus the awesome of Corey Feldman), The Monster Squad is the movie for you!

Highlights: Genre staples from classic monster films AND classic 80's films, Fat Kid, and an almost virgin.

Who Should See It: Classic monster fans, 80's movie fans, and anyone that likes their horror less horrific and more bad one liner.

How Soon: The Monster Squad makes for excellent, lightweight, late night viewing.