The Monster Squad Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
The End of the World Starts at Midnight
Call them for a monster-ous good time.
You know who to call when you have ghosts but who do you call when you have monsters?
Young kids form a club that is devoted to monsters, but soon get more than they bargained for when Count Dracula adjourns to Earth, accompanied by Frankenstein's Monster, the Wolfman, the Mummy, and the Gillman. The uglies are in search of a powerful amulet that will grant them power to rule the world. Our heroes - the Monster Squad are the only ones daring to stand in their way.
| Andre Gower | Sean Crenshaw |
| Robby Kiger | Patrick |
| Stephen Macht | Del Crenshaw |
| Duncan Regehr | Dracula |
| Tom Noonan | Frankenstein |
| Brent Chalem | Horace |
| Ryan Lambert | Rudy |
| Ashley Bank | Phoebe Crenshaw |
| Michael Faustino | Eugene |
| Mary Ellen Trainor | Emily Crenshaw |
| Leonardo Cimino | Scary German Guy |
| Jon Gries | Desperate Man |
| Stan Shaw | Detective Sapir |
| Lisa Fuller | Patrick's Sister |
| Jason Hervey | E.J. |
| Fred Dekker |
6.80 out of 10 (3893 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Thank god for that new special edition...
posted on 03 Aug 2009This film could have been lost and not seen by so many people who would've loved it. Yes it IS silly, yes it IS over-the-top, yes it IS cheesy and yes.... it's a classic and we should love it. This film is extremely fun to watch, with some special fx ranging from average to great. One thing I was quite shocked to see in this movie, was that it was intended for young audiences but when I saw it, I was blown away by the amount of profanity and over the top violence... it was quite amusing! Kids will still love it anyway (these days they already watch films like "SAW" when they're 8 years old) and so will adults. It is action-packed, maybe a little spooky for the little ones and a cult classic. The only negative is that it might be too cheesy for some people's taste.
see ya later, bandage breath...
posted on 07 Jul 2009Young kids form a club that is devoted to monsters, but soon get more than they bargained for when Count Dracula adjourns to Earth, accompanied by Frankenstein's Monster, the Wolfman, the Mummy, and the Gillman. The uglies are in search of a powerful amulet that will grant them power to rule the world. Our heroes - the Monster Squad are the only ones daring to stand in their way....for high concept ideas this has to be up there with the best, and written by the king of high concept, Shane Black. the film has sadly dated over the twenty years it has been out, but the fun is still there. like a more grown up version of the goonies, this has grown into a cult favourite, and it's easy to see why.where else would you find a movie with Universals greatest movie monsters coming back to life to rule the present day (Van Helsing doesn't count it just wasn't any fun.) and only a gang of kids able to save the day with the assistance of a scary German guy? this beats the live action Scooby Doo movie by nearly fifteen years and is twice as much fun. but the film still does have its flaws though. the films special effects are not that special even for 1987, and the editing is awful, and some times they do use the same footage more than once in the film.but as with the Goonies, this film will have it's fans forever and will remain a firm favourite with a lot of the demographic out there. they sure don't make films like this anymore.so much fun it's 'scary'!!!
The Monster Squad is a good movie!
posted on 16 Jun 2009This is a good movie. I first saw it back in 1988 or 1989. it's also funny at times, and it's entertaining. I've always really liked this movie. The Monster Club is one of the best movies ever made to re-live your childhood with. It's all in all a very fun movie! I give the monster club *** out of ****
"We're the Monster Squad."
posted on 08 Apr 2009Combining all of the monsters that put Universal Studios on the map, The Monster Squad is a brilliant homage from 1987. Frankenstein's Monster, Dracula, the Wolfman, the Mummy, and even the Creature from the Black Lagoon have surfaced to take over the world and only a group of kids can stop them. I grew up watching this movie over and over again. It's one of the reasons why I have such a high regard and love for the genre. It has a charm about it and I can't imagine anyone not enjoying it, kids or adults. Fred Dekker and co-writer Shane Black have created a superb and funny film for all ages. Dekker is responsible for some great genre flicks during the 80's and The Monster Squad is undeniably one of those. The writer and director are not the only one's that deserve credit. Stan Winston's creature effects are absolutely wonderful. The Gillman looks incredible and (I've said this before) the Wolfman in this movie is my favorite to ever hit the screen. If you're searching for a campy, Goonies-style fun ride, look no further than The Monster Squad. After all, Wolfman's got nards!
Loving tribute to the greats of Monsterdom
posted on 30 Mar 2009There was a "Monster Squad" TV series way before there was a feature film. It was about, as the catchy opening sequence chanted, a guy named Walt, who worked at Fred's wax museum to put himself through criminology college. One night, oscillating vibrations brought to life three legendary monsters...Dracula! The Werewolf...and Frankenstein! I'm sure you get the drift. Despite the fact that Walt didn't bring "Frankenstein" back to life (he brought Frankenstein's "Monster" back), the series was very similar to Fred Dekker's feature film, although Fred added "The Mummy". Made around the same time as "The Goonies" and "Explorers", this monster flick for young teenage boys is an absolute winner. The scene of "The Mummy" unwrapping as he is dragged behind a car is priceless, as is the film's respectful treatment of the legendary Universal monsters. The pace is tight, Dekker's action sequences show evidence of real skill, and the cinematography, by Bradford May, carries photographic echoes of the old black and white flicks that these monsters originally appeared in. An affectionate, loving tribute to the screen's finest fiends.
THE MONSTER SQUAD (Fred Dekker, 1987) ***
posted on 30 Mar 2009Though I claim it is my second viewing of this film, some of the events and character features were so clear in my head that I can't believe I've only seen it once almost 20 years ago! In any case, this is a solidly-crafted, fast-paced and witty spoof of the old Universal monster mashes with Count Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, The Wolf Man, The Mummy and The Gill Man all taking part. Duncan Regehr scores best as a nasty Dracula, but Jack Gwillim is a welcome presence in the prologue and finale as his eternal nemesis Abraham Van Helsing. Though essentially a kiddie film with a group of hardened horror addicts/misfits as its main protagonists, it doesn't shy away from gruesome and dangerous situations – the partner to the cop (father to the leader of the Squad) is blown up by Dracula; the Werewolf is himself made to explode in mid-air (a short-term demise, since he recomposes himself only to be shot down by the proverbial silver bullet); Dracula kidnaps and vampirizes three female students, etc. Predictably, the Frankenstein Monster is shown to be of a benign nature after all – he eventually befriends the kids and almost dispatches Dracula himself! Amusingly enough, it was also quite refreshing to hear the boys swearing profusely and saying the word "virgin" a lot – without actually knowing what it means! Though I feel that GREMLINS (1984) is still the touchstone for this sort of "kiddie" horror comedy, THE MONSTER SQUAD lags not too far behind: it was actually nice to learn that this was no childhood fluke, and that the film still holds up well after all these years. By the way, I followed it with Dekker's previous effort – NIGHT OF THE CREEPS (1986).
Quite good
posted on 19 Feb 2009One of the newer 'classic' horror flicks. All the famous monsters (Dracula, the wolfman, Frankenstein's monster, the mummy and the Creature from the Black Lagoon) meet in a small town in an effort to open the gates to hell. A group of young monster hunters attempt to stop them, and receive help from some... unexpected allies. The movie was great to watch and it's a shame it isn't available on DVD. The monsters are done quite nicely and the humour is well-balanced and quite fun. Certainly something worth viewing. The only apparent flaw, is that the character of Van Helsing is mentioned to be German, which - of course - he isn't.Worth 8/10
Cult Movies 39
posted on 26 Jan 200939. THE MOSTER SQUAD (horror-comedy, 1987) Dracula travels to 20th century America in hopes of retrieving a mystical amulet stolen from him 100 years earlier by long time nemesis Van Helsing. Within the amulet the forces of evil rage and whomsoever wields it can set them loose. Dracula seeks the help of other mythical creatures: the Wolfman, the Mummy, the 'creature from the Black Lagoon', and the indomitable Frankenstein monster. Just when their victory seems assured a group of young teens, dubbing themselves 'the Monster Squad', step in to thwart their nefarious plans.Critique: For lovers of those old monster movies from the 30s and 50s this is a treat to watch. The real 'star' of the film is make-up and special effects wizard Stan Winston (creator of 'The Terminator', 'Predator', and 'Aliens' creatures, to name a few). With an amazing eye for detail he has been able to capture the monster's legendary traits, and individual demeanor to perfection. They're really wonderful creations (not too corny or too scary) that hark back to their previous incarnations with a touch of the modern. Though the film borrows heavily from others such as 'The Goonies' and 'Gremlins', and its intended kid audience may be too young for some scenes, it's still a fun movie with the works.QUOTE: "We just went through some major s*** and where's the big limbo thing."
Fun monster flick, now on DVD
posted on 02 Jan 2009"The Monster Squad" is not Academy Award winning material, but it's a fun movie and there's enough for adults to enjoy that it's a film for about any age. Except perhaps, for some of the language, which really, I don't care about, but the little five-year old girl does say "chickens***", so that might be about it for SOME family viewing. There's a small group of kids that have a tree house and a club, and they're self-proclaimed horror fanatics. Little do they know that trouble is heading for their little town in the way of a plane full of monsters, on their way from Transylvania. Seems that years ago there was an attempt made by a gentleman named "Van Helsing" to stop these monsters but it failed, somewhat, and now they're back & this group of kids has to save the world from them. Dracula seems to be the real instigator of the group, and there's also a Frankenstein monster, a Gill Man, a Werewolf, and a Mummy. It's amusing to see this little 5 year old girl playing near the water's edge and to look up as a shadow falls over her, in a takeoff from the original "Frankenstein". Although she shows up with the monster in tow, and proves that she's a bit braver than the kids that won't let her join their club. At any rate, these kids team up with a strange old man who lives in a creepy old house, that turns out to be German. He says he knows something about monsters, while showing his concentration camp tattoos, nothing kids would probably understand, so there is a level of this aimed at adults. It seems that one of the kid's sister can read German and she says she's a virgin (a requirement, it seems) so she's reading the incantation that will send the monsters back & has the magic amulet but nothing seems to be happening, and she does finally admit she's not a virgin (but THAT guy didn't count...!), so the five-year old is commissioned to read the passage with the help of the old man to dispatch the monsters into the limbo from which they can't return. Good special effects and an overall creepy but fun atmosphere really make this worth seeing, and it's never boring or dull. 7 out of 10, good fun but caution should be used for younger kids, most likely.
Highly underrated, and sadly forgotten
posted on 30 Dec 2008I loved this movie. It was no Goonies...but the goonies had some serious names attached to guide it along. Who doesn't love the classic monsters? And this movie brings them all together!!! It was geared for kids. My biggest compaint is that Dracula (as a bat) is able to be exposed to sunlight. Other than that, I'm impressed that the creators tried to follow the traditional guidelines. The older sister is also SMOKIN hot. Would love to know what she's up to...However, there was enough swearing and impressive effects (for the times) that it could appeal to older teens and adults as well. I truly wish this movie had been bigger, so as to warrant a proper DVD edition.Thanks to makers of this film, and all of its young and talented stars!!!
Great monster movie for films buffs
posted on 22 Oct 2008The Monster Squad is a terrific re-telling of the House of Frankenstein, set in the late 80s. A group of young boys unearth an evil secret within the diary of vampire hunter, Dr. Abraham Van Helsing (Dutch, not German, but forgivable). Dracula has returned, and has re-animated Frankenstein's monster, and brought along a innocent, but tortured werewolf, the frightening, Creature of the Black Lagoon-esque Gill-Man, and a 2000-year old Mummy.The SFX are spectacular, and the make-up and costuming are very well-made. This movie closely follows the the myths and folklore of popular monsters (only wooden stakes and garlic are effective on vampires; even dynamite cannot stop the silver-prone werewolf; etc.)The acting is somewhat lacking, but this is a kid's Saturday night drive-in type movie. Only Duncan Regehr (syndicated TV's Zorro) as the truly and unrelentingly evil Dracula is worth mentioning. However, Tom Noonan as the kindly and gentle Frankenstein's monster is a great departure from the malevolence of his counterparts.Highly recommended.
Fun homage to the classic film monsters but a little disappointing when all said & done.
posted on 20 Aug 2008The Monster Squad starts with a paragraph of text that reads 'One hundred years before this story begins it was a time of darkness in Transylvania... A time when Dr. Abraham Van Helsing and a small band of freedom fighters conspired to rid the world of Vampires and Monsters and to save mankind from the eternal forces of evil... They blew it.' The Monster Squad consist of Sean Crenshaw (Andre Gower), Patrick (Robby Kiger), Horace (Brent Chalem), Eugene (Micheal Faustino), Rudy (Ryan Lambert) & Pete the dog, together they are, well actually I'm not sure other than kids who like monsters. During a cargo flight the co-pilot (Daryl Anderson) decides to investigate a noise in the hold & discovers Count Dracula (Duncan Regehr) whom he jettisons' out of the bay doors along with a large crate marked Frankenstein. Dracula brings Frankenstein's creature (Tom Noonan) back to life & together with the Mummy (Micheal Reid MacKay), the Gillman (Tom Woodruff Jr.) & a Werewolf (Carl Thibault) intends to find & use an ancient amulet which will let creatures of the night rule the world, or something like that. It appears the only people who can stop Dracula & his gang of monsters is Sean & The Monster Squad as his mum Emily Crenshaw (Mary Ellen Trainor) has just given him a book she brought which appears to be Van Helsing's (Jack Gwillim) dairy, a diary which reveals how to destroy the amulet & all things evil in general. The fate of the entire world hangs in the balance & rests in the capable hands of The Monster Squad!Co-written & directed by Fred Dekker I liked The Monster Squad but it also disappointed somewhat. The jokey script by Dekker & Shane Black lets the wonderful premise down, badly at times. While any true horror fan will rejoice & get a kick out of the updated monsters & fun homages if you take this novelty idea away The Monster Squad is a very poor film. At times it feels like the Monsters are there for background decoration only with the Mummy & the Gillman being almost totally ignored & unused until the Mummy gets an awful death scene where his bandage is unravelled like some terrible visual gag out of a Scooby-Doo episode. The Gillman is even worse as he gets almost no screen time before he is simply just shot dead by the most annoying member of The Monster Squad. The Wolfman gets a little bit more screen time but not much with Count Dracula & Frankenstein featuring the most which is a shame because out of the monsters these were my least favourite. The special effects make up on the monsters by Stan Winston are excellent especially the Mummy & Gillman which makes it even worse that they are totally ignored for most of the film. There are various plot holes in The Monster Squad like how did Dracula know Sean had the diary among others? There isn't much of a story when it comes down to it either, I was disappointed that the filmmakers didn't use the monsters more & have a bit more imagination in updating them for modern audiences, impressive special effects apart. On a positive note The Monster Squad still remains terrific entertainment & great fun, it moves along at a nice pace & it never becomes boring or dull especially since it only lasts for 80 odd minutes. The effects on the monsters are great as I've said but the optical effects are poor such as the vortex or Count Dracula changing into a bat. There is no blood or gore either apart from when the Wolfman is blown up & Count Dracula is impaled on a spike. Technically The Monster Squad is good with nice production values throughout & the opening credits sequence set in Transylvania 100 years ago looking particularly handsome with Count Dracula's flaming torch lit castle complete with revolting villagers... Overall I liked The Monster Squad, it's a fun homage to classic film monsters but I just can't help thinking that more could have been done with them & the idea. Good but not brilliant, still definitely worth a watch for anyone interested in monsters & horror though.
Childhood Memories
posted on 31 May 2008This movie brings back childhood memories of watching TV all day long during the summer vacation. This movie was, and still is, one of my favorite movies of all times. Just watching it makes me happy. So what if the acting is not top-caliber. It has a great story and the characters are all fun to watch. It is a highly amusing film that you should watch if you've never seen it.
kids versus classic monsters; more fun for kids than adults, probably
posted on 13 May 2008I saw this recently for the first time, at age thirty-one. I was entertained, but I didn't think it was all that great; I suspect if I'd seen it when it came out at age fourteen I might have more of a liking for it. I suspect many people rating this highly are kids, or are fueled by nostalgia having seen it as kids. I don't know if I'd like The Goonies or The Lost Boys as much had I not seen them as a kid; this movie is similar in spirit to both, more to the former.Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, The Wolfman, The Mummy, and The Creature from the Black Lagoon (Gillman) show up in a suburban neighborhood, where Dracula is trying to locate something that will let evil triumph over good. Dracula is the main baddie here. The Mummy and Gill-Man don't get much to do; this mummy is a particularly feeble one, anyway. The Wolfman is good in his human form, and Frankenstein's monster has a tendency towards good as well. The Invisible Man doesn't appear in either form.A group of kids who are fans of monster movies discover that monsters have actually shown up, and they decide to try to save the town from the monsters. I didn't find the kids particularly appealing, except for the little girl who is undeniably cute. In order to translate a German book by Van Helsing, they enlist the help of "Scary German Guy," a German Jew, actually.
All substance, no style
posted on 10 May 2008This was fun and scary when I saw it in 1987 and I was twelve. These days, not so much, but the dialogue still crackles, as this is one of the first movies from King-of-One-Liners, Shane Black. Check out his filmography. Some of the best testosterone-driven lines you've been quoting for years probably came from this man's warped brain. Gotta love it.Good casting, too, but too bad about the directing. The child actors are all into it, and have fun saying the lines, from a writer who would one day write for Mel Gibson, Bruce Willis, Geena Davis. The look of the film is flat and dated, but for sheer fun, a monster movie fix, or satisfying one's curiosity, you could do a lot worse. It WAS the 80's, after all.
Fred Dekkar's Other Cult Classic
posted on 07 Apr 2008Prospective Monster Squad viewers may recognize the name Fred Dekkar, the director of another 80s cult classic, a zombie horror called Night of the Creeps. Monster Squad follows in that tradition as the horror-comedy about a gang of young kids who save their town from Dracula and his goons. In my opinion, Monster Squad is a much more enjoyable movie than Night of the Creeps. The Monster Squad refers to a tree house club of five kids who are self-proclaimed horror fanatics. Little did they know that their enthusiasm in the genre would suddenly come in handy as their town in suddenly invaded by Dracula and a few other memorable horror villains in their classic form. Drac is terrorizing the town, trying to locate a powerful amulet which has the potential for serious disaster. When no one else believes the kids, or when no one else is powerful enough to stop them using traditional crime fighting methods (arresting the Wolfman didn't seem to work out), the Monster Squad (with the help of Scary German Guy and Frankenstein) takes things upon themselves to save the day. This movie was great because, although the monsters may appear somewhat corny (not forgetting that it is technically a family horror film), it still has a heap of great qualities. The kids are actually all pretty cool (especially Rudy, even though his wears his pants so tight, you can see what side he tucks on). Great music, great cast (Andre Gower, Robby Kiger, Ryan Lambert, Stephen Macht, and Jon Gries), and great fun!Fans of obscure 80s movies are sure to add to the cult following. You won't be disappointed. It is loads of fun. Bona Fortuna!
Monster Squad is the best movie ever made
posted on 08 Mar 2008Ok, the previous review refused to mention the unbelievable humor of the movie and its ability to appeal to kids. Also, if they think that it's the lochness monster and Frankenstein (as opposed to Frankenstein's Monster which is a name confusion they actually mention in the movie) This previous reviewer is someone who obviously was not paying attention to the movie, knows nothing about monsters, and therefore has no business writing a review. The acting is not Oscarworthy, but the movie is campy in a sense. These kids are still cracking jokes and acting nonchalant when monsters are walking around killing people. This is part of the humor of the situation they're in. All in all, Monster Squad is a great movie and I strongly recommend its viewing.
Exactly why is this movie bad?
posted on 19 Oct 2007I'm not gonna say this movie suck because it's stupid and has bad acting or whatever. Fact is, this movie could have been great. The actors were cute, the monsters looked incredible, and the effects were fine for the time. It's 80s camp, it's monsters, it's kids kicking crotches - all that is awesome.The sole thing that brings this movie down is how choppy and incoherent it is. It seems like there is a story (which actually seems to be a cool story for an 80s kids/monster film as far as I could tell) but only the writers knew it well, and as a result it's edited in a way that if you knew the story and characters it would make sense, but to anybody in the audience it's hard to identify with the characters or feel with them or even follow the story well at all. I very much wanted to like the movie simply due to its 80s charm. I love that kind of stuff, really I do. But the story is so badly structured you can't enjoy the movie.Characters join the Monster Squad for no reason. Bad guys do things with little or no setup. Characters seem to have knowledge of things happening that they shouldn't have. People have odd motivations and strange reactions to events. All this could have been corrected with good editing, both writing and film editing.The characters were lovable but that was destroyed by the bad film structure. Ruining lovable characters and monsters like those kids is simply a travesty.At the same time, the movie seems incredibly confused as to whether it's for young kids or old kids. Lots of swearing and other "big kid" things (over 13 please), but lots of characters in elementary and grade school.I love 80s kids adventure movies. This is not a good one. At the end I felt cheated because not only was it a bad movie, but it was a bad movie that definitely could have been totally rad 80s awesome. Nostalgia nothing, even as a kid it's not memorable simply because you couldn't get close to the characters because of the bad way it was edited/written.This is saved from one star because of the potentially cool characters and the 80s-ness of it.
Good mixture of comedy and Classic Horror characters - Dracula, Frankenstein and others.
posted on 13 Sep 2007I was 26 when I first watched this movie while babysitting my nephew. We both had a lot of fun and every now and then we reminisce about it. It's just the kind of movie I really enjoy as it blends horror and comedy. You have your good guys and bad guys with some of them saving the day and it should appeal to the younger kids because of how brave the characters are. What kid wouldn't want to save the world! It's not scary,(it may be for the younger children) but if you enjoy movies like Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein, Young Frankenstein and Love at First Bite among others, than you'll have a good time. I really hope it finds it's way to DVD so I can buy a few copies to give as gifts to some of the younger kids for them to enjoy as my nephew and I did. I want a copy for myself and if you're young at heart, you'll want one too!
Great!!!
posted on 18 Aug 2009Along with The Pirate Movie, The Goonies, and Labyrinth, this is one of my favorite movies. It is a great movie for kids and parents, and it is a classic for monster movie lovers. The acting is not for the Acadimy Awards, but the story line, script, and makeup were excellent. I enjoyed this move, and have watched it many times. I would recommend this for anyone!!!!!!!!!