"Kid friendly" is in quotes because The Monster Squad is actually kind of frightening at times and I don't know that kids will react well to certain scenes. But it is a movie about a group of kids who find out that Dracula, the Wolf Man, Frankenstein's monster, the mummy and Gillman are real, so they decide to form the Monster Squad and stop the forces of evil before they can take over the world.
Here's the thing. This movie was made in the 80's and is not politically correct. There are some lines that will make you cringe and wonder, "What were they thinking?" It was the 80's, I doubt anyone was thinking throughout that entire decade.
A few scenes in the movie really stood out to me and I'll list them below.
- Phoebe, a young child, is sitting and throwing flowers into the water when Frankenstein's monster approaches her. If you've ever seen Frankenstein, you know exactly what scene they're referencing here and you can imagine what people were expecting to happen.
- The kids visit "Scary German Guy" and he translates Van Helsing's diary for them. As the kids are leaving, they make a comment about how he knows a lot about monsters, to which he responds, "Now that you mention it, I suppose I do," while the camera zooms in on the tattoo on his arm, implying he was a prisoner in a concentration camp. It's such a powerful scene in an otherwise "lighthearted" movie.
- At one point, Dracula transforms into a bat and the way it's done is reminiscent of Dracula's transformation in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, another film about Universal's classic monsters.
For all its faults, The Monster Squad is a fun movie that kids would probably love. Just make sure to watch it with them so you can explain why some of the more questionable content is inappropriate.
Honorable Mention: Something Wicked This Way Comes - No one knows more about Fall than Ray Bradbury. Even if I pick up one of his novels in the middle of summer, I'm instantly transported to a cool, crisp autumn afternoon. He really understood that season and it comes across in the book, as well as the movie.
A carnival arrives in a small town and two young boys decide to go check it out. But this is no ordinary carnival, and the boys will have to save the town from it before it's too late.
This is a Disney film, but I think everyone knows Disney is capable of going to a pretty dark place sometimes. While this movie might be a little too scary for really young children, I think those who are a bit older would enjoy it. And it's definitely more kid friendly than The Monster Squad.
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