The Monster Squad

Disclaimer: This film was released in the 80's and it is not politically correct, at all. Some things will make you cringe. If you're able to put that aside and remember that it's a product of a really weird decade, it's a lot of fun.

The Monster Squad is about a group of kids who really like monsters. They spend their time in school drawing them ("spider with human head") and their time after school in a tree house, talking about them. It's all fun and games until one day, Sean's mom gives him Van Helsing's diary, which she found while browsing at a GARAGE SALE. Someone interested in buying the diary calls and leaves a message for Sean, with his name, Alucard. Sean is a clever kid and almost immediately realizes that "Alucard" is "Dracula" spelled backwards. He gathers his friends to tell them that monsters are real and they're the only ones who can stop them. Teaming up with "Scary German Guy" and Frankenstein's monster, they'll have to fight Dracula, the Wolf Man, the Mummy and "Gill-man" (aka The Creature from the Black Lagoon).

At times, The Monster Squad is so 80's it hurts, but I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing (except for some of the more questionable dialogue throughout the movie). It's like stepping into a time warp. A really fun time warp. There are some great one-liners (I was going to include my favorites, but that would have been 90% of the script) in this film and some insults you would only hear from that decade (or Saved by the Bell, so maybe early 90's, too). The other thing I love about this movie being made in the 80's is that CGI wasn't used for everything back then, so practical FX were used for the monsters and they look beautiful (in a really grotesque, horrifying way).

If you can get a copy of the 20th anniversary edition of the DVD, I highly recommend it. The special features are nice, especially the commentary with the cast members. They offer a lot of insight into the making of the movie and sometimes, it almost feels like you're watching an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 because they do mock some of the more absurd parts of the movie (in a very loving way, of course).

Who would like this film: If you're a fan of monster mashups (like Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein or Penny Dreadful) and Stranger Things, The Monster Squad is the movie for you. It's meant to be a comedy, but I wouldn't recommend it to kids under the age of 10. There are some genuinely scary moments that will probably traumatize younger children.