Ruttle's Reviews: The Archives

In celebration of this film's long-overdue release on DVD, this week's review is dedicated to a movie that I grew up watching. This is the film that made me a huge fan of mythical creatures and monsters, and no doubt played a role in turning me into the horror film fanatic and filmmaker that I am today. Ladies and gentlemen......The Monster Squad.

Dracula, The Wolfman, & Scary German Guy

"The Monster Squad" (1987)
Directed by: Fred Dekker (Night of the Creeps, TV's Tales from the Crypt)
Starring: Andre Gower, Stephen Macht, Jon Gries
Running time: 82 minutes
Rut's Rating: 4/5

An assortment of monsters come together and plot to find a mysterious amulet that will grant them the power to rule the world, but not if a group of young teenagers have anything to say about it. Horror blends with adventure in "The Monster Squad", and while the dialogue and acting may be cheesy, this is simply a fun, straight-to-the-point movie that is easy to enjoy. Think "The Goonies", but with more of an edge.
Sean Cranshaw (Andre Gower) and his friends Patrick, Horace, Rudy, and Eugene spend their days reading and talking about monsters. Little do they know that Dracula, played by Canadian actor Duncan Regehr, has arrived in their small town and plots to rule the world with the power of a mysterious amulet. To do so, he recruits the help of legendary monsters Frankenstein, the Mummy, a lizard-like swamp creature, and the Wolfman. Actor Jon Gries is one of the more known actors in this movie, (you know him as Uncle Rico in "Napoleon Dynamite"), and he plays the innocent, tortured man who turns into a howling werewolf during the full moon. I have to say, even though this movie is 20 years old, the make-up effects used in making the Wolfman are top-notch and in my opinion, this is exactly the way a werewolf should look. The physical features of a wolf, but standing on two legs and wearing the ripped, tattered clothes of a man.
The gang finds out about this world domination plan with the help of a German neighbour, who helps translate the book that Sean brings him. It is the diaries of famed monster hunter Abraham Van Helsing, and it details the story behind the mysterious amulet and the battle of good and evil for control of the world. Banding together, the teenagers map out a plan and set it in action.
"The Monster Squad" is a movie that you either love or hate. There is no in-between. You either write it off as wasteful, teenage drivel or accept it for the cheesy yet enjoyable movie that it is. It doesn't take itself too seriously because it knows that its pure fantasy, but that's OK. Its horror for teenagers, so you aren't going to see blood and guts all over the screen, like you seem to in almost every supposed "horror" film in this hyper-speed Facebook generation.
As I mentioned before, this was a movie that almost raised me when I was a kid. I loved it back then, and I still do today. On July 24th, it is FINALLY being released on DVD, in a 20th Anniversary Special Edition package. Loads of special features, new interviews with the now-adult cast, and vintage behind-the-scenes footage. Being a fan of the film for as long as I have, this is one that I'm definitely picking up for my ever-growing collection.