Deu a Louca nos Monstros

Some kids who are really into those old Universal horror flicks have this club they call The Monster Squad. But soon enough their knowledge about how to kill some of these legendary creatures comes in mighty handy in their small town.

Andre Gower and Robby Kiger head the group and it's a good thing their services were needed right at this point in time. By the look of them in another year these kids would be hitting puberty full stride, one of them Ryan Lambert is already showing inclination of interest in the opposite sex.

Best scene in the film is during the climax when a virgin is needed to read an incantation and when it doesn't quite work because the virgin's not quite a virgin Gower's little sister is brought in as a pinch hitter.

Duncan Regehr makes a fine, menacing Dracula topping the cast performance list. Regehr plays it absolutely straight for the young audience this film was aimed at.

With an original premise based on how Bud&Lou got tangled up with all their monsters in Abbott&Costello Meet Frankenstein and a climax which liberally borrowed from the Back To The Future films, The Monster Squad is still an enjoyable film for young audiences.

The 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.

Prospective 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!

I first saw this movie in 1990 on Sky TV when i was about 12,and obviously loved it. when i was young i used to wish me and my mates were grouped together in a common gang like Sean and Co. they seemed to have so much in common and always had a good laugh, thats the special thing about kids films from the eighties, with Licence to Drive and Goonies being top of the list having the same feel about them as The Moster Squad. films nowadays for young ones are not like this anymore as most will agree, they have done away with the cheesy dialog and juvenile relations and replaced it with complicated storylines and big budget effects that really dont make them watchable anymore.

Basic plot:

a group of youngsters from the US form a squad to stop evil taking over the world by following an ancient ritual with an unusual amulet. in the meantime they are faced with Dracula,Wolfman and a mummy along with a couple of other creatures of the night to save the world.

it really is a simple formula that works very well and is a must see for kids and yourself.

Note to fans of this film and future fans of this film: Brent Chalem who played Horace (Fat Kid) is no longer with us,which was quite sadening for me as i felt i knew him when i was younger as i watched the film several times as a kid and these kids were a cult for me. He died in 1997 - whilst working for a US legal firm - in Las Vegas,Nevada,USA, he was just 22 years old. he had a rather short career so theres not much info anywhere on the web about him....but i feel someone somewhere who knew him could provide us with a little more information about him and the circumstances surrounding his untimely death and post it here on IMDB.

Go get this, you'll love it. RIP Brent Chalem.

This is one of those movies where all the details come together to make something a lot more fun than it should be. A great late-night popcorn seller. The monsters are done well, the dialogue is funny, the F/X are competent, and the mood of the film is consistently creepy-yet-upbeat.

I don't understand comparisons to "The Goonies" . . . about the only similarity is that both movies revolve around a group of "outsider" kids, which is hardly a concept new to Hollywood.

Another film that just screams for a DVD release.