Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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102 of 107 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Meeting adjourned..., May 10, 2007
I've been waiting for this DVD to come into print for years, and now the wait is finally over. Thanks to Lionsgate for finally stepping up, straightening out the rights issues, and putting together a nice 2-Disc special edition of this classic 80s kids flick.
The Monster Squad, much like the Goonies and the Lost Boys, is a kid's flick at heart, but it doesn't come off as if it were written and directed down to children. The flick stars Andre Gower, Ryan Lambert (of Kids Incorporated fame), Brent Chalem, Michael Faustino and Robby Kiger as a group of kids that have a secret Monster club where they pontificate on all things monster related. Quick, two ways to kill a werewolf? Stumped? That's right, everyone knows you need to shoot `em with a silver bullet. Anyway, the group runs into trouble when unbeknown to them the all too real rouges gallery of the classic Universal monster movies are converging on their town looking to destroy an amulet that can prevent them from taking over the world. Sean, the leader of the club, lucks into a copy of Van Helsing's diary, which provides the instructions to a ritual that will banish the monsters into limbo. With the help of "Scary German Guy" (played by the always excellent Leonardo Cimino) a concentration camp survivor and resident German diary translator, the group bands together to save their families, their town, and quite possibly the entire world.
The film was directed by Fred Dekker and co-written by Fred Dekker and Shane Black (of Lethal Weapon and Predator fame) with amazing special effects and make-up by the legendary Stan Winston. This DVD was made possible by the director, actors, and fans who banded together in the past year through letter writing campaigns and revival screenings which proves just how much of a cult classic this flick is. If you are a generation X'er who's into action, horror or nostalgia the Monster Squad is sure to be a perfect addition to your DVD collection.
The 20th anniversary special edition set is reported to contain 2 audio commentary tracks, deleted scenes, an making of featurette, trailers, as well as a vintage interview with Tom Noonan (who played the Frankenstein's monster.)
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65 of 70 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wolfmans Got Nards & I Can't Wait For The DVD To Be Released, April 8, 2004
This is a great scary movie for kids and adults alike...
This little-known GEM of a film & one of my favorites with mostly a cast of unknowns. Stephen Macht (Graveyard Shift& many other stephen King films) & Jason Hervey (older brother, Wayne on Wonder Years) are familiar faces. A great kids frightfest that has the Creature From The Black Lagoon, Mummy, Wolfman, Frankenstein & a really hot & sexy Dracula with his female coven! A passel of oddball kids fight the dark forces of evil in their small neighborhood with the help of Frankenstein & Scary German Guy (an old Germanic man that is a neighbor). Great plot, cool special effects, some excellent one liners & some wonderful child acting all make for a terrifc family frightfest! Check out the teacher in the beginning of the movie. The kids call her "Meow Mix" because her head is shaped like a cat's head! Great oddball writing in this movie makes it scary & funny! Wonderful story! I just can't wait for this to come out on DVD!
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34 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A forgotten gem., November 5, 2004
With all the Universal films being released and re-released on DVD, in addition to Stephen Sommers' VAN HELSING, I'm shocked to see that THE MONSTER SQUAD isn't being given the credit it is due. Some of the special effects may seem a bit dated by today's near-flawless CGI standards, but this is a really enjoyable movie that transcends time as much, if not more so, as all the black-and-white favorites that inspired it.
The story centers around a small band of pre-teens who are devoted fans of the Classic Monsters. The group soon learns that the evil Count Dracula is lurking nearby, and has gathered a small band of his own: Frankenstein's Monster, the Wolf Man, the Mummy, and the Gill-Man (aka, the Creature From the Black Lagoon). Their goal: to obtain a mystical amulet that will shift the balance of power in their favor and plunge the world into total, chaotic darkness.
What follows is a series of chases, terror-filled encounters, and unforgettable one-liners ("Wolf Man's got NARDS!") that make this film a must-have for all monster fans. The Squad is a likeable lot, each member possessing characteristics that kids of any generation can identify with, and the monsters themselves aren't played for comedy or reduced to caricatures:
Duncan Regehr's Dracula is both charming and sadistic, a perfect blend of Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee, while Tom Noonan's Frankenstein Monster draws its inspiration from Boris Karloff and Glenn Strange, seemlessly integrating the best aspects of both actors' very different portrayals.
Jonathan Gries' performance as the Wolf Man's human half makes the viewer WANT to believe that he is Lon Chaney, Jr. back from the grave, and the Mummy shines in an amusing scare scene with one of the younger Squad members. Sadly, it is the Gill-Man who manages to get the least amount of time, but when he does show up, he is something to behold.
Though not released through Universal, THE MONSTER SQUAD is a wonderful cult-classic that preserves the spirits of these characters to a much greater degree than the latter-day VAN HELSING does. Only one question remains: where's the DVD?
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