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How can you
go wrong with a movie like “The Monster
Squad?” The answer is, you can’t.
Back in 1987, director Fred Dekker released
this little gem of a horror comedy onto
unsuspecting audiences. They were so unsuspecting
in fact that it actually took several years
for the film to really catch on. But once
it did, it became a ‘cult’ hit,
appreciated by masses of horror film fans.
I’ll grant you that those audiences
who don’t really understand Dekker’s
style probably won’t ever really get
the enjoyment that fans of the film will,
but perhaps if they went back to school
and got an education… they’d
‘get it’ the second time around.
I saw “The Monster Squad” when
it first hit theaters and aside from a few
weak parts, found myself enjoying it tremendously.
I’ve since owned it on VHS, DVD and
now Bluray. I’m not what you’d
call a fanatic, but to say I love the film
would not be an overstatement.
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It has style, it has scares, and it enjoys a
light camp humor that I feel would appeal to most
anyone with a love of movies. I even allowed my
daughter to see it when she was 5, and I usually
don’t let her watch scary movies, and she
loved it. It wasn’t so scary to give her
nightmares and the fact that it was younger kids
fighting the forces of evil made her feel like
she could take on the world.
“The Monster Squad’s” premise
is fairly simple. It begins by introducing us
to Professor Van Helsing who, over a hundred years
ago, used a magic amulet and a spell (read by
a virgin) to send Dracula and his team of monsters
into limbo. Unfortunately, this was not to be
a permanent solution. Dracula is back… and
so is Frankenstein’s Monster, the Wolfman,
the Mummy, and the Creature (from the Black Lagoon…
but they couldn’t use the whole name…).
But we don’t have a Van Helsing around to
banish the monsters, only a group of kids who
happen to love monster movies.
I initially loved almost everything about this
movie. I loved Dekker’s style in how he
mixed the fantasy world of the monsters with the
real life world of the kids. I enjoyed the way
it was filmed and the colors that made it seem
so vibrant and almost like a comic book. I felt
that most of the kids did a decent acting job,
but mostly I was impressed by the actors portraying
the monsters. Duncan Regehr, who starred as Dracula
is simply amazing. He plays the role with a strong
sense of camp, but not so much as to make is silly.
There are moments where he is truly frightening.
Admittedly he scared my daughter the most. Tom
Noonan, who always amazes with his range in Independent
films, gives Frankenstein’s Monster a tremendous
amount of pathos. He is rarely scary, but if you
know the history of the character, he was never
really meant to be scary. I also very much liked
Jonathan Gries as the Wolfman. Gries is one of
those underrated actors who has starred in numerous
movies and TV shows, so much so that most people
know his face, but not his name.
If there is anything not to like about the film,
I could perhaps only mention some small campy
moments that don’t work. Hearing Frankenstein’s
Monster say ‘bogus’ comes to mind,
but that is forgivable. There might also be some
who complain about the film’s effects, but
to be honest one only has to remember that it
was made in ’87 and had a semi-limited budget.
For the time and money, I can again forgive any
shortcomings in the special effects.
Lionsgate has already released a restored DVD
version of “The Monster Squad” a few
months back, and is now following up with a Bluray
edition. It looks somewhat better than the DVD,
but it is still not a perfect transfer. Of course,
this might be attributable to the film’s
age. Most of the scenes look suitably clean and
crisp, but there are some night shots that don’t
look as good. The sound also seems a little bit
weak, but turn it up enough and it still pulls
you into the film.
The Bluray has two commentaries, the first by
Dekker and actors Andre Gower, Ryan Lambert and
Ashley Bank. What I initially thought wouldn’t
be a very good commentary ended up being quite
fun to listen to. The second is again done by
Dekker, who is joined by director of photography
Bradford May. This is a more technical commentary
and again surprisingly informative and engaging.
There is also a feature length documentary on
the making of the movie which is excellent. This
is a must watch for fans of the film. “A
Conversation with Frankenstein” features
an interview with Noonan in character, which admittedly
falls kind of flat. You’ll also find some
deleted scenes, storyboard sequences, photo galleries
and trailers.
“The Monster Squad” is without a
doubt, a cult favorite. Whether or not mainstream
audiences will get into this terrifically fun
film really depends on their current educational
level.
Directed by: Fred Dekker
Starring: Andre Gower, Duncan Regehr, Stephen
Macht, Stan Shaw, Tom Noonan
Extras: Audio Commentary with Co-Writer/Director
Fred Dekker and Andre Gower, Ryan Lambert and
Ashley Bank; Audio Commentary with Fred Dekker
and Director of Photography Bradford May; “The
Monster Squad Forever!”; A Conversation
with Frankenstein; Deleted Scenes; Animated Storyboard
Sequence; Still Gallery; Original Theatrical Trailer
and TV Spot
Specifications: 1080p High Definition Widescreen;
DTS–HD Master Audio
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: 11/24/2009
MPAA Rating: PG-13
http://www.LionsgateBluray.com
We'll give The Monster Squad: 20th Anniversary
(Bluray) an A.
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