Rating: PG-13 | Runtime: 82 minutes
Release Date: August 14th, 1987 (USA)
Studio: TriStar Pictures
Director(s): Fred Dekker
Writer(s): Shane Black & Fred Dekker

Wolfman’s got nards!

Did it age poorly? Woof. Did it ever. Between Fred Dekker and Shane Black’s script being a lesson in Homophobia 101 and the very archaic notion that being a “virgin” must mean also being a girl, The Monster Squad is very cringy … and that’s without the misogyny.

It’s also quite heartwarming and fun and exciting too, though. The relationship between Phoebe (Ashley Bank) and Frankenstein (Tom Noonan) really stuck in my memory most (I watched this film a lot as a kid). Love the rug pull of Scary German Guy’s (Leonardo Cimino) pies and the undercurrent of melancholy that goes straight through Noonan’s portrayal into Jon Gries’ “Desperate Man”.

And boy is there zero excess. My nostalgia brain truly thought there was a story here that was more than just “read about amulet, discover the end of the world is tomorrow, and montage your way to saving the day.” I think the speed helps things, though. Stops us from questioning what’s happening and really lets Sean (Andre Gower) and company do what no one else is willing to do: believe.

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The monsters in THE MONSTER SQUAD.