Little Monsters is a 1989 comedy-drama film starring Fred Savage as Brian Stevenson, a sixth-grader who has recently moved to a new town, and Howie Mandel as Maurice, the monster under the bed.
The fictional story purports to explain "what really goes on under the bed" and why children are always getting blamed for things they did not do. Beginning as a flashback, it tells of how Maurice befriends Brian and shows him a world where there are no rules and no parents to tell them what to do. However, there is more to this fantasy world than meets the eye, and when Brian's brother Eric (Ben Savage) is kidnapped, the fun and games turn deadly serious.
Synopsis
Lonely after moving away from friends, Brian finds himself blamed for several things he apparently has not done. A quart of ice cream is left in the cupboard, Brian's bike is left on the driveway (causing his father to crash into it on his way to work). Brian insists he is innocent and blames his brother, Eric, who claims to have seen a monster the night before. As revenge, Brian snatches Eric's lunch and tosses it out the window, hitting Ronnie Coleman, the school bully who boards the bus and antagonizes Brian.
Brian soon befriends a monster named Maurice. Over the course of several nights, Maurice shows him a fun time in the monster world beneath Eric's bed. It consists of every child's dream: all the junk food and video games they want, and no adults to tell them what to do. It also has innumerable staircases leading to the spaces beneath children's beds, from which the monsters cause trouble. Maurice and Brian have fun making mischief in other people's homes, and Brian feels he has found a true friend at last – although Brian seems to be changing. He learns that he is turning into a monster, as his body parts shrink when the light hits him.
This changes Brian's mind about Maurice and he saws off the legs of all the beds in the house. Due to Maurice's failure to convert Brian (all monsters are former children), Eric is kidnapped by Snik (another monster) through the couch bed in the living room. Brian enlists the help of his friends. Gathering an assortment of bright lights, they enter the monster universe in search of Eric. "Zapping" various monsters along the way, they march to the master staircase, where Boy, the ruler of the monster world, resides. Boy offers to let Eric go if Brian agrees to convert, but Brian refuses. The bright lights are destroyed and they are all placed with Maurice in a locked room. They manage to escape by turning Maurice into a pile of clothes (via an improvised light) and slide him through the door crack. They re-arm themselves with more powerful light, destroy Boy and rescue Eric.
The kids appear to have lost until Maurice appears with a flamethrower. He sets Snik ablaze, allowing Brian and the others to escape. Unfortunately, they find that they cannot return home because the sun has risen. Faced with the prospect of turning into monsters if they do not return to the human world by sunrise, the children travel in the monster world from the Eastern time zone to Los Angeles where the sun hasn't risen yet and they manage to escape. Brian and Maurice share a heartfelt goodbye, and Maurice gives Brian his bomber jacket to remember him by.
Release
The film was to be distributed originally by Vestron Pictures and a trailer was even distributed by them. Along with a few others, it was sold to United Artists after Vestron's bankruptcy. It subsequently saw a limited release, with only 179 movie theaters showing the film at its high point, although it grossed just under US$800,000. A DVD release was made available in the United States and Canada on April 6, 2004; as of 2006[update], there are no plans for a release outside Region 1.
Brian's father is played by Daniel Stern, who had previously worked on The Wonder Years as the elder version of Savage's character, Kevin Arnold. During the series Stern could be heard giving a retrospective of his life in the form of a voiceover.
Differences from the original script
The original Maurice described his former life as a kid, thus establishing that all monsters were formerly kids (as it was filmed, this is somewhat established when we learn Brian is turning into a monster). At one point, Maurice does remark that "at least you have a family," hinting at his former identity.
The script was also darker, with Maurice (Mandel) more motivated by attempting to seduce Brian (Savage) than by a genuine urge to have fun. Also, Brian was meaner and had a greater change of character toward the end, when the reason for him being unable to get out was that he was no longer a "monster" and had learned to be good. In the film, the entire group is unable to escape because the sun has risen, and they ultimately emerge in Los Angeles, where the time is three hours earlier.
In the script, Maurice's plan to destroy Snik involved a complex trick with doors and sunlight, rather than a flamethrower.
In the original script, Snik (essentially a thug who does Boy's bidding) had very few lines and Boy was a literal boy with a marionette. Frank Whaley – known for his boyish looks and demeanor[1] – gives a childlike performance and is dressed in what appears to be a school uniform; in real life, he is 13 years older than Savage.
Cast
Trivia
- Daniel Stern also shares a connection with co-star Fred Savage. Both portrayed the character Kevin Arnold in The Wonder Years, although Stern as the elder Kevin appeared in voice only performing the nostalgic narration.
- In a scene early in the film, Brian's father is asking him to get the monster's autograph. Daniel Stern improvised the playful tickling, and Fred Savage's reactions are genuine.
- The Stevenson brothers, Brian and Eric, are played by the Savage brothers, Fred and Ben, respectively.
See also
References
External links
