The Monster Squad

Monster Squad
US film poster
Directed by	Fred Dekker
Produced by	Jonathan A. Zimbert
Written by	Shane Black & Fred Dekker
Starring	Andre Gower Robby Kiger Brent Chalem Ryan Lambert Michael Faustino Stephen Macht Leonardo Cimino Duncan Regehr Tom Noonan Ashley Bank Lisa Fuller Jack Gwillim
Music by	Bruce Broughton
Cinematography	Bradford May
Editing by	James Mitchell
Distributed by	TriStar Pictures
Release date(s)	August 14, 1987 (USA)
Running time	82 min
Country	USA
Language	English
Budget	$12,000,000 (estimated)
Gross revenue	$3,769,990 (USA)

The Monster Squad is a comedy/horror film written by Shane Black and Nicholas Hill and directed by Fred Dekker (who also wrote/directed Night of the Creeps). It was released by Tri-Star Pictures on August 14, 1987. The film features the classic monsters (re-imagined by a team of special effects artists including Stan Winston), led by Dracula (Duncan Regehr).

Plot

The Monster Squad is a society of young teenagers who idolize classic monsters and monster movies. In addition to a clubhouse in a tree, they actually have their own business cards. Club leader Sean (Andre Gower), whose five-year-old sister Phoebe (Ashley Bank) desperately wants to join the club, is given the diary of legendary vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing (Jack Gwillim) - but his excitement is somewhat toned down when he finds it's written in German. Sean, his best friend Patrick (Robby Kiger), and the rest of the Monster Squad get their local "Scary German Guy" (Leonardo Cimino) to translate the diary. (When he is asked how he knows so much, he tells them cryptically that he has "some experience with monsters." When the children leave his home and he closes the front door, a concentration-camp number tattoo is revealed on his forearm.)

The diary describes, in great detail, an amulet that is composed of concentrated good. One day out of every century, as the forces of good and evil reach a balance, the otherwise-indestructible amulet becomes vulnerable to destruction. The next day of balance falls within a couple days, at the stroke of midnight.

The kids realize they must gain possession of the amulet before the day of balance arrives; once they have the amulet, the kids can use it — with an incantation from Van Helsing's diary — to open a hole in the universe and cast the monsters into Limbo. As shown in the prelude, van Helsing had unsuccessfully attempted this one hundred years ago in order to defeat his old adversary Count Dracula; he subsequently hid the amulet in America, where it was out of Dracula's immediate reach. Dracula, meanwhile, must obtain the amulet before the Monster Squad does, so that the Count can take control of the world. To this end he assembles several monstrous allies: Frankenstein's monster, a werewolf (an unwilling participant in his human form), a mummy, and an amphibious gill-man, in addition to three young women whom the Count transforms into his vampiric consorts. The next day, as Frankenstein's monster is wandering in the forest where he encounters Phoebe. Rather than being afraid, she shows him the kindness he has also sought.

The amulet turns out to be buried in a stone room, under a house that Dracula and the other monsters now occupy. The aforementioned room is littered with holy symbols, including crucifixes, which prevent the monsters from simply taking it. However, once removed from its secure location, nothing stands in the way of Dracula taking it. The German Guy informs them that the incantation must be read by a female virgin on holy ground, on which neither Dracula nor any of his minions can set foot. As midnight approaches, the Squad makes their way to a local cathedral -- and in the nick of time, as shortly after they leave, Dracula destroys their clubhouse with a stick of dynamite.

Unfortunately, the doors to the cathedral are locked, so the incantation must be read on the stoop, leaving them vulnerable. The Monster Squad has the assistance of Sean's police detective father and Patrick's older sister (Lisa Fuller), as she's the only virgin they know who speaks German. Unfortunately, with time winding down, the incantation fails. Lisa reveals that she is not only failing German, but is also no longer a virgin. As Dracula's Brides and the other monsters close in, it is realized that Phoebe, being five, must still be a virgin, and the German Guy attempts to help her read the incantation as the rest of the squad fends off the monsters. In the ensuing battle, the vampiresses, the Mummy, the Gill-Man, and the Wolf-Man (who reverts to human form shortly before dying, thanking the children for ending his suffering) are killed. Dracula arrives and kills the German Guy. He is about to kill Phoebe when the Frankenstein Creature betrays him, impaling him on a wrought-iron fence. Phoebe finishes the incantation, opening the portal which begins to consume the bodies of the monsters. Dracula, still-alive, attempts to drag Sean in with him, but Sean is saved at the last minute by the ghost of Van Helsing. Although Phoebe tries tearfully to hold onto him, Frankenstein's Creature is the last to be sucked through the portal, which closes, ensuring the world's safety.

Cast

The Monster Squad

• Andre Gower ... Sean Crenshaw (as André Gower)
• Robby Kiger ... Patrick
• Brent Chalem ... Horace
• Ryan Lambert ... Rudy
• Michael Faustino ... Eugene
• Ashley Bank ... Phoebe Crenshaw

The Monsters

• Duncan Regehr ... Count Dracula
• Tom Noonan ... Frankenstein's Monster
• Carl Thibault ... Wolfman
• Jonathan Gries ... Desperate Man (Wolfman's human form)
• Tom Woodruff Jr. ... Gill-man
• Michael MacKay ... Mummy

Supporting Cast

• Stephen Macht ... Detective Del Crenshaw
• Mary Ellen Trainor ... Emily Crenshaw
• Leonardo Cimino ... Scary German Guy
• Stan Shaw ... Detective Rich Sapir
• Lisa Fuller ... Patrick's Sister
• Jason Hervey ... E.J.
• Jack Gwillim ... Van Helsing
• David Proval ... Pilot
• Daryl Anderson ... Co-Pilot

Home video

The film was first released by Vestron Video in 1988. It was the film's only VHS release.

A 20th Anniversary Reunion of The Monster Squad was held with cast members and Director Fred Dekker in attendance in April 2006 in Austin, Texas at the Alamo Drafthouse. This reunion was put together by the staff at Ain't It Cool News, who were longtime fans of the film and on a whim decided to reach out and try to connect the cast for a special screening. Two shows were held at the theatre; both sold out with lines formed around the block; some audience members flew from as far as California to watch the film. It was at this screening that Dekker had urged any interested fans to write the copyright holders via snail-mail.^[1]. Aint It Cool News also broke the news of the dvd release in January, 2007. Michael Felsher of Red Shirt Pictures approached Lionsgate Studios to produce and release the 20th anniversary edition.

The Monster Squad two-disc 20th anniversary special edition DVD was released by Lionsgate on July 24, 2007, and contains a wide range of special features including a 5-part 90 minute retrospective documentary, 2 audio commentaries, deleted scenes, the theatrical trailer, a tv spot, animated storyboards, and more.^[2] Since the release date of the DVD it has remained on the Amazon.com top seller list as of October 7, 2007. A soundtrack album is available from the Intrada label.

The special edition DVD also makes a few references to the death of Brent Chalem, who played "Horace", of pneumonia in 1997. Chalem's childhood film career failed to generate much success into adulthood, forcing him to become a paralegal.^[3]

Remake

According to Bloody Disgusting, a remake of The Monster Squad is being produced by Rob Cohen and is currently in the planning stages.^[4]

References

External links

• The Monster Squad at the Internet Movie Database
• Monster Squad at Allmovie
• Rotten Tomatoes
• The Monster Squad at I-Mockery (also includes rare Monster Squad Commodore 64 game)
• Recent Q&A with cast and crew
• The Monster Squad at Comic Con 2007 at Dread Central