The Monster Squad (1987)

[whysoawesome 7]

This movie is kinda like 'The Goonies' but features even younger kids: some who smoke, and all who curse and constantly talk about sex...

 

A huge plot point hinges on who is and isn't a virgin and all of the 11 years old characters spend MOST of the 2nd act debating it.

 

Plus, lots of lame one-liners:

 

'See ya later, band-aid breath!' (to a mummy, obviously)

'Scary German guy is bitchin'!' (referencing the creepy old man/ potential pedo they befriend)

'Wolfman's got nards!' (after kicking a werewolf in the balls)

 

And my personal favorite... Dracula yells this at 6 year old girl after he's picked her up by the neck: 'Give me the amulet, you BITCH!'

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sGSApjMlj4

 

 

If memory serves, there are even a few homophobic slurs.

 

It is a perfect example of an insane 80's kids movie that led to the PC-ification of the 90's.

 

It's weird, and funny, and has ALWAYS left me wondering 'How did this get made?"

 

PS: Same mom from 'The Goonies'

[sillstaw 414]

Homophobic slurs, dumb one-liners and kids talking about sex? That's why Shane Black hasn't written more kids' movies, I guess.

 

Oh, and looking at Wikipedia, supposedly it was reported in 2010 that the director of "XXX" was going to remake it with Michael Bay producing. Nothing since, but somehow I get the impression that if we never see it, it will be like those asteroids that narrowly avoid hitting Earth. (Those do occur, right? I need to know, I got all my scientific education from "Armageddon.")

[ShiftyBea 4]

I like The Monster Squad.

 

And the way I explain the homophobic slurs is that, in this instance, they are said by dumb kids that don't know any better. Besides, there are plenty anti-fat slurs said by friends of the 'fat' character, it's just kids messing about. Kids tend to insult each other they are known for dickish things like that

 

Plus, it was the 80s. And many 80s films had stuff in them you wouldn't get away with these days, times change (as the opening post mentioned with the PC remark). I enjoy 80s movies, some for nostalgia reasons and other just for the fact I like the film. I never saw Monster Squad when I was a kid but I like the way it uses monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein's monster and the Mummy and put them in a (then) modern setting. I wouldn't complain about the film getting the HDTGM treatment but I would argue that there are weirder 80s movies out there that deserve it more.

 

And, yes, it has Mary Ellen Trainor as the mum, the same role (but different character) she had in The Goonies. She was also the psychiatrist in the Lethal Weapon movies, Gail Wallens in Die Hard (a character she reprised in Richochet) and Kathleen Turner's sister in Romancing The Stone.

[whysoawesome 7]

I love 'Monster Squad'. It was one of my favorite movies as a kid...

 

Having said that, putting anti-gay slurs in a kids movie is a dumb thing to do, and no matter when the movie was made it begs the question 'what the hell were they thinking?'

 

I mean... an adult calls a 6-year-old a bitch in this movie... which is a KIDS' MOVIE... I think we can agree the writer was misguided and that's exactly why it's a gem.

[CatReince 1]

I had this movie almost entirely memorized as a kid; to the point that I was forced to watch it alone because I couldn't NOT recite the dialouge along with the movie. At the same time, yeah, it's a bad movie. I would be beyond thrilled if HDTGM did this movie because then I could finally force my friends to watch it.

[DannytheWall 196]

Can we give this one a bump? I managed to track this down after many people cited this as one of the many 80s-inspirations for Stranger Things.

Oh boy. This ... they're just... I don't even know where to start.

Definitely full of you-can't-do-that-anymore kind of tropes as mentioned above (let's not forget the token black person in the movie being the only one to die, and a very non-Bechdel through-line), But come on, the overacting, the gaping plot holes ... Some goofy fun for sure but the only question to ask is how the hell did this get made?