Monster Squad (DVD)

The Monster Squad, presented on DVD for the first time ever in a two-disc 20th Anniversary Edition, is the treasured movie-memory of many an 80s youth. For those who've eagerly awaited its availability, you will not be disappointed: Just about any and every extra you could have dreamed up is here.

I only vaguely remember seeing The Monster Squad some years ago — therefore, it holds no nostalgia for me, and since I don't have kids, I simply viewed it unfiltered as an adult and a horror flick fan. I must confess, the former part of me was a bit bored. But the monster movie enthusiast was entertained enough.

The self-proclaimed "Monster Squad" is a small, tight-knit group of like-minded middle-school goobers and geeks who hang out in a tree house and contend with bullies, irritating little sisters, and yes, real monsters. You see, Count Dracula has been summoned to suburbia when young horror-memorabilia collector Sean (Andre Gower) gets a used book which just happen to be the magical diaries of Professor Van Helsing — and with him are the Wolfman, The Gillman, The Wolfman, and Frankenstein. (Note: each monster is obviously based upon a Universal Studios character, but is skewed just enough to avoid copyright infringement — this is explored in a couple of the featurettes on Disc 2.)

Although there're some baby-blue curses and mention of a virgin, The Monster Squad is pretty kid-safe, and will appeal especially to boys (think: The Goonies meets E.T. meets Frankenstein). The violence is negligible (stakes through bloodless hearts), and the moments of terror are hokey enough to be more funny than scary (fake bats on strings abound — however, the creature effects by Stan Winston are up to snuff). The Monster Squad is un-P.C. enough to appeal to those looking for a little irreverence, and those who love vintage stuff like Famous Monsters of Film Land Magazine and Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein will be further thrilled by this long-awaited DVD.

20th Anniversary Edition set boasts a five-part feature length documentary by Red Shirt Pictures, and while it's exhaustively informative, it's a bit much when it comes to the "talking heads" approach for those of us who aren't already hooked and gasping for new info. Fortunately, you can pick and choose between the five parts, and break it down as such:

The Monster Master: Mostly concentrates on director Fred Dekkar, who talks about his early filmmaking experiences, and how his idea to make a horror movie for kids came about.

The Monster Makers: This one is about Stan Winston and crew, plus a look at how much each monster differs  from his Universal Studios counterpart and yet is still recognizable.

The Monsters and the Squad: All about the actor who played the boys, and the creatures.

Lights, Cameras, Monsters: Cinematographer Bradford May and Dekker discuss the more technical aspects of making this low-budget movie look its very best.

Monster Mania: Lots of footage shot at New Jersey's Monster Mania convention, which featured a The Monster Squad reunion panel. There are also several short interviews with fans of the movie, and soundbites from the actors (who seem surprised at all the fuss).

There are almost 10 minutes of deleted scenes, plus a thoroughly hilarious "candid interview" with Frankenstein's monster from the set in 1986. With his New Yawk accent, the Monster (Tom Noonan) dishes the dirt on his career, working with Dracula, his TV show in the 1960s, and how this may be his last "monster movie, because I want to make people pictures." This is highly entertaining, and certainly the gem of the extras.

DVD Extras:

• Commentary by Fred Dekker, Andre Gower, Ryan Lambert, and Ashley Bank
• Commentary by Fred Dekker and Bradford May
• Monster Squad Forever five-part hour and a half documentary
• A Conversation with Frankenstein interview
• Deleted and extended scenes
• Animated storyboard sequence
• Still gallery
• Original theatrical trailer
• TV spot

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson