The History of The Monster Squad (1987): From Failure to Cult Classic

Рет қаралды 97,502

Күн бұрын

To buy the shirt that Dan is wearing and get 30% OFF your order use code "TOYGALAXY" at checkout: www.80stees.com/collections/m...
In this episode, we dive deep into the fascinating journey of "The Monster Squad," a 1987 film that went from box office disappointment to a beloved cult classic. Join us as we uncover the behind-the-scenes struggles, the dedicated fanbase, and the enduring legacy of this 80s gem.
From the iconic monsters to the memorable characters, we'll explore what makes this movie a timeless favorite for horror and adventure enthusiasts alike.
SOURCES:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mon...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_De...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shane_B...
www.imdb.com/title/tt0093560/...
www.esquire.com/entertainment...
legacy.aintitcool.com/node/23100
gizmodo.com/monster-squads-st...
archive.org/details/cinefanta...
comicbook.com/movies/news/the...
www.boxofficemojo.com/weekly/...
www.stanwinstonschool.com/blo...
www.newspapers.com/image/3884...
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Пікірлер: 864

@alexandercreef6161 6 ай бұрын

I don't care what anybody says. Dracula dynamiting the treehouse of a group of kids while walking away saying "meeting adjourned" is the finest moment in cinema history.

@guszilla6806 6 ай бұрын

Pure cold blooded . Castlevania Dracula throws up the r3sp3ct sign! Dan... is there a Frankenstein shirt that says BOGUS!

@geoffreylane5606 2 ай бұрын

Facts

@doubledown0411 6 ай бұрын

As an 80s kid, I can confirm this movie was huge when it hit HBO. I even wrote a short story about vampires invading my middle school 😄

@charlesmoore3654 6 ай бұрын

💯

@anon-yw4wd 6 ай бұрын

"WOLF-MANS GOT NARDS!" 🤣🤣🤣 As a kid who saw this in the theater I can attest this movie 100% deserved to not just survive vut thrive. I showed this movie to my daughter as a kid and now she loves this movie too.

@kenjones9326 6 ай бұрын

Here's the quote I was looking for. Thank you big time!!!

@srstriker6420 6 ай бұрын

Yeah and then Ra’s got nards in Batman vs TMNT animated movie also the Invisible man should have been in this movie

@rameybutler-hm7nx 6 ай бұрын

Loved it as a kid, showed it to my kids they loved it too.❤

@Mlotshaw1 6 ай бұрын

I got in so much crap repeating this over and over as a 6 or 7 yold

@kenjones9326 6 ай бұрын

@@Mlotshaw1 Hahahahaha!!! You were only reiterating the newly found truth.

@clancysmith4540 6 ай бұрын

I loved this movie as a kid. That scene where wolf man is in the phone booth calling the cop being like “I’m gonna kill your son! You gotta stop me!” WHILE transforming still ranks up there with most chilling scenes of the 80s for me.

@pigbat85 6 ай бұрын

I used to get nightmares of when he blew up and came back together. TERRIFIED ME :P

@AngelusNielson 6 ай бұрын

@@pigbat85 Just remember, Woflman has nards.

@pigbat85 6 ай бұрын

🤣@@AngelusNielson

@80sMoviesRule1 6 ай бұрын

“He’s gonna kill your son!” He was referring to Dracula. The wolf man was innocent… well the man part.

@shockwave7513 6 ай бұрын

@@pigbat85 I always found that scene fascinating. It kind of answered the question of, what happens if you "kill" a werewolf/wolf man without a silver bullet?

@craighofmann638 6 ай бұрын

To this day, Stan Winston's creature designs (especially Creature from the Black Lagoon) are some of the best ever. ❤

@orcsmash9 6 ай бұрын

Absolutely! It’s just as iconic looking as the original and yet you know it isn’t Universal’s version. Very hard to pull off. Stan was a true master.

@80sMoviesRule1 6 ай бұрын

Funny enough he makes an appearance in Bench Warmers in the billionaires house( the creature not Stan)

@ZorValachan 6 ай бұрын

From Robotech Pajamas to "Wolf-Man's got Nards!" to the very serious and profound revelation of, "Man, you sure know a lot about monsters." followed by, "Now that you mention it, I suppose I do." with the showing of the tattoo hit hard to 13-14 year old me.

@deathsnitemaresinfullust2269 6 ай бұрын

It's awful to think something like this could have been lost forever. Physical and digital back up are so vital for the preservation of our older media these days.

@sboinkthelegday3892 6 ай бұрын

Sky Pirates now on Blu-Ray.

@deathsnitemaresinfullust2269 6 ай бұрын

@@sboinkthelegday3892 yeah, that's one of those movies that didn't get a fair shot since it was compared to the classic Indiana Jones movies and other things more popular back then. 😄👍

@deathsnitemaresinfullust2269 6 ай бұрын

@@sboinkthelegday3892 it's life cycle probably played out similarly to how Uncharted did just a year or two ago. 😅👍

@josephmayfield945 6 ай бұрын

I've watched Monster Squad every Halloween night for the last 20 years. A wonderful amalgam of everything I love about the 80's. It's raw, messy, hilarious, inventive, and trusting kids to handle adult themes.

@tompatchak8706 6 ай бұрын

My stepson and I are in the middle of watching the matrix movies we got into halfway into number to and he’s kind of losing interest because it’s kind of like kissing movie now. I think I’m gonna show him the monster squad this weekend.

@josephmayfield945 6 ай бұрын

to be fair, i lose interest at part two as well lol @@tompatchak8706

@milkkchan7679 6 ай бұрын

Did you own a vhs tape recorded from hbo that survived for 20 years? 😂😂😂

@tompatchak8706 6 ай бұрын

@@milkkchan7679 haha!!

@josephmayfield945 6 ай бұрын

@@milkkchan7679yes actually. Lol Then I bought the dvd that came out about a decade ago.

@R3troZone 6 ай бұрын

I was 10 in 1987 and my babysitters dad worked for the local movie theater and got us tickets. So I saw it on opening weekend and loved it. Had to wait nearly 20 years for it to get a DVD release and I could finally own a copy that wasn't recorded off of HBO.

@williamjohnston5490 6 ай бұрын

Honestly, Monster Squad has the best Dracula long sequence killing spree near the end of the movie. Like at that point it graduated from comedy to action movie, for real.

@Busto 6 ай бұрын

I do my best not to get nostalgic about my youth. Hell, I'm approaching 50. I've buried both my parents. As well as a couple lifelong friends. It always seems like regret & wistful tears lay down that path. But this...This was GLORIOUS!! My childhood best friend & I loved this movie. Thank you for this one 🥲

@AngelusNielson 6 ай бұрын

M'dude. I'm in the same boat. I'm turning 48 next month. but consider this. I knew two people who didn't live to be 20, someone who died in his 30s and someone who died in her 40s. There are worse things than getting old.

@Mlotshaw1 6 ай бұрын

I see it less nostalgia more of my tastes just remaining the same... evolved , but the same kinda stuff

@Busto 6 ай бұрын

My apologies. There seems to be some misunderstanding with my reference to nostalgia. I have no problem with growing older. While there are gems from the past that are fun to revisit, there should always be something fresh & exciting. Nothing worse than getting together with old friends, only to have it turn into a "Remember when" montage. When my son got to about 7, 2011, I noticed EVERY SINGLE "new" toy on the shelf was an inferior replica of something from MY childhood. Star Wars, GI Joe, Transformers, the classic superheroes. Yes ESB is an all time great, but why does my son have to play with walkers & snow speeders? The later generations never got whatever their "Star Wars" would have been. Because there was Star Wars!

@orcsmash9 6 ай бұрын

@@Bustothis generation never getting what is “their star wars” is something l’ve been pondering before but you articulated it better. I think that could be said of their toys and cartoons as well.

@AngelusNielson 6 ай бұрын

@@Busto So you're just a cranky old fart then? Don't worry I understand completely.

@dariusq8894 6 ай бұрын

One of those criminally underrated movies legitimately saved by home video. My favorite scene was when the wolfman was blown up and I thought: "That was easy. Why didn't someone try that before?" Seconds later he is magically pulled back together and completely unharmed. Silver bullet: there is only one way to kill a werewolf. 😉

@waverlyking6045 6 ай бұрын

I always felt bad for the wolfman because unlike Dracula and The Mummy, he really wasn’t evil. His human side hated the beast he became.

@dariusq8894 6 ай бұрын

@@waverlyking6045 That's another aspect of the character which was rarely seen in other movies. While the wolfman was loyal to Dracula, his human form was actively working to try and stop him. Little details like Dracula binding and drugging the human until the next full moon added so much to the world building.

@Necrowolf81 6 ай бұрын

@@dariusq8894 wtf are you talking about? many werewolf movies show that aspect. The Wolfman did, American Werewolf in London did,etc etc etc etc

@batty4jokes 6 ай бұрын

It was Goonies meets Monsters how so many didn't Love this Classic is beyond Me glad it has gotten the ❤ with time

@viperrecords3288 6 ай бұрын

Fun fact the Mom from Goonies is also in this movie.

@perfectallycromulent 6 ай бұрын

Goonies had a cast loaded with future stars, from a script by Chris Columbus, directed by Richard Donner, based on a story and produced by Steven Spielberg. Those are all reasons why Goonies turned out to be a hit, and this did not.

@viperrecords3288 6 ай бұрын

@@perfectallycromulent This movie was enjoyable for the same reasons Goonies was.

@perfectallycromulent 6 ай бұрын

@@viperrecords3288 the world disagrees. sean astin and josh brolin are stars, no one from this movie is.

@viperrecords3288 6 ай бұрын

@@perfectallycromulent Bro nobody disagrees that Goonies is good my guy. We’re just saying this movie was Goonies with monsters. Have a seat.

@robertaustin6302 6 ай бұрын

I was 8 years old in 1987 and while I didn’t see it in the theater it wasn’t too long after it’s release that I saw it on VHS. I was hooked immediately. The Goonies, Stand By Me and The Monster Squad all still hold a special place in my heart today. What a time to be a kid in the 80’s!

@r.josephgrundy1706 6 ай бұрын

Saw the Monster Squad, upon it's release, thanks to my lovely parents. They understood and accepted that their twin sons loved anything associated, with The Universal Monsters and horror in general!

@jasonelliott7977 6 ай бұрын

Didn’t see the movie until 2006 when I downloaded it from the Internet and I instantly loved it. I got to meet almost the entire cast at the San Diego Comic Con that year and have championed his movie ever since.

@sirdaveysockrocker 6 ай бұрын

I must admit, The Monster Squad has more plot holes than I can count, BUT you barely notice because its fast paced, fun and funny, 😆 which is why it was the most rented VHS tape at my house 🥰

@truckingwithatablet4489 6 ай бұрын

Fun fact the studio made the filmmakers cut about 45 minutes from the film to get a specific run time.

@shockwave7513 6 ай бұрын

@@truckingwithatablet4489 Should we start an obnoxious "release the Dekker cut" hashtag?😅

@sirdaveysockrocker 6 ай бұрын

@@shockwave7513 Never, its great as it is.

@sirdaveysockrocker 6 ай бұрын

@@truckingwithatablet4489 it wouldnt be as fast paced and energetic if it had another 45 minutes

@Chainsawhappy 6 ай бұрын

Thank you for covering this. It's been my favorite movie since I saw it in the theater twice in 1987. I've been lucky enough to befriend the cast and I appear in the documentary. This went from being a movie that none of the other kids had heard of to being one of the most appreciated cult movies by my adult peers. Wolf man does indeed have nards.

@btetschner 6 ай бұрын

Awesome! That is cool you were in the documentary too!

@Bignuke87 6 ай бұрын

Is there a link to this documentary? I didn't know there was one but I've seen monster squad at least 50 times haha

@Dr.Quarex 6 ай бұрын

Also unironically "wolfman's got nards" was the younger 1980s generation's equivalent revelatory badass statement to "if it bleeds, we can kill it"

@Dr.Quarex 6 ай бұрын

I also to this day sometimes mutter "meeting adjourned" to myself as I walk out of a building and of course imagine it exploding behind me

@Sammo212 6 ай бұрын

LOVE the Monster Squad. I don't remember the first time I've saw it but I am fairly certain it was on cable on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Still love it to this day. I feel like this could easily get a sequel with the kids grown up and now parents.

@bradleslie2619 6 ай бұрын

I was 16 when this came out, and saw it in a theater. I've been a huge Universal Monster fan since early childhood, and absolutely loved this movie. I'm 52 now, still love it, and I'm so happy to see it get the recognition it's always deserved.

@MiddleAgedNerd 6 ай бұрын

When Wolf Man (well, then man part) says "Thank you" it was a quick but amazing and heartfelt line delivery that's stuck with me all these years. Jon Gries was great as usual.

@MattsCollection 6 ай бұрын

Such a great movie from when I was a kid. There's a very profound scene in the film when the kids have a conversation with Scary German Guy and they ask if he believes in Monsters and he says he does and the camera pans to the tattooed serial number on his arm from a concentration camp. That scene has been burned into my brain since 1987!

@dbel1980 6 ай бұрын

Cmon Dan.. watching 80s movies way too young is practically a right of passage for our generation

@crossfirearcade8015 6 ай бұрын

Agree. My son was 3 when he saw neverending story and gremlins 1 & 2. He's now 4 and has watched tmnt 1 & 2, goonies and soon monster squad.

@necrotoaster94 6 ай бұрын

"I'm in the goddamn club aren't I?" ... one of my favorite lines in one of my favorite movies ever 😁

@johnw2019 28 күн бұрын

80s kid, we recorded this off TV on VCR and watched it REGULARLY! It's part of my collection I show my kids now

@clownworldcitizen3505 6 ай бұрын

As a kid, there is no film I watched more than Monster Squad. I had no idea it was a box office bomb. I watched in on the Canadian version of HBO called TMN. We even recorded it off TMN onto VHS so we could watch anytime we wanted to. My sister and I even had a routine every Saturday, after morning cartoons, we would put in the VHS tape and watch that film. Much love for this film. Thanks for the video!

@dbel1980 6 ай бұрын

This was my favorite as a kid. Way more intelligent than people give it credit for. So many earlier setups that pay off later. I miss the 80s. Movies like these didn't treat kids like they were stupid

@williamslater-vf5ym 6 ай бұрын

Little did they know, we were actually pretty stupid.

@JeremyHemp 5 ай бұрын

Back in the 80's my uncle was one of the first in my family to to own a VCR. He recorded this movie off cable tv around 1988. I bet we watched this movie 300 times. Fast forward to today. My brother and I are now in our mid 40's. We introduced this film to my niece and nephews. They love it and my 7 year old nephew watches it non stop. This movie will always hold up.

@blahlbinoa 6 ай бұрын

I went through life not knowing this movie until I saw it on Cinemassacer's Monster Madness and lamented about never seeing it. Then it showed up on Netflix and I watched it as many times as I could! I loved every second of it, and it's one of my favorite halloween movies

@WestinLee 6 ай бұрын

I was at the 2006 Alamo Drafthouse screening. Fred gave Eric the amulet (?) prop from the film as a way of saying thank you. One of my favorite ever screening experiences.

@Alverant 6 ай бұрын

That was the first PG-13 movie I saw. Loved how the chubby kid got some of the best lines and badass actions. He kicked Wolfman in the groin. He killed the Gillman. "The name is Horace!"

@Robogeek28 6 ай бұрын

Dammit...beaten to the punch on the wolfman's nards already. 😅

@burntmarshwigglestudio597 6 ай бұрын

I had night terrors for 3 - 4 years because of Monster Squad. Watched it WAY too early in my life at a friend's house. The zombies that burst out of the crypt horrified me. I still love it

@davido.p.9850 6 ай бұрын

I only discovered this movie four years ago, but it instantly has become #1 on my Halloween playlist. It's amazing! The humour is 100% 80's, the script is sharp, and the effects and costumes are really good. If I had seen this growing up I would have been obsessed.

@Dr.Quarex 6 ай бұрын

I think between Ghostbusters and Monster Squad I can see where 95% of my adult sense of how horror should feel came from, as I absolutely love freely intermingling actual nightmares with a rollicking goofy good time

@JavRivera 6 ай бұрын

I was at the Monster Squad (2006) screening in Austin, and I can honestly say that the movie played even better with an audience. For the first time in my life, I wasn't the only one cheering when Horace action pumps a shotgun. It's still one of the best times I had watching a movie.

@wstine79 6 ай бұрын

Dan Larson's hairless chin is scarier than anything in the Monster Squad.

@TheBoglin 6 ай бұрын

Yes I agree and was NOT prepared for this. 😂

@theterbear9915 6 ай бұрын

This movie deserved sequels. It was so unique and fun. Imagine the army opening a monster squad division after the first incident.

@hero_zer0743 6 ай бұрын

This was one my favorite movies as a kid, and still holds that position to this day. I recently showed it to my girlfriend for her first time and she loved it, saying she was surprised by how much heart the movie had, while wiping away tears over the ending between Phobie and Frankenstein's monster

@MatthiasPowerbomb 6 ай бұрын

I LOVED Monster Squad growing up. I didn't get to see it in the theater, but I had a VHS taped off HBO that I watched so much that I wore the tape out. It's still to this day one of my all-time favorite movies.

@masterseal0418 6 ай бұрын

The Monster Squad is like The Goonies mixed with Abbott and Castello Meet Frankenstein and The Wolfman. A perfect hybrid for audiences to enjoy, and don't you ever underestimate Chuck!

@MrFox619 6 ай бұрын

I remember watching it on HBO. It was on there quite a bit. I also remember watching Crypt Keeper showing up after the credits like it was part of the movie; only to be a promo for Tale From the Crypt.

@kevinpappan1502 6 ай бұрын

Everyone that I showed this to when I was a kid ended up loving it just as much as I did. This movie was an instant classic in my heart. On par with the Goonies. Thanks for doing an episode on this underrated gem.

@ScottKasprick 6 ай бұрын

Monster Squad and Big Trouble in Little China would be a good Halloween watch!

@charlesrumschlag1769 6 ай бұрын

First time I saw Monster Squad, it was my turn to pick the movie from the video store (me and my 2 sisters got to take turns picking every weekend), and there it was in all its 80s glory. Now I have it on DVD (thanks to my younger sister gifting to me for nostalgia's sake) and I had the duty and privilege of sharing it with my 3 sons throughout the years. Now we are watching it every year in October. It truly lasted the test of time afterall.

@darthramious1639 6 ай бұрын

I saw this movie on a random Sat night in the 90s. It was on KCAL9 around 2am. After seeing it, I couldn't believe a movie like that could exist and I had known nothing about it. Thought it was a fever dream for years bc I never heard anyone reference it till Wizard Magazine in the 2000s.

@tryan715 6 ай бұрын

I saw this movie in twice the theater as a kid and loved it. I remember the scene where the old man said something like “I’ve seen real monsters” as he closes the door and you see a number on his arm. I, obviously, didn’t realize at the time that it was a branding from a concentration camp. When I did years later it changed that scene and his character to me forever.

@GeoffreyToday 6 ай бұрын

I remember really wanting to see Monster Squad. I was obsessed with Ghostbusters, and the movie was clearly aiming for a similar vibe. Unfortunately, I missed Monster Squad in theaters, it was gone too quickly and I was too young to get in unattended anyway. Thank goodness for home video though. My parents never looked at the ratings when we went to the video store, so I saw Monster Squad as soon as it came out on VHS. I immediately fell in love with the movie, and most especially the mind blowing Gillman costume. To this day my favourite rendition of the creature. All of the monster designs were really great, and I would love to see someone pick up the license and give us a set of Monster Squad figures. Diamond? Neca? Mondo? Boss Fight? Any takers?

@prophet924 6 ай бұрын

Annual tradition for sure. I can’t remember if I saw it in theaters. My dad let me see anything as a kid. He even let me hop over from what we told mom was Popeye to see Flash Gordon. Monster Squad definitely seems like the type of movie dad would take me to. But I definitely watched it over and over HBO and VHS. Tried to get my kids to watch DVD with me and man were they bored. Oh well. They get bored of Goonies too.

@satekeeper 6 ай бұрын

Night of the creeps was criminally underrated and overlooked

@mikewebber1349 6 ай бұрын

I loved this movie as a kid. I saw it on The Movie Channel in 1988 or 89 when I was in grade 5. It was the coolest, funniest movie I'd ever watched by myself. It is filled with so many quotable lines, me and my school buddies laughed our asses off for years because of this movie. I also learned what a virgin was thanks to this movie.

@kalron27 6 ай бұрын

Saw it in the theater with my buddies from the neighborhood. We LOVED it! We were all of the age when 7-11 did the free 3D glasses one October and one of the 3 stations aired all of the Universal Monster Films over the month years before and this movie nailed the nostalgia we had for that time. I will still watch this any time, any place.

@TonyGearSolid 6 ай бұрын

I was kind of surprised to learn that Monster Squad bombed so hard, it's one of those movies that was always playing on TV at some point in the late 80s/early 90s and became a staple of my childhood.

@jeremysmetana8583 6 ай бұрын

I missed it in theaters, but was still seventeen when it hit VHS, which means it was in my Video-Store-And-Chill rotation with my girlfriend. Even her cold, dead heart derived enjoyment from the movie. I rented it not expecting much, but came away pleasantly surprised. My mom had heard about it from somebody, so my folks watched it before we returned it. They loved it. Several of my friends ended up renting it, so references to it were generally understood in my world. "Wolfman's got nards" was in frequent use among members of the various bands I was in. I'm shocked to learn that it generally wasn't available for some time? That seems wrong to me. It always seemed to be on TV or in the video store, even into the 'oughts. But then, video stores survived for some time longer than average in my old neck of the woods, and VHS was available in some of them for what might be considered an embarrassingly long time.

@McSomething15 6 ай бұрын

Loved this movie as a kid. "Wolfman's got nards" is a line you'll still occasionally hear from my brother and me.

@madmonkey823 6 ай бұрын

"Wolfman's got nards" is the line everyone loves, but Phoebe calling the guys chicken shit is so good! ❤️🕸️🕸️❤️

@Martynde 6 ай бұрын

a cartoon about catching monsters? i guess you guys weren't ready for that yet - but your kids are gonna love it.

@kurtinfl 6 ай бұрын

I feel such an affinity for Dan's childhood after discovering that he lived for a time in my hometown of Jacksonville, FL and that we're only a few years apart in age. We saw the same movies on the same cable TV schedule or in the same cinemas. Probably went to the same mall. Bought toys from the same Lionel Play World, Service Merchandise, Zayre, or Pic'N'Save.

@duh2886 6 ай бұрын

I watched it so many times on HBO, and I didn't even speak English then. It felt like home every single time I watched it anyway, and i must have seen it at least a dozen times around 1990-1991, aged 12. Many of us started learning our English out of stuff like this on illegal cable down here in South America, and this one holds a special place. Thank you.

@AndyZoric 6 ай бұрын

Never heard of this movie until 2008. A friend of mine who is a huge horror fan with an incredible movie library lent me the DVD. Great way to spend an afternoon when you are between jobs.

@justinjolley9453 6 ай бұрын

I can remember seeing the trailer on tv and begging my mom to take me to go see it. I did see it in theatres and then decades later found the dvd at Walmart and reignited my love for this 80s gem!!

@capnmo6718 6 ай бұрын

This was my Goonies. For as much as I loved The Goonies, The Monster Squad spoke to my blossoming love of monsters as a kid. I saw the trailers in 1987 but didn't see it until the Betamax release in 1988. Still today, I return to this far more often than I do to the Goonies.

@bryonhill5486 6 ай бұрын

I saw it in theaters. It instantly became one of my favorite things EVER.

@robbiem6397 6 ай бұрын

I remember when it came out on dvd in 06/07, my best friend and I couldnt wait to get out of school and we rushed over to Borders in the mall and bought the dvd and went to his house and watched it together, glorious memory

@FutureBoyBTTF 6 ай бұрын

I was lucky enough to see this in the theater on opening night as an 8 year old! I was confused that it wasn't playing in my local theater since I thought this movie would be huge like Ghostbusters of Goonies! My dad had to drive us to the neighboring town where they dumped lesser known movies. Saw it, loved it, then it disappeared and I was so confused... luckily I had a VHS copy for years and could share it with my friends. Even to this day finding others who grew up with it as part of their DNA like myself is a very special thing. Still one of my all time favorites. Thanks Monster Squad -- and thanks for making this great video!

@bud9450 6 ай бұрын

One of my all time fav movies! Still have my VHS recording of this gem. Born 1980 and lucky to be the age i was when this came out.

@mrdonigan 6 ай бұрын

I was 11 and my brother was 13 when it came out. My mom took us, and my best friend to see it at the theater. She thought it was stupid. The three of us loved it!

@JamieWyatt 6 ай бұрын

I saw Monster Squad in a theater when I was 11. It was the first time my mom dropped me off with a friend at a movie theater. I loved it and never understood why it wasn't a bigger movie.

@Scott.Sandifer 6 ай бұрын

I'm in my late 40s. I was definitely a child of the 80s. Saturday morning cartoons, HBO, breakfast cereals, all of it. -Toy- Secret Galaxy consistently takes me back to vivid memories with nearly every episode. Even things I absolutely wasn't into, I definitely remember commercials for them, or changing the channel when they came on. But this? This _Monster Squad_ thing? I've never heard of it. Ever. I'm kind of flummoxed as to how that's possible, but this is seriously the first I'm hearing about any of this. Weird.

@saviordream 6 ай бұрын

I remember seeing this in the theaters, and have loved it since day 1. I've had it on DVD, Blu Ray, and already have the 4K preordered. So glad to hear that it was able to find an audience after it left the theaters.

@raywallacefan7786 6 ай бұрын

Congrats on your appearance on The Toys That Built America, Dan! Good insights on the Transformers versus GoBots episode.

@rockyshields9122 6 ай бұрын

I still remember seeing this in theaters at age 8 and love it. Still watch it every year.

@Eric_Plunk 6 ай бұрын

This was one of those movies I had seen some of as a kid on VHS at my great aunt’s house in the late 80’s/early 90’s and up until a couple of years ago had no idea what movie it was. I only remembered the end scene where the girl reads from the book and being TERRIFIED. It was crazy how I had it built up in my imagination all these years as this horrifying scene and how relatively mild it actually is by comparison.

@snakebrown3755 6 ай бұрын

This was my default movie when I couldn't find anything else to rent at my local Blockbuster. I showed it to my kids (who know absolutely nothing about the Universal Monsters) and they loved it. So glad that it's taken on "cult" status and getting the credit it's due. One thing I seem to recall about the promotion of the movie: MTV was running a contest where the winner would make their own feature film. At the casting call, some of the the Monster Squad monsters showed up and did some schtick to promote their film. I don't think the MTV movie ever got made (hard to believe, right?). Does anyone else remember this ?!?

@jamesmullins374 6 ай бұрын

Watched this on TV growing up in the early 90’s and absolutely loved it.

@Dallas7 6 ай бұрын

In the 90s we would always ask my dad to rent this. We loved it! I completely forgot about this movie until I rediscovered it in college when I found it on DVD. It’s been a few years since I’ve watched it and would love to show my nephews this.

@MrHalsey02 6 ай бұрын

Michael MacKay was my spin class buddy in the late 20 teens. Wonderful guy. He also was Sloth in Se7en and Jason 143 in Xmen 2. Come to think of it, he was in an Insidious film, too. I can't remember which. He played the roughest, scariest monsters, but he's the sweetest, nicest man.

@Trilaan 6 ай бұрын

I attended the 2017 Alamo Drafthouse run of The Monster Squad with Gower, Lambert and Banks. Ryan Lambert told the story of the huge missing scene between Dracula leaving his crypt and Van Helsing showing up at the castle. Never have I lamented the loss of such a scene from a movie. I also can't pin down when I first saw this movie, but it has been in my life since I was somewhere between the ages of 6 and 10. I was overjoyed when it hit DVD that first time, I bought it and still have it.

@jeffersonhouse94 6 ай бұрын

Yes I actually saw Monster Squad in the theater. I would draw my own version, where the monsters WERE the squad. I loved that movie so much, and had no idea it was a bomb until much later.

@Bigbacon 6 ай бұрын

Always loved this movie. One of those childhood things i never let go of.

@shawnloop2796 6 ай бұрын

Me and my son watch this a few years ago and since then it’s been a Halloween tradition to view. Because of this movie my boy knows the word Nards. And when he or myself get kick in them, it’s always “my Nards!” I am forever thankful for the monster squad for this :)

@aranbuzzas8000 6 ай бұрын

The Universal Monsters were actually fairly popular in the '80s. I was nine when Monster Squad came out, and I had already been a huge fan all my life. I made Aurora models of them when I was like five.

@Sklabah 6 ай бұрын

The amount of 80s movies that bombed at Box Office that are my favorites due to the glory of VHS is astounding. Big Trouble in Little China, Buckaroo Banzai, Cloak and Dagger, Monster Squad... Every one a bonafide classic either ahead of its time or just up against too much competition. Most have found their audience now, which is great. I think only Cloak and Dagger still flies under the radar undeservedly. Monster Squad is extra special, though. It looked and felt epic and natural at the same time. What could have been pure shlock actually had some bite, and arguably laid the groundwork for the success of a certain Netflix series. (Well, that and Goonies and IT and ET...)

@sdolman79 6 ай бұрын

80s kid here from the uk, my parents rented this on VHS for by birthday party, cant remember how old, 8 or 9. Loved it then, still love it now.

@kevinhogan1108 6 ай бұрын

I showed this to my 11 and 9 year old kids this year as a “Halloween” movie they hadn’t seen. They loved it! It stands the test of time. My boy and I now a have a Wolfmans got nards joke to share together. Great movie full of fun.

@ColtSteele 6 ай бұрын

Scary German Guy slicing the pie is one of very many underrated moments from the film, we all loved the Wolfman nut shot but there was personality bursting from the screen throughout.

@chrisdortch6472 6 ай бұрын

Holy crap. I run the Chattanooga Film Festival and I've loved your channel for years. I just yelled a little when you mentioned our festival in your video!

@captlazer5509 6 ай бұрын

The Sundance Of The South! With the nards to show Monster Squad this year. What a great festival, looking forward to next years Nooga strong film festival.

@MrDochorrible 6 ай бұрын

I absolutely loved this as a kid. As I grew my brain mushed Monster Squad, Little Monsters and Tom Hanks's The Burbs together into one weird megamovie in my memory.

@Attivian 6 ай бұрын

I saw this movie as a kid on cable tv and fell in love with it. Bought the anniversary dvd upon release. Such a good movie.

@ryanjoslyn 6 ай бұрын

Knife in hand - “Boys, your time is up. It’s your last chance for Pie”

@JoeNayDoh 6 ай бұрын

Honestly I don't think I even knew this movie existed until James Rolfe talked about it one year on Monster Madness. Definitely a movie I would have enjoyed as a kid, just always gives me the same vibes whenever I watch movies like; The Goonies, The Sandlot, Stand By Me or the IT mini series. Just you and your friends against the world. Also know that we've gotten Monster Squad, I'm hoping we'll also get to see Monster Force

@marcraygun6290 6 ай бұрын

One of those few instances where after going back to a childhood favourite I found it was still great

@MaerskyDraws 6 ай бұрын

I would love to see a version of this where the monsters are the now classic slashers, Michael Meyers, Jason, Leatherface/ Ghostface..led by Freddy Krueger… if done right that’s an instant hit ..

@diablojones 6 ай бұрын

So glad I got to meet Sean and Rudy at a screening last year. Childhood dream, achieved!!!

@adampitre4931 6 ай бұрын

This was a "birthday party movie". During my childhood in the 80s. Movies like this, Goonies, Adventures in Babysitting etc were always rented by parents and played at birthday parties when I was growing up. They were always mostly background noise.

@christopherwaldrop5293 6 ай бұрын

I wanted so badly to see this in the theater when it came out. I was fascinated by the Universal monsters, had books about them, and watched whatever old horror films came on the local UHF station on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons. But it came and went from the local theaters before I could go. I finally got to see it as an adult and enjoyed it but also felt I was seeing it too late. It should have been seen on a Saturday afternoon with a bunch of my friends, not alone on a small screen.

@josephpizzuti7997 6 ай бұрын

Saw this in the theater. My mom took me to a movie every 2 weeks that summer. I try to watch this every fall.

@saturnknite 6 ай бұрын

Stranger Things always gave me a Monster Squad feeling so this classic has a special place in my heart since i was around 6 when it came out That being said the movie "the summer of 84" has the same chemistry with the kids acting in it as this movie

@PeterTarkulich 6 ай бұрын

Saw this on TV as a kid and loved it, but later on in life could never remember the name, and when I described the movie to people I just got blank stares. I started to think I had made it up. When I was in college in the early 00s my roommate knew exactly what I was talking about and shouted, "Monster Squad!" We immediately made a trip to Hollywood Video (remember those?) and rented it. Not long after I tried to track down a copy, but being out of print it was going for insane prices. I finally broke down and paid $40 for an old VHS rental on eBay. Then, years later, I was in a Best Buy with my wife and they had a promotional cardboard stand for the 20th anniversary DVD and I flipped out in the store, much to my wife's embarrassment (let's face it, it wasn't the first or last time she was embarrassed by me). I love the movie and I'm waiting just a bit longer to show it to my kids (I don't need them repeating some of the 80s language in school).