The Monster Squad (1987) ***1/2

Fred Dekker’s The Monster Squad (1987) successfully combines elements of 1985’s The Goonies (review), 1982’s E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (review), and 1984’s Ghostbusters (review) with Universal Monsters into a fun, quotable action adventure horror comedy filled with earnest performances, memorable characters, and a clear love for its subject matter. 

While the film can be intentionally goofy at times, it also doesn’t shy away from the darker tropes of its monster lore. There’s certainly problematic and dated language (easy to place the blame for that on Shane Black’s script)—more than I remembered—but that’s indicative of the time it was made and overall it’s quite funny and an immensely rewatchable film. 

The practical effects and creature makeup in particular are a joy (thanks Stan Winston, Richard Edlund, and company) and there’s just enough gore to give the movie a bit of oomph. I would have had a blast with this picture if I’d seen it as a child but unlike The Goonies (which I also didn’t see until I was in my twenties), I still really enjoyed it the first time I saw it for its 20th anniversary when it was released to DVD (and have continued to do so). 

Fred Dekker Feature Films Ranked