Today is Halloween, which means that tonight you’ll be doing one of two things: either you’re putting on a costume and going to a party; or you’re staying in and watching horror movies. For that purpose, I had started to compile a list of the best horror movies to watch on Halloween. But then I realized that there are tons of lists like that floatin’ around the net and there isn’t really anything that I can add to my list that would make it that different. Sure, every list will have some variations — some people are into more intense films than others; some people prefer classics, others more modern fare — but basically, they’re all the same. So instead, I have made the bold choice of highlighting what I think is THE best all-time movie to watch on Halloween:
That’s right folks, it doesn’t get much better than The Monster Squad. Up until a few years ago, this gem wasn’t even available on DVD, so it wouldn’t surprise me if some of you have never heard of it. For me, this is one of the highlights of my childhood viewing experience, but for some reason a lot of people, even those my age, haven’t seen this film. It’s possible that since the VHS release of this movie was in 1988, which was when I was 9 years old, that a lot of kids my age didn’t get to see it because their parents wouldn’t rent it for them. The movie was rated PG-13 and featured all the classic movie monsters in frightening poses on the box cover, so it’s probably within reason that parents avoided this one. When I was a kid, all the movies we rented we watched as a family. It didn’t matter if it was Follow That Bird or Commando, my parents would be with us when we watched these movies. So, if a movie seemed to be really inappropriate, they would just turn it off. But, that hardly ever happened because they never felt as though they had to shelter us from stuff. I had very cool parents.
Anyway, now that this film is on DVD, it’s available for anyone to watch. And the best time to watch this movie in on Halloween. When you see the poster, you pretty much understand why it’s perfect, but if you need extra reinforcement, here’s the trailer:
Reason number one why it’s perfect is because it contains so many of the classic horror movie characters in one film:
Creature from the Black Lagoon, Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, The Mummy, The Wolfman
And even better than that, they were all redesigned by the late, great, monster maker and special effects wizard, Stan Winston. That in itself is enough to make this the greatest Halloween movie ever. In addition to covering all its monster bases, the movie covers several movie genres as well. There’s action, horror, comedy and even drama. Consider the moment when the kids visit Scary German Guy and as they’re about to leave, Fat Kid says: “Man, you sure know a lot about monsters.” And, Scary German Guy says: “Now that you mention it, I suppose I do.” Then, SGG closes the door and reveals a concentration camp tattoo on his wrist. It’s an intense moment.
If you haven’t seen the movie, at this point you’re wondering: Fat Kid and Scary German Guy, don’t these characters have names? Yes, Fat Kid is named Horace, however even his friends call him Fat Kid throughout the movie. But, Scary German Guy remains Scary German Guy throughout. Everyone else has normal names, but all the characters have their own interesting quirks. Actually, there’s a strange balance in the way that all the kids act: on one part, they act just like kids their age should, but on the other part they act and speak very much like adults. This is all rooted in Shane Black’s witty script. You may not think you know who Shane Black is, but if you’ve seen Lethal Weapon or The Last Boy Scout, you are familiar with the work of a man who at one time was Hollywood’s highest paid screenwriter ($4 million for The Long Kiss Goodnight). And all the elements that Black has laid out are expertly pulled together by director Fred Dekker. If you want to make a good double-bill monster movie night, check out Fred Dekker’s zombie movie Night of the Creeps, which is a more straight-up horror movie than this one. Monster Squad isn’t exactly a work of genius, but it is such a wonderful hodgepodge of genres and characters that there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
And that’s what makes this such a great Halloween movie. Anyone can watch it. It’s not especially scary, so it’s great for kids or people who don’t like horror movies. But, there’s enough monster action to satisfy any rabid horror fan. And best of all, the next time you’re attacked by a band of classic movie monsters, you’ll be well educated in the art of monster hunting. In a life or death situation, it’s helpful to know whether or not the Wolfman has nards.
Roger Rousseau 