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

[@alexandercreef6161]

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]

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

[@geoffreylane5606]

Facts

[@GiosueMannino]

he also called a 5 year old girl a b&*(^

[@Martynde]

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

[@anon_laughing_man]

"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]

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

[@srstriker6420]

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]

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

[@Mlotshaw1]

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

[@kenjones9326]

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

[@doubledown0411]

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 😄

[@Chuc_9600]

💯

[@craighofmann638]

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

[@orcsmash9]

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]

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

[@ZorValachan]

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.

[@clancysmith4540]

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]

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

[@AngelusNielson]

@@pigbat85 Just remember, Woflman has nards.

[@pigbat85]

🤣@@AngelusNielson

[@80sMoviesRule1]

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

[@shockwave7513]

​@@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?

[@R3troZone]

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.

[@josephmayfield945]

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]

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]

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

[@milkkchan7679]

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

[@tompatchak8706]

@@milkkchan7679 haha!!

[@josephmayfield945]

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

[@MattsCollection]

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!

[@ScottKasprick]

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

[@batty4jokes]

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

[@viperrecords3288]

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

[@perfectallycromulent]

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]

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

[@perfectallycromulent]

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

[@viperrecords3288]

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

[@deathsnitemaresinfullust2269]

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]

Sky Pirates now on Blu-Ray.

[@deathsnitemaresinfullust2269]

@@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]

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

[@Busto]

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]

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]

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

[@Busto]

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]

@@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]

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

[@jasonelliott7977]

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.

[@madmonkey823]

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

[@robertaustin6302]

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!

[@MiddleAgedNerd]

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.

[@r.josephgrundy1706]

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!

[@Chainsawhappy]

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]

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

[@Bignuke87]

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

[@williamjohnston5490]

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.

[@ootagootasolo3617]

It’s like Vader at the end of Rogue One. Dracula can’t be stopped…

[@bradleslie2619]

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.

[@dariusq8894]

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]

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]

@@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]

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

[@Sammo212]

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.

[@chrisdortch6472]

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]

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.

[@clownworldcitizen3505]

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!

[@1000bip]

I never heard of it until about ten years ago. I still haven’t seen it. Maybe I’ll check it out

[@JamesTevlin]

Bought a bootleg dvd of this at Massachusetts’ Rock n’ Shock in 2004! So happy you covered this!

[@davido.p.9850]

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.

[@sirdaveysockrocker]

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]

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

[@shockwave7513]

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

[@sirdaveysockrocker]

@@shockwave7513 Never, its great as it is.

[@sirdaveysockrocker]

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

[@hero_zer0743]

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

[@TonyGearSolid]

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.

[@johnw2019]

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

[@dbel1980]

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

[@crossfirearcade8015]

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.

[@kevinpappan1502]

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.

[@JeremyHemp]

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.

[@theterbear9915]

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

[@WestinLee]

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.

[@blahlbinoa]

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

[@burntmarshwigglestudio597]

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

[@ootagootasolo3617]

My parents taped it off HBO because I was so afraid of monsters when I was 5. Wound up like Eugene with my hands over my eyes for much of it but grew to love it.

[@Alverant]

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!"

[@JavRivera]

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.

[@bryonhill5486]

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

[@duh2886]

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.

[@tryan715]

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.

[@kalron27]

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.

[@MatthiasPowerbomb]

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.

[@saviordream]

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.

[@justinjolley9453]

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!!

[@Robogeek28]

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

[@mrdonigan]

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!

[@necrotoaster94]

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

[@mikewebber1349]

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.

[@rockyshields9122]

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

[@charlesrumschlag1769]

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.

[@prophet924]

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.

[@GeoffreyToday]

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?

[@jamesmullins374]

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

[@robbiem6397]

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

[@MrFox619]

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.

[@bud9450]

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.

[@marcraygun6290]

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

[@bignapolean3068]

"The name's Horace-!" (clu-clack)

[@superred5]

My Dad took me and my sis to see this with my best friend. We all loved it and it became mandatory viewing once it hit cable. I watch it with my sons every year at Halloween and they love it just like I did. All is right with the world...

[@Abe-Froman1]

Thank you so much for this episode Dan! The Monster Squad is one of my favourite films of all time, & I have to say, I was completely surprised by your admission during the end credits of not having any substantial experience with the source material; seeing as you delivered such an eloquent, poignant and well informed retrospective on the film, it's themes & it's legacy. I was convinced you were a life long fan of the production by your articulate & intelligent analysis. Well played Dan! You constantly affirm your channels' peerless quality & why you are my favourite deliverer of retrospection on pop culture.

[@satekeeper]

Night of the creeps was criminally underrated and overlooked

[@Bigbacon]

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

[@Attivian]

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.

[@FutureBoyBTTF]

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!

[@kurtinfl]

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.

[@omar_padilla]

Thank you! I thought I was the only one in the world that remembers it. I used to watch it on HBO everyday. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face through the whole video. Again thank you!.

[@JamieWyatt]

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.

[@josephpizzuti7997]

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

[@sdolman79]

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.

[@McSomething15]

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

[@timturn]

Saw this in a theater with my brother and cousins, we had a blast and still love this movie.

[@darthramious1639]

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.

[@dbel1980]

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]

Little did they know, we were actually pretty stupid.

[@Dallas7]

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.

[@AlejandroVarasHinojosa]

In shock and awe because Shane Black co wrote the script. Such a pop culture genius.

[@Eric_Plunk]

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.

[@AtotheDamn]

I saw this at the mahoning valley drive-in in pennsylvania...a must visit for any cult film lovers...and Gower showed his documentary and did a Q&A. it was great to see the love for this flick that the fans and those involved such as himself have to share.

[@Jason_Bryant]

I saw this in the theater! I had no idea at the time that it didn't do well. I just enjoyed it. I'm glad it got a second life.

[@jeremysmetana8583]

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.

[@Music-AsLife]

I saw it in the theaters at around 7. My friends, my brothers and I all loved this movie. Wolfman's got 'gnards is a classic and recognizable line to gentleman of a certain age.

[@capnmo6718]

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.

[@mattrussell7529]

This movie was a major part of my childhood memories and a huge part of the spooky season! It still is...my now 6 year old daughter loves this now as well!

[@scottpettit4188]

Saw this in theaters and loved it. I made my dad take me a few times in the short run it had in our theater. A few years ago I had the pleasure of introducing my wife to it at an anniversary showing at the Alamo theater. It was a packed showing and Andre, Ryan and Ashley were there to meet the fans and take pictures. They couldn't have been nicer. I adore this movie and the cast that starred in it. I hope Fred Dekker and Shane Black realize they made something truly special.

[@AndyZoric]

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.

[@shawnloop2796]

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 :)

[@davedixon2167]

A few friends and I just watched this a couple weeks ago - Most of us hadn't seen it since we were teenagers or younger, a few had never seen it. I think it's even better than I had remembered! It's simply a lot of fun - a quality I'm looking for more and more in movies these days.

[@MrDochorrible]

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.

[@kevinhogan1108]

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.

[@anthonyplanzo1082]

Loved this movie as a kid. Me and my sister still watch it once a year

[@SmashYamato]

Our family has a weekly movie night and it was my turn recently and I found The Monster Squad streaming. We watched it and my daughters loved it. It really has aged well. I watched it as a kid on HBO after it hit home video and cable as a fan of the Universal Monsters.

[@trentfarrell]

Monster Squad was a childhood favorite of mine. My best friend and I in elementary school considered ourselves our own Monster Squad, and would get books from the library about monsters and study them. We were too young to see it in theaters, but between video rental stores and tv we had discovered it pretty early.

[@Oddlogical]

My mom was hesitant to let me see this until she saw the TV ads, then she was fine with it. She was surprised by some of the violence, but since I had such a good time and wasn't scared, we had a great time and got frozen yogurt afterwards! Still a fun childhood memory!

[@wstine79]

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

[@TheBoglin]

Yes I agree and was NOT prepared for this. 😂

[@piwitiwi]

There are quite a few nods towards The Three Investigators in this movie (more than to the Rascals) - similarities of characters, names (Crenshaw) and the kids‘ business card. Shane Black is quoted to have loved the mostly forgotten book series created by Robert Arthur. Would love Secret Galaxy to look into those books. They are still super popular in Germany.

[@darrellmetcalfe3615]

They the ones had the hidden bus hideout in a junkyard?

[@piwitiwi]

Yep: Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw and Bob Andrews

[@darrellmetcalfe3615]

@@piwitiwi wow dredged that memory up lol read those here in Canada probably 30+ years ago !

[@piwitiwi]

😂 nice. I think they still hold up, they have a nice pulpy quality to them.

[@OrfinMusik]

Saw this on vhs when it first released on video and has been one of my favorites ever since. Watched it on repeat on HBO about a year later