The Monster Squad is a 1987
horror comedy film written by
Shane Black and
Fred Dekker and directed by Dekker (who also wrote and directed
Night of the Creeps).
Peter Hyams was one of the executive producers. It was released by
TriStar Pictures on August 14, 1987. The film features the
Universal Monsters (re-imagined by a team of special effects artists, including
Stan Winston), led by
Count Dracula. They, in turn, combat a group of savvy kids out to keep them from controlling the world.
While not being a major success during its theatrical run and receiving mixed reviews from critics, the film has gained a positive reception from audiences and has become a
cult classic in the years since its release.
Cast
Reception
Though the film was not a success on its initial release, it subsequently developed a
cult following.
[3] Rotten Tomatoes, a
review aggregator, reports that 56% of 18 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating was 5.4/10.
[4] Kevin Thomas of the
Los Angeles Times wrote that it is "fun for the kid in all of us".
[5] Vincent Canby of
The New York Times called it "a feature-length commercial for a joke store that sells not-great, rubber monster masks".