I'm fascinated by cult movies like this one. Please tell me what it is about this movie that you think makes it special.
Thanks in advance.
With great power comes great responsibility.
*POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
I grew up with it, so it's hard to say objectively.
As your first replier said, it's 80's through and through, and that can only be a good thing. It's also a (slightly) more mature film than one would rightfully expect, with its rather risque sense of humour, and genuine menace for the kids. These are not garden-variety crooks chasing the kids, these are genuine monsters that will kill the kids without thinking twice.
The stakes are high. If the kids fail, the world is gone (I think, this plot point was never really clear).
Scary German Guy also serves to elevate The Monster Squad. An old man, feared by the kids (and a concentration camp survivor, no less) who still helps the kids willingly and earnestly when they come to him. He never doubts their story or what he reads in Van Helsing's diary.
While it was only brought to the forefront a couple of times, there is also the very adult threat of divorce hanging over the Crenshaw household, and Dell and Emily are seen at one point having a rather heated argument. Again, rare for a film of this type that helps elevate it.
Then, of course, there are the more tangible things like a great cast of baddies, with Duncan Reghr making for a very passable Dracula, and Tom Noonan really helping the tragedy of Frankenstein's Monster shine through. It's well made on a technical level, featuring a great score, photography, special effects, and some outstanding editing.
It's fun, it's short, it's funny, gory, and fits into a nice place where young kids can feel older watching it, and the big kids can feel younger watching it.
Never defend crap with 'It's just a movie'
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Thanks for the thoughtful answer.
They may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!
Growing up with movies like this, where it's kids in over their head on an adventure (i.e Goonies) just fascinated me. We'd watch like "I wish". I was young so "Wolfman has nards" is something still uttered today bc it taught you another way to say balls.
And like they mentioned. 80s. I look at movies then with more respect for some odd reason. Scripts seem better. It doesn't help that now they are just redoing most stuff from that era. Remakes don't bother me. Today's Hollywood bothers me. Cgi and explosions reign and story is a after thought.