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Late To The Party: ‘The Monster Squad’ (1987)

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Chris Fischer

It is with no great pleasure that I must admit to the crime of never once watching The Monster Squad before in my life, but here we are. Thankfully, even though this film is a classic 80’s movie that many have grown up with, I was able to avoid spoilers and experience this one hundred percent blind, and I could not have been more thankful for that.

Everything about this flick just oozes 80’s charm from the monster design, to the set design and acting. The only thing that could possibly make Monster Squad even more a product of the 80’s would be if Van Halen had composed the entire soundtrack. However, with that thought in mind, that does sound like it would be pretty awesome.

The plot to The Monster Squad is a relatively simple one, but enjoyable enough that it doesn’t detract from the overall experience. Monsters are real, bad shit happens, and it’s up to the local monster enthusiasts to save the day before the world is consumed by evil. Simple enough, but the real reason you’re watching the flick is for the characters, and their interactions to the insanity unfolding around them.

Image Credit: The Monster Squad

The child actors were great in this movie, especially considering it’s a “family” movie from 1987. I say family like that because for a PG-13 movie, it treads on some seriously dark territory. From the crumbling marriage of Sean and Phoebe’s parents, to Scary German Guy being a Holocaust survivor, The Monster Squad is not afraid to explore the darker side of humanity.

The titular monster squad all have real on-screen chemistry and genuinely feel like a group of young friends bonding over their mutual love of the horror genre. Even the side characters like Scary German Guy, yes that’s the only name the character is given, feel genuine and his interactions with the children are a joy to see on screen, if not just a tad bit on the creepy side.

And it’s not just the human characters who excel, the monsters are fantastic in their own right.  The star of the bunch of misfits being none other than Frankenstein’s monster, who was sent to kill our young protagonists and instead befriends the young monster hunters. Watching the monster learn and interact on screen, albeit brief, was genuinely heartwarming and I certainly had a smile on my face during every one of his scenes.

Image Credit: The Monster Squad

Other than Frankenstein’s monster we are treated to The Mummy, The Creature From The Black Lagoon, The Wolfman and finally, Count Dracula himself. The mummy and good old fishman felt like throwaway characters, as they never really do much during the course of the film other than be the butt of a few jokes here and there. The Wolfman is a little better, but the few scenes where he is human are incredibly brief and don’t add much to the experience.

GIF Credit: The Monster Squad

As for Count Dracula, for me he was hit and miss. I personally thought it was a fantastic idea to not have him utter a single word until almost twenty minutes into the movie, giving off a more sinister vibe and having his first words be bone chilling. And then the actor beings to over act and phone it in a bit, essentially becoming a parody of the character, he’s portraying.

The overacting is not a problem necessarily, but it is jarring when in one scene Dracula is doing a serviceable job at being creepy and foreboding, only for the next screen to have him screaming and hammering away at a wall looking for his stolen amulet. The camp does begin to show itself during those moments, and it’s hard to tell if the scene is supposed to be taken seriously or not.

When Monster Squad starts out strong, and holds your attention until the final credit roll that much cannot be denied. What it does well it does extremely so, unfortunately the same goes for when the film stumbles. And it’s at these moments that the experience is diluted, though thankfully not ruined.

Image Credit: The Monster Squad

Look, Monster Squad is a damn good time, even when it’s trying a little too hard to be scary or funny. It’s not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but what movie is? I enjoyed my time with The Monster Squad, and all that 80’s fun has certainly gotten me even more excited for the premiere of Stranger Things season two this Friday.

Be sure to tune in next week for another edition of Late To The Party, this time we’ll be taking a look at 2006’s Hatchet.

Feature Image Credit: Chris Fischer

 

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Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

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Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

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New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

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Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

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Original Blair Witch Cast Ask Lionsgate for Retroactive Residuals in Light of New Film

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The Blair Witch Project Cast

Jason Blum is planning to reboot The Blair Witch Project for the second time. That’s a fairly large task considering none of the reboots or sequels have managed to capture the magic of the 1999 film that brought found footage into the mainstream.

This idea has not been lost on the original Blair Witch cast, who has recently reached out to Lionsgate to ask for what they feel is fair compensation for their role in the pivotal film. Lionsgate gained access to The Blair Witch Project in 2003 when they purchased Artisan Entertainment.

Blair witch
The Blair Witch Project Cast

However, Artisan Entertainment was an independent studio before its purchase, meaning the actors were not part of SAG-AFTRA. As a result, the cast are not entitled to the same residuals from the project as actors in other major films. The cast doesn’t feel that the studio should be able to continue to profit off of their hard work and likenesses without fair compensation.

Their most recent request asks for “meaningful consultation on any future ‘Blair Witch’ reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc., in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.”

The blair witch project

At this time, Lionsgate has not offered any comment about this issue.

The full statement made by the cast can be found below.

OUR ASKS OF LIONSGATE (From Heather, Michael & Josh, stars of “The Blair Witch Project”):

1. Retroactive + future residual payments to Heather, Michael and Josh for acting services rendered in the original BWP, equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.

2. Meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc…, in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.

Note: Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective. Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team. As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love & want for 25 years, we’re your single greatest, yet thus-far un-utilized secret-weapon!

3. “The Blair Witch Grant”: A 60k grant (the budget of our original movie), paid out yearly by Lionsgate, to an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making theirfirst feature film. This is a GRANT, not a development fund, hence Lionsgate will not own any of the underlying rights to the project.

A PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS OF “THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT”:

As we near the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project, our pride in the storyworld we created and the film we produced is reaffirmed by the recent announcement of a reboot by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan.

While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast — Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams. As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices, and real names are inseparably tied to The Blair Witch Project. Their unique contributions not only defined the film’s authenticity but continue to resonate with audiences around the world.

We celebrate our film’s legacy, and equally, we believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise.

Sincerely, Eduardo Sanchez, Dan Myrick, Gregg Hale, Robin Cowie, and Michael Monello

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