THE MONSTER SQUAD

title: THE MONSTER SQUAD
year: 1987
cast: Jon Gries
rating: ***

Sure it's a total rehash, if ripoff, of "The Goonies", but these kid's love for monsters is far more interesting than buried treasure. After all, they have only their passion: and no map. The premise in which Dracula, Frankenstein, the Creature, and the Wolfman cross paths with the suburban "gang" is simplistic and forced, but once together there's plenty of action and even some genuinely scary, and downright creepy, moments: geared more for young adults than children. But it's the love for those iconic Universal Monsters that drives this film, and although things get somewhat tiresome midway through, it's a worthwhile ride.