While The Monster Squad wasn’t one of the most popular horror movies of the late ’80s, it has since reached cult status among old and new fans alike. The horror movie saw the classic Universal monsters square off with a group of rowdy pre-teens. Even if you never saw the humorous horror flick, but you’re from or familiar with the ’80s, you probably remember a famed line featured in the trailer which is now the name of the upcoming Monster Squad documentary, Wolfman’s Got Nards.
Directed by Andre Gower, who played Sean in The Monster Squad, Wolfman’s Got Nards is currently making the rounds and earning awards at various film festivals, including taking home the Audience Award Winner at the Overlook Film Festival. Deadline describes the horror documentary.
“Through interviews with cast, crew, screenwriters, directors, academics and original reviewers as well as through never-before-seen footage, it turns the lens on an audience of self-proclaimed misfits who have kept The Monster Squad alive for more than thirty years.”
Before filmmakers Shane Black and Fred Dekker joined forces to create the upcoming 2018 sci-fi action-horror film reboot of The Predator, the creative duo collaborated in 1987 for The Monster Squad. Fred Dekker directed the horror feature, and he co-wrote the screenplay alongside Shane Black. The pair are featured in the documentary, and IMDb also lists Seth Green, Adam F. Goldberg, Adam Green, and Heather Langenkamp.
In an interview with Fred Dekker from 2012, the 25-year anniversary of The Monster Squad, Fred Dekker spoke with Slash Film about the horror movie. In a reflection of the film decades later, Dekker said that there are pros and cons in the movie. For the cons, he said that the monster flick had some clunky pacing and awkwardness in the early moments. For the pros, Fred said that he’s really pleased with the tone of the horror film, that it’s self-aware, not goofy, and ultimately heartfelt. He said that it is a sophisticated kids movie, and that it has aged well. These latter points are some of the many reasons why The Monster Squad has maintained its cult status through the years.
As seen in the trailer, Fred Dekker said his idea for the horror film was for the “Little Rascals” to meet the Universal monsters. WWE superstar Zack Ryder can also be seen saying that he watched it via a bootleg DVD, other fans are featured sharing their admiration for the horror film, and the trailer shows how it went from being a major flop to a major cult classic.