The Monster Squadis a true cult classic of the 1980s. A campy comedy horror take on the famous monsters of Universal horrors, the 1987 movie was always potentially ripe for a sequel. However, the Fred Dekker directed movie remains as a one-off piece of cinema history, loved by those who grew up with it and unknown by many others. That could all have changed if a planned reboot byLeatherfacescreenwriterSeth Sherwoodhad gone ahead back in 2015, but as Sherwood revealed in a lengthy Twitter post he feels he can now reveal why it fell apart. Sherwood wrote:
“Everything was based around a trio of friends. Sean, Horace, and Penny. I wanted the story to be about the fear of growing up, and use monsters as an allegory for that fear,” Sherwood said. He continued, “When they were little, these three had a monster club, as the original. But now, they are getting old. Penny, the oldest, has lost interest and is has drifted to more mature things and friends. Horace is refusing to grow up, still loves toys, and is obsessed with monsters. Sean is caught in the middle. He’s turning 13. He has a crush on Penny. He’s becoming a teenager– but he also still likes his playing monster club. He’s torn. This is the heart of the story. Horace cries REAL MONSTERS, Sean doesn’t buy it, chases girl, but then OH WAIT MONSTERS!”
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Although Sherwood did not reveal which production company were planning on makingThe Monster Squadreboot, Platinum Dunes bought the film rights to the movie about five years prior to that. As he continued to explain, the collapse of the project mainly seemed to come down to the company believing the cost of the project would not deliver a substantial enough return.
The Monster Squad’s original 1987 release was not a smash hit by any means. The almost Stephen King-esque story of a group of kids who have to face a host of classic monsters such as Dracula,The Wolfmanand Frankenstein’s Monster in their own neighborhood, seems like it should have been a box office smash, but that was not the case. On release the film was a flop at the box office, but found a new audience through home video to become the much-loved classic it is today.
With the movie having celebrated its 35th anniversary last year, it falls right in the “remake zone.” Whether this is something that will happen in the near future, especially with Universal ramping up their Monsters IP with movies likeRenfieldand the upcomingThe Wolfman, it is hard to tell. Streaming platforms are always looking for new movies though, and after so many nostalgic 80s revivals in the last few years,The Monster Squadcould still be reborn for a new generation in one way or another.
