Monday, July 21, 2008

Movie Review #19: The Monster Squad

THE MONSTER SQUAD (1987 / 2007)

The release of Monster Squad to DVD in 2007 was a treat for 80's horror fans worldwide. Utilizing friendly versions of the Universal Monsters, director Fred Dekker created a timeless comedic horror adventure similar to its predecessor the Goonies in 1985, but with a few more ghouls thrown in for good measure. Seeing the film on the shelf brought back memories, and made me want to start my own Monster Club all over again. Besides, what could be more rewarding than sitting up in your treehouse, spying on the girl next door while she removes her top, and discussing various methods of killing a werewolf?

When Dracula returns to present-day society to possess Van Helsings diary & amulet so evil can rule the world, it's up to a group of local teenage monster fans to stop him. Alongside his grisly gang of our favorite monster faces, including the Mummy, Creature, Werewolf, and of course, Frankenstein, we are treated to a family film with absolutely no gore and plenty of kiddie fun. Hardly a horror movie by any stretch, Monster Squad is mentioned here solely for its nostalgic value - a movie like this would never make money in 2008. But for its time it was a pre-pubescent thrill-ride and watching it again almost 20 years later, I was reminded of how fun horror could be in the 80's. Grab a copy and keep the memory alive!


Tuesday, July 8, 2008

TALES OF TERROR

TALES OF TERROR (Eclipse Comics, 1985 - 1987)

Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher in the 1980's responsible for a series called Tales of Terror (in the same vein as Pacific Comic's Twisted Tales that ran from 1982-84). Eclipse released the final 2 issues of Twisted Tales when Pacific went bankrupt, and also published one of the first ever graphic novels. Some of my favorite writers like Bruce Jones contributed stories to both, and the brilliantly gory cover art is definitely worth checking out. Tales of Terror are extremely hard to find, and unlike the EC comics, were never re-printed. However, I got lucky on Ebay last week and scooped up all 13 issues in perfect condition!

Check out the Comic Databse below for all titles:

http://comicbookdb.com/title.php?ID=8420