Primo 1980s kiddie adventure garbage. No adults allowed. Has the same aftertaste as a bowl of Count Chocula. Its charm comes from how old-fashioned it is beneath its veneer of foul-mouthed middle-schoolers (one of them smokes!) and 80s cocaine pop music interludes. This is the Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein of the 80s. It’s a comedy and a horror film at the same time. Not only do people die here, but people we like die here—and their deaths aren’t pleasant. Meanwhile, none of the rogues’ gallery of classic monsters here are scary, but they are mostly straight-faced and depicted in homage to the old Universal horror films. It’s a feather-light good time, the cinematic equivalent to a “Fun Size” Snickers bar, but there is a cult who LOVES it. When the DVD revolution began in the late 90s, with no sign of a Monster Squad reissue, a grass roots campaign started and it succeeded in coaxing a tricked-out double-disc set from the studio. It’s a little film that’s lived on through being carried on the shoulders of its fans. That’s pretty cool. On the film history tip, the script is an early work (co-written with director Fred Dekker) from big time, ultra-commercial Hollywood screenwriter, and eventual director, Shane Black.