I’m going to preface this by saying that this is a very biased review. I grew up watching this movie, some of my earliest movie-watching memories involve this movie, and I love it. That being said, it is still a pretty awesome movie. I have never introduced this movie to someone and have them not love it. It seems like the perfect choice for my Throwback Thursday movie review.

The film centers on a group of young teens that have their own monster club. They meet and talk about awesome monster movies and even have a clubhouse plastered with horror movie posters. The leader of their group acquires Abraham Van Helsing’s diary and soon realizes all the strange things that have been happening in their small town are leading to the end of the world. Who is trying to end the world, you ask? None other than all the classic movie monsters complete with Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, the mummy, Wolfman, and the creature from the Black Lagoon. It’s up to these kids to stop the monsters from destroying the world and bringing about eternal evil.

This movie is not scary by any means, but it is insanely entertaining. The storyline is hilarious. It is often compared to The Goonies since they came out around the same time and both involve a group of kids that have to save the day. The writing is pure genius. Not only is the dialogue very witty, but there are also some amazing one-liners. One of the more famous lines that you may have heard before is “Wolfman’s got nards!”

This being an eighties movie, there are some great practical effects as well. Frankenstein’s monster of course has gorgeous makeup, along with the creature from the Black Lagoon. One top of that, the practical effects used when Wolfman makes his transformation and the mummy gets unraveled are very impressive.

This film really has everything you could want from a light-hearted eighties horror flick. It is witty, it has great practical effects, the storyline is very original, and it appeals to people of all ages. This is a movie that I would highly recommend if you are looking for a “gateway movie” to introduce children to the horror genre. It is also very fun to watch with a group of drunken friends. I truly hope you enjoy the movie, because it has given me much joy since the tender age of 4.

OVERALL RATING: 10/10 (I told you I was biased)