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Since its release in 1987, The Monster Squad has steadily become a horror classic. Inspired by their love of the Universal Classic Monsters, writers Fred Dekker and Shane Black set out to make a Spielberg-like kid version of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The resulting film blends comedy, horror, and adventure with ’80s flair.
A group of pre-teen misfits — Sean (Andre Gower), Patrick (Robby Kiger), and Horace (Brent Chalem) — bond over their love of horror movies. Rudy (Ryan Lambert), a cool junior high kid with a ’50s greaser style, also joins the club. Sean’s little sister, Phoebe (Ashley Bank), desperately wants to be a part of the club, but it’s boys only, of course. However, sometimes Eugene (Michael Faustino), who is likely only a little older than Phoebe, gets to tag along.
Their kids’ horror knowledge comes in handy when monsters invade their town in search of a powerful artifact. Club leader Sean comes into possession of the diary of legendary monster hunter Dr. Abraham Van Helsing (Jack Gwillim). With the help of the neighborhood’s Scary German Guy (Leonardo Cimino), the team is able to translate the diary and learn more about an ancient amulet.
Scary German Guy, who is actually a kind man, says that he “has some experience with monsters.” It’s revealed to the audience that he has a number tattooed on his arm, meaning he’s a Holocaust survivor. Quite dark for a movie targeting kids, but it’s never addressed so we’re just left to sit with that.
Count Dracula (Duncan Regehr) is hellbent on retrieving the amulet, which would give him the power to rule the world, because that’s what every villain wants. He forms an army of monsters to help him, including the Wolfman (Jon Gries/Carl Thibault), the Mummy (Michael Reid MacKay), Frankenstein’s Monster (Tom Noonan), and the Gillman (Tom Woodruff Jr.), who was obviously modeled after the eponymous character in Creature from the Black Lagoon.
Regehr’s interpretation of Dracula is considered one of the best in film/TV history. He plays Dracula as very serious and malevolent. He’s not sexualized or charismatic, which are usually staples for the character. Tom Noonan as Frankenstein’s Monster plays to his more innocent aspects. He forms a sweet bond with Phoebe, which in turn allows her to join the boys’ club. These are the only monsters who have any personality. The other three kind of just do what they’re told. I’m not sure what purpose the Mummy serves, but he’s pretty scary to look at.
The Monster Squad doesn’t seem like it would be a well-made film with high production value. The film’s biggest strength is its special effects. The monsters look fantastic thanks to the Stan Winston Studio and its expert artists. Universal wouldn’t license their monsters, so the art department was tasked with making creatures with a likeness to the classic monsters.
Like most cult classics, The Monster Squad bombed in theaters, likely due to the poor marketing. Opening two weeks after The Lost Boys didn’t help either. It was also a bit confusing that it seems like a kids movie, but is rated PG-13. It took the film years to build a fanbase. Thanks to cable television and VHS rentals, it reached a wider audience. The resurgence is owed to its diehard fans, who campaigned for a DVD release and got it.
Some aspects of it don’t hold up for an audience today. It’s not Revenge of the Nerds-level bad, though. There are some homophobic slurs, slut-shaming, and fat-shaming, which isn’t surprising given it’s an ’80s movie. Those instances will make you cringe, but that doesn’t make it less entertaining. Just don’t expect it to pass the Bechdel test, or the DuVernay test for that matter. The only Black character is Detective Sapir (Stan Shaw), and he’s only there so Sean’s dad, Del (Stephen Macht), has someone other than his family to talk to.
Lisa Fuller, who plays a teenage girl and has enough scenes in the movie to warrant a name, is simply credited as “Patrick’s Sister.” Scary German Guy has a pivotal role, yet we never learn his real name. However, if you see it from a kid’s point-of-view, you don’t really care about actual names. You call them what you call them, especially your friends’ siblings.
There are plenty of logical flaws (that the filmmakers and cast are completely aware of), like, why did the Mummy randomly hide in a kid’s closet only to do nothing and then leave? Where did the Desperate Man (aka the human who turns into a werewolf) come from, and who bit him? Why does a vampire go around tossing dynamite when he possesses otherworldly abilities? So many questions. But do we need the answers? Not really. Horror asks you to suspend belief and that’s definitely necessary here.
The Monster Squad is not a perfect film, but it’s an enjoyable one. It makes me nostalgic for a time I didn’t even live in, which I think is effective. If you can avoid viewing this 1987 film with a present-day lens, you’ll have a good time watching it. You also can’t put too much thought into the nonsensical plot. Laughing at its ridiculousness is part of the fun.
The Monster Squad is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+, and for free on YouTube.
The post Why ‘The Monster Squad’ is a Nostalgic Favorite appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.
Since its release in 1987, The Monster Squad has steadily become a horror classic. Inspired by their love of the Universal Classic Monsters, writers Fred Dekker and Shane Black set out to make a Spielberg-like kid version of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The resulting film blends comedy, horror, and adventure with ’80s flair.
A group of pre-teen misfits — Sean (Andre Gower), Patrick (Robby Kiger), and Horace (Brent Chalem) — bond over their love of horror movies. Rudy (Ryan Lambert), a cool junior high kid with a ’50s greaser style, also joins the club. Sean’s little sister, Phoebe (Ashley Bank), desperately wants to be a part of the club, but it’s boys only, of course. However, sometimes Eugene (Michael Faustino), who is likely only a little older than Phoebe, gets to tag along.
Their kids’ horror knowledge comes in handy when monsters invade their town in search of a powerful artifact. Club leader Sean comes into possession of the diary of legendary monster hunter Dr. Abraham Van Helsing (Jack Gwillim). With the help of the neighborhood’s Scary German Guy (Leonardo Cimino), the team is able to translate the diary and learn more about an ancient amulet.
Scary German Guy, who is actually a kind man, says that he “has some experience with monsters.” It’s revealed to the audience that he has a number tattooed on his arm, meaning he’s a Holocaust survivor. Quite dark for a movie targeting kids, but it’s never addressed so we’re just left to sit with that.
Count Dracula (Duncan Regehr) is hellbent on retrieving the amulet, which would give him the power to rule the world, because that’s what every villain wants. He forms an army of monsters to help him, including the Wolfman (Jon Gries/Carl Thibault), the Mummy (Michael Reid MacKay), Frankenstein’s Monster (Tom Noonan), and the Gillman (Tom Woodruff Jr.), who was obviously modeled after the eponymous character in Creature from the Black Lagoon.
Regehr’s interpretation of Dracula is considered one of the best in film/TV history. He plays Dracula as very serious and malevolent. He’s not sexualized or charismatic, which are usually staples for the character. Tom Noonan as Frankenstein’s Monster plays to his more innocent aspects. He forms a sweet bond with Phoebe, which in turn allows her to join the boys’ club. These are the only monsters who have any personality. The other three kind of just do what they’re told. I’m not sure what purpose the Mummy serves, but he’s pretty scary to look at.
The Monster Squad doesn’t seem like it would be a well-made film with high production value. The film’s biggest strength is its special effects. The monsters look fantastic thanks to the Stan Winston Studio and its expert artists. Universal wouldn’t license their monsters, so the art department was tasked with making creatures with a likeness to the classic monsters.
Like most cult classics, The Monster Squad bombed in theaters, likely due to the poor marketing. Opening two weeks after The Lost Boys didn’t help either. It was also a bit confusing that it seems like a kids movie, but is rated PG-13. It took the film years to build a fanbase. Thanks to cable television and VHS rentals, it reached a wider audience. The resurgence is owed to its diehard fans, who campaigned for a DVD release and got it.
Some aspects of it don’t hold up for an audience today. It’s not Revenge of the Nerds-level bad, though. There are some homophobic slurs, slut-shaming, and fat-shaming, which isn’t surprising given it’s an ’80s movie. Those instances will make you cringe, but that doesn’t make it less entertaining. Just don’t expect it to pass the Bechdel test, or the DuVernay test for that matter. The only Black character is Detective Sapir (Stan Shaw), and he’s only there so Sean’s dad, Del (Stephen Macht), has someone other than his family to talk to.
Lisa Fuller, who plays a teenage girl and has enough scenes in the movie to warrant a name, is simply credited as “Patrick’s Sister.” Scary German Guy has a pivotal role, yet we never learn his real name. However, if you see it from a kid’s point-of-view, you don’t really care about actual names. You call them what you call them, especially your friends’ siblings.
There are plenty of logical flaws (that the filmmakers and cast are completely aware of), like, why did the Mummy randomly hide in a kid’s closet only to do nothing and then leave? Where did the Desperate Man (aka the human who turns into a werewolf) come from, and who bit him? Why does a vampire go around tossing dynamite when he possesses otherworldly abilities? So many questions. But do we need the answers? Not really. Horror asks you to suspend belief and that’s definitely necessary here.
The Monster Squad is not a perfect film, but it’s an enjoyable one. It makes me nostalgic for a time I didn’t even live in, which I think is effective. If you can avoid viewing this 1987 film with a present-day lens, you’ll have a good time watching it. You also can’t put too much thought into the nonsensical plot. Laughing at its ridiculousness is part of the fun.
The Monster Squad is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+, and for free on YouTube.
The post Why ‘The Monster Squad’ is a Nostalgic Favorite appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.
Courtesy of The Lip Bar 
The buzz around back-to-school beauty—from 5 a.m. skincare routines and professional first day makeup to controversial 30-inch wigs—has hit an all-time high.
And this energy continues—especially now that Homecoming season is in full swing. Specifically, The Lip Bar is partnering with the HBCU Culture Shop to launch a limited-edition HBCU-inspired lip gloss collection.
As a FAMU alumni, The Lip Bar founder Melissa Butler says college was the foundation of her success. “My first customers and employees went to HBCUs,” she tells ESSENCE. “I wanted to show some love in honor of how much love HBCUs have given men and women for centuries, especially FAMU,” Butler adds. “I owe so much to my HBCU and the richness of the culture is unsurpassed.”
Her favorite shade in the 7-look collection? Red “Rattlers”, of course. “Beyond that, I really love the shades ‘HBCU girly,’ ‘Hampton U,’ and ‘Jaguars,’” she says, calling out the neutral brown, taupe, and deep brown shades she wore during her college days. “We were deeply into smoky nude glosses, ice blue shadow, and eye liner,” says. “We wore business casual to the club and our hair was fried. Flat irons hated to see us coming.”
However, the latest collection to join The Lip Bar’s current offerings—including lipstick, lip liner, and lip oil—is not like the other products. “The sheer wash of color in the HBCU Collection is an innovation we have not done before,” Butler says, with the intention to develop a universal lip. And, safe to say, they succeeded.
The limited-edition collection is available on thelipbar.com while supplies last.
TOPICS: back to school beauty hbcu homecoming lip gloss The Lip BarThe post The Lip Bar Launches HBCU Glosses For Homecoming Season appeared first on Essence.
Over its seven-year run, Star Trek: The Next Generation had no shortage of all-time classic episodes. It had quite a few stinkers too, but hey, that’s how it was back when a show had 26-episode seasons. They couldn’t all be winners. But with 178 episodes to its name, what was Sir Patrick Stewart’s favorite chapter of the show? Well, if you’re a big TNG fan, you might have already guessed. But now we know for certain. Via Slash Film, we learned that Stewart’s favorite outing as Captain Jean Luc Picard was an episode where he (mostly) didn’t even play that character, season five’s “The Inner Light.”
In “The Inner Light,” the Enterprise encounters an ancient alien probe (there’s always one of those) from a long-dead world. The probe scans Picard’s mind and implants the memories of an entire lifetime into his head. Picard awakens on a planet called Katann, now with the name Kamin. On Katan, he married, had children and grandchildren, and grew to old age. He even became an accomplished flute player. Eventually, he found out the life he lived was a simulation. It was a kind of time capsule recording of a planet facing extinction. When Picard returned to his old life, decades had passed for him. Yet only a few minutes had passed in the real world.
Here’s what Stewart said about the experience of making “The Inner Light:”
I become someone other than Jean-Luc Picard over decades of living a different life, and therefore become a different person. A domestic person, not a starship captain. And there is another, personal reason. My son Daniel played my son in “The Inner Light.” That was an extraordinary experience.
While our favorite Star Trek: TNG episode remains season two’s “The Measure of a Man,” we certainly understand why Patrick Stewart would love “The Inner Light” so much. It’s a beautiful episode, and it afforded the classically trained actor to go through an entire lifetime of a character in the span of 50 minutes. It’s one of those episodes that always leaves you a bit teary-eyed at the end. If you plan on doing a TNG rewatch anytime soon, there are far worse places to start than with “The Inner Light.”
The post Patrick Stewart Reveals His All-Time Favorite STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION Episode appeared first on Nerdist.
I’m sorry, what!? Warner Brothers are trying to get on Black folks’ good side with this one. It’s been a while since a trailer has hit with the same impact as the ones from the early 2000s. You know, back when the trailer didn’t feel the need to spoon-feed you the whole damn plot in two minutes? Either way, Sinners has us all leaning in and wanting to know what could possibly require the use of two entire Michael B. Jordans in prohibition-era attire.
If there was a checklist of things to get people jazzed, this trailer goes the extra mile. Matter of fact, let’s see what gets brought to the table here. This trailer has…
*checks notes*
More Oscar and Golden Globe wins and nominations than you can shake a stick at? Check.
Ryan Coogler writing? Check. Getting back on his pen game after the last few years (needfully and rightfully) grieving Chadwick Boseman.
Ryan Coogler directing? Check. Bringing his unique and particular vision behind the camera to the horror genre? Hyped.
Not one, but two Michael B. Jordan characters rocking suits and shooting off drums of tommy gun ammo? Check. At this point, I feel like there’s a clause in his rider since Creed that ensures there’s at least one scene where he shows off his arms.
Wunmi Mosako getting the bag and popping out for some more supernatural horror vibes after doing it big in the MCU? Check. This woman can act the house down, I cannot wait to see what she does here.
Delroy Lindo in the mix!? The legend himself lending his gravitas to the Black film excellence that is about to be this movie!? Check. Hopefully, he busts out that dance from Da Five Bloods unnecessarily.
Hailee Steinfeld as the talented diversity hire? Check. She only pops up in this trailer for a second, and she’s giving ‘southern belle that is really into Division One ball players’. Very excited to see what wrinkle her character brings to the movie. Steinfeld always brings one-hundred percent of herself to every role.
For my cinephiles, DoP Autumn Durald Arkapaw, production designer Hannah Beachler, editor Michael P. Shawver, composer Ludwig Göransson, and costume designer Ruth E. Carter back?!? Coogler brought out the Black Panther production team? Check.
Outside of this very appealing and perfectly mysterious trailer, there’s a draw to Sinners that transcends the nature of a trailer. Typically, Black horror is centered around the relationship of the Black experience to whiteness. Where the white status quo is the source and subject of terror for Black people. On the flip side of that, it looks like Sinners is giving us Black horror alongside Black spirituality – centering on how this community approaches the coming evil. In the trailer, we see imagery invoking both Black Christianity and African-American herbalism. That alone tells me attention to detail and cultural competency are going to be leveraged to scare the hell out of audiences.
It has the feel and texture of episode three of Lovecraft Country with an air of Eve’s Bayou and the trailer does well to keep to the imagination. I don’t know about y’all, but I’m sold on it. Sinners drops in theaters March 7th, 2025. Let’s run the numbers up on this one.
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The post ‘Sinners’ Trailer Came Out Swinging appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.