The Monster Squad

When a bunch of armadillos run around an Eastern European castle, a movie fan (or at least a film buff with a background in zoology) can’t help but think of the 1931 “Dracula” and its unlikely Transylvanian fauna. In fact, Fred Dekker, back from his brilliant “Night of the Creeps” (1986), writes and directs a film that pays homage to – and looks back with affection and a touch of nostalgia at – classic “Universal Pictures” horror movies.

The result, however, leaves something to be desired. In fact, an overwhelmingly vapid storyline paired with a forgettable cast winds up delivering a categoric flop from which the young director never recovers: too many confusing cuts, unresolved plotlines, dead-end sub-plots (marital problems, police investigations…), pointless characters. The teen comedy tone stumbles in multiple scenes, and the wisecracks scattered throughout the film fall flat, eliciting a faint smile at best. They poke fun at the never-ending “Friday the 13th” saga, the difficulty in locating a virgin to recite the sacred incantation, the questionable masculinity of werewolves.

The makeup was generally well done, reminiscent of Universal’s characters in closeups, although, to tell the truth, Frankenstein’s monster looked more like Bub the zombie from “Day of the Dead” (1985) than the legendary Boris Karloff.