The Monster Squadwas a box office bomb when it originally hit theaters in 1987, making around $4 million at the box office. Critics bashed the movie and it seemed like its fate had been sealed right then and there. However, over the years, kids started to discover the movie at the video store and then later on VHS tapes ripped from HBO that started to get traded around. As the years went on,Monster Squaddeveloped a hardcore cult following, which is now the subject of the new documentary entitledWolfman’s Got Nards.
For those who know,Wolfman’s Got Nardsis one of the most quotable lines from 1980s cinema. The line was delivered by Horace, who was played by the late Brent Chalem, after he makes Carl Thibault’s Wolfman fall over in pain by kicking him in the groin.Monster Squaduses the classic Universal horror films lineup of villains including Count Dracula, the Mummy, Gillman, and the Wolfman. According to Andre Gower, who played one of the kids in movie and set out to make the documentary, the film was originally going to be called Squad Doc, but was later changed to the better title that it has now.
Andre Gower was only 13-years old when he played Sean Crenshaw inMonster Squad. He was originally disappointed by the box office earnings of the movie, but was later elated to learn that there was a cult following for the children’s horror movie. Journalist Eric Vespe organized aMonster Squadreunion for Alamo Drafthouse 12 years ago and the response was surprising to all in involved, leading to two sold out showings. This gave Gower the initial idea to make theWolfman’s Got Nardsdocumentary and he sought to track down fans as well as the rest of the cast and crew.
Monster Squadwas directed and written by Fred Dekker (Night of the Creeps) and was co-written by Shane Black (The Predator,Iron Man 3). Black was excited to take part in the interview process, but Dekker took a lot of convincing. It wasn’t until Andre Gower sent him a 30-minute cut of fans explaining what the movie means to them that he finally changed his mind. After Dekker saw the initial cut ofWolfman’s Got Nards, he immediately signed on and gave a lengthy interview aboutMonster Squad, which is his favorite film that he’s ever made.
Andre Gower is quick to note that he did not want to makeWolfman’s Got Nardsabout his personal experience about working on the movie, while also stating that he did not want to make a traditional making-of documentary. Instead, Gower wanted to have the film about the cult ofMonster Squad, showcasing the fans and sharing their stories that are tied to the cult favorite. The love of the movie is evident in the short trailer that you can watch below, thanks to the Wolfman’s Got Nards Documentary YouTube channel.
