Inspiring Fear: The Monster Squad

When it comes to kids fighting monsters, there are some great sources of inspiration. One of the most endearing to me is 1987’s The Monster Squad. This movie has a lot of charm and throws just about every notable monster at its protagonists. Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, a mummy, a fishman, and, of course, a wolfman are all there.

I picked up the DVD some months back, on an LFNE inspirado run, and was surprised that it had held up better than I expected. This is no masterpiece, but it’s fun and it’s got a good variety of kids. For the purposes of Little Fears Nightmare Edition, I particularly paid attention to how the kids were written, how they interacted, and what roles each played in the group.

The group has a leader, a best friend, a rebel, comic relief, and even a dog. Not a bad selection of characters, if your players are looking for role models, even if the references and definition of “cool” are pretty dated. Throw in a tagalong little sister, the best friend’s older sister who the rebel longs to impress, the oblivious-til-the-end parents, and the Scary German Guy down the street (who actually turns out to be pretty dang cool) and, folks, that’s pretty much the formula for an over-the-top Little Fears game.

Bottom Line: If you’re putting together a Little Fears Nightmare Edition campaign, it’s a solid rental, especially if you watch it with your group.