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.
