MovieChat Forums > The Monster Squad (1987) Discussion > Plot Makes Zero Sense

Plot Makes Zero Sense

posted 9 years ago by Legendary_Badass
11 replies | jump to latest

Born in '84 and somehow this one had slipped through my fingers until tonight. I liked the look of the creatures, and seeing Stan Winston's name in the opening credits that's to be expected. I liked some of the interactions with the kids, the little girl was adorable.

What bothers me about the movie is a pretty big deterrent. The screenplay makes no effort to add up. Goonies meets Ghostbusters, but so what if the story is no good?

Dracula is alive in the present how? Why does the kid suddenly have Van Helsing's diary? So Dracula just knew the whereabouts of all dormant monsters, and they are all in this little town? Where is all this TNT coming from? Amulet? Amulet under old American house?

A few scenes could have given better credibility to this. Maybe an opening that passed Van Helsing's dairy through the decades would explain what happened to it and how it got here. Heck, I'd rather see Dracula summon the other monsters through the portal than have them just so happen be in the vicinity.

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[–] Darlinsugaree 9 years ago

Haha yes to all of this. I watched this tonight for the first time since it was on Netflix and my boyfriend loved it as a kid.

No part of this movie made any sense. The amulet, the diary, and 5 monsters were all located within walking distance of each other in this town. All of the weaponry available, why was Dracula obsessed with dynamite?

Also when Sean was writing words down on a piece of paper and scrambled together spelled Dracula.... How did that happen?? Where did those letters come from? How did his mom get a copy of Van Hellsings actual diary? What was the point of their martial problems? Why did the girl lie about being a virgin?? So many questions!!!!!

[–] Legendary_Badass 9 years ago

I forgot to mention that "detective" moment. I ended up re-watching some scenes to see if I missed something, and I didn't. But I'm going to have watch that again because it's so WTF. BRB.

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[–] Legendary_Badass 9 years ago

Ok, right before that scene, at 26:00, they wake up Frankenstein's monster. This also bothered me because Dracula is extending his hand to the monster as if to help him up and the two just freeze while the scene carries on and the other two monsters celebrate. Huge direction fail.

Side note, I had to watch every scene with Frankenstein's monster in it with the subtitles on because he was entirely incoherent.

That Dracula backwards bit, IT'S EVEN STUPIDER THAN I EXPECTED!

Looks like there was a call for Sean and his mom jotted down the details on the dry erase board. So Dracula called and his plan was to spell his name backwards for his alias. He had no business knowing where the diary was in the first place or that Sean's mom picked it up, her number, etc. This scene needs a shot of Dracula going to the yard sale, which we never even saw Sean's mom attend, and have him work some way to get information. The movie's plot moves around with too much convenience to bother showing the audience how it might have made sense.

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[–] JellyFish19 9 years ago

And for a second there I thought the plot was too complex for me to follow. Turns out everything happens randomly "just because". But for a short, wacky kids movie it doesn't bother me.

[–] ebright99 9 years ago

The Dracula backward alias Alucard is a call back to numerous dracula films where he used Alucard as an alias. It's presence here is an inside joke not a mistake.

[–] Legendary_Badass 9 years ago

I'll take your word for it as this is the kind of movie that should be making callbacks. But c'mon, the other points just have no explanation.

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[–] Minus_The_Beer 9 years ago

Conversely, YOU make zero sense.

Anyone here mentions Hotel California dies before the first line clears his lips.

[–] Kitarl 9 years ago

Dracula is alive in the present how?
He's a vampire and thus immortal.

Why does the kid suddenly have Van Helsing's diary?
Because his mother bought it for him. Can't quite recall if it was a yard sale or such.

So Dracula just knew the whereabouts of all dormant monsters, and they are all in this little town?
It's fair to assume he's been searching for the amulet ever since the night Van Helsing and his crew botched the attack on his castle. Plenty of time to find and recruit allies and then summon them to the town once he locked it down as the location for the amulet.

Where is all this TNT coming from?
Dracula was using it at the house to excavate the amulets hiding place. Either found it or bought it.

Amulet under old American house?
Explained as being hidden there by Van Helsing's discples. Presumably they brought it to America in the hopes of keeping it hidden. Which would also explain why the diary was there.

The answers are all there, and don't really require a complete scene explaining them. I think you're asking too much of an 80's horror comedy :P

Who loves ya, baby?

[–] Koosh_King01 9 years ago

It's fair to assume he's been searching for the amulet ever since the night Van Helsing and his crew botched the attack on his castle. Plenty of time to find and recruit allies and then summon them to the town once he locked it down as the location for the amulet.

That, plus he explicitly has the Frankenstein Monster and Gillman shipped to the US.

I mean, really, how many times will you look under Jabba's manboobs?

[–] Koosh_King01 9 years ago

Dracula is alive in the present how?

He never died. He wasn't in the castle when the vampire hunters came to open the portal. He left beforehand.

Why does the kid suddenly have Van Helsing's diary?

The diary had been one of the items from the old mansion auctioned off and the mom got it for him.

So Dracula just knew the whereabouts of all dormant monsters, and they are all in this little town?

Only the Wolfman and Mummy were there. The Wolfman presumably came because Dracula summoned him. The Mummy was in the museum. Frankenstein's Monster and the Gillman were brought by plane (they're what's in those two crates in the cargo plane; it's implied Dracula paid to have them shipped).

Where is all this TNT coming from?

Dynamite is purchased. Dracula is clearly very wealthy and can afford to get it in bulk. You may as well ask how he got that fancy hearse. As long as he does it at night, he can use money, intimidation or violence to get almost anything he needs.

Amulet? Amulet under old American house?

The amulet is at the same house the diary came from. It was hidden there by someone trying to keep it away from Dracula (hence all the garlic and crosses protecting the amulet). Who, I don't know, but it's a relatively simple deductive leap to think that someone working for Van Helsing hid the two things in the US.

A better question is how the amulet survived the beginning if it was used to open the portal to limbo. Are their multiple amulets?

I mean, really, how many times will you look under Jabba's manboobs?

[–] joe_538 9 years ago

Most all of these points have been explained; I think the only question remaining is was the mummy unique or did Dracula just reanimate the nearest one to round out the team?