MovieChat Forums > The Monster Squad (1987) Discussion > Very sad implication.... (Spoiler)

Very sad implication.... (Spoiler)

posted 11 years ago by Skye_Reynolds
10 replies | jump to latest

I don't remember the quote verbatim, but when the kids are debating over whether or not to ask the "Scary German Guy" about translating the diary, one of them asks something to the effect of "How do you say 'Please don't kill me' in German?" At which point, the man himself appears off-screen behind them and speaks the quote in fluent German. A scene or two later, it's revealed that he knows about real "monsters" when his concentration camp tattoo is exposed.

The very first quote we hear from him takes on an entirely new context when you take into consideration that he may have spoken it or heard it spoken four decades earlier. German is his first language, but I don't think it's a coincidence that he's introduced speaking that line. This film has some rather deep implications to it at times.

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"In literature, it's called plagiarism. In the movies, it's homage" ~ Roger Ebert

[–] jnericsonx 11 years ago

I guarentee most kids wouldn't get that bit with the tatoo, hell, I had to ask about it as a kid. I was like 8.

[–] fiimtrash 11 years ago

The film was targeted towards kids and teenagers. I saw this when I was a teenager in the theaters and I understood the scene 'cause I had learned about it in school. Fred Decker was mixing it up for different age groups so it wouldn't strictly be a children's movie. Some elements were for kids, and some were more directed towards the teen group. The older kids (teens) got most of the more complex subject matter, at least my friends and I did.

[–] brightmidnight71 11 years ago

^^^^ that's how a lot of "teen" movies were back then. They didnt make too many live action films purely for kids and even when they did, they were a little dark. "Big" comes to mind. I don't think movies with the tone of Monster Squad can be made anymore.

[–] carantula2010 10 years ago

Sad, but true.

[–] unekoneg 9 years ago

I think you're right. I wasn't even 10 when this came out, had to ask about the numbers tattooed. Even after I told it still took me another decade to truly register the horror of the holocaust. Kids are and will forever be that way.

[–] brightmidnight71 9 years ago

Ditto. I remember my dad explaining to me and from then on I was obsessed with reading about the Holocaust for a while.
And a previous poster is correct. Movies of that era weren't just made for kids and ones that are had some kind of grim or dark overtones. I think it represents a big cultural change in America. I remember when I was little and my parents were home at night, we watched what my folks wanted to watch. Period. I know a few couples with kids, and they just run everything. That damn Sprout channel is on allllllll day. Nothing but cartoons gets turned on until they go to bed.
Absurd. And as a result, you get these bright, benign movies that are really hard to get through as an adult. And they don't introduce any adult themes or notions for kids...nothing they have to ask questions about. I feel sorry for them. Movies and toys were better in my day. Now get off my lawn!!!

[–] ElectricWarlock 10 years ago

Yes, although it's a fun movie for kids the adults have some deep qualities to their characters so I think older people could enjoy it as well (divorce, marital issues, the Holocaust, etc.)

Burn, witch! Burn, witch! Burn! Burn! Burn!

[–] brightmidnight71 10 years ago

i learned so many basic things about the world by watching movies with my dad and asking a million questions. He's a patient man and answered most of them.
Like another poster said, I vividly remember asking him what the tattoo meant and that was my introduction to the holocaust. At like 7 ish. Mybe 6 even. I think kids don't have that now. Kids movies are SO watered down today and a lot of supposedly adult movies are just plain boring. We've lost that great balance some of the better movies of the 80s like this had.

[–] Immortalsoul7ix 10 years ago

It's kinda bad ass if you think about it like fighting Dracula ain't 💩💩💩 compared to staring death in the face like the nazis.

[–] Robbmonster 10 years ago

You know what, that's a really good observation you have made right there.

Well done :-)

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