Actors: Fred Grandy, Henry Polic II, Buck Kartalian, Michael Lane, Julie Newmar
Directors: James Sheldon, Herman Hoffman
Number of discs: 2
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: VCI Entertainment
DVD Release Date: September 18, 2012
Run Time: 312 minutes
Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Not to be confused with the 80’s movie of the same name, “Monster Squad” was a campy Saturday morning kid’s action adventure series. It was created by the same team that was behind the 1960’s “Batman” series and has the exact same camp feel. Thanks to VCI Entertainment, all 13 episodes of this cult classic series are available again on DVD after being out of print for a long time. They are fully restored and are a great way to experience this 1976 series again on DVD. The episodes are still very fun…and did I mention they are campy? This is a must own for all horror fans and lovers of classic monsters.
Official Premise: Originally screened on Saturday mornings on NBC in the late 70s The show stars Fred Grandy (The Love Boat) as Walt, a criminology student working as a night watchman in a wax museum. To pass the time, Walt built a prototype “Crime Computer”. When Walt plugged in his Crime Computer, the “oscillating vibrations” brought to life three legendary monsters. Dracula, The Werewolf and Frankenstein. These creatures hated and feared for centuries are now determined to make up for their past misdeeds by using their unique abilities to fight crime and bust super villains wherever they find them. Together they are the Monster Squad!
All 13 episode are included over two discs, the first disc includes 1: Queen Bee, Episode 2: Mr Mephisto, Episode 3: The Tickler, Episode 4: The Ringmaster, Episode 5: Music Man, Episode 6: No Face, Episode 7: The Astrologer. The second disc includes – Episode 8: Ultra Witch, Episode 9: The Wizard, Episode 10: The Skull, Episode 11: The Weatherman, Episode 12: Lawrence of Moravia and Episode 13: Albert/Alberta. Each episodes does look quite nice for a show that is over 35 years old. There is a little grain throughout but still impressive. There are really no special features on the release but to be fair, there is a stills gallery included. Lastly, there is an episode Synopsis on the inside of the DVD case.
