Little Monsters

Just recently, while browsing the Used section at FYE, my girlfriend and I discovered this fine gem from the late 80s, a movie which holds fond memories for the both of us. My girlfriend bought it, we took it home, and after making dinner, popped it in to experience what had captivated me as a kid.

Little Monsters is about little Fred Savage encountering a monster that lives under his bed and is allergic to light. After he befriends the monster, they start wreaking havoc on other kids in his neighborhood, because that's what these monsters do, I guess. Turns out, however, that in the monster world, the head monster wants Fred Savage's character to turn into a monster himself. If you stay in the monster world for a whole night without leaving, you become a monster, and after the boss kidnaps Fred's brother, he and his friends must go in to save him and get out before they turn into little monsters.

I really used to love this movie when I was a kid. It was really fun for me, because I wanted to watch horror movies but wasn't quite old enough to, and this bridged the gap for me. It hasn't held up quite as well as I would have hoped, because I did find myself getting bored during it now. It's still a fun romp using the tale of monsters under the bed, however.

While the film is marketed towards kids, it's like a lot of the movies in the 80s that are rated PG but are really a little more mature than younger kids might understand. The movie's acting is surprisingly really well done, especially for the fact that it is mainly comprised of young kids. The movie also makes good use of humor in the right places, and Howie Mandel's monster is more of the lovable type rather than the scary and gruff monster that is the boss of the monster world.

I can see why kids would have loved this movie, because it takes those scary monsters that lived under the bed and makes them fun and not as dangerous. The monster world looks fun and definitely caters towards children, and the masks aren't so much scary as they are goofy. It's a fun movie for kids who like to be scared and entertained at the same time.

As for how good it is for adults, I feel like a lot of people with no taste for children's humor will be bored, and they should look elsewhere for a lighthearted monster movie. While the movie is mature, it still has that kiddy feeling, and if you're somewhat immature (and you realize it and you love yourself for it, because, come on, lighten up a little bit), then you might love this movie for what it is. But if you're looking for something deeper, you might want to skip this one.

Little tidbit: Look at little Ben Savage as Fred Savage's brother in the movie. He looks just the same as he does when he grows up in Boy Meets World, only younger. How cute!

Last updated: 2010-01-17 09:41:06 by user01