The Monster Squad Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.5

The Monster Squad Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 14, 2026

Note: The Monster Squad has had several previous releases in both 1080 and 4K in Region A, including a 2013 Blu-ray release from Olive Films which I reviewed. This review reprints sections of that original review, as appropriate. Those interested can also peruse the following other reviews:

The Monster Squad Blu-ray review

The Monster Squad 4K Blu-ray review

Arrow has also released The Monster Squad 4K, which includes the main feature in 4K and the same second 1080 disc as is offered in this edition.

If you were to mix one part Fright Night with one part The Goonies, and add just a dash of Stand By Me for good measure, you’d have a fair approximation of the casserole that is in store in Monster Squad. The film starts with a nicely done prologue (including a nice little textual introduction that has a simple but effective punch line) showing legendary vampire hunter Edward Van Helsing attempting to prevent some sort of tragedy that has something to do with a glowing orb. There’s the requisite virgin (one assumes, anyway) in tow, who is given an incantation to recite, but everything goes horribly awry and some sort of interdimensional vortex opens up, sucking just about everything around it into its gaping maw.

We segue to the present time where a bunch of monster obsessed kids have gotten in trouble at their school for not paying appropriate attention to their science teacher. In the meantime, we’ve seen a freight airliner literally drop Dracula (Duncan Regehr) and Frankenstein’s Monster (Tom Noonan) from its cargo bay, and soon these iconic Universal monsters are joined by The Mummy (Michael MacKay), The Wolf Man (Carl Thibaut) and The Creature from the Black Lagoon (Tom Woodruff, Jr.), all of whom have converged on the small town where the aforementioned kids live and where that glowing orb may hold a scary secret or two that makes it catnip for the aggregation of legendary bad guys (and/or creatures). (Those of you who love to spot continuity errors should keep an eye on the stenciling on the crate that Frankenstein's Monster is initially housed in on the plane, and which later is dredged up from a swamp.)

The rest of The Monster Squad plays out in fairly predictable, but also highly enjoyable, fashion, as the kids figure out their town has been overrun with monsters and that the long lost magical object is the source of the invasion. The script, co-written by director Fred Dekker (Night of the Creeps) and collaborator Shane Black, nicely walks a tightrope between silly humor and spookier elements, as the kids fight their own inherent fears as well as the (of course) initial disbelief of all of the adults. For such a relatively low budget affair, Dekker also does really well in staging this film and the special effects and makeup, while not breathtaking, are certainly well above average and help to create a suitably fun atmosphere.

The film is actually kind of sweet at times, with Frankenstein’s Monster showing his “kinder, gentler” side and banding with the misfit kids. But there’s also a funny yet believable subtext of kids who are frightened by “imaginary” monsters and how exasperated their parents can become at trying to handle the situation. The Monster Squad proves that more than just Monsters, Inc. ’s Sulley and Mike can be hiding in a closet, and that no matter how much a child screams about it, the parental unit will more than likely remain completely clueless.

The Monster Squad Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Arrow sent a check disc for purposes of this 1080 review, but a full retail final set for purposes of the The Monster Squad 4K Blu-ray review. I'm assuming that per Arrow's standard operating procedure, the packaging, including the insert booklet, is the same for both resolutions.

The Monster Squad is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Arrow Video with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.35:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following minimal information on the presentation:

The Monster Squad is presented in its original 2.39:1* aspect ratio with 5.1 and 2.0 stereo audio. For the UHD presentation, the film is presented in 4K resolution in HDR10 and Dolby Vision.

The restored 4K master was made available by Paramount Pictures.

This is another generic description which does not include any information about subsequent restoration and/or color timing work done by Arrow itself, and as such this is understandably similar (identical?) to the Kino Lorber 4K / 1080 combo pack release for Region A, one which Kino Lorber reportedly explicitly stated was sourced off the original camera negative. The biggest improvements in terms of the pretty lackluster Olive release, and maybe even the apparently better looking original Lionsgate release, tend to be in terms of palette nuance and especially some shadow detail in the many dark or outright nighttime scenes that tend to predominate large swaths of the narrative, though all of the foregoing has even more improvement in Arrow's 4K UHD presentation. That said, even in SDR everything from some of the cooler blue lit monster material and especially some nicely burnished orange to sepia tone material looks great. The daytime material pops extremely well and understandably can help to support fine detail levels a bit more than the darker scenes. A number of evocatively lit scenes feature nice close-ups where some of the special makeup effects are especially impressive. Grain resolves without any issues.

*I've mentioned in other reviews how often we see 2.35:1 and 2.39:1 mistaken for each other in member spec submissions, and it might be joked Arrow has fallen victim to the same mistake. If as has been reported the Kino Lorber release was sourced off the negative, then it certainly seems like the original aspect ratio is 2.35:1, as all of the previous releases have at least hovered around (the Olive release I reviewed years ago was in 2.36:1).

The Monster Squad Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Monster Squad features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 options. Both provide problem free (and even in stereo, at times nicely spacious) accountings of the mix, but the surround track pretty significantly opens up any number of design elements, as in some of the sound effects accompanying various intrusions of monsters. Even semi claustrophobic scenes like the early vignette in the storage compartment of the airplane can offer some fun engagement of the surround channels. The outdoor material has good background ambient environmental effects. Bruce Broughton's score is engaging and really nicely balanced throughout. Dialogue is presented without any issues. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Monster Squad Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One

• Audio Commentaries

Commentary by Fred Dekker, André Gower, Ryan Lambert & Ashley Bank




Commentary by Fred Dekker & Bradford May

• Monster Squad Forever (HD; 1:16:16) is an enjoyable in depth retrospective from 2007.


• Interviews

Monster Squad: The Monster Factory (HD; 1:15:25) features 2025 interviews with some of the makeup and special effects crew. These were done via video conferencing and come with a warning about audio quality.




Monster Mash: A Symphony for Monsters (HD; 19:11) is a 2025 interview with composer Bruce Broughton. This also comes with a warning about audio quality.




A Conversation with Frankenstein (HD; 8:34) is an archival on set piece with Tom Noonan.

• Deleted and Extended Scenes (HD; 14:06)


• Animated Storyboard Sequence (HD; 1:40)


• Original Theatrical Trailer (35mm) (HD; 1:59)


• Original Theatrical Trailer (Recut) (HD; 1:56)


• TV Spot (HD; 00:32)


• Image Gallery (HD; 8:57)

Disc Two

• Wolfman's Got Nards (HD; 1:28:06) is a fun look back at the production with some interesting interviews.


• In the Goddamn Club! (HD; 4:15) offers some fan assessments.


• "Blood Bath" Music Video (HD; 1:11)


• Deleted Scenes do not offer a Play All option.

Caverns (HD; 2:29)




Fangs (HD; 1:33)




Fantastic Fest (HD; 3:03)




Haunting of Lambert (HD; 3:41)




On the River (HD; 2:07)




Patrick's Sister (HD; 2:23)

• Extended Interviews

Fred Dekker on Movies (HD; 9:19)




Shane Black on Myth (HD; 13:42)




Adam Goldberg on 80s Movies (HD; 5:38)




Seth Green on Pop Culture (HD; 6:45)

• Without Your Head Interviews

André Gower & Henry Darrow McComas (HD; 21:14)




Audio Interview with Ashley Bank (HD; 35:10) plays to key art and stills.




Audio Interview with Tom Noonan (HD; 53:40) plays to key art and stills.




Audio Interview with Carl Thibaut (HD; 40:46) plays to key art and stills.




Audio Interview with Michael Reid Mackay (HD; 50:34) plays to key art and stills.

• Trailer (HD; 2:39)

Arrow's insert booklet offers a quartet of fun essays along with the typical production and transfer information. The keepcase sleeve is reversible and packaging also features a slipcover.

The Monster Squad Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Monster Squad isn't quite as intentionally cheesy as Fred Dekker's Night of the Creeps, but it has that film's same insouciant humor. This outing frankly isn't all that scary (at least for anyone over the age of seven or eight or so), but it's a lot of fun nonetheless. Anyone who wasn't part of the "cool kid" brigade in elementary school is going to empathize with the misfits who make up The Monster Squad, and any kid who ever tried to convince his or her parents of anything which the old fogies weren't inclined to believe will understand the kids' frustration at the initial incompetent response by every adult in this film. Boasting some unexpectedly decent special effects, The Monster Squad isn't a masterpiece by any stretch, but it's a lot of fun and should certainly have a kind of nostalgia value for either those who grew up watching it or have a longer memory of the iconic Universal Monsters. While this basically duplicates the excellent technical merits of the Region A Kino Lorber release, it also has a number of new supplements and so may be of interest to diehard fans who may have already picked up that earlier edition. Recommended.