TRENDS THE UNIVERSITY STAR
trendythoughts
Would you rather buy a new CD at the store, or find it online?
“Store. I like to have the actual CD, the artist’s work.”
“I’d rather download it off the Internet. All my music ends up on my computer ayways.”
“Download it. It’s more convenient.”
— Ben Wilkey finance senior
— Johathan Bibles biochemistry junior
— Eric Trochta undecided freshman
Wednesday, April 19, 2006 - Page 5
Trends Contact — Kyle Bradshaw, starentertainment@txstate.edu
Compiled by David Racino
The
Monster Squad dra w s By Nixon Guerrero The University Star Outside the original Alamo Drafthouse in downtown Austin, fans of a cult film were amassed with marked verve, awaiting the opening of the theater’s doors into the world of classic moviemonster legends and haute ’80s fashion and music. What kind of film could hold fans’ hearts for more than 20 years after its original 1987 release and cause them to arrive hours before the screening to stand in a line that nearly wrapped the block? The film of the night was The Monster Squad. Along for the screening came director/cowriter, Fred Dekker and cast members Andre Gower, Ryan Lambert and Ashley Bank.
The Monster Squad is Dekker’s homage to the classic Universal monster movies that many have come to love, like monster heavyweights such as Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolfman, The Mummy and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Dekker is also responsible for another cultclassic film of the horror/comedy genre — Night of the Creeps (1986). The Monster Squad is about a group of children obsessed with horror movies and their central monster characters; the children have even formed their own club. At one point, the real monsters find their way to the children’s town, and no one can stop the evildoers but the Monster Squad. As the theater doors opened
Kelly Simmons/Star illustration
devoted crowd, roars of laughter
for the eager — yet respectful — hoard of fans, one would begin to sense that the screening was going to be an event to remember. Fans eagerly walked to their seats and ordered their meals and drinks for the night, as Eric “Quint” Vespe took the stage, who is responsible for organizing the screening with the director and cast. Vespe welcomed the film’s fans and introduced the special guests. Vespe shouted, “Are you guys ready for a great film?” and asked, “How many of you have not seen this movie?” To which,
about 20 hands sheepishly responded in hesitant ascension. Though there were a few Monster Squad “virgins” — as Vespe put it — in attendance, he, along with the director and cast, sincerely welcomed the few oblivious attendees. As the lights dimmed and the film played, fans applauded the film’s opening credits acknowledging the filmmakers’ names. The loudest of all the came when the title card “The Monster Squad” appeared. An intimate, humor-filled question-and-answer session
immediately followed the screening. Vespe welcomed Dekker and the cast to the stage to lead the Q&A. Dekker expressed his shock that people were still fans of the film. “I can’t believe there are people that like this movie!” Dekker said. “Where the hell were all of you in 1987? Seriously.” He also spoke about the experience of directing child actors. “I loved working with these kids,” he said. “It’s not that I have anything against adult actors; it’s just that a lot of them have their own methods and
such. But with children, you can just say, ‘I need you to be more scared,’ and they’ll be like, ‘OK.’ See, that’s simple and fun.” When asked if he wrote one of the film’s most famous lines, Dekker said, “You know, when I watch the movie, I can hear what it is that I wrote, and I also hear what my writing partner wrote, but when I hear ‘Wolfman’s got nards!’ I go blank — but I think it was me.” Gower, who played Sean in the See MONSTER, page 6