Wolfman’s Got Nards is a 2018 American documentary film directed by Andre Gower from a script co-written with producer Henry McComas about comedy horror movie The Monster Squad (1987, directed by Fred Dekker from a screenplay by Shane Black). Gower played young Sean in the original movie.
Gower told Entertainment Weekly: “I was thinking about all of the amazing stories that these fans have told me and our fellow cast mates over the last decade of this resurgence. Those stories never ceased, or slowed down, or stopped. They just kept on growing, and getting deeper and more fascinating. I started to realize that there’s something really special there, that this movie had a really deep impact on a lot of people…”
Producer Henry McComas told EW: “I grew up on The Monster Squad. My brother is about nine years older than me, so I would inherit VHS tapes that he had. We had some sort of VHS [of Monster Squad], probably ripped probably from an HBO stream. The first time I watched it, it was this weird experience where it was like, these kids are on bicycles like me, but they’re fighting these monsters that only were something I knew from Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.”
Wolfman’s Got Nards has its world premiere at Cinepocalypse in Chicago.
Reviews:
” …this doc pleads a very good case for fans of Dekker’s film, and I think some Monster Squad grouches could be won over by the enthusiasm on display, not to mention the quality of the on-camera interviews (several unexpected faces show up, each one of them a delight).” Scott Wampler, Birth. Movies. Death.
“As fan docs go, it’s heavy on the “fan” and light on the “doc,” but that’s ok. The Monster Squad is a very special film with a very special history, one that rewarded us for being Monster Kids all those years ago and which has created new generations of Monster Kids in the years since. That’s reason to celebrate, and celebrate is what Wolfman’s Got Nards does best.” Patrick Bromley, Bloody Disgusting
“There’s a universality to Gowers’ exploration of the long-lasting influence of Dekker’s beloved modern classic, and regardless of what your station in life is, you will come away with something from this doc that is wholly relatable. Wolfman’s Got Nards is an experience that should be shared far and wide…” Heather Wixson, Daily Dead
“Truthfully, a more traditional documentary on the making of the film, it’s practical effects, and the insights of those involved would have been compelling in and of itself. Instead, the magic of the movie is captured chronicling the nationwide resurgence of the film and the cheering audiences that turned The Monster Squad from a box office disappointment upon initial release to a nationwide tour playing to sold out crowds decades later.” Drew Tinnin, Dread Central
“Gower has went all out to make this the definitive testament to the film’s legacy, and he covers every base you want him to. That said, even for non-fans, the doc is entertaining, and anyone who’s fascinated with film history and fandom will gain valuable insight from it nonetheless. No one expected this movie to live on after that opening weekend, but here we are in 2018 and it’s a mild phenomenon.” Kieran Fisher, Ghastly Grinning
“It’s overwhelmingly genial, and segues quite quickly from the specifics of the film, its making and immediate reception to the decades-later story and an embrace of the positive energy of the genre convention-festival-fan scene – since this isn’t a project that wants to touch on any of the downsides of current genre culture. The melancholy is saved for a final word from Dekker, who is grateful for the acclaim but obviously still rues the fact that The Monster Squad wasn’t a hit.” The Kim Newman Web Site
“Despite the bevy of interesting information scattered throughout, the film drags its feet quite a bit, and it feels oddly shaggy. You can see a number of potential shapes that this documentary could have take along the way […] and I wonder if the chronological choice that he ultimately selected, without any sort of framing device, was the right one.” Nick Johnston, Vanyaland
“An obvious must-see for Monster Squad fans but also a sneakily effective bit of filmmaking about the joy we take from the pop culture we embrace. Monster Squad does have some now-dated language and slut/fat-shaming. Wolfman’s Got Nards addresses that.” Kelly Konda, We Minored in Film
