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(3 1/2 stars for the movie, 5 stars for the blu-ray)
"Little Monsters" was released back in 1989 starring Fred Savage, Howie Mandel & Daniel Stern, and was directed by Richard Alan Greenberg from a script by Terry Rossio & Ted Elliott. Vestron Pictures financed the PG rated film but MGM/United Artists got distribution rights here in the states after Vestron filed for bankruptcy. The theatrical release was limited to only 179 theaters and the film grossed only $793,775 against a 7 million dollar budget. Reviews were mixed at the time but the film would go on to become a cult classic due to VHS rentals and television airings.
I find the film to be a bit of a tonal mess in several places in which the filmmakers were trying to make it kid friendly but also wanting to deliver some of a dark sinister edge like 1988's "Beetlejuice" in which the director of "Little Monsters" was greatly inspired by. How much you like "Little Monsters" will depend on your reaction to Howie Mandel's over the top & unrestrained performance as the lead monster Maurice who Fred Savage's character Brian befriends. I do overall find the film to be enjoyable even if it falls short from greatness in several key areas.
Lionsgate finally brings "Little Monsters" to blu-ray as part of their cool Vestron Video Collector's Series. The film comes in a slipcase but sadly the sleeve itself on the case does not feature reversible artwork.
The film is presented on a dual layer disc in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio utilizing the AVC codec at a beefy bit rate often times getting up into the low to mid 30's. Nothing on the back of the case indicates that a new restoration was done for this release so I am assuming this is an existing HD master. Overall the film looks good with decent detail, accurate colors, and solid contrast & black levels. While a full fledged 2K or 4K restoration from the original camera negative (or even the interpositive) would have yielded better results, this blu-ray still represents a solid upgrade from the old DVD release. The 91 minute 25 second film is broken up into 13 chapter stops.
Sound is presented in 2 channel English DTS-HD master audio. Dialogue was clear and the overall mix well done in my opinion. English and Spanish subtitles are included for the hearing impaired.
Special features for this release are extensive and well done as follows:
• *NEW* Audio Commentary with Jarret Gahan, Editor-in-Chief of CultofMonster.com
• *NEW* Isolated Score Selections and Audio Interview with Composer David Newman
• *NEW* “Call Him Maurice” – An Interview with Actor Howie Mandel (18 min. 39 sec.)
• *NEW* “Beneath the Bed” – An Interview with Producer Andrew Licht (13 min. 54 sec.)
• *NEW* “Monsters Big & Small” – An Interview with Special Makeup Effects Creator Robert Short (14 min. 55 sec.)
• *NEW* Vintage Interviews with Actors Fred Savage, Ben Savage, Special Makeup Effects Creator Robert Short, and Director Richard Alan Greenberg (29 min. 2 sec.)
• “Making Maurice” – Vintage Footage of Howie Mandel’s Makeup Transformation (16 min. 16 sec.)
• Behind-the-Scenes Footage (11 min. 37 sec.)
• Vintage EPK & VHS Promo (9 min. 19 sec.)
• Theatrical Trailer (1 min. 28 sec.)
• Still Gallery (3 min. 36 sec.)
Fans of 1989's "Little Monsters" should pick up this special edition blu-ray without hesitation. The film looks and sounds good as well as featuring a terrific and exhaustive set of bonus features. Lionsgate did great work with this release. Highly recommended!
| Additional DVD options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
|
DVD
February 28, 2020 "Please retry" | — | 1 | $10.94 | $10.90 |
|
DVD
July 1, 2003 "Please retry" | — | 1 | $8.00 | $10.67 |
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