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After moving house and witnessing his parents' marriage crumbling in front of him, Brian (Fred Savage) investigates his brothers claims that monsters keep coming from under his bed and scaring him at night. After swapping rooms, Brian is visited by a big blue monster, and the next night Brian manages to trap him in his room using his engineering skills. The monster turns out to be hyperactive troublemaker Maurice (Howie Mandel) who befriends Brian, and shows him the wonders of the monster world under his bed, where every night, the monsters reek havoc in the homes of young children. But the mysterious monster Boy (Frank Whaley) wants Brian for himself and keep him under the bed until the sun comes up, and thus turning him into a monster.

Apart from the first four Rocky films, Little Monsters was hands down the main film I watched religiously as a child, my face no further than two feet from the TV screen. I remember finding it strangely eerie amongst all the fun, and being genuinely disturbed by some scenes. Boy's henchman Snik, a giant, hunchbacked monster with large bottom teeth, really frightened me, and the scene where he breaks one of Maurice's horns always shocked me. Re-visiting the film, roughly around fifteen years later, I can see that I was right to feel unnerved.

Yes, the film is certainly childish and playful, but has a surprising line of darkness flowing through it from beginning to end. From early on, where Brian finds an overturned TV in the darkness of his closet that is showing the climax of The Fly, to the finale that sees Boy's face burned off to reveal a hideous face underneath, the film often steps out of the childhood safety area. It's certainly refreshing to see, and this sort of atmosphere can only be found in the Golden Age of kiddie flicks, the 80's, where films like The Dark Crystal and The Goonies showed creepy creatures and foul-mouthed kids that the target audience could really enjoy and relate to.

Not to say that Little Monsters quite matches up to the two films just mentioned - it has some annoying child characters and Maurice does become slightly tiresome - but it is certainly an imaginative, funny and exciting little film. It's sad to see another of the key child stars of the era, Fred Savage, come out of the decade and dissolve into the woodwork, similar to the likes of Corey Feldman and Corey Haim. Although his maniacal behaviour does occasionally become exhausting, Howie Mandel's performance is certainly energetic, and you can't help but love him when he drinks a bully's apple juice, only to refill it with p**s. Hardly a classic, but certainly a film I will absolutely cherish from my youth, and will enjoy revisiting once every decade or so.

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Little Monsters (1989) is a movie I loved as a kid and recently watched again on Netflix with my daughter. The storyline follows a young man whose little brother is plagued by a monster under his bed. When he decides to help his brother get over the problem he offers to switch rooms for a night and discovers the monster is real. The young man becomes best friends with the monster but discovers there may be side effects to being friends with a monster. This movie is directed by Richard Greenberg (Tales from the Crypt episodes) in his directorial debut and stars Fred Savage (Wonder Years), Howie Mandel (Gremlins), Daniel Stern (Home Alone), Margaret Whitton (Major League), Frank Whaley (Pulp Fiction) and Ben Savage (Boy Meets World). The storyline and settings in this are absolutely awesome. They did a great job of establishing relationships between characters and the settings both within the house, school and under the bed were awesome, really captures the imagination. The dialogue in this was very good and creative. Savage and Mandel played off each other to perfection. The makeup and special effects were very good and the conclusion was surprisingly well developed, thought out and intense. There's a lot to like about this film and I would recommend seeing it at least once. I'd score this a 7.5/10.

Little Monsters is a fun film for kids. Brian Stevenson (Fred Savage) seems to be getting blamed for everything these days. Leaving his bike out behind his dad's car. Making a mess out of the ice cream. But Brian insists that it isn't his fault.

One night, Brian discovers the cause to all his problems is a monster named Maurice (Howie Mandell), and shows Brian that under every kids bed, is the entrance to the underworld of childish monsters. And for Brian, it's the coolest thing and an excellent escape from his problems in the real world. It's great. There's no adult supervision. They can do whatever they want, whenever. And, the funniest part, is that Brian gets to join Maurice creating monster mischief to get little kids in trouble (peanut butter on the phone, seran wrap on the toilet seat, etc). It's a whole lot of fun for kids tired of rules.

But the monster life isn't all the treat it's cracked up to be. In the first place, there's an ugly looking fat monster who torments the monster kids that don't obey him. Maurice and his new friends have to destroy the evil monsters who have kidnapped Brian's little brother, Eric (played by Fred Savage's brother, Ben). And, Brian, Maurice, and some of their friends, have to get Eric back before they get stuck in the monster world forever. If they do, they'll turn into monsters too.

This is a great, creative kids movie, exploring the idea of monster life under the bed long before Monster's Inc. I still enjoy the sequence of Brian setting up his room to trap the monster and also the sequence where Brian and Maurice go around the neighboorhood to cause mischief and get the kids in trouble. And, despite it's age, I don't even think it's a dated adventure movie. Unfortuantely, it was also one of those movies where young Ben Savage was still the cute little kid that made you ignore the fact that he couldn't act.

Although I did enjoy this movie (and gave it a 7), I found the PG rating a major misstep by the MPAA. Cuss words, adult situations, more than cartoonish violence .. not that the movie is lessened because of it .. but at the beginning of the video I rented, there was an add for kids to call a 1-900 number and try to win prizes related to to the show - but this movie is in no way made with kids in mind. Howie Mandel hams it up, and an early movie appearance by Frank Whaley is five minutes of fabulous.

Little Monsters is one of those guilty pleasure films that, when viewed through the lens of love and nostalgia I have for it, is quite enjoyable. Looking back more recently and as close to an unbiased viewing as I can get, however, the cracks quickly begin to show in the film.

This film feels like an extension of The Wonder Years, with both Fred Savage and Daniel Stern playing the same basic characters. Opposite them you have the always-manic Maurice, played by Howie Mandel, who has no apparent "off" switch as he pulls a number of mean-spirited "pranks" from his mysterious world accessible from under the bed of a child before dragging Brian, Savage's character, in on the action.

There are a few jokes in the film, but the majority of them are dated and just don't land anymore. There's a lot of humor that comes from the downright hateful tricks the monsters pull on the children (complete, of course, with the horrific reactions from the parents). That humor doesn't land either.

The "mysterious" monster world is literally the equivalent of a studio backlot, full of cardboard boxes and digital effects glittered throughout. The monster world, along with the "real" world, look like something lifted directly from a TV movie.

Then, of course, you have the villains. Boy, the ruler of the monster world, and Snik, the genuinely terrifying creature who exists as an enforcer of the rules. He's truly menacing and about the only thing in the movie that still invokes the intended emotion in the audience.

Nevertheless, nostalgia is a powerful thing, and it's what kept me coming back to this movie time and time again over the years. No matter how bad this movie is in a countless number of ways, it'll always hold a special place in my heart.

Howie mandell plays a great job as maurice, the boogyman that lives under brians bed. His wacky and fun and really shows off his acting talents here. His makeup along with the design of the rest of the monsters is fun also. We also have Danial stern as brians father, who was fun but wish we saw more of him. The rest of the cast were good and this movie is just a big thrill ride. That is untill brians fun becomes a nightmare but even that is entertaining but also scary at the same time. Overall a good movie but not intended as a family viewing experiance.

This movie is a blend of all great things 80s! And not your normal molly ringwald classics. Fred savage, ben savage, monsters, 80s makeup fx, 80s synth pop. Creative story line and the precursor to monsters ink! You'll love everything about this movie if you like the feeling of a simpler time. Do yourself a favor and watch! Happy halloween!

This was a good film, not great I watched the movie with my sons and they loved it. While it isn't the greatest movie of all time, it teaches a nice message and makes you feel good. The only drawbacks that I saw were trying to make Fred Savage's younger brother Ben an actor before he was ready. The profanity included was unnecessary; while I support realistic language in a film, the swearing seemed fake and forced and simply out of place. Fred Savage, even at this early age, knew how to act and Howie Mandel's monster performance was well done. I'd recommend for parents to watch this film with their children as it teaches a valuable lesson about how families should try to work. All in all it is a great rainy day renter.

The 1989 Fred Savage and Howie Mandel vehicle, "Little Monsters", is a children's/kid's film. While it was a childhood favorite of mine, I recently had a chance to re-watch it, and I have to say, it just doesn't hold up. It suffers from a loose plotting and a disturbingly cruel nature, and I'm shocked my parents actually let me watch it.

Savage stars as Brian Stevenson, a young boy who has just moved to a new neighborhood, and is feeling sad because he lost all of his friends. When strange pranks appear, set up all over his house during the night, he is blamed by his parents for setting them up, even though he denies it. In addition, his younger brother claims to have seen a monster that comes out from under his bed at night. Soon, Brian encounters the monster- Maurice (Mandel), a playful and nutty humanoid with bright blue skin, who introduces him to the world of monsters underneath his bed- a massive land with all sorts of creatures who do nothing but play pranks, scare kids and play video games.

However, over time, Brian realizes that the pranks and fun have consequences, and he and Maurice are forced to help his brother Eric, whom is subsequently kidnapped by "Boy", the evil leader of the monsters.

To give credit where it is due, the film has a strong atmosphere. Although it's meant to be fun, the introduction to the film and the third act are meant to be creepy and unsettling for the audiences, and I will say, this film is oozing with atmosphere and the general creeps. It is well paced and well-shot, and it is very eerie for children. Particularly some of the earlier jumps and some of the monsters.

In addition, the script (by future "Pirates of the Caribbean" scribes Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio) is quite imaginative, although it has been long-rumored that many scenes were cut and re-written, and that the final product differs greatly from the first draft.

Finally, the music is incredible. It's very haunting and has an air of sorrow, mixed with hints of joy. It gives a good tone and emulates the up's and down's of the story magnificently.

However, there are two huge, looming problems with the film.

First, despite the imagination, the film isn't well-written. Characters are established well, but are not necessarily likable. And the plot is just a mess. In fact, the "plot" doesn't really exist until the last half-hour. Up until then, it's more of a series of skits and pranks. The villain ("Boy") and his motivations are not made clear, and the climax, without spoiling anything, is a non-sensical, sloppy mess. It brings the film down a few points, and takes away from the scenes that do indeed work.

Secondly, this is a very dark, cruel film. Many scenes involve pranks played by the monsters, which become increasingly dark and morally questionable. Scenes involving tricking young children into drinking urine, scaring infants, tampering with food, destroying property, etc. break past the border of bad taste. And there is a great deal of violence in the film, including characters being kidnapped, burned, beaten up, and even a creepy scene where a monster is decapitated and has its head replaced with a pumpkin. It's very dark, and it's inappropriate for children under 12, I'd say. (Which is the target market, as kids who are any older are probably not going to like it) And the bigger problem is that there are no real consequences for the cruelty and violence, making the theme of responsibility very hollow and hypocritical.

This film is a mess. It deserves about a 3 out of 10, but my nostalgia for it, and the sleepless nights of creeps it gave me has elevated it to about a 5 out of 10. I'd say it's decent for older children, but parents should plan on watching it with their kids, and making sure the theme of responsibility was clear to them.

I remember watching this movie with my dad when I was 9 and it was easily one of the funniest movie I had ever feasted my eyes upon. Howie Mandel's one liners were wildly inappropriate for children. Not too mention Fred Savage who was playing an eleven year old boy was almost just as cheeky which made the hilarity of the characters even more difficult not to laugh at. While it definitely doesn't even come close to being as hilarious as The Goonies it certainly is one of the funniest children's films to come out of the 1980s.

Haven't watched this in so many years... great movie! So many familiar faces. Who knew so many people were in this. Def worth a rewatch. It's on Netflix right now, so go watch it. Definitely glad we rewatched this gem!

A boy (Fred Savage) discovers an incredible and gruesome world of monsters under his bed.

Everyone wants to talk about Fred Savage and Howie Mandel (and both are great), but I think the real gem of this film was Daniel Stern. Stern just gets overlooked and people do not realize the breadth, width and depth of his career. Most people probably forgot he was in this movie, and even more people probably forgot he does the narration on "Wonder Years".

When I was younger, this movie frustrated me because I thought the monsters were really big jerks, getting kids in trouble for things they did not do. Now as an old man (32), I really see the overall message I missed as a kid: the monsters were a metaphor for immaturity. Who knew this was so deep?

The. Stevenson headed by father Glen (Daniel Stern) and mom Holly (Margaret Whitton) have just moved. Their one son Brian (Fred Savage) isn't taking to it so well. Also things are not being left where they were thought to have been left which of course gets Brian in trouble with his dad. Brian's brother Eric (who is played by Fred's real life brother Ben Savage) tells him that it is the monster under his bed that is moving things around. Brian doesn't believe him so they switch bedrooms. Brian soon finds that there is indeed a monster under his brother's bed and tries to catch it.

Nice little fantasy movie kind of aimed at kids. I say kind of because I enjoyed this film more now than when I watched it when I was a kid because of some of the jokes that fly over a kid's head.

Howie Mandel plays Maurice the monster under Eric's bed and I do think the makeup effects are pretty solid in this film. Really well done and hold up today. I also tip my hat because when Maurice and Brian visit the monster's world every monster is different and they needed to come up with new designs for each of those characters. Also starring Rick Ducommun and Frank Whaley.

An astounding film like this should be in the top fantasy and family lists, and I'm shocked that it isn't. I first saw it actually about a year ago, but completely forgot about it after that until about a month ago. Since then I've probably watched it 7 or 8 times. It just plunges you into believing in magic. Kids movies are NOT made like this today...and I wasn't even alive in the 80's. But this movie has more substance, more of a story and reason to being made. It starts off showing what kind of life Brian has, but quickly picks up when Maurice enters the scene. And it all turns to fun and games. But just as quickly it turns serious, but I won't give that away. The sets are amazing, the acting is great, the costumes are fun and wild looking. The swearing caught me off guard, but it's nothing kids haven't heard already. Either this movie was rated by another system or the MPAA just overlooked it since it did have such a small release...sadly. This film has to be the most underrated film I have ever wathced...It has quickly become one of my favorites and probably will always be...

If you're a fan of quality movies then watch this one because it will blow you away.

A kids movie that delivers, Little Monsters is something I'd recommend even now to families. Sure it ain't perfect, but it does manage to get a good mix of fantasy and real issues that confront people (boy not wanting to grow up, parents having marriage issues etc).

Well acted and filmed, you should see it if you get the chance. Fred Savage manages to be cute and smart but still likable, not completely sugar-sweet. The rest of the cast works together, with the possible exception of Ben Savage (Freds brother). But hey, he was like 7 and it was his first real role, so all in all, a really good movie. It's too cute to really dislike. Nuff said.

This movie was okay. Made me want to watch a better movie which is beetle juice or any other movie really. 2 stars. Thanks.

OK, I will not give away it's plot, or anything like that, but, I will tell you, that I am in my mid-30's, and I watched this movie, when it first came out, and I read, how another watcher, mentioned how they couldn't understand why it was such a "B" movie, when it really should have been one of the top movies of it's time, and I would have to agree with how it was made, and how the plot was pretty solid for it, unlike so many of the movies made in the past 10-15yrs, it is VERY underrated, and should be allowed to watch it, for many years to come, for the young-ins out there, that want to know, what a "real" movie looks like, and how it should be processed, with the right people playing the characters, and how the outfits are made right, to fit the scenes and etc, and yes, because of this movie, and a select few others, I really wanted to start acting myself, but with where I live, it is very hard to get to LA, where I feel is the best chance to get into the acting business, but I will get there, one day, and I will be looking for plots like this one, and etc, so that I can feel comfortable with finding my place in the industry, all because of the imaginative minds of the writers and set artists, like these, who created this movie.......

Little Monsters (1989) -

I was surprised that this film had passed me by until now. It would have been right up my street when it was released and when I was consequently a lot younger and less of a misery guts.

However as someone who hasn't exactly matured, but has definitely aged, it didn't really tick my boxes in 2023. Don't get me wrong, it was fine and did the job that it was supposed to, but it just didn't entertain ME specifically, as a forty something, which was okay, because it wasn't aimed at me.

I could see why and how it would have appealed to a younger audience, although it might be a bit of a struggle with the current generation.

It had hints of 'Explorers' (1985) about it with regards to its production and comedy levels and overall the story was a bit like a mix of 'Monsters Inc' (2001) and a kids version of 'Beetlejuice' (1988), with its secret world of monsters connected to portals under the bed and where the monsters were big pranksters with odd behavioural tics.

Unfortunately Maurice (Howie Mandal) the main "Monster" was a bit over the top for me, without Michael Keaton's skilled delivery and he didn't stop moving for even a second. He also must have said 'Ha' out of context about a hundred times.

But funnily enough, although he used to irritate the hell out of me in 'The Wonder Years' (1988-93), there was no denying that Fred Savage, playing Brian, has always been talented. He delivered his role here better than any of the others did.

I did have to wonder if Daniel Stern in the role of the Dad had ever got bored of playing jerky characters too. He was somewhat of a monster too and his parenting technique could easily have been that of an unseen brother to Marv from 'Home Alone' (1990). His diversity has always been a bit limited.

In general it was one of those films where the main character realised what was really important in life before the end, which has always been a good and important lesson, but the getting there was a bit tough at times, with Maurice being a tad too obnoxious and the performances not all brilliant and the underworld not exactly well built or thought out, mostly just to make it "Fun" for kids, but I thought that it looked cheap.

In summary: Well done Fred.

571.39/1000.