Director Fred Dekker’s 1987 cult classic monster mash The Monster Squad (watch it HERE) features variations of the classic Universal Monsters characters Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, The Wolf Man, The Mummy, and the Gillman, but it wasn’t actually a Universal production. So to avoid getting in trouble with Universal, the movie’s effects crew at the Stan Winston Studio had to create their own specific designs of the creatures… but that didn’t stop them from sneaking homages to the original monsters in there. It has been known for a while now that designers Steve Wang and Matt Rose hid the face of the original Creature from the Black Lagoon somewhere on the neck of their Gillman suit. Now – as pointed out by Monster Squad super-fan Shawn Robare of Plastic Rocket Pop – the exact location of that face has been found!
Thanks to a listing for a Monster Squad Resin Head Casting on eBay, we now have pictures that give a clear look at the Gill-man face that was hidden on the Gillman’s neck, and you can check those out at the bottom of this article. Take a close look at the bottom image in particular. And if you want to own the head casting, all you have to do is go to that eBay link and buy it now for $1,500.
Directed by Dekker (Night of the Creeps) from a screenplay he wrote with with Shane Black (Lethal Weapon), The Monster Squad was inspired by the classic Universal Monsters movies (plus Abbott & Costello and The Little Rascals). The film has the following synopsis: A group of youngsters find themselves up against the combined might of Dracula, the Mummy, the Gill Man, the Wolf Man, and Frankenstein’s Monster, who arrive in town in search of a magic amulet. It’s the movie that taught us all that the Wolf Man does indeed have nards.
Andre Gower, Robby Kiger, Ryan Lambert, Ashley Bank, Michael Faustino, Brent Chalem, Stephen Macht, Leonardo Cimino, Duncan Regehr, Tom Noonan, Jonathan Gries, Mary Ellen Trainor, Lisa Fuller, and Stan Shaw star.
Are you a fan of The Monster Squad? What do you think of the Gillman having a hidden Creature from the Black Lagoon face on its neck? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
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