Plot hole: In order to get rid of the monsters, Phoebe needs to read a text from Van Helsing's diary in order to summon the vortex. As Dracula approaches her, she becomes scared and misses on some words (the Scary German Guy is helping her read since she is 5 years old and she doesn't repeat some of the words he says). However the vortex still shows up to get rid of the monsters.
SAZOO1975
22nd Feb 2007
The Monster Squad (1987)
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: It is never specified that the incantation must be read verbatim to work.
It also never states that reading only part of the incantation would work either. However, the mistake is still valid because the way to get rid of something evil by reading some "spell" you'd have to read the entire thing. Therefore the virgin shouldn't have been able to summon the vortex.
Since "spells" are entirely made up and magic isn't real, you can't say that in this film every word must be read for it to work when the film itself shows otherwise. Every film gets to make it's own rules with magic, this film establishes that the incantation can be read "in spirit" to work. Other films might have different rules.
It's always been implied in movies and books that incantations must be read word for word in order to work. Otherwise, what's the point of having all the words there if you only need to read a word or 2?
18th Feb 2007
The Monster Squad (1987)
Plot hole: The army showing up at the end of the movie is wrong on numerous levels. 1) Eugene wrote and sent out the letter that day. I find it hard to believe the mailed letter got to the army in just a few hours time. 2) How did the army know to show up at time square? When Eugene wrote the letter, nowhere did it say where to meet. Plus the boys didn't decide to go to time square until the last minute. 3) since when is the army deployed to battle monsters based on a letter that was written by a child?
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: The army's arrival being unrealistic is a very deliberate joke, like the armadillo-rats from earlier in the movie.
I submitted a category change to "Factual Error" to help cover this. It is indeed too deliberate to be a true plothole, but it is nonetheless amusing to point out all the ridiculous ways this humorous scene defies believability.
18th Feb 2007
The Monster Squad (1987)
Audio problem: In the mansion, the boys open a secret passage and fall through the floor. They scream after shining a flashlight on a skeleton. Eugene then can be heard whining that he wants to go home, but his mouth is not moving.
22nd Nov 2006
The Monster Squad (1987)
Deliberate mistake: When the vortex is summoned to get rid of the monsters, other things get sucked into it. Cars, trees, light poles, other police officers. However other things or people who are more accessible do not get sucked in. For example, Phoebe hiding behind a bench, the bench itself, Phoebe's mother and a few cops hiding behind a cop car, etc.
21st Nov 2006
The Monster Squad (1987)
Continuity mistake: When Horace is confronted by the Gillman and has picked up the shotgun, he looks inside and sees E.J. and another kid hiding behind the counter. Horace begs them to let him in. E.J. and the other kid shake their heads no and lower themselves behind the counter. A few seconds later, a distant shot shows the two shaking their heads and lowering themselves behind the counter again.
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