Entertainment One
1560 minutes (72 episodes), with Tempestt Bledsoe, Adrienne Barbeau, Wil Wheaton, Matt LeBlanc, Morton Downey Jr., and many more

When this DVD set hit my inbox, I thought it was something I had never seen before. However, as soon as the cyclops mom in the opening intro sequence brings her monster family snacks for TV-time, all sorts of ’80s memories came flooding back. Die-hard fans might also remember that all three seasons were later shown on the SyFy channel. These fans can now own it all in one super all-encompassing set.

The series came from producer Richard P. Rubinstein (“Tales from the Darkside,” Dawn of the Dead, Creepshow, “Frank Herbert’s Dune”) and all 72 episodes are creepy and hilarious. Fans of b-movies and cheesy horror will rejoice.

Not only do the stories hold their own, but the cameo appearances from the likes of Steve Buscemi, Deborah Harry, Meat Loaf, and David Spade make the series a real treat. Almost every episode features a well-known ’80s movie/TV star, some of whom are still making films today.

Every episode of “Monsters” is its own standalone story with its own featured monster. The creatures were all brought to life by Emmy- and Academy Award-winning makeup effects master Dick Smith. Without his expertise, the show might not have gone past the first season — hell, maybe not even past the pilot episode.

The two episodes that had me in stitches were from season one: in the first, “My Zombie Lover,” Vanessa Huxtable (Tempestt Bledsoe) tries to fight off a zombie who has a huge crush on her; in another, David Brisbin from “Hey Dude” fame (fame?) moves into a house that turns him into a Mr. Hyde type character in the other.