- Starring
- Christina Ricci, Santino Barnard, Don Durrell
- Writer
- Carol Chrest
- Director
- Chris Sivertson
- Rating
- PG-13 (United States)
- Running Time
- 89 minutes
- Release Date
- May 13th, 2022
Overall Score
Rating Summary
The 1950’s was a delightful period to witness on screen. That being said, cue Monstrous, an indie creature feature set in the 50s that sees Christina Ricci plays a housewife named Laura who was on the run with her young son Cody (Barnard). After escaping to a house in the country, strange things start to happen. While its nostalgia factor is neat, it does not quite mesh with its horror elements. The decision to lean more towards horror seemed to be a mistake as the film doesn’t succeed in creating thrills while taking itself way too seriously. It could have been a fun mystery thriller had it not push all the chips in on taking a scary route. In the end, the film is hit or miss resulting in an odd assortment of tones and genres mashed together. Some may say a Monstrous mash.
Monstrous sets the tone with some oddly arranged piano keystrokes as it aims for a creepy first impression for which unfortunately fails. From there, the film couldn’t seem to settle on a tone, shifting from aspiring creepy to upbeat on a dime and only got more perplexing. Ricci as Laura certainly has the look of someone from that era and slides in seamlessly with her red and white polka dot dress and companion yellow sweater. A horror film set in the 1950’s with vintage cars, old timey dresses and classic tunes certainly sounds like a bit of fun thanks to that unique and interesting premise. But those themes never quite meshed together in a compelling enough way with their execution leaving much to be desired. As the film went on, those strange occurrences kept happening at a quicker pace and not just with the film’s editing. While these quirks were no doubt deliberate, this only added to the overall uneven lane the film settled into. The film uses many of the typical horror tropes, perhaps aiming to incorporate more throwback horror elements to scare viewers but they mostly come across as uninspired and cheap.
Despite the film’s concise runtime, Monstrous still drags as it gives viewers absolutely nothing to hang onto. This may be due to its off-putting screenplay. The moments of questionable dialog add up and will surely make some feel lost as the film’s unclear direction the film was heading in was completely out of focus. It plays its cards close to the chest, resulting in more of a hard hitting ending though. The final act may be enjoyable but the lead up will be a test.
On a technical level, the film excels including its production and costume design. Meanwhile, a mediocre score complements an already mediocre film with random piano keystrokes falling in lockstep with its random directorial decisions. While the film is likely to not be well-received by critics, it does have a surprising amount of elements worthy of praise. However, it is still something so discombobulated that it sure to cause more frustration than satisfaction.
At the end of the day, those looking for nostalgia could do worse. Despite its scares, horror, and monsters, viewers can do much better than Monstrous.
still courtesy of Screen Media Films
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