Monstrous is the story of a young woman who elects to go searching for her friend
who had gone missing in a town known for Bigfoot sightings. Her road trip takes
her to a place far darker than the lair of a giant hairy monster, but we will
leave the synopsis at that.
Written by lead actress Anna Shields (Little Bi Peep from 2013) and directed by Bruce Wemple (The Tomorrow Paradox and Lake Artifact (2019)) Monstrous follows Sylvia (Shields) who
reluctantly goes to Whitehall, NY to trail the last place her missing friend
had been seen. She is accompanied by Alex (Rachel Finninger), a stranger who is
headed to the same town, but the Bigfoot subject is the last thing that comes
up.
The film has amazing imagery that lends to the mystery of the forest and
its mythological inhabitant, but the actual topic of Bigfoot is as scarce as
the manimal himself. An entire hour of the film is clumsily devoted to
girl-on-girl angst as a bland and overbearing attempt at character
establishment. If you like chicks making out incessantly while you get drunk on
the couch, Monstrous will satisfy you
for most of the running time. If you aim to see a tension-filled Bigfoot film,
perhaps pass on this one.
It is a bait-and-switch of topics, but having said that, the few sights
of Bigfoot that we do get in this film are breathtaking, making it worth the
tedious wait. The cinematography successfully embraces the legend and its
larger-than-life appeal and the make-up effects for the entire film is
believable and very well done. Wemple is clearly a thorough director, using
atmosphere and color grading to enhance the scenes even more.
Monstrous delivers a promising opening sequence and follows with pleasant natural
acting, especially by Sylvia’s pal Jaime (Grant Schumacher), that gives the
film credence on many levels. Unfortunately, the story is thin and predictable,
focusing far more on common psychoses than the intended enigma it uses to hook
audiences. However, it does jumble up expectations in exploring the more
bestial attributes in humans, which runs a pretty metaphor to the mythos of the
man-beast. The criminal element in the film will please fans of true crime and
thrillers in general, so roll your dice!
The duplicitous nature of the film is a double-edged sword. Most
audiences might feel cheated at the actual subject matter that is masked as
what most would expect – an adventure into the untamed horror of the Sasquatch.
Monstrous never claims to be
exclusively about Bigfoot, though, therefore seizing every right to steer us
into a slight detour during the film. Those who enjoy a double plot run will
enjoy the sub-plot which is responsible for most of the horror aspect of the
movie, after all.
To horror audiences, Monstrous will be forgettable, but that does not
mean that it is not a decent opportunity to watch a solid piece of horror that
will satisfy your serial killer needs.
--Tasha Danzig
