Chris Silverston (director)
(studio)
18 (certificate)
89 (length)
12 March 2022 (released)
13 March 2022
Laura (Christina Ricci) and son Cody (Santino Barnard) are on a long drive to a new home and life out in the sticks in California. The house is rented from an amiable Mr Langtree (Don Baldaramos) who is happy enough to do the odd job for them but basically its theirs for as long as they want.
It’s the 1950’s with Bill Hailey’s See Ya later Alligator playing on the radio and the world looks peachy. As they settle in Cody takes an interest in the pond nearby and the viewer is let in on the fact that maybe something is not quite right.
A phone call distresses Laura and another from her mother triggers a reaction that suggests however rosy things may be now they are coming from a very dark place. Cody’s nightmares and experiences become more intense with Laura eventually witnessing the spectre. At the same time school is not going well and Laura’s boring typing pool job seems to forcing her to drink or back to drink, it’s not quite that clear.
Monstrous, written by Carol Chrest and directed by Chris Silverston makes a virtue of not being too clear despite the creature/ghost getting an early showing, thus keeping the viewer enveloped for the rest of the film. Is it grief or trauma that’s shattered and again looking to shatter Laura and Cody’s lives?
There’s a steady drip of information paralleling Ricci’s gradual change in character from idealist 50’s rock ‘n’ roll era mum to a snippier character as she confronts her boss at the typing pool and her poor relations with her landlord’s wife (Colleen Camp) deteriorate with every meeting.
Ricci is phenomenal in this role that keeps the viewer guessing and convincing you that the character doesn’t have clear handle on what is going either way. Her descent is gradual as she takes phone calls from her ex suggesting an abusive relation, contradicted by her mother and Cody who is happy to go back and forgive him. Voice inflections and mannerisms change with the circumstances as her mind churns, and as the strange Mrs Langtree begins to become more aggressive piling on pressure and increasing doubts in Laura.
Monstrous doesn’t reinvent the haunted house wheel or have any major tricks up its sleeve. What it is, is a good solid and interesting film that takes the viewer along to a satisfactory conclusion.
Monstrous received it world premiere at Glasgow FrightFest 2022
