LogFAQs > #946310376

DAY 25.4: The Monster
On Netflix

This is a movie by the director of The Strangers, and a movie I wanted to see for a while now.

The Monster is about an alcoholic mother and her daughter who hits a wolf in the middle of the road in the woods, and soon they realize there's a monster looking to kill both of them if they get out of their car.

Let me start by saying this feels like it's from the director from the Strangers simply from... an exploring the humanity of the very flawed characters perspective. This movie is about the mother, played by Zoe Kazan, being an alcoholic and abusive towards her daughter. Normally this should be deplorable, but the script and acting from Zoe Kazan make it so you see the inner workings of their relationship, and while the mother is incredibly flawed, deep down she cares deeply for her daughter. And it takes a situation this extreme for her to show the depths of how much she cares and what lengths she'll go to protect her.

It is legitimately a powerful story and I loved watching every bit of it as the story plays out with a mixture of present day terror and flashbacks.

The story is told on one road for the majority of the film. Just a broken down car and then a few other developments. But it's told in such a way they make it work. And the monster itself is played as completely terrifying. They do such a good job with it, even if the effects feel a little dated at times. It seems like they went with the Alien method of creating the creature.

It's an A24 film, so you know there's bound to be some quality there. And I thoroughly enjoyed this film and what it had to offer that was far more than just a survive x threat with mother and child(ren). It had a compelling story about them, and when horror is mixed with a story about people dealing with their issues, I feel a lot of times those are some of the best stories.

Big recommend for The Monster here.

Rating: 8/10

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