Dir. Bryan Bertino | Now Streaming On: HBOMax | Rating: 2/5

I hadn’t heard of The Monster at all until I started doing the prep for the cagematch. I think that’s pretty indicative of this film as whole – since The Monster isn’t a standout one way or another. With its heavy handed symbolism, this storytelling feels amateur and doesn’t deliver as much as it could. 

This film uses the creature as a symbol of multiple things, depending on how you view the film. The first usage is to depict the tumultuous relationship between Kathy and Lizzie, as we learn more about their relationship through flashbacks we also learn more about the creature’s nature. The second is focused on the lens of Kathy’s alcoholism and the lengths one must go to reconcile the depths of addiction and achieve sobriety. 

On paper, these seem like successful enough analogies, but in practice these feel pretty on the nose. Coupled with stilted acting and writing, these metaphors feel elementary, like we’re reading an angsty high schooler’s essay about their addict parent. As someone who knows a thing or two in that department, I say that as more of a fact than as a dig. 

I’m not a fan of single location horror, where the entire film takes place in one spot. In The Monster, we are at the site of a car accident the entire film. We become intimately familiar with the inside of a car. Though the intended effect is for the viewer to feel claustrophobic, this just makes me feel bored. 

I won’t spoil the monster, but I will say it’s nothing special, let alone nightmare material. This film ambles to its ultimately predictable ending, making this your typical run of the mill horror film, something I’d expect to see on Tubi, but not from A24. If maternal horror is your thing, this is one to add to your watchlist, but otherwise, skip it. 

Know Before You Watch: Abuse, blood, death, gore, flashing lights, animal death.