Synopsis
Laura, traumatized by an abusive relationship, runs away from her former husband with her seven-year-old son Cody. But in their new, idyllic and remote sanctuary, they find they have another, bigger and more terrifying monster to deal with…
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Cast
- Christina RicciLaura
- Santino BarnardCody
- Don BaldaramosMr. Langtree
- Colleen CampMrs. Langtree
- Lew TempleMr. Alonzo
- Carol Anne WattsJane
- Peter HodgePoliceman
- Nick VallelongaLegionnaire
- Sally ElbertGrandmother
- Rachael EdlowYoung Grandmother
Recommendations
- 84
TheWrap
Monstrous offers a strong premise and some fresh twists, particularly in a genre where gimmicky filmmaking has prevailed. - 70
The New Yorker
Mystery buffs will see a twist coming from afar, and connoisseurs of horror will be underscared, yet the film sits squarely in the Ricci canon. Once again, she leaves us wondering: Is her character the victim of menace and disorientation, or could she herself be the wellspring of strangeness? - 63
RogerEbert.com
Christina Ricci does most, if not all, of the emotional lifting in the lightweight horror drama Monstrous, a period piece about a single mom and her son who, in 1955, run away from home and re-settle in an isolated lakeside house. - 60
Wall Street Journal
An uneven but likable horror film with one of the better plot twists in recent memory. - 60
Los Angeles Times
For the most part this is a captivating mood piece, held together by Ricci’s take on a woman who is chasing an impossible idyll while being trailed by something dark and murky. - 60
Screen Rant
Ricci’s assured and robust lead performance helps build upon some exciting ideas in the script and is ultimately the reason to watch. She is thoroughly captivating and, while the film never reaches her level of excellence, it is still a relatively fun, wonky ride. - 40
Slashfilm
There's a difference between intentionally misleading the audience and cleverly setting up, then subverting, expectations. Ultimately, "Monstrous" does the former, leaning far too heavily on expository dialogue that fundamentally contradicts everything the audience is seeing. - 38
Movie Nation
The jeopardy is built-into the situation, but the frights feel low-stakes and simply don’t get the scary job done.
