Period horror has become one of the genre's latest trends, and with Monstrous, the '50s are explored with an eerie undertone that is hard to ignore. Perfectly playing up the decade it's depicting, Monstrous is a twisty film that starts off in one world but ends somewhere entirely different. The story is a mystery that never truly gets solved, and while that sometimes benefits the movie, the ambiguity confuses the film by the end. The central monster in this film is effective but could have been explored more. At its core, Monstrous is a mind-bending indie horror flick that deals with timely themes but ends up getting consumed by its own vagueness.
Directed by Chris Sivertson from a script by Carol Chrest, Monstrous stars Christina Ricci as Laura, a mother who flees her abusive husband with her son to an isolated, lakeside house. Soon, Laura's son Cody (Santino Barnard) starts to get visits from a ghostly presence that he calls the lady of the lake. Laura faces pressure from her new job, her landlords, and her husband's attempts to find her and Cody. However, none of that compares to the horrors she will have to face when protecting her son from supernatural forces.
Monstrous does a good amount of things right, and one of them is depicting the '50s. From Ricci's costume design to the soundtrack, the film feels like a time capsule. Ricci's performance is another big highlight. An accomplished actress whose career seems to be in the early stages of a kind of renaissance period, Ricci delivers a dynamic performance that shows both finesse and a commitment to go all out. Laura seems to hold everything together so well, but by the end, it's clear that she has been slowly unraveling on the inside throughout the whole movie. Ricci conveys this and more, further proving that she is a force to be reckoned with.
With that said, Monstrous struggles with pacing and the overall delivery of its content. The film kind of wanders around, becoming less engaging in its middle. In a lot of ways, it feels like a half-baked version of The Babadook, attempting similar ideas but faltering more often. The film depicts feminism in a time when it wasn't accepted, and the horrors Laura faces sometimes serve as a metaphor for the horror she has to deal with in real life as a strong woman who no one wants to take seriously. However, these interesting themes are never fully realized, especially after the film goes off-kilter with multiple twists that almost completely derail the movie.
The monster of the film is highly effective, reminiscent of old-school monsters with a modern twist, but it's not present in the film enough. When Monstrous works, it's a fun love letter to the monster movies of the past with something to say, but when it doesn't, it feels tedious and confused. Overall, Monstrous is an interesting effort that could have been something a bit more memorable if it focused on its central themes instead of becoming convoluted by fluff and a silly final act twist.
Monstrous hits theaters and On Demand on May 13.