Monstrous

Bruce Wemple’s Monstrous leverages our ongoing fascination with Bigfoot to deliver a murder mystery that has more than its fair share of surprises. It’s the kind of movie you may write off entirely before the title card appears, but if you stick with it, even for just five more minutes, you’ll be glued until the very end.

Written by and starring Anna Shields (The Executioners), Monstrous follows her Sylvia, a young woman searching for answers after the disappearance of her best friend. Sylvia’s only lead comes in the form of mysterious hitchhiker Alex (Rachel Finninger), who leads her to a secluded cabin in a Bigfoot hotspot. It’s there that Sylvia finds the answers she’s seeking, but the truth is stranger than anyone could imagine.

Shields’ script understands the wants and needs of the Sasquatch movie audience. The film is bookended by two memorable appearances from the mythical monster, but Monstrous has more to offer than merely its creature. The core story of friendship and how the bonds we share often become entanglements adds a much needed human element to the proceedings. The two women are both lost in their own ways, and their time together reveals how little they understand each other, as well as themselves. It’s as much a story of grief as it is one of unimaginable horror, and in finding that balance, Shields crafts a riveting thriller.

But the focus on relationships does require viewers to submit to extended periods with no thrills or chills. Following an exciting opening sequence, Monstrous takes its time developing its characters and the many traits that make them unique. Aside from the questionable use of sex as a means to quell a threat, the wait for action proves worthwhile, but it does demand patience. That isn’t a common theme in films featuring larger-than-life beings devouring humans, but, then again, that’s not really the story that Monstrous is trying to deliver. Saying anything more would spoil the fun. 

With such a strong script to build from, Wemple’s toughest task is executing Shields’ vision on a tight budget. Monstrous appears to have cost next to nothing to produce, with minimal effects and a tiny cast, but compelling storytelling does not require large sums of cash to illicit a powerful response. Wemple’s direction utilizes natural lighting and conventional staging to ground the more supernatural elements. He then limits handheld camera work to moments of tension, which effectively pulls viewers in without the use of jump scares or loud musical cues.

It’s tough to say if Monstrous has a great lesson to share or any insight into the human condition, but it does provide a compelling escape from the chaos of life outside your home. It also proves that there’s still room for original creature features that use internationally recognized monsters without succumbing to (too many) genre tropes. We may never find a Sasquatch, but Bigfoot movies will be with us until the final film is made. 

Grade: B-plus. Not rated. Available to rent via iTunes

(Photo: Uncork'd Entertainment)