Review: Your Monster

Directed by: Caroline Lindy

Written by: Caroline Lindy

Starring: Melissa Barrera, Tommy Dewey, Edmund Donovan, Kayla Foster, Meghann Fahy

Rating: [3.5/5]

For valid reasons, monsters should drive fear in us. These creatures contain features meant to frighten us along with the harm they can cause. A whole genre of filmmaking exists that solely focuses on this very concept, but Your Monster posits what it would look like for the monster to not necessarily frighten but somehow become a confidant. A silly premise but one that surprisingly works well in this feature as a story of a woman trying to learn to stand up for herself receives unexpected help from a monster that appears to her one spooky day. 

Combating cancer and recently dumped, Laura (Melissa Barrera) finds it difficult to remain positive about life right now. She struggles with the fact that her playwright ex-boyfriend will soon put on a play she helped him write. One night, Monster (Tommy Dewey) appears to her and claims her home for himself. However, they begin to build a bond, and Monster decides that she can continue to stay in the house, at least for now. 

Truly a strange film to describe other than a comedically strange story carrying some similarities to Beauty and the Beast that only gets better as it goes along. For its horror-comedy components, this film displays a moving story for Laura as she learns not only that she has a life worth living but also that she should stand up for herself. She does not need to remain passive when all of these terrible things happen to her in succession. It makes sense why she would have this dejection in her current place in life. Not only does she suffer with a cancer diagnosis, but she must also deal with the ramifications of her ex-boyfriend dumping her because this condition overwhelms him. He then takes the play they worked on together and tries to take all of the success for himself while she remains holed away and alone. Truly despicable behavior by him, but Laura’s mental state leaves her in a place where she feels completely hopeless, and that is where Monster comes in and changes everything. 

The arrival of Monster first frightens Laura, rightfully, but the comedic manner in which he takes a liking to our lead character and seeks to help her through this tumultuous time in her life. He essentially becomes her coach as he tries to help her believe in herself not only to refuse to forfeit her life at such a young age but also to take life by the horns and audition for the very play her ex-boyfriend wants to take from her. This dynamic goes very differently from one typically shared between a monster and the individual it seeks to torment. It creates such a fun dynamic between the pair, especially when Laura gets on her feet again and begins to find more of an appreciation for Monster and, in turn, herself. 

At the center of this film we have two strong lead performances by Melissa Barrera and Tommy Dewey. They both shine as they portray exactly what these characters call for. Dewey, in the makeup portraying Monster, hits every bit of humor of this character as he becomes so easily likable despite the terrifying look. He stood out as the biggest surprise of the film, seeing as his co-star failed to surprise in her quality. Melissa Barrera’s rise in acting has consistently demonstrated she has the chops to continuously deliver strong performances. As Laura, she must go through the gauntlet of her life circumstances but still deliver on a comedic level as she begins to build herself up one step at a time with the help of Monster. Barrera is pitch perfect in this role as the steady ship throughout this film to help keep it afloat in even its strangest, kookiest moments. The film contains some rapid tonal shifts in moments that could have led to its detriment, but she, as the glue, successfully holds it together as we never lose sight of what this story symbolizes for Laura and the personal journey she completes. 

A wonderful surprise that some may not necessarily buy into, Your Monster worked quite well in what it wanted to exhibit. This horror comedy plays into each of its genres well as it nails the initial moments of building fear and then the humor in the rapport built by our two leads. When the conclusion arrives and displays what the journey truly means for Laura, the film takes its biggest swing and sticks the landing. For all of its strangeness, Caroline Lindy’s work provides every bit the fun it promises, led by two fun lead performances.