Forget Godzilla versus Kong or Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman.
In YOUR MONSTER, allegory and metaphor duke it out in a mix of horror, musical theatre, and cinephilia.
Referential but irreverent, YOUR MONSTER takes Beauty and The Beast and gives it a metaphoric rise, putting a smile on the simile, a flip to the fable, and an original spin on the parable.
Battling that monstrous disease, cancer, and having been dumped by her uncaring, narcissistic lover, playwright director, Jacob, struggling actress Laura Franco returns to her childhood home to recover.
Hoping to heal from the heartbreak of the break-up and the terror of the tumour, she seems to find no solace or humour, except possibly from the Amazon delivery man who brings her continual and copious orders of Kleenex.
Becoming somewhat of a recluse and bingeing on ice cream, she is shocked to discover a monster dwelling in her bedroom wardrobe. There’s no sympathy from this devil, he wants her out, and gives her a deadline to vacate.
But as the time of his ultimatum runs through the hour glass, an unlikely connection is forged, and at his urging helps Laura stand up to her ego bloated, self centred ex and fight for the lead role in his show that was promised to her.
Laura and Monster’s relationship slowly grows into something more symbiotic as she rediscovers her power and learns to unleash her long-suppressed rage.
Writer director Caroline Lindy cogent and audacious take on this monster mash is reminiscent of Brian De Palma’s classic Phantom of the Paradise and has the promise of becoming a cult classic.
Melissa Barrera as Laura and Tommy Dewey as the Monster cook up quite a chemistry, a bubbling beaker under a blazing Bunsen.
Edmund Donovan is suitably spineless and snot nosed as Jacob, while Kayla Foster as Mazie, Laura’s beastly bestie impresses as two faced bitch.
Where so many studio produced movies are stretcher cases, needing crutches to stand up, the independently produced YOUR MONSTER struts and preens in its B grade glory climaxing in musical theatre mayhem.
For those who know an apologue from an epilogue, an allegory from an allergy, YOUR MONSTER should scare up a rewarding response.
