Boasting movies such as The Lighthouse and Hereditary, A24 became a reference for horror cinema in the past decade. That’s why every time a new horror release gets an A24 seal, we are all eager to see what new nightmares the company is bringing us. Still, with 24 horror movies released in the last decade, it’s expected that some releases would get more attention than others. And in The Monster's case, Bryan Bertino’s (The Strangers) third feature as a director is an underrated gem that deserves a second look, especially for horror fans looking for a story with high emotional stakes.
Why Did 'The Monster' Stay Off of Everyone’s A24 Radar?
First of all, let’s address the monster-sized elephant in the room. While The Monster is an A24 horror movie, it doesn’t feel like the other company’s releases. A24 horror movies are quirky and weird, offering something the audiences have never seen. Midsommar remains one of the most beloved horror movies ever by creating a terrifying story based on love and community. And The Witch is a unique period drama that uses demons and temptation to discuss female independence. Even in their biggest box office failures, A24 still has something unique to show. For instance, Tusk didn’t connect with the public, but where else can you find a story about a mad scientist turning a man into a walrus through surgery?
The Monster, contrary to other A24 movies, is more on the classic side of horror. The story follows a mother and a daughter who have an accident on a deserted road in the middle of the woods. A storm is coming, and they must stay put while an ambulance and a tow truck try to get to the isolated place. Unfortunately, they soon find out a deadly monster is stalking them. If it sounds like a classic setting, that’s because it is. The Monster sticks to classic horror beats, and while the creature’s practical effects are beautiful, the movie even suffers from characters making stupid choices to prolong the runtime. That would make The Monster just an average horror movie if it weren’t for the dramatic layer that runs parallel to the survival story.
'The Monster' Emotional Stakes Make It an Underrated Gem
While Kathy (Zoe Kazan) and Lizzy (Ella Ballentine) are fighting for their lives in the woods, we also get flashbacks that reveal more of their mother-daughter relationship. As it turns out, their current road trip was set to take Lizzy to her father’s house, from where the girl planned to remain, even though she tells her mother she’s only going for a short vacation. That’s because Kathy is an alcoholic who can become violent at times, which makes her an abusive and unstable mother.
If The Monster told the story of Kathy and Lizzy only through the teenage girl's eyes, the mother would be an obvious villain. But what makes the film’s emotional stakes so high is that we also get glimpses of inner conflicts of Kathy. We see her deciding over and over again to quit alcohol for the sake of her daughter. The woman also genuinely struggles with her addiction, and seeing her fail is soul-crushing. Kathy is a lousy mother, there’s no doubt about that. But she does love her child and tries really hard to change. And we can’t help to feel sorry for her when her alcoholism drags her down in the mud and makes her fail as a parent repeatedly.
While The Monster tells a classic horror story, there’s nothing simple about the relationship between Kathy and Lizzy. And that alone is more than enough reason to give the movie a second chance. The Monster didn’t reach the audiences, probably because it doesn’t feel like an A24 movie, which harms mouth-to-ear marketing. Still, when this underrated gem leans over Kathy’s parental struggles and Lizzy’s traumatic childhood, it hits hard as a truck. So, horror fans looking to shed some tears instead of getting some frights should add The Monster to their backlog.