Your Monster
| Your Monster | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Caroline Lindy |
| Written by | Caroline Lindy |
| Based on | Your Monster by Caroline Lindy |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Will Stone |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Timothy Williams The Lazours (songs) |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Vertical |
Release dates |
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Running time | 98 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $300,000[2] |
| Box office | $745,652[3][4] |
Your Monster is a 2024 American romantic comedy-horror film written and directed by Caroline Lindy, based on her 2019 short film. The film stars Melissa Barrera, Tommy Dewey, Edmund Donovan, Kayla Foster, and Meghann Fahy.
Your Monster was released in the United States on October 25, 2024, by Vertical.
Plot
[edit]Laura Franco is a young actress enduring a cancer diagnosis. She tries to cope after being dumped by her playwright boyfriend Jacob Sullivan, whose play she helped him write prior to their split.
Her friend Mazie drives Laura to her childhood home, where she is forced to live following the break-up. During her stay, she hears noises and discovers a monster in the house, living in the closet upstairs. Though initially frightened by him and his demands for her to move out, Laura and Monster bond over their shared love of theater, and after two weeks Monster agrees to let her stay.
Monster convinces Laura to show up for auditions to Jacob's play, particularly for the main role which Jacob originally wrote for Laura to star as. Jacob refuses to cast her, instead choosing another actress named Jackie Dennon, but offers Laura to understudy for Jackie instead. Laura struggles to watch Jacob and Jackie's apparent flirtations during rehearsals, but finds solace at home with Monster. Laura invites him to a Halloween party hosted by the theater. He refuses, but arrives later and dances with Laura among the other partygoers, but their fun is cut short when Laura discovers Jacob engaging in sexual activity with a woman, presumably Jackie. Using his powers, Monster distracts Jacob towards a nearby trapdoor that opens and drops him to the floor below, injuring his arm.
Laura excoriates Monster for what happened, but he convinces her that Jacob breaking up with her amidst her cancer treatment was not okay. They return to the house to make love. At another rehearsal, Jackie learns from a castmate about Jacob and Laura's past. She later struggles to perform on stage and is berated by Jacob, but Laura comes to her defense, unloading all of her resentment towards Jacob for their break-up. Laura meets Jacob that evening to discuss what happened. They hook up in his office, but Jacob breaks the news that Laura has been removed from the production.
Laura returns home to find Monster in the closet. She discovers his hidden home, filled with articles of her clothes and other items taken over the years. She reveals the hook-up to Monster, angering him greatly, but she accuses him of not knowing anything about love because he's a monster and he's always been hiding. Monster reveals he hasn't been hiding, recounting other occasions during Laura's life when he tried to help her but she barred him in the closet out of fear. Laura leaves and shuts the closet, but opens it again out of regret, only to find that Monster has disappeared.
Following a hospital visit, Laura is declared cancer-free but she does not delight in the news. Jackie meets Laura outside her home to apologize for "stealing" Jacob, but Laura shrugs it off and says that people hook up. Jackie clarifies that she and Jacob have never had relations, and arranges for Laura to take her place as lead role in the play's premiere. While sneaking into the building, Laura catches Jacob and Mazie having sex. Mazie follows Laura to the dressing room to apologize, but Laura tells her to leave.
Laura appears on stage and performs, to Jacob's shock and rage. Her performance receives positive reception from the audience, but Jacob confronts her alone behind the curtains, accusing her of jealousy and selfishness. Monster then appears from the shadows and tears Jacob's throat open, after which the curtains open and a bloodstained Laura performs the final song. At the end, Monster is absent from the stage, while the crowd panics over the sight of Laura and the corpse of Jacob.
Cast
[edit]- Melissa Barrera as Laura Franco
- Tommy Dewey as friendly Monster
- Edmund Donovan as Jacob Sullivan
- Kayla Foster as Mazie
- Meghann Fahy as Jackie Dennon
Production
[edit]Your Monster is from Merman Productions.[5] Lindy and Kayla Foster produced, with Shannon Reilly from Bombo Sports and Entertainment, and Kira Carstensen and Melanie Donkers for Mermade.[6] Barrera described the project to Collider as an "incredible indie movie that was so satisfying to me. And I've realized how smaller films are more creatively satisfying in a way because you get a lot more say, and it's like a real team effort. It's like basically everyone is kind of sacrificing a lot to do this very low budget thing and make it look good and make it the best that it can be, and having the highest hopes for something knowing that you don't have the huge back of a studio. I think it makes you hungrier."[7] With news of the project coming soon after the release of her second film in the Scream franchise made some call Barrera the new "scream queen".[8][9]
Filming
[edit]The film was shot in twenty days in Hoboken, New Jersey.[10]
Release
[edit]The film premiered in the Midnight section at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2024.[11] In March 2024, Vertical acquired North American distribution rights to the film.[12] The film was released on October 25, 2024.[13][14][15]
Home media
[edit]Your Monster was released on streaming services on November 12, 2024.[16]
Reception
[edit]Box office
[edit]In the United States and Canada, the film made $522,958 from 651 theaters in its opening weekend.[17]
Critical response
[edit]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 75% of 80 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "A wickedly delightful genre mashup led by Melissa Barrera, Your Monster is pleasantly packed with songs, guts, and heart."[18] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 63 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[19]
The Nashville Film Festival praised Barrera, saying, "There are very few people who can light up the screen the way that Melissa Barrera does. The multi-talented actress displays the perfect level of innocence, vulnerability, and eventually fierceness in her portrayal as Laura Franco." [20]
Chad Collins of Dread Central stated "Your Monster is liable to be the most fun you have at the movies this year, perhaps in the past several years. Writer and director Caroline Lindy’s feature debut is remarkably assured, ostensibly retelling Beauty and the Beast, though imbued with oodles of charm, a smattering of horror gore, and a truly star-making turn from Melissa Barrera. Truly, Barrera, while a star before Your Monster, ascends to an entirely different level here."[21]
Accolades
[edit]| Award | Ceremony date | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Valley Film Festival | 3 March 2024 | Best Narrative Feature Film | Your Monster | Nominated | [22] |
| Best Performance in a Feature Film | Melissa Barrera | Special mention | [22] | ||
| Sundance London | 9 June 2024 | Audience Favorite Award | Your Monster | Won | [23] |
| Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival | 21 April 2024 | International Competition | Runner-up[a] | [24] | |
| Charlotte Film Festival | 2 October
2024 |
Audience Favorite
Award |
Your Monster | Won | [25][26] |
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Your Monster". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ lindy, Caroline (November 29, 2024). "Movie Forum User turned Director : Caroline Lindy interview!!" (Interview). Interviewed by MaryAnneJohnana. MovieFourm. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
- ^ "Your Monster". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
- ^ "Your Monster – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (April 13, 2023). "'Scream' Star Melissa Barrera Reunites With Radio Silence On Secret Monster Movie For Universal". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 13, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ Galuppo, Mia (March 6, 2023). "Melissa Barrera Headlining Horror Romance 'Your Monster'". Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ Nemiroff, Perri (March 12, 2023). "'Scream VI': Melissa Barrera Shares the Changes to Sam She Pushed for After Reading the Script's First Draft". Collider. Archived from the original on March 12, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
- ^ Villegas, Ana Karina (March 7, 2023). "Melissa Barrera settles as "Scream Queen" with new horror project". Noticine.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ DeVore, Britta (July 26, 2024). "Melissa Barrera Returns as a Scream Queen in First 'Your Monster' Footage [Exclusive]". Collider. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ Ryan, Gary (June 1, 2023). "Melissa Barrera: "As a Latino, most of the opportunities are to play immigrants"". nme. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (December 6, 2023). "Sundance Unveils Packed 2024 Lineup That Includes A.I., Pedro Pascal, Kristen Stewart, Satan, Devo & Steven Yeun". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (March 5, 2024). "Sundance Genre-Bender 'Your Monster' Starring Melissa Barrera & Tommy Dewey Lands At Vertical". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ T, Amber (July 11, 2024). "Melissa Barrera-Starring YOUR MONSTER Gets A Halloween Release Date". www.fangoria.com. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
- ^ Hamman, Cody (July 11, 2024). "Your Monster: Melissa Barrera horror rom-com musical gets a poster and October release date". JoBlo. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
- ^ Squires, John (July 11, 2024). "Horror Romance 'Your Monster' Starring Melissa Barrera Coming This Halloween [Poster]". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
- ^ "Horror Comedy 'Your Monster' Gets Digital Streaming Premiere Date". Forbes.
- ^ "Domestic 2024 Weekend 43". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ^ "Your Monster". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ "Your Monster". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
- ^ Valero, Richard (September 26, 2024). "Your Monster Review – Melissa Barrera & Tommy Dewey Are A Perfect Pair In This Great Rom-Com". Nashville Film Festival. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
- ^ Collins, Chad (January 19, 2024). "'Your Monster' Sundance 2024 Review: A Monstrously Good Time". Dread Central. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ a b "The 13th-annual Sun Valley Film Festival (SVFF) announced this year's juried film award winners". Film Festivals. March 4, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ Dalton, Ben (June 10, 2024). "Caroline Lindy's 'Your Monster' starring Melissa Barrera wins Sundance Film Festival: London 2024 audience award". Screen Daily. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
- ^ "Palmares 2024". Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "Announcing our 2024 Winners". Charlotte Film Festival 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ "Announcing our 2024 Winners". Charlotte Film Festival. October 3, 2024. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
External links
[edit]- Your Monster at IMDb