Melissa Barrera has officially branched out into monster movies -- but her first hit with a hairy beast isn't the violent slash-fest we've come to expect from the Scream star. Rather, Your Monster is an oddly heartwarming horror romance that, despite receiving a somewhat lukewarm reaction upon its theatrical debut in October 2024, is currently climbing the streaming charts over on Max.
An independent project that first premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, Your Monster follows Barrera as young actress Laura Franco, who is struggling with her recent cancer diagnosis as well as a brutal breakup with her playwright boyfriend. Upon returning to live in her childhood home, Franco discovers a monster in the closet, whom she appropriately dubs "Monster."
At first frightened by each other, Franco and Monster quickly develop a bond over their shared love of theater, and become even closer when Monster exacts revenge on Franco's ex-boyfriend for dumping her in the midst of her cancer treatment. Their relationship turns complicated, however, due to Franco's lingering feelings for her ex and her participation in the show she helped him create. These conflicts are only exacerbated when Franco discovers a cache of her personal items in Monster's closet, seemingly proving that Monster had been present -- yet hidden -- all of Franco's life.
The horror rom-com received dismal box office numbers upon release, but audience reviews and ratings are incredibly positive by contrast, indicating that perhaps Your Monster simply got lost in the noise of other October premieres. The film earned a 78% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences scored it even higher, with an impressive 85% score amidst glowing praise for Barrera's performance in particular. As Catherine Bray of The Guardian writes: "As fun as the boys are, this is Barrera's show. She is tremendous, and seemingly having a tremendous amount of fun."
Your Monster is directed by Caroline Lindy, based off of a short film she created in 2019, and stars Tommy Dewey (The Mindy Project) and Edmund Donovan (Civil War) alongside Barrera.
The Real Monster in Caroline Lindy's Closet Close
Based on the synopsis of Your Monsters, audiences may be surprised to learn that the film self-proclaims itself to be "based on a trueish story." Unfortunately, the literal monster of Your Monster is a figment of director Caroline Lindy's imagination -- but many emotions and events depicted in the movie are rooted in reality. Like Laura, Lindy was 23 when she received a life-threatening health diagnosis and was dumped by her boyfriend in the same week. Understandably, Lindy felt consumed by rage, but rather than hiring a hitman to murder her ex -- as she admitted to wanting to do -- she decided to take the more legal and ethical route of creating Your Monster instead.
Interestingly enough, Lindy is far from the only director transforming traditionally gruesome creatures into unconventional love interests. Although stories like Twilight have imagined various ways to make supernatural monsters into attractive and available partners for hapless female protagonists, recent trends seem to be cutting out the middle man entirely.
Related Your Monster Review: Melissa Barrera Gets Emo with Her Hot Wolfman Roommate
Tommy Dewey and Melissa Barrera elevate an inviting tale dripping in heartache and desperation.
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Take Lisa Frankenstein, for example. By the end of the film, Cole Sprouse's Creature has become a relatively normal-looking human -- albeit one lacking some vitamin D -- but there are plenty of other heartwarming and intimate moments between Lisa and the Creature that don't shy away from the morbid and disgusting. Limbs fall off, worms fall out, and foul smells run rampant -- and similarly, the titular Monster in Your Monster doesn't require abs or sparkly pale skin to be lovable and attractive to the protagonist.
Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Your Monster Not Rated Romance Comedy Horror Music 3 /5 Release Date October 25, 2024 Runtime 104 minutes Director Caroline Lindy Writers Caroline Lindy Producers Bob Potter, Sharon Horgan, Kayla Foster, Clelia Mountford Cast See All Melissa Barrera Laura Franco Tommy Dewey Monster
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