The Monster Project follows a recovering drug addict who takes on a job with a documentary crew that seeks out three individuals who claim to be real-life monsters.
The Monster Project Review
I am a sucker for a well-named film on Amazon Prime (yes we get it all down here in Hell). The Monster Project was one of those movies that drew me in, then I read the description:
“A recovering drug addict takes a job with a documentary crew who plans to interview three subjects who claim to be real-life monsters.”
I like (and know some) real-life monsters and one of my favorite movies (Absentia) is about a recovering drug addict, so I was down.
The film is very slow at the beginning, gathering all the necessary characters and seemingly inconsequential plot points together. Honestly, it is a bit confusing, but finally the main story ends up in a house where all the protagonists are meeting to interview some real-life monsters: A skinwalker, a vampire, and a demon possessed girl. As you can imagine, stuff gets real as night closes in, and despite its kind of slow bumbling start, Monster Project ends up being a very entertaining found footage movie.
That is right folks, a found footage movie. Super original, right? Well this one has a few things I think make it stand out a bit. The first is that it uses some pretty radical practical effects side-by-side with digital effects. That always makes me happy to see the two types of special effects being used together. The second is the twist at the end. I tend to have a problem where I never see anything coming no matter how heavily it is hinted to during a movie. It has been something my doctor diagnosed as being thick horned (that is why Sickle tried to cut one off!). So maybe it is more obvious then I am giving it credit for.
The strange thing is I'm not quite sure how to box up this film with my typical 3-5 word snark. It kinda has aspects of lots of stuff. Demon possession mind games. Check. Dauntlessly hunted by a werewolf. Check. Scary ol’ broken down house. Check. Found footage shaky cam. Check. Really, as far as Horror Qualifier goes, it has almost everything. But as we all know that doesn’t mean the movie is any good. While I truly enjoy stuff like The Monster Project, I shamelessly admit that it is not a super great film. But it is a pretty rad horror movie, and sometimes that's all that matters, right?
Horror Rating System
Horror Qualifier: 9/10
Horror Quality: 7/10
Film Quality: 4/10