Good ol’ Mitch; he’s an mega-successful self-help author that is a seemingly endless font of new ideas…I mean who cares if his beautiful girlfriend left him because he’s a douche, and he has only like one friend in the world (and it isn’t his bedridden a-hole Daddy that lives with him). Well, the creative well does eventually run dry for our pal Mitch, as the ideas stop flowing, no matter how many dipshits he feeds to the toothy monster that lives in a room upstairs in his home. Yeah…Mitch feeds the monster, the monster spits out story ideas…tale as old as time really. Anyway, soon the local police get in on the act as the number of dead hookers and drunk girls gets to be a bit on the high side (that and the fact they actually believe the batshit story his ex-girlfriend feeds them) and things get dicey for our “hero”.
A Brilliant Monster does a lot of good things; the story is dark and the protagonist is a real asshat (yet he does have a reason or two to be so), but he is thoroughly engaging and you really do want to see how the whole situation pans out for the dude (played to the hilt by Dennis Friebe). Another highlight is the unique and fun premise…I mean, c’mon what’s not to love about a guy that feeds people to a monster that literally spits out new ideas (on wadded up pieces of paper no less) for self help books? It’s complete lunacy, but presented with conviction and a straight face (though I would love it no matter how they presented it ‘cuz I’m that type of ghoul). Finally there is some top notch cinematography and lighting you don’t often find in film’s with a smaller budget, and gives the whole thing a great feel. Now about that budget…
Even thought the word “monster” features prominently in the title, and there are plenty of scenes with said beast, you can forget ever seeing any of him…it…whatever. There is a fleeting glimpse that lasts about one p.h. in length (science term…super complicated), but for the rest of the time you just look out from within the creatures mouth. I know the film probably couldn’t afford a full on creature to be featured continuously (or maybe it was a stylistic choice…and if so, what in the unholy f**k were you thinking?!!), but I love monsters with a purple goddamned passion, and when one is mentioned in the title I want to see it!!
Absence of creature footage aside, A Brilliant Monster is a winner. It’s smarter than it has to be, well acted and shot, and is an overall fun ride. Seek it out horror hounds!
A Woman Goes to Extremes Lengths to Fix Her Flaws in ‘Grafted’
From New Zealand-born director Sasha Rainbow comes the body horror film Grafted. Today, the new trailer has dropped,...
