Little Monsters

review by michael archer

Abe Forsythe’s Little Monsters is a Horror Comedy which follows a washed-up artist who joins with a kids show host and a fun-loving teacher to protect a group of schoolchildren against a zombie invasion. Forsythe manages to blend comedy and gore into a peculiar yet entertaining zom-com flick. 

Little Monsters is commendably self-aware. At not one moment in the film does it attempt to be something it isn’t. A common problem of the horror genre is that of pseudo-profundity; directors often strive to make their films artificially deep and meaningful. The film is hilarious at times and kept me entertained for the majority of the short run time. 

The film’s main strength is undoubtedly the impressive performance of Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o. Lupita’s talent completely outshines the remaining mediocre cast as the enthusiastic elementary school teacher ‘Miss Caroline’ who strives to protect her kids at all costs. From singing Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off to hatching a plan to save her schoolkids, Lupita plays quite an atypical role for a horror film, but in a refreshing way. Were it not for her presence, I would imagine the film would drift into tediousness very quickly and lose the attention of viewers. 

Little Monsters is absolutely littered with plot holes and lacks any coherent structure. The screenplay is unintelligent, bare and downright lazy at times. It appears as though Forsythe attempts to compensate for the blandness of the plot with vulgar humour. Much of the run time is taken up by the over-use of swear words and slapstick ‘comedy’ filler. Numerous scenes are very poorly written and Forsythe resorts to trying to get a couple of cheap laughs from the audience. Aside from Lupita’s performance and the sporadic heart-warming singalongs with the school children, it is very forgettable.  Even with the short run time, the pacing is irritatingly mediocre. As for originality, Little Monsters lacks any; this is not exactly a breath of fresh air into the genre. The protagonist Dave’s foul-mouthed humour seldom brings anything new to the table. The characters do not develop in any notable fashion from the beginning to the end and it’s frankly tiresome to watch at times. 

Despite the film’s flaws, of which there are many, Little Monsters will keep you entertained and conjure up the occasional laugh. If you’re a fan of Lupita Nyong’o or are in the mood for a late-night gore fest which lacks any substance, give this one a go; you won’t be disappointed. Little Monsters is an occasionally heart-warming horror which plays it safe and will likely keep you entertained. 

Little Monsters opens in Irish cinemas on November 15th.