Little Monsters (2019)
There was a lot of buzz coming out of the festival circuit for Little Monsters(not to be confused with the Fred Savage/Howie Mandel joint from 1989), the R-rated horror comedy from Australian writer-director Abe Forsythe, starring Lupita Nyong’o. So, I tried to temper my expectations and excitement before watching, but I don’t think it would have mattered, because the results were too good to merit any level of disappointment. Within the first 10-minutes of crass and brilliantly offensive humor, I knew we were in for a no holds barred treat. The gloves were off. Swearing around kids? Sex around kids? Not a second thought was given, and the film is all the better for it. Thank you, Australia!
The story centers around Dave (Alexander England), a down on his luck, getting nowhere musician, who we meet at the tail end of a comically volatile relationship. There is so much arguing and fighting it’s hard to tell if he angrily decided to leave his girlfriend, or if she booted him out. It’s moot, because the relationship was clearly doomed to failure. Dave is transplanted to his big sister’s house and becomes something of a reluctant caretaker to her son, Felix (Diesel La Torraca).
Reluctance soon turns to pure and utter dedication when Dave meets Felix’s kindergarten teacher, Miss Caroline (Nyong’o), a beautiful, charming, sweet as saccharine woman who unwittingly beguiles him. When a parent of one of the other students drops out as a chaperone for a field trip to a local farm, Dave seizes the opportunity to step in. Upon their arrival, the kids go berserk when they spot a favorite TV personality, Teddy McGiggle (Josh Gad)who is there filming a live show.
What Dave, Miss Caroline, Teddy and none of the children could possibly plan for is the zombie invasion that soon falls upon the farm, as herds of the undead escape a nearby U.S. testing facility. Bloody mayhem ensues and it’s up Dave and Miss Caroline to protect the children.
Lupita Nyong’o continues to delight and surprise as she jumps from one genre to another, excelling in historical dramas, blockbusters, horror, and now showing off her comedic (and singing) skills, which are to no one’s surprise, flawless. Josh Gad is fantastic as the children’s performer, who portrays one thing on screen and is someone completely different behind the mask, shocking and repulsing those who see his true colors. The real surprise here is the star-making turn by Alexander England as our foul-mouthed hero. This endlessly hilarious performer looks like the spawn of Chris Hemsworth and wrestling legend Chris Jericho and posses all the charisma, humor and empathy that those performers have in spades. I would be shocked if we don’t start seeing a lot more of England.
Reflecting on the history of horror-comedies, the very best of the genre are known the moment the film is over, if not well before. No amount of time is needed to sit with and ponder upon the likes of Evil Dead II, Dead Alive, Housebound, CootiesorWhat We Do in the Shadows to determine if they will hold a place in the realm of ‘best of’. Such is the case with Little Monsters.
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