Literacy
is power in horror movies—evil, demonic power. This is a volume in the
tradition of the Necronomicon and
[Todd and] The Book of Pure Evil. However,
it holds the secrets of defeating the supernatural creatures as well as the
rites for raising them. Yet, Sophie simply knew it as an heirloom of her late
mother’s. Its full significance will be revealed on her 18th
birthday in Stewart Sparke’s Book of
Monsters, which releases today on VOD.
Sophie
is a shy, barely in the closet lesbian. Her bestie is Mona is the exact
opposite. She and their friend Beth think a wild birthday party is just the
thing to help Sophie finally score with her crush Jess. However, things really
careen out of control when a shapeshifting demon crashes the party and uses her
mother’s evil book to summon five nasty monsters by sacrificing a virgin. So,
yes, it will be that kind of shindig. At least Jess’s obnoxious, bullying
friends will provide some meat for the grinder.
Honestly,
the entire film is pretty meat-headed. If we’re going to be pedantic, it really
doesn’t make much sense that Sophie and her ineffectual father would have such
a sinister relic used laying about the house. Yet, the film’s upbeat energy and
goofy humor just carry us along anyway. It is impossible to resist laughing at
the over-the-top lunacy Sparke and screenwriter Paul Butler unleash, especially
when the young ladies gear-up like Ash in Army
of Darkness.
It
might be Sophie’s party and she can cry if she wants to, but Michaela Longen
upstages everyone as Mona, the trampy troublemaker. However, Daniel Thrace
probably scores the most laughs as the nebbish torch-carrying Gary, while Anna
Dawson camps and vamps it up something fierce, as Sophie’s mean girl nemesis.
Book of Monsters has plenty of dead
teenagers, but its empowering portrayal of girl power friendships is what
really distinguishes it. It is sort of like Nancy
Drew and the Hidden Staircase, with more comedic gore and raging power
tools. So, what’s not to like?
In
a weird way, it is refreshing to see a movie about teens where social media is
the least of their worries. Obviously, Book
of Monsters was conceived as the launch of a franchise—and we’re not
opposed. Recommended for fans of gleefully unruly horror-comedies, Book of Monsters releases today (3/19)
on VOD.
