PopHorror Let's Get Scared
How far would you go to be successful? How much are you willing to sacrifice? These are they themes that A Brilliant Monster deals with. While this subject has been covered in other films over the years, this film covers this subject well on a microbudget, which is not an easy feat. Check out the trailer for A Brilliant Monster and then read on to see why you should check out this absorbing indie horror film.
A Brilliant Monster is the latest film from director F.C. Rabbath (Watch Over Us 2015) from a script he wrote with Adam Bertocci. The film stars Dennis Friebe (Mr. Calculator 2019), Alea Figueroa (Gotta Kill ‘Em All), Nick Leali (No Good Deeds TV series), and Joy Kigin (I Am Frankie TV Series).
The film’s synopsis:
Successful author Mitch Stockridge hides a monstrous secret of where his ideas come from.
Amidst a string of missing person reports, a young woman comes forward alleging that her ex-boyfriend Mitch may have something to do with it. You see, Mitch is a writer whose muse is a bloodthirsty creature he keeps locked upstairs. In return for a steady stream of meals, the creature coughs up a wad of paper with a new idea for Mitch to work on. It’s a match made in hell and it works out well for Mitch for awhile, until a detective with a grudge starts to investigate Mitch’s connection to recent missing persons cases.
I really wasn’t expecting a creature to feature into the film, but it works well as a metaphor for how creative types tend to sacrifice those closest to them for their art, although in Mitch’s case its quite literal. We see him from the creature’s perspective, and it lets us see him for the monster he truly is. He is also a pretty interesting character. Much of the audience will be able to sympathize with his rough upbringing, but at the same time, he lets himself become more of a monster than his father, going so far as to sacrifice those that actually care about him. He lures people in with promises of love and affection, preying on their loneliness, and once he has them, they’re flesh for the beast, another bloody sacrifice for his burgeoning career.
And then there’s Abby, the cop pursuing a case against the author. Abby is an interesting contrast to the author. Mitch wants what he can’t have: Happiness. Abby had happiness and blames Mitch for its destruction. Dennis Friebe and Joy Kigin do great in their respective roles, and their characters antagonizing each other is captivating to watch.
Final Thoughts
A Brilliant Monster is an indie horror film that rests strongly on the shoulders of two fantastic performances, using them to tell a compelling, twisted and shockingly emotional story. Highly recommended.
