Bryan Bertino’s 2008 thriller The Strangers outperformed box office expectations and offered several bona fide unnerving moments, earning the slasher a small and devout following. It would be six years before we saw Bertino’s sophomore film, Mockingbird — a generic and predictable work that gave the sense Bertino had certainly taken more than a few steps backwards.
Two years on from the misfire, we’ve got our first look at Bertino’s Mockingbird follow-up, The Monster (originally titled There Are Monsters). Led by Zoe Kazan, it follows a divorced mother, Kathy (Kazan), and her daughter, Lizzy (Ella Ballentine), as they drive through the night to see her father due to an emergency. As they navigate their way through deserted country roads, a dog suddenly appears on the road and Kathy swerves to miss the canine, inadvertently crashing the car. Stranded, Kathy and Lizzy fight for their lives against a terrifying beast.
See the preview below:
Acclaimed horror filmmaker Bryan Bertino (The Strangers) directs this suspenseful and scary new film, in which a divorced mother (Zoe Kazan) and her headstrong daughter must make an emergency late night road trip to see the girl’s father. As they drive through deserted country roads on a stormy night, they suddenly have a startling collision that leaves them shaken but not seriously hurt. Their car, however, is dead, and as they try in vain to get help, they come to realize they are not alone on these desolate backroads—a terrifying evil is lurking in the surrounding woods, intent on never letting them leave…
A chilling and tension-filled experience, The Monster pits two ferociously strong women against one of the scariest and most shocking monsters you’ll ever see. It will be a battle no one will forget.
The Monster (which also features Scott Speedman, who appeared inThe Strangers) hits theaters and VOD on November 11, distributed by A24.