Nerdly » ‘No Such Thing As Monsters’ Review

17th Sep2020

‘No Such Thing As Monsters’ Review

by Chris Cummings

Stars: Angel Giuffria, Matthew Clarke,Jacob Fyfe, Georgia Crisfield Smith, Michaela Pascoe, Rebecca Fortuna | Written by Stuart Stanton, Karen Elgar | Directed by Stuart Stanton

Directed by Stuart Stanton (Flesh) and written by Stanton and Karen Elgar, No Such Thing As Monsters is an Australian horror film about a young couple who are on a romantic getaway in the Australian bush, only to find themselves being terrorized by a family of psychopaths.

Mary (Angel Giuffria, Impulse) and David (Matthew Clarke, Bush Boys) go for some much-needed time together in a nice quiet rural camping ground. What could possibly go wrong? It isn’t like this is a horror fi… oh wait. A weird family comes into the picture, combined of a brother named Elmer (Jacob Fyfe, Ninja Immovable Heart) and three sisters named Amy, Nelly and Becca (Georgia Crisfield Smith, Michaela Pascoe and Rebecca Fortuna respectively) and things go from calm to messy when this bizarre gathering of siblings torment the young lovers.

No Such Thing As Monsters is an easy to watch horror film and doesn’t mess about or walk any contrived pathways that some in the genre are guilty of, instead sticking to the road and providing an enjoyable and effective movie. The characters are well built. The ones you’re supposed to like are likeable. The ones you’re not supposed to like are unlikeable. You’d think that would be simple, but it doesn’t always work. It does here.

Stanton did a good job in that regard, and with the overall writing and look of the film itself. The plot is a bit shallow at times, yes, there are a couple of frustratingly missed chances with a couple of smaller characters, sure, and the dialogue had its moments of being a touch on the “iffy” side, but overall I had a good time with No Such Thing As Monsters. It’s unapologetic and well-made, with a cast that do a commendable job throughout. I liked Clarke and Giuffria as David and Mary and cared about seeing them get out of this terrible situation. I was unnerved by the villains, too, with Pascoe perhaps standing out the most with her performance. I dug it.

There’s a lot to like about No Such Thing As Monsters and while there are a handful of problems to be found, I mostly enjoyed what I was given. A simplistic horror scenario with a location proven to be successful when it comes to intense thriller or horror stories, this flick channels the energy of cult horror “murderous family” films that have come before it and does a damn fine job at creating something new that also feels somewhat “classic” in its execution. It wouldn’t be surprising to see No Such Thing As Monsters become a cult-favourite in the future.