Book of Monsters

It follows a horror formula of the 80's slasher movies. There is the shy heroine with the mysterious past, the BBF who is overprotective, and the school bully who is just there to be mean for the sake of meanness in a High School with the world's oldest teenagers. I caught myself giggling at the cheesy but reasonably good special effects and best of all there was no CGI that I could tell of. This is one of those movies that you can't take too seriously because it's obvious that it was using a low budget. Would I watch it again? Probably not, but it was a good watch and it killed a bit of nostalgia I felt of the 80's.

"Book Of Monsters" is a fun, high energy, bloody good time. It is a micro-budget horror comedy that is reminiscent of classic 80's movies, such as "Evil Dead" and "Night Of The Demons". The story is a patchwork quilt of typical horror tropes, setups, and characters, but because Sparke knows the film he is trying to make, the familiarity is more a tribute to the genre than a copycat. It isn't perfect, there are times the humor falls flat, or the scene stumbles a bit, but the pace and the energy over-takes any real flaws.

Special effects are blood-soaked, gory practical elements that soak up the spotlight in "Book Of Monsters". It's like an 80-something minute long episode of 'Todd And The Book Of Pure Evil' on steroids. Sparke goes for broke creating visceral scenes of carnage, so much so that even the moments that fail are fun and enjoyable to watch. The creature designs, practical effects, and so many characters battling for "Scream Queen" gold are so captivating on screen.

Overall "Book Of Monsters" is a great indie horror comedy that gets so much right and does so much on such a small budget. There are some downers, the exposition material drags a bit- but how could they not after so much high energy scenes of monsters and guts and screams! For the most part "Book Of Monsters" is a must for indie horror fans, and is a prime example of why we love indie horror!

Ok. So it's not gonna win many awards for acting .......saying that the main characters are great.....just a few supporting actors (namely the father!) make this feel more like a Media Collage level project.

The old school practical effects were great to see and you can just tell it was a real labour of love for all involved making the various creatures and gore effects. Low low budget but with lots of heart. Plenty of Evil Dead influence throughout but with a more British sense of humour that works in most places. Under a more experienced director the scenes could have had the tension that it was lacking, but that will come in time. A fun way to spend 80mins...... Switch off the brain and enjoy the blood. One good thing is that they didn't go into the realm of shoddy after effects cgi (except the explosion) like a lot of budget films do and kept it practical with inventive monster designs (except the Djinn which was Poundland Halloween level. Ha .

Well done to all involved. Teens will love it. Pretty girls, blood and........well more blood. p.s...... I was actually left wanting to see further adventures of the female trio of monster slayers......which is rare.

Rubber monsters, hot girls and fun scenes where they chainsaw up a spider creature that reminded me of the Alien Queen from Aliens. Not a bad way to spend an evening. I'd watch a sequel if it had a bigger budget.

2019s Book of Monsters

Book of Monsters stars Lyndsey Craine as Sophie, Who on her 18th birthday, has a party that goes awry. Is it spoilery if I say there are monsters? Or maybe even a Book of Monsters?

Monsters, fun kills, silly practical effects make this an enjoyable watch.

Ok, here is what I jotted down:

What kind of weirdo keeps an open pocket knife in their back pocket? Has a fun BBC/E4 vibe to it, and I love a lot of Brit tv and movies. Funny kills and monsters. Who doesn't love killer gnomes in a Evil Dead-ish scene? I liked the music. A mix of silly overly-dramatic music and synth. Fun practical effect mixed with the kind of bad CGI that is funny and not just bad. Bad sound design throughout. It has a montage, complete with 80s style Jean Claude Van Damme music. Loved the music in the end credits how it was self aware and funny. The post credit scene teases what could be a fun TV show similar to the cancelled Crazyhead.

All in all, if you're looking for a fun and entertaining watch that you can toss on and not take too seriously: this is a good choice.

Have fun.

6.5/10