Book of Monsters

This British horror comedy had a budget of less than 100k and though I entirely support independent movies I always believe in not over-shooting. What I mean by that is don't make a movie above your means, if you have a micro-budget then maybe avoid monsters, aliens, giant spaceships and explosive action. Considering the subject matter here for that reason I had my concerns, I didn't need to apparently.

It tells the story of a girl celebrating her 18th birthday by having a house party. Before they know it they're under siege from an array of monsters, will they survive the night?

I liked this, we don't see "Monsters" as much as we used to so it was a nice refreshing change seeing people under assault from them instead of the usual generic slashers or zombies.

With a neat little competent unknown cast (Though too old to be playing teenagers), impressive effects for the budget and a fair bit of originality I was very impressed by what they accomplished here.

Sure it's hardly groundbreaking and the budget limitations do show in places but they made the best of what they have and that right there demonstrates the talent both in front of and behind the camera.

I'd actually like to see a sequel to this, it's an underground movie that deserves considerably more attention than its likely to get. More of these and less Hollywood trite please.

The Good:

Looks great for the budget

The Bad:

REALLY poor casting for teenagers!

Stock sound effects

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.

When Sophie (Lyndsey Craine) has a few friends over for her 18th birthday, she has no idea that her past is about to rear its ugly head. As a child, Sophie went through a tragic event involving her mum and the BOOK OF MONSTERS. Now, her dad has given her this terrible tome, and left her and her friends to have their party.

Two things happen that make for a very interesting evening: THING #1- Someone has invited a small army of strangers, who get busy drinking and destroying the house. THING #2- One of the "guests", a mysterious redheaded woman, opens and reads from the beastly book, with wicked intent! Unthinkable, blood-spraying, dismembering madness soon follows! Will anyone survive the night?

BOOK OF MONSTERS is a low-budget, wonderfully cheeezey-on-purpose, gloriously non-CGI, horror / comedy from the UK. It's refreshing to see movies that don't resort to using computer-generated, cartoonish "blood" or "monsters"! Here, we're treated to old school, practical effects! No, they're not "Hollywood" perfect. They are decent though, and perfect for this particular movie. The story is also good, though it certainly pays homage to past films of the genre. The characters are not -at least not all of them- a bunch of idiots, and the monsters are game!

A gut bucket full of fun for the fear fanatic!...

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

"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!