Your Monster

Writer/director Caroline Lindy impresses with romantic horror comedy debut.

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If you’re on the lookout for a romantic horror comedy that’s far heavier on romance and comedy as opposed to horror you could do a lot worse than “Your Monster” (in select theaters including Indianapolis-area locations AMC Castleton Square 14, Landmark’s Glendale 12 and Regal Village Park beginning Friday, Oct. 25).

Laura Franco (Melissa Barrera) is having a rough go of it. She’s a struggling stage actress who was just diagnosed with cancer. After having a procedure to remove the disease, Laura’s composer/lyricist/director boyfriend of five years Jacob (Edmund Donovan) callously breaks up with her while she’s recuperating.

Laura moves from she and Jacob’s apartment back into her childhood home while her mother’s away travelling. She’s understandably down and depressed and spends her days crying and having food delivered. Her monotonous misery is broken up when she’s reacquainted with the Monster (Tommy Dewey) who slept under her bed as a child.

At first the Monster wants Laura out of “his” house, but he ultimately softens and the two eventually enjoy spending time together. Monster even encourages Laura to go out for the production Jacob’s mounting. She helped him write the show and he promised her the lead role, which has since been filled by famed starlet Jackie Dennon (Meghann Fahy, “The White Lotus”). Laura settles for being a member of the chorus working alongside her friend Mazie (Kayla Foster).

“Your Monster” is written and directed by Caroline Lindy, making her feature debut adapting her 2020 short film of the same name. It’s billed as being, “Mostly based on a true story,” as it was inspired by her breakup from a decade or so ago. The flick feels like “Drop Dead Fred” by way of “Beauty and the Beast” with a dash of “Black Swan” thrown in for good measure.

There’s much about the movie I admired. Barrera, who seemed on the cusp of being cancelled after being canned from “Scream 7” late last year for her pro-Palestine comments, is excellent here. I’ve liked her elsewhere (“In the Heights,” “Scream” (2022), “Scream VI” and “Abigail”) and this is arguably her best work to date. She sings beautifully (props also to composer brothers Daniel and Patrick Lazour for their inspired original songs), has real deal chemistry with Dewey (who’s awesome here much like he was in “Saturday Night” a few weeks back and kinda recalls Ron Perlman’s Vincent from CBS’ “Beauty and the Beast” series from the late 1980s and early 1990s) and craftily cuts to Laura’s emotional core. Barrera is strongly supported by Donovan (his Jacob is one of the douchiest characters in recent memory), Fahy (she and Lindy give Jackie a decency that’s often missing from characters like these) and Foster (often awkwardly funny).

“Your Monster” ends abruptly in a way that can be interpreted many different ways. I hope it was a therapeutic exercise for Lindy and am curious to see whatever she dives into next. It’d also make a good double bill with Zelda Williams’ “Lisa Frankenstein” (my review here) from earlier this year for those who are so inclined.