Netflix Just Released Criminally Overlooked Comedy Horror Gem With 'Abigail' Star

Netflix finally released Your Monster, Caroline Lindy's debut movie that made the festival circuit but failed to capture the attention of the general public.

It's a rare case of genre eclecticism working flawlessly, encompassing a romantic comedy, horror film, musical, and psychological drama about recovery.

Melissa Barrera, familiar from her roles in the horror flicks Abigail and Scream, plays the lead role.

What Is 'Your Monster' About?

Laura survived cancer, but she didn't regain her joy in life with remission. Her boyfriend, with whom she had been writing a Broadway musical, broke up with her during her illness and decided to direct the play alone.

One day, Laura finds a monster in her apartment – a shaggy, anthropomorphic creature that threatens to eat her if she doesn't stop complaining.

Faced with the threat of physical violence, Laura must pull herself together, look for work, interact with people, and demand her rightful place in the theater production.

'Your Monster' Is Partly Based on the Real-Life Story of Its Director

Your Monster's opening credits warn that the story is based on almost true events – like her character, Caroline Lindy survived cancer at 24.

During remission, patients often find themselves trapped. They have become accustomed to weakness and powerlessness as the norm, and they don't know how to move on.

There was little support for Caroline, only a friend. That's when the image of the monster was born – a bundle of despair, rage, and anger at injustice.

Lindy materialized her inner critic, gave it flesh and blood, and made it sing. She showed that sometimes, to survive, you don't need to stifle your anger, you need to engage in a dialogue with it.

'Your Monster' Is a Grotesque Romantic Fairy Tale in the Spirit of 'Beauty and the Beast'

At first, Your Monster seems like a classic story of how opposites attract and heal each other. However, Lindy reimagines the familiar plot.

Instead of finding support in her neighbor's shaggy shoulder, her Laura looks within herself. The monster is merely a catalyst, a mirror in which she finally discerns her own form.

Your Monster fits into the current trend of depicting liberated female rage, as seen in The Substance, but it does so through the genre of romantic comedy with musical numbers.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Your Monster'?

• Your Monster has 79% from critics and 85% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the movie has a score of 6.4/10.

• On Letterboxd, Your Monster scored 3.5/5.0.