How Monstrum Stacks Up to Other Creature Features

Backstory

A woman with her 3-year-old daughter is surrounded by soldiers who are ordered to open fire on her and other villagers. The mother desperately tries to flee and begs for her life, but is killed by an arrow while clutching the girl. They fall among what looks like a pit of bodies. 

After the carnage, a soldier fishes through the bodies and pulls out the girl before walking away with her in his arms. 

Those were the first scenes of horror film Monstrum. Most creature features open with a scene foreshadowing the monster. But not this film. And that’s by design. Monstrum isn’t about monsters. It’s about how human beings are the real monsters. 

About 15 years later in 1527, that soldier, Yoon Gyeon, who saved the girl, now his daughter, Myung, is summoned by King Jungjong. He’s tasked with investigating the myth of Monstrum. 

Something has been murdering people in the countryside. Although no one has really seen it, Monstrum, a mythical creature, is believed to be the perpetrator. Monstrum’s murderous rampage, coupled with a plague, is jeopardizing the king’s position. But the king suspects his enemies are killing the people and blaming it on the creature, just to undermine his reign.

So Yoon Gyeon heads out with Myung and his trusted sidekick, Yoon Gyeon, to get down to the bottom of it. 

The quest is to find out whether Monstrum truly exists or is it the work of others bent on destroying the king. 

Why Monstrum Works

Debuting on Shudder in May but released worldwide in 2018, Monstrum probably isn’t for every horror fan. At times, it reminded me of a 1980s formulaic plot that incorporates the hero, sidekick and love interest. 

It’s more in line with films like Raiders of the Lost Ark, which delves deeply into fantasy rather than a traditional horror flick like Clive Barker’s masterpiece Hellraiser. 

But if you can get past that, it’s a film in the hands of a competent storyteller who seamlessly blended fine cinematography, a developed lead character and taut storyline. 

Monstrum isn’t a simple story to tell either. It requires careful consideration since it’s got a complex theme coupled with political intrigue and betrayal. 

Set nearly 500 years ago in South Korea, it also runs the risk of being passed over due to its obscure choice of setting and time. I wasn’t particularly primed to see it for that reason. 

But good storytelling always overcomes such drawbacks just as it did in The Witch, another film set in a less exciting time and place – 1630s New England. 

Another pitfall could have been the creature itself. 

How would it be portrayed to the audience?  What personality does it offer? What’s it’s the backstory? 

But again, these difficult questions were tactfully answered, allowing the film to hang together as a fine example of filmatic storytelling.

Simply put, Monstrum is a well-crafted film, whether it’s your type of flick or not. But it doesn’t break new ground. If you can take it for what it is, you’ll be satisfied with it. 

Hero Sucked Back into Back Situation

One of the strengths of this film is the main character, Yoon Gyeon, played by Kim Myung-Min.

In many ways, the film is really about him. Everyone else, even Monstrum, is a backdrop for his story. 

Because the film can be cookie-cutter in places, it’s crucial that the main character is not.

Otherwise, you have more of a made-for-TV feel rather than a film worthy of the big screen. 

Building a hero character like this one isn’t easy. As the hero, he can come off as too good and noble.

The reason this is bad is because it’s boring. Perfectly bad or good characters are usually reserved for supporting roles, not leads. 

The character Luke Skywalker in Star Wars could have fallen into this trap. As the film’s hero, Luke could easily come off a flawless being – you know, just a nice kid. Sure, he’s got problems – his mom and dad are dead, and he’s being raised by his uncle – but he can still come off as bland.

But Mark Hamill didn’t let that happen, and that’s no accident. 

Kim Myung-Min does the same. He carefully built a character that’s not just likable but interesting.  

With every look and gesture, Yoon Gyeon is pained and conflicted.

As a genuinely good person, Yoon Gyeon realizes he lives in a world full of bad people who screw it up for everyone else.

It’s a character interpretation that dovetailed with the film’s theme about the collateral damage wrought by overly ambitious  and characterless men. 

What is Monstrum?

At the beginning of the film, no one really knows what he looks like because he’s supposedly a myth. 

The film’s director Heo Jong-Jo doesn’t let you in on it until midway through the film – a smart choice since it piques curiosity. 

In one scene, Monstrum attacks people gathering in a forest. I saw the carnage being committed and the aftermath, but at this point, I didn’t see Monstrum – yet. 

When I finally saw Monstrum, it was somewhat jarring because I expected otherwise. Also, I couldn’t figure out exactly what Monstrum was. It was animal-like but not like any animal I know, which makes it even more curious. 

Now there was a choice to be made here by the film creators. Would Monstrum be more like the shark in Jaws, a simple killing machine, or like in Predator, the bipedal crayfish that’s human-like in thought and action or maybe something in between? 

This is important because Monstrum’s personality could distract from the film if the choice is made wrongly. 

But the decision here, it seems, was made correctly for what the film was trying to do. The film’s creators knew what they wanted the film to be from the onset and maintained that continuity throughout, which is why it worked so well. 

Also, it’s essential to get it right for the sake of the ending. 

For instance, in Jaws, I wanted that fish dead. I didn’t care how Police Chief Martin Brody killed that maniacal people eater, I just wanted it gone.

But that’s how it was set up. If I had feelings for the shark, I’d have felt differently about the ending. 

This might be part of the failure of Godzilla (1998) that I found unsatisfying. In the end, I felt it wasn’t fair. 

Gozilla was an animal that was simply doing what it was designed to do. It doesn’t know or understand the destruction that it’s causing. Somehow I’d become attached to it and had too much sympathy for it, so I was bummed when the film ended. 

Like Jaws, King Kong (1933) gets it right. Kong was given just enough humanity but not too much so that the film’s message stood out in the end. 

Had I been too attached to King Kong, I’d have been overcome with sadness, likely missing the film’s overarching message. But if I didn’t relate to him enough, I’d have missed it also. 

It’s this tightrope that King Kong’s creators had to manage. I don’t think this was a happy accident. It’s what happens when a director understands his or her craft, which is why a 1933 film without the benefit of special effects is still one of the best films made for its genre. 

The character of Monstrum appears to be handled with the same care. 

At first, Monstrum doesn’t seem that scary, but as the film continues, it’s clear Monstrum is exceptionally lethal. While the film offered some backstory and motivation for Monstrum’s attacks, it didn’t diminish the creature’s the outright viciousness. 

In the end, I felt satisfied with how it turned out with Monstrum, but I think I was set up for that due to careful execution. 

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, Monstrum is worth seeing. It’s not a typical horror film, however. It reminded me of more old-fashioned films where the film’s story formula is clearly on display. 

But it has an important message about the nature of people, which you can’t say about most horror films. It’s also well-crafted and conceived. 

The main character appears flushed out and is in the hands of an able actor, so it doesn’t dissolve into sap, which due to its formulaic plot it runs that risk.  

The storyline also clips along with good pacing, so there are funny moments and quieter scenes interspersed with some cinematically high quality moments. 

Monstrum is also a fascinating creature. He’s not the most scary-looking monster, but as the film progresses, it’s quite clear he’s exceptionally savage to all who meet him. 

Let me know what you think in the comments. 

If you’d like to add to my top creature list, let me know. 

Also, please be careful not to give away major plot points for those who haven’t seen it.