Little Monsters is the Dark Horror Comedy You Need to See [REVIEW]

Title: Little Monsters

Studio: Screen Australia

Director: Abe Forsythe

Main Actors: Lupita Nyong’o, Alexander England, Josh Gad

Run Time: 1h 34min

Rated: R

Rating: 5 screams / 5 screams

If you’re a fan of dark comedies, gore and most of all, zombies, Little Monsters is something you’ll enjoy watching. It’s not for those with weak stomachs because as everyone knows, zombies must be shot in the head or beheaded to truly be killed, but zombies also have an appetite for intestines, guts and brains, which is shown in full detail. But that’s something horror fans have learned to expect from a zombie film, because what’s a zombie movie without a ton of blood, guts and gore?

Produced by Screen Australia and written and directed by Abe Forsythe, this horror comedy was released on Hulu. Little Monsters stars Academy Award Winner Lupita Nyong’o as Miss Caroline, a kindergarten teacher who loves her students as well as singing them songs while wielding her ukulele. Alexander England plays Dave, a man who has just broken up with his girlfriend and is trying to win over Miss Caroline.

Have you ever met someone and thought, “wow, this person takes their job way too seriously”? Well, fortunately for Miss Caroline’s kindergarten class, she is exactly that person. While on a fieldtrip to Pleasant Valley Farm, there is a zombie outbreak at the military base right next to the farm, and the farm is the first place the undead head towards. It is Miss Caroline’s job to protect her class of five-year-olds from this zombie outbreak, with the help of Dave, a student’s uncle who volunteered to try and get closer to Miss Caroline. As their teacher, Miss Caroline will do anything to keep the children safe.

Horror comedies can walk a very thin line, but zombie movies seem to do it perfectly. With movies such as Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead having already left a huge mark on the zombie comedy genre, how can we add a twist? What could make it funnier? Evidently, adding a group of five-year-olds who really just want to play put-put golf and pet some farm animals while their two chaperones are desperately trying to convince them the zombies are all just part of a game.

The characters are all likeable, except for Teddy McGiggle (Josh Gad), a popular children’s television personality who just happens to be filming his show at Pleasant Valley while the children are on their class trip. Turns out he’s not as big of a fan of kids as you’d expect a children’s television host to be. Miss Caroline is the sweet kindergarten teacher who is brave, strong, determined and will fight to the end for her students. Dave is the pot-smoking, washed-up musician who doesn’t even have a home after breaking up with his girlfriend. He swears too much and is a horrible influence on his nephew Felix. But his character is just so loveable, and with Miss Caroline he’ll give his all to protect the students.

The setting of Little Monsters is more than memorable; it takes place on Pleasant Valley’s farm and mostly in its gift shop. Unlike other zombie movies, the setting was very contained, but it works well for the story. The plot is strong and straightforward, and a class fieldtrip to a petting zoo/mini golf farm getting overrun by tourist and military zombies makes for an intense but entertaining story.

Lupita Nyong’o’s portrayal of Miss Caroline is endearing, as she just wants her students to survive this field trip without being traumatized. Nyong’o seems to have really stepped up her game in horror genres this year, with Us having been released just under seven months before Little Monsters was released on Hulu. Her performance in Us shocked and captivated most who saw it, and there is a parallel that can be drawn between these two films. In Us Nyong’o’s character is trying desperately to protect her family and her children, doing everything in her power to keep them alive. In Little Monsters, she plays a very similar role, doing everything she can to protect her students. But Little Monsters is a comedy, and Nyong’o does a lot more singing, playing the ukulele and keeps a lighter tone throughout the movie than the tense one she keeps in Us. Still, if you enjoyed her performance in Us, you’ll be very pleased with her performance in Little Monsters.

The cinematography and the special effects are wonderful; just what many people look for in zombie movies. The scenes of faces being ripped from skulls, guts spilling out of peoples’ bodies, zombies being beheaded and having their heads blown off are all extremely realistic. There is a tasteful amount of gore; the movie doesn’t overdo it, but when it’s relevant to the story, there’s a lot of it and it’s all very believable. If gore makes you uneasy, this movie is probably one to stay away from.

For a horror comedy about zombies, Little Monsters hits the nail on the head. The acting is great, the gore is believable and the plot is different from everything that’s already been made. It is lighthearted and fun while being intense at the same time, and you feel deeply for the characters. Horror fans and zombie junkies, if you haven’t yet, watch this movie as soon as you can.