Monster Man (2004)
Directed by Michael Davis
Written by Michael Davis
Starring Eric Jungmann, Justin Urich, Aimee Brooks, Michael Bailey Smith
Release Date February 13th, 2004
There are hundred of films released every year that we never hear of. Some of them may be quite good, some are not worthy of having been released. Many more films are reminiscent of the low budget horror flick Monster Man, from 2004, a slightly above average little film that not many people have seen or may ever see. You've likely never heard of Monster Man unless you are a hardcore horror movie fan. It's a deep cut, low budget horror movie that gets by on premise and the evident fun in its creation.
Monster Man stars Eric Jungmann as Adam, a nerdy little guy on a road trip to tell the girl of his dreams that he loves her before she gets married to some other guy. Joining Adam on his trip is Harley (Justin Urich), a former friend who wasn't asked to come along. Harley also had a thing for Adam's girl and even had the fling that Adam never got. That's just one source of tension between the former friends, Harley's over the top obnoxiousness only makes things worse.
In fact, it is Harley's obnoxious behavior in a redneck bar that draws the attention of locals who don't take kindly to out-of-towners. It's not long before the two roadtrippers are being followed by a very pissed off redneck in a monster truck. After escaping the monster truck and hiding out in a hotel, the guys find they have a stowaway; a gorgeous hitchhiker named Sarah (Aimee Brooks). Boy did she pick the wrong car, as the monster truck driver continues his pursuit. Along the way, there are stops in more little redneck bars, gas stations and farmhouses, all with horrifying consequences.
Monster Man is a combination of Jeepers Creepers and Joyride but with a great deal more humor. Writer-Director Michael Davis attempts to do the impossible in Monster Man by combining humor and horror without sacrificing real scares and real laughs. The script is an excellent balance of scatological banter between the leads and disgusting blood and gore from the bad guys. It really is an impressive piece of work.
Unfortunately, the cast of the film isn't up to the task. Jungmann is way too much of a wimp to sell the physical moments of the film. His transformation from wimp to hero never registers. Urich is even less impressive, combining the obnoxiousness of American Pie's Stifler with the disgusting antics of Animal House's Bluto without a modicum of John Belushi's underlying sweetness.
As for Aimee Brooks, the former star of the camp soap opera Passions is a perfect fit for the delicate mixture of humor and horror. Michael Davis shows a real talent for scripting and shooting. With a better cast, he could make a truly terrific film, something he would go on to prove in the action genre with the very fun, very silly Shoot'em Up in 2007 starring Clive Owen. With his work, he elevates this rather unoriginal premise with great humor and plenty of blood, guts and creepiness.
Monster Man is not a great movie but it has the kind of low budget charm and cleverness to make it worth watching for free on a random streaming service.
