Monster (2005)

It's a shame I came across this short 13 years after it was made. I loved the full featured film of 2014 when it came out. It's really nice to see the original inspiration for the 2014 film in this one. I actually thought the monster in this one was scarier than the one from 2014. The little boy in this one is just as effective at annoying the adults as the 2014 film lol. But the boy was adorable just the same.

"Monster" is a 10-minute black-and-white short film written and directed by Jennifer Kent. She made this one 10 years ago and, recently, turned it into the full feature movie "Babadook", a great success with critics and awards bodies. However, i must ask: Do i really want to watch a film where a wicked monster simply disappears when the mother tells him to leave in order to protect her son? What kind of pathetic monster is that. I'd have expected it to come back at the end and kill the two in the most horrible manner. Instead, it accepts a glass of milk. Oh well.. I thought the film started well, also with the suspense if there really is a monster, but got worse quickly. Kent obviously did not cast the actors from this film for "Babadook" as the time gap was simply too big I guess. Forgettable short film. Not recommended.

I have not seen The Babadook, but it was hearing positive reviews for that film that made me interested to see the short film that reportedly was the roots for the bigger project. The plot here is condensed as it seems a woman struggling alone with her unruly young son, in particular his constant running, yelling, and battling of monsters – making nothing but a mess in the progress. Worn down and frustrated by the constant energy and chaos of the boy, the woman may be forced to confront more than her own offspring.This is an interesting and reasonably effective short film – and in particular it makes me more interested to see the full feature because to be honest one of the main weaknesses here is that the film is a short and has fewer than 10 minutes to deliver. Given the short running time, the film really does compress what it is doing, and it is a shame because what we have that works well here is stuff that needs more room to breathe and be realized. In terms of just being a horror, the film starts with a good creepy atmosphere and some nicely unsettling imagery. This leads to a jump scare that had me recoiling from the screen. The confrontation in the room remains creepy, but to be honest too much of the figure is seen, and it does feel like a moody teenage goth is being deliberately difficult; this does rather rob the fear factor a bitThat feeling may be partly deliberate though, since one of the things that appears to be here but not with enough time to run with it, is the idea that the monster is the son himself – or at least a metaphor for the mother's fear of her son's wild side and her inability to cope with it. We see this in the maternal way she confronts him, and the way she continues to care for him. We also see it in the exhaustion she feels in dealing with the son in the early stages of the film – and to be honest even watching him endlessly banging everything made me feel tired.It is a shame for the short that the best parts of the film are those which really could have used more time and space to flesh out and be fully realized. The connection of the monster to the mother/son relationship is interesting but rushed; while the monster himself is too present too quickly and I would have preferred remain a feeling rather than an actual form. Worth a look and, on the basis of this, I am looking forward to see what Kent does with the substance of this when she has more time to do it.

We saw this at SXSW 2006. Easily the favorite short of the festival! Excellent job all around. The story of "Monster" is my favorite kind of scare - based on unrealistic childhood fears come to life. I wasn't really expecting much when the grainy black and white spooled up, but man - was a I surprised! I also think some of the imagery may be lost on American audiences. There were a couple of "huh?" moments in the setup, but nothing distracting.It could also just be my editor brain ;-)All in all, this creepy, genuinely scary short is worth the search. I just wish it was available somewhere for purchase or online viewing.