The Monster

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The Monster

R

2016

1h 31m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

Fantasy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

81%

Tomatometer

48 Reviews

40%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

A divorced mother and her headstrong daughter must make an emergency late-night road trip to see the girl's father. As they drive through deserted country roads on a stormy night, they suddenly have a startling collision that leaves them shaken but not seriously hurt. Their car, however, is dead, and as they try in vain to get help, they come to realize they are not alone -- a terrifying evil is lurking in the woods, intent on never letting them leave.

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Critics Consensus

The Monster uses its effectively simple setup and a powerful lead performance from Zoe Kazan to deliver a traditional yet subtly subversive -- and thoroughly entertaining -- horror story.

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Kristen Yoonsoo Kim

Complex

Feb 22, 2017

The Monster lacks bite in the actual horror department, but like many other good horror films before it (Rosemary's Baby, The Shining), it plays with the anxiety of this very primal fear-the betrayal of the mother.

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Justin Lowe

The Hollywood Reporter

Nov 12, 2016

A fully realized depiction of elemental fear and desperation, The Monster's modest scale should attract discerning genre fans while establishing a firm basis for potential cult status.

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Brian Tallerico

RogerEbert.com

Nov 11, 2016

3/4

A film like Bryan Bertino's The Monster, featuring a fantastic and fearless performance from Zoe Kazan, feels oddly timely.

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Jeremy Aspinall

Radio Times

Oct 15, 2025

4/5

Bertino ekes out the suspense meticulously - the constant thrumming of rainfall and a subtly insistent score adding to an already unsettling atmosphere.

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

May 12, 2023

3/5

Makes for an effective experience in which emotional trauma is manifested into a living, breathing terror.

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Jordy Sirkin

Jordy Reviews It

Jan 2, 2021

3/5

Part creature feature, part family drama, The Monster is a moderate horror film that favors a slower pace.

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B P

@Bradster69 Sep 10, 2026

Not Bad, but Not My Favorite

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Mario R

@StarMar Aug 22, 2026

Lean, mean, and minimalistic. Cranks up the terror in waiting for the monster to strike. Beautiful low-budget movie with a nice troubled mother/daughter theme. Both female actors are all in and really sell it.

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GLENN C

@RT60471389 Jul 15, 2026

Waste of time. The beginning was ok. As the movie progresses the protagonist’s choices grow increasingly puzzling. Instead of exploiting weakness of the monster they sacrifice and take completely unnecessary risks. It is a shame, it had potential. The acting also gets worse as the movie continues. I only wish it started bad so I could have switched lanes before wasting over an hour!!

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Charles H

@Niccolo2026 Jul 11, 2026

I really wanted to like this film, but somehow it misses being a true horror movie. Mostly this film becomes a drama about a crappy mom and a crappy daughter having domestic issues and being both annoying on screen, so that by the time the monster shows up, you are rooting for the monster to kill them both. Most of the movie is two females resenting and hating on each other. This should have been two separate films. One a sappy drama, the other a monster film. The two leads get so hysterical and yell so loud at each other during their fights that I had to fight the urge not to turn the screen off just to escape these two harpies.

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Christian W

@Danger89 Apr 17, 2026

I think ppl have missed the point of this movie. It was brilliant. Yes , there was a monster , but the girl was living with a monster.. her mother. Great acting , slow burn but better then another crao scream or the like

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Ian S

@RT48225084 Apr 2, 2026

The acting from the two leads was good but it was all pretty predictable once the violence started. The domestic scenes early in the film were more hard hitting emotionally. Not a bad watch just fairly average story wise. Pretty simple set up.

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Bryan Bertino

Director

Zoe Kazan

Kathy

Scott Speedman

Roy

Ella Ballentine

Lizzy

Aaron Douglas

Jesse

Christine Ebadi

Leslie Williams

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Synopsis

A divorced mother and her headstrong daughter must make an emergency late-night road trip to see the girl's father. As they drive through deserted country roads on a stormy night, they suddenly have a startling collision that leaves them shaken but not seriously hurt. Their car, however, is dead, and as they try in vain to get help, they come to realize they are not alone -- a terrifying evil is lurking in the woods, intent on never letting them leave.

Director: Bryan Bertino
Producer: William Green, Aaron L. Ginsburg, Bryan Bertino, Adrienne Biddle
Screenwriter: Bryan Bertino
Distributor: A24
Production Co: Atlas Independent
Rating: R (Some Violence/Terror|Language)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 11, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 9, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.1K
Runtime: 1h 31m

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