Rarely do we get a chance to see shameless grind-house features hell bent on fast paced schlock and rip-roaring fun, and it’s on those
grounds that Australian independent flick
Monstro!
delivers. Written and directed by Stuart Simpson and put together Guerrilla-style
by a small crew of obviously dedicated individuals this is probably the
underdog Indy cult event of the year.
Three
deranged killers, Beretta, Blondie, and Snowball, hole up in a small beachside
community after their murderous actions attract the wrong kind of attention.
But not all is as it seems in this small town. A few of the locals try
desperately to warn them of the dangers of going into the water but the crazy vixens
listen to no one. However, their seaside frolic awakens a horrifying beast from
the depths of the ocean and it isn’t long before the girls are hip-deep in
trouble, facing the fight of their lives against the terrifying Kraken.
The
story is put together with a loving knowledge of all things exploitation, think Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! with Evil Dead gore and a monster reminiscent
of Ray Harryhausen. It ventures back in time to explore what’s so wonderful
about the female exploitation genre; proving we don’t need good girls, Hell we
don’t even need bad girls, as long as they’re able to fight a sea monster they
can make gripping viewing. The three vixens that parade the screen-time are endearing
to watch, beautiful yet no-nonsense, OTT and bound together by a hatred of conventional
life, rebels and patriots to their own dastardly cause. Simpson has done a
great job of replicating a 60s and 70s-esque trio of terrible sirens, and the
girls have done a great job at embodying them.
For a
film of its ilk, Monstro! is
surprisingly well put together, the camera work and editing jump miles ahead of
many other films with a significantly bigger budget, but that’s the brilliant
thing about cult films, you can get away with some really outlandish finishing touches.
Some scenes prove over-stylised, detracting from the flow of the narrative, but
a sometimes brilliant (often cheesy) self-referential angle indulges the cult
quality to the point of decadence. And there’s nothing more enjoyable than pure
decadence, even if it sometimes strays the mark. The soundtrack too is perfect
and strides hand-in-hand with the style of the film, a sexy sassy Tarantino
sound that brings the film a classy aspect it does its utmost to dodge through
visuals.
Sure,
the film’s not perfect. This grindhouse feature loses itself at points through
taking its foot off the peddle to expand a narrative that doesn’t really need
too much depth. And sure there’s some hefty bits of overacting but that can be
ignored when considered as part of a film whose sole purpose is to show off the
reckless and outrageous charm of B-movies. Movies like this have to be gauged in terms of their niche
A film
for cult fans made by cult fans; dripping with love, elbow-grease, sex-appeal,
and gore. Exploitation at its filthy best and an impressive second feature-length
film, Monstro! is a must in this year’s
top B-movies for sheer balls and total immersion, extra credit is most definitely
awarded for fantastic monster-effects. Besides it’s probably the best “Outlaw Babes
vs. Sea Monster” flick you’ll see this year. Probably.
