Courtesy of Los Angeles Times
A staple of horror, both old and new school, has been the presence of the zombie flick. While they come in all shapes and sizes, including very serious commentaries on what it means to truly be human, some more recent films have been skewing towards exploring the comedic side of zombies – such as Hulu’s new horror film, “Little Monsters.”
“Little Monsters” follows a failed musician, Dave (Alexander England), who is forced to move back in with his elder sister and her son after a nasty breakup with a long-time girlfriend. He struggles to cope with the healthy, stable lives that his older sister and her son, Felix, live – until he happens to fall head over heels for Felix’s attractive kindergarten teacher, Miss Caroline (Lupita Nyong’o). Due to a military mishap, Dave, Miss Caroline and all of the members of Felix’s class end up stranded in the middle of a petting zoo during a zombie outbreak along with jaded children’s television star Teddy McGiggle (Josh Gad). The adults must desperately keep up the guise of a game for the children while searching for a way to escape.
The strongest player in this movie is definitely Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o. Nyong’o has handled some heavy roles since her breakthrough role in “12 Years a Slave,” and her handling of the horror genre is no exception. She maneuvers through the role of Miss Caroline with grace, truly making the audience experience her attempts to shield her kids from the horrors of zombies through games and quick-thinking. Nyong’o shows skill in her ability to transform into a character, rather than just being an actor playing a character. She blends perfectly into Miss Caroline and provides a backstory that elevates her to far more than a pretty schoolteacher.
While “Little Monsters” is intended to be a campy, stereotypical take on zombies and how they are portrayed in media, director Abe Forsythe plants something heartwarming inside this film – a commentary on how just as people can transform into monsters, they can also transform into people capable of redemption, love, compassion and affection. Dave struggles to form connections with children and other people due to parental abandonment at a very young age. When he suddenly has to step up to the plate, his failures nearly cost others their lives multiple times before he slowly begins to change. It is a bit more heavy-handed than needed – he undergoes an entire character arc from washed-up slob to a loyal love interest in a little over an hour – but for a horror-comedy, perhaps leaning on the heavy-handed approach helps in the midst of the non-stop drama and action.
For the avid horror fan who is familiar with other horror comedies, like “Shaun of the Dead,” this film may be predictable and stereotypical. However, it serves its purpose as a fun film with a happy ending and is a good way to spend an hour or two on a busy Halloween weekend. “Little Monsters” premiered on Hulu on Friday, Oct. 11, and is available for access through any Hulu streaming account.
