In the more than a decade since its launch in 2012, A24 has established itself as a powerhouse of modern cinema. The studio’s prioritization of unique, auteur-driven storytelling has resulted in a string of critical darlings like Hereditary and Everything Everywhere All at Once. Many of those movies can be found on HBO Max, the primary U.S. streaming home for A24 films. But as the streamer is set to stock Marty Supreme on April 24th, HBO Max subscribers are quickly running out of time to stream A24’s forgotten creature feature.
A24’s The Monster has the unfortunate status of being a forgotten title in the studio’s horror catalog. Released in 2016 and written and directed by Bryan Bertino, the movie stars Zoe Kazan and Ella Ballentine as a dysfunctional, alcoholic mother and her estranged daughter who must fight to survive a terrifying, ravenous creature after their car breaks down on a deserted road during a rainy night. Despite being a well-crafted creature feature that holds an 81% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie had a limited theatrical release and failed to receive much mainstream attention and ultimately went down as a largely overlooked piece of creature feature cinema. The movie has been available on HBO Max, but is scheduled to exit the platform on March 31st, meaning there are fewer than 24 hours left to stream it.
A24’s The Monster Is a Hidden Gem That Deserves More Attention
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The Monster is a criminally underrated gem, not just for A24, but the horror genre as a whole. The movie is a strong, albeit overlooked, example of A24’s ability to infuse horror with deep emotional drama. A strong, albeit overlooked, example of A24’s ability to infuse horror with deep emotional drama, the movie works as a character drama first and a horror movie second. The Monster focuses just as much on internal demons as it does on the monster itself, which functions as a metaphor for the mother’s internal trauma. The character-driven, slow-burn drama disguised as a creature feature explores themes of motherhood, childhood neglect, and redemption, and the deeply emotional performances from the cast, particularly that of Kazan, elevate The Monster above a typical creature feature.
Just because the monster prioritizes emotional weight doesn’t mean it slacks on horror elements. The slow-burn movie, set almost entirely on a desolate road at night, excels at creating a high-tension atmosphere and psychological dread that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. The movie also doesn’t hold back on showing its monster, a reptilian beast that is actually pretty darn scary. The monster itself is brought to life through a practical effects-heavy creature design that makes it appear extremely realistic and even more terrifying.
Where to Stream A24’s The Monster After It Leaves HBO Max?
Creature feature fans and fans of A24 in general will want to watch The Monster while they still can. The movie doesn’t currently stream outside of HBO Max, and it wasn’t included in any of the major streaming services’ April newsletters. This means the movie will be unavailable to stream following its March 31st HBO Max removal, leaving the only options to watch it either renting or purchasing it online.
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