This year has been a great one for horror, with films like Sinners and Weapons dominating the box office, but 2024 may have been one of the best years yet in a decade that has been great for the genre. Last year was marked by numerous critically acclaimed horror movies, including Nosferatu, The Substance, and Late Night with the Devil, but a horror movie that flew under the radar amid those bigger releases still deserves your attention now that it is on free streaming.
That criminally underrated movie is Your Monster, Caroline Lindy’s feature directorial debut starring former Scream star Melissa Barrera. The movie, a modern take on Beauty and the Beast adapted from Lindy’s 2019 short film, started streaming on Kanopy on October 3rd. A vastly undervalued service, Kanopy lets you stream movies for free, though it does require a library card to sign up.
Your Monster stars Barrera as aspiring actress Laura Franco, whose life crumbles when she is dumped by her longtime boyfriend and is diagnosed with cancer. When she returns to her childhood home to recover, she discovers a terrifying but weirdly charming monster living in her closet. Tommy Dewey, Edmund Donovan, Kayla Foster, and Meghann Fahy also star.
Your Monster Is a Box Office Flop That Deserves Your Attention
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Your Monster only grossed around $759,000 during its limited theatrical release, but the movie’s box office flop status is no reflection of its quality. In fact, critics and audiences agree that Your Monster is a certified hit filled with heart and charm. The movie is “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes with a 78% critics rating based on 98 reviews and an even better 85% audience score and is a perfect viewing option for fans of other films like Lisa Frankenstein, Warm Bodies, and The Shape of Water.
Your Monster is a great example of seamless, genre-blending magic, the movie masterfully fusing elements of dark comedy, romance, and horror, and even musical numbers, to craft a poignant story about a woman who finds strength by accepting her inner rage, which manifests as a monster in her closet. The movie is both funny and emotional as it tackles weighty issues like Laura’s cancer diagnosis and her emotional trauma, and Barrera delivers one of her best performances yet in a role that showed off her emotional range and cemented her status as a modern Scream Queen.
Other Horror Movies Now on Kanopy
Kanopy is an underappreciated treasure trove for movie lovers, and the streamer has more than enough horror options to keep fans streaming all month long. The month has already brought titles like Paranormal Activity, The Blackcoat’s Daughter, Under the Skin, Scream, Men, and Timecrimes (2009) to the platform. Later this month, the service is set to add V/H/S (October 17th), Triangle (October 24th), and one of the best horror films of the past year, The Monkey (October 31st).
Those recent and upcoming additions join other horror movies already available on Kanopy, such as Longlegs, Possession, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Hell House LLC, Paranormal Activity, and Let the Right One In, among many others.
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