Mommy’s Little Monster (2018)

A battered mother and her traumatized son escape to a mountain cabin where their fears catch up with them. [Patrick Green]

In recent years there has been a movement in horror, with certain films going for a more artistic, complex and intelligent approach to horror storytelling than the more widespread approach containing an abundance of gore, sex/nudity and jump scares and very little story, or at least none possessing much originality. These films, dubbed as “post-horror” by some, focus more on existential dread than following the old horror tropes. Horror fans have been split on this issue, as I believe they still are and forever will be. The 2018 short horror-thriller-drama, Mommy’s Little Monster, in my humble opinion, belongs with this post-horror movement and I am extremely happy I was approached by its creator to review it.

In my eyes, recent feature films such as Enemy, It Follows, The Witch, The Blackcoat’s Daughter, Personal Shopper, The Eyes of My Mother, The Ritual, Pyewacket, A Ghost Story, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, It Comes At Night, Apostle, Ari Aster‘s Hereditary and Midsommar, as well as many others, all belong in this group. Most have been the subject of some debate as to their place among horror films and some even as to whether or not they even are horror films. But let’s not stray from the point here. Mommy’s Little Monster, although a short film, has that kind of level of intelligence and intrigue to it.

The story is fairly basic, yet shrouded in some element of mystery. A mother takes her son away to a secluded cabin in the woods in the hope of escaping someone or something which is hunting them. The mother will do anything for her child, in this case taking him away from whatever situation they were in and running off on their way to this supposed safe haven. The son, waking up somewhat disoriented in the car on the way there, seems aware of their reality to an extent but is yet to understand his mother’s actions fully.

The film tries to show us the terror from the mother’s all-knowing eyes, as well as the more imaginative and somewhat innocent and playful understanding the boy has of the situation, which in some way is also due to the mother’s attempts to shelter the boy from the world’s many horrors. The contrast between the two is wide, and understandably so. Saying any more would likely be tip-toeing into spoiler territory, so I’ll moonwalk a couple of steps back.

Mommy’s Little Monster cleverly uses a common, albeit tragic, story most of us have experienced, witnessed or at the very least have heard about, and injects it into the framework of a horror film. This is not entirely different from the way things are seen from the boy’s eyes, who takes a serious and painful “adult” situation and puts it into a fantastic and playful frame. This point leads me to believe that this story is a personal one, very close to the heart of writer/director, Patrick Green. Green displays very high skill as both writer and director in a 12-minute film which possesses a very exact and controlled pace and leaves us with some very precise feelings and thoughts. It is extremely effective at what it attempts to do.

The film’s stars also put forth great performances in this little gem. Jenny Pellicer as the mother, Kim, is beautiful and captivating, showing some true star potential. Tate Birchmore as Phillip is quite convincing and gives the character the right level of wonderment which it requires. The two take on the challenge of getting us through the full 12-minutes of the film on their own and do a wonderful job at that.

Technically, the film also looks great, with production value being top notch. Cinematography by Nico Aguilar should be commended for capturing some beautiful frames and somehow making a huge forest feel claustrophobic. The editing by Jeff Cummings is brisk and tense, giving the film just the right pace and helping us move along with the story and feeling the desire to see and know more once the credits roll. The score, composed by Diego Gaeta is gentle in spots and with unrelenting intensity in others, just as it should be.

Mommy’s Little Monster is a film filled with contrasts and subtext, a language not grasped by all. To some, this film will seem like it leaves many questions unanswered, leaving much to the imagination, whereas others will feel they have a firm grasp of what was intended and a full understanding of the story. Either way, this one should be enjoyed by most.

Touching, inspiring and effective. Highly recommended! 8.5/10.

Mommy’s Little Monster is now available to view on Vimeo.
Click HERE to view.