Monster Man (2003)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Michael Davis

Writer (WGA):

Michael Davis (written by)

Release Date:

11 March 2005 (UK)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Horror

Tagline:

On this highway, the roadkill is HUMAN!

Plot:

Two guys and a female hitchhiker are terrorized by a monstrous looking man driving a giant monster truck.

Plot Keywords:

Monster Truck | Hitchhiker | Road Trip | Bestiality | Motel

Cast

Eric Jungmann	...	Adam
Justin Urich	...	Harley
Aimee Brooks	...	Sarah
Michael Bailey Smith	...	Monster Man / Brother Bob
Joe Goodrich	...	Brother Fred
Tim Sitarz	...	Big Redneck
Johnny Green	...	Headless man in Pentagram Room
Steve DeRellian	...	One Armed Man (as Steve de Relian)
Robert R. Shafer	...	Police Officer #1 (as Bobby Ray Shafer)
Diana Morgan	...	Newscaster
Frank Schettini	...	One Eyed Bartender
Mike Kimler	...	Extra
Scott McGaffee	...	Extra

MPAA:

Rated R for strong horror violence/gore, language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia) | USA:R (certificate #40070) | Netherlands:16 | Germany:18 | Finland:K-18 | Australia:MA | UK:18 | Ireland:18

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Company:

Dream Entertainment

Trivia:

The monster truck used in this film was designed and built for $2500. The "sheet metal" covering the outside of the truck was actually wood spray painted to look like very old and rusted sheet metal. The truck only had a maximum speed of roughly 30mph (48kph) so footage of the truck chasing after the car was sped up to make it appear as though it was capable of very high speeds. The truck could only be used for 20 - 30 minutes at a time before it would over heat and production would be shut down. It also ran on rocket fuel, which reported cost the producers $300 per gallon. There was no steering wheel, the driver was standing inside the truck using levers to control the speed and direction.

Goofs:

Continuity: When their car breaks down, Harley says "these vista cruisers usually run forever". Later on, in a shot of the front of the car the grille has a Chevrolet emblem, the Vista Cruiser is an Oldsmobile.

Quotes:

Harley: I'm the kind of guy who puts the "ick" in "dick".

Movie Connections:

References Drop Dead Fred (1991)

Soundtrack:

Cherry My Car

Gore comedy, hung together by absurdity...Good or bad depends on your own personal mood.

Monster Man is a small and modest production, made by a bunch of people who're obvious genre-lovers and ambitious fantasts. I really can't be too harsh on it as the goodwill and enthusiasm of both cast and crew can count on my sympathy a lot more than the uninspired and plot and messy script. Unoriginal is one thing this film surely is since it borrows ideas from films like Spielberg's Duel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the Hills have Eyes and even Jeepers Creepers!! Seriously, why anyone would want to steal ideas from junk like Jeepers Creepers is a complete mystery to me, but still… The plot involves two lowlifes (a male virgin nerd and a boisterous, chubby joker) who're on their way to wedding of a girl they both worshiped in their youth. They pick up the inevitable hitch-hiking sexy babe, which leads to new cliché intricacies. Meanwhile, they're being terrorized by this huge Monster Truck, driven by a ghoulish and severely mutilated madman. The make-up effects in this film are playfully gore and the bloodshed is very explicit…Heads and limbs are cheerfully being crushed under the giant wheels of the truck and numberless `roadkill'-corpses appear out of nowhere. The comedy-horror approach of this film reminds you about other memorable titles such as Evil Dead II, Braindead and The Return of the Living Dead…however, I severely doubt that Monster Man will ever enjoy the same status in the field like the previously mentioned titles do. The extremely far-fetched and stupid climax is a bit too much and hard to swallow, even though I was in a generously mild and open-minded mood. Even for an absurd comedy, Monster Man has a dumb ending and that's a shame because the previous 80minutes are a well-intentioned attempt. Oh well…Monster Man will certainly be appreciated by young and over-enthusiast gorehounds and cinema thrillseekers… The more trained and experienced horror fans can keep themselves busy by tracking down the references and tributes to classic horror delights….IF they're in a good mood, of course.