We here at the BMAF love a creature feature, so we were especially pleased when we were approached by the makers of new film Love in the Time of Monsters to give it a watch.
We were apprehensive at first, as what if we thought it was awful, we would still owe them a good review, but we are pleased to report we really enjoyed it.
The debut film of director Matt Jackson and writer Michael Skvarla is well worth seeking out if a fan of creature feature low-budget horror films.
The film looks great, with a great music score, as well as acting of a better standard than those made on a similar budget.
The film reminded me of when I discovered Adam Green’s Hatchet the first time, in that this was just an enjoyable ride even though storyline wise, it was nothing too original.
The film does actually star Hatchet’s Victor Crowley, the horror legend Kane Hodder!
Joining him is Guillermo del Toro regular Doug Jones, who like Andy Serkis you may know him best for the CGI characters he’s helped bring to screen, the likes of Abe Sapien in Hellboy or The Silver Surfer in the 2007 Fantastic Four sequel.
Rounding off the familiar faces is Friar Tuck from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Michael McShane.
Love in the Time of Monsters, features 2 sisters Marla and Carla, who have booked to stay at a Bigfoot-themed holiday resort run by Slavko (McShane). Whilst at the resort Carla wants to surprise her boyfriend and Marla is just looking for some fun.
The park entertains its guests with the usual cabaret/entertainment shows, but also has staff members dressed up as Bigfoot to roam the grounds.One of which does include Lou, played by Kane Hodder.
During a heated argument of the various costumed Bigfoot, a fight breaks out seeing them fall into a pond. The pond has been infected by toxic waste, which Slavko has been showing a blind eye, so that he can receive financial benefits.
The waste causes the staff to be mutated, leaving the holiday park to be under attack from costumed Bigfoot characters, including Carla’s boyfriend.
What follows is the resort’s guests fighting to avoid the mutated costumed monsters and find safety, of course being a horror film, not all of them make it.
With Carla not giving up on her boyfriend, she helps Dr. Lincoln (Jones, dressed up as Abraham Lincoln, and in front of the camera rather a CGI character for a change) who believes he can create a cure to reverse the toxic waste effects.
Various fun sequences happen along the way, the entertainment team putting on a show to distract the Bigfoot characters; a sub plot involving the heroism of Chester, a hunter, making up for lost time with showing his love for a Slavko employee and a chase sequence involving a children’s bicycle and a golf cart!
The highlight is in the final third, when an array of mutated wildlife appear, all ready to kill off the guests!
Amongst these mutations are birds, squirrels, fish and even a moose, culminating in an epic end battle of them all fighting with the mutated costumed big-foot workers, the staff and guests at the resort and then even the real Bigfoot puts in an appearance!
The first time writer and director and cast need to take a lot of credit for the film, which could easily have been very poor. If you like B movie horror films in the vain of Hatchet and Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil, Love in the Time of Monsters is well worth searching out.
Whilst some of the CGI sequences, especially when used to represent electricity and cheap animatronics, will not be to everyone’s tastes, for me, they add to the Eighties feel of the film and if you go into the film expecting that, you will be left pleasantly entertained for an hour and a half.
Sadly the film is unavailable as yet in the UK, but the film’s twitter feed run by @UncleSlavko have some options for you to watch it here http://www.tbcfilms.com/watch/
So let us know if you share the Love (in the Time of Monsters) here at Barking Mad About Films.
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