Monstrous loses its way in the second act and doesn’t bother to pick itself up again until the story comes to an end as Siverton chooses to focus on the central characters more than the monster.

| Sep 4, 2023

The inertly told story piles on to Laura’s torments as if checking off a to-do list: a hostile landlady, a monotonous clerical job and an abusive ex.

| Original Score: 1/4 | Aug 16, 2023

If you view movies as shock delivery systems, this isn’t the most successful example, but if you want a well-told story that makes you feel something, Monstrous delivers.

| Dec 17, 2022

This psychological twister doesn't entirely succeed, but it's anchored by a haunting lead performance from Ricci.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 29, 2022

The only thing that’s monstrous about the limp and boring horror film Monstrous is how it’s a waste of time for viewers and a waste of Christina Ricci's talent. Viewers will forget this dreadful movie quicker than you can say 'M. Night Shyamalan ripoff.'

| Jul 17, 2022

Although a smaller scale production, there are many missed opportunities to take the story down a darker and more sinister avenue.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Jul 15, 2022

The cracks appear early and often through the delicate production design which is given more time than working on the film’s horrors and its late-arriving ideas on how we deal with them.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Jun 13, 2022

Monstrous delivers an interesting period piece with solid performances, but would have benefited from a focus on its themes instead of twists.

| Jun 1, 2022

Ricci is working seriously here, but Carol Chrest’s script hits predictable notes en route to a Big Twist that simply undoes the logic of all preceding horror content, even in fantasy terms.

| May 23, 2022

Once one figures out what is going on in this movie, it actually is interesting. Much more of a psychological thriller than an actual horror movie.

| May 21, 2022

Deserves credit for being something more than a gory creature feature, but the execution of its moody narrative isn’t sufficiently assured to make it more than an interesting also-ran.

| Original Score: C | May 19, 2022

The whole film hinges on Ricci’s performance and as such it provides a means for her to demonstrate that she’s still got what it takes.

| Original Score: 3/5 | May 19, 2022

Director Chris Sivertson takes the monster movie to a new, more sophisticated level in Monstrous.

| Original Score: 4/5 | May 19, 2022

Christina Ricci is the not-so-secret weapon of Monstrous, whose performance makes up for the film’s at times lackluster execution of its various intriguing ideas.

| Original Score: 6/10 | May 17, 2022

Despite a strong lead performance from Cristina Ricci and vivid Mid-century designs, this horror mystery is too muddled to gather any dramatic steam.

| Original Score: 40/100 | May 17, 2022

So much is thrown into the mix without satisfying explanation or payoff that you get the feeling Chrest was trying to serve multiple masters in her writing--which is exacerbated when the end credits reveal no less than 41 executive producers.

| May 16, 2022

For the most part this is a captivating mood piece, held together by Ricci’s take on a woman who is chasing an impossible idyll while being trailed by something dark and murky.

| May 15, 2022

Monstrous is a supernatural horror thriller that caters to one's expectations of a creature feature while simultaneously playing with them.

| Original Score: 3/5 | May 14, 2022

a genuinely compelling and original horror yarn

| May 14, 2022

The film's design and Christina Ricci's committed performance in the central role make it worth a late-night look.

| Original Score: 3/4 | May 13, 2022