No Such Thing As Monsters

And that brings us to the negatives of the movie. For one, all the characters are one-dimensional. The attempts to turn Amy against her family offer a glimpse of depth that the screenplay does not delve into besides the basic platitudes of good versus evil. You may have noticed several question marks when describing Mary’s migraines. They are there because this character trait is not explained sufficiently to make sense nor played up enough to be necessary.

See, Mary’s trepidation to even going on the trip is because she drives her car with “all the windows open.” Um, okay, why? It is never explained. And aside from a few moments after first arriving where she gets very anxious (or has migraines, again, remains unclear) that cause her to not immediately say hi to the family that is camping across the way, it is mostly a non-issue. If this trait were written out, nothing about No Such Things As Monsters would change one bit.

“…not explained sufficiently to make sense nor played up enough to be necessary.”

Then there’s a massive problem maybe halfway in (I did not timestamp it, though, so…). Mary does get out of her chains and breaks into the house late at night, wielding a weapon. Instead of incapacitating her captors, she immediately searches for David. Of course, this does not play well, and she is overpowered. This scene makes Mary an absolute moron. That she does not maim Nelly, Becca, and Elmer to slow them down (I understand that full-blown killing them might take too long) is indefensible. It makes her weak and stupid in a way she is not at any other point.

Then there’s the ending. Without spoiling things, all I will say is that a character simply called Mother is introduced very, very late in the game. While the actress playing her is fine, her presence only brings more questions that the film cannot answer. In the end, nothing really makes enough sense, even by the loose standards of this genre, to feel satisfying. Though, one of Mary’s final lines, to David, is terrific.

Look, there are enough good elements present in No Such Things As Monsters that viewers interested in a creepy time, presuming they don’t mind plot holes, will find a pleasant diversion. But, those seeking depth, character traits serving a purpose, and a reason for the characters’ motivations will be left sorely disappointing. No matter where you land after watching the movie, you are not wrong.