Sophie Osbourne’s The Monster Beneath Us closes out this year’s First Blood strand at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest. The First Blood programming provides a platform for new genre filmmakers found within the UK and Ireland. Osbourne’s Gothic tale of empty houses and haunted basements is perfectly placed in the late night slot, encouraging maximum chills before attendees turn in for the night.
Set in Yorkshire in the year 1898, The Monster Beneath Us begins with a frantic opening. The master of a country house is clearly in the throes of madness, but what is the source of his mental instability? As his actions become more erratic, the viewer desperately tries to figure out what has him so worked up. Before this revelation can be reasoned however, the man is dead. It’s a strong cold open from Osbourne that immediately captures the audience’s attention. After this noisy beginning, The Monster Beneath Us settles back down, as the man’s former wife, Grace (Becca Hirani), arrives at the house, accompanied by her young son Charles (Marshall Hawkes). Grace’s intention is to sell the property and return to the city. As they start exploring their temporary home, Charles discovers a creature dwelling in the basement that may prove to be their undoing too.
The Monster Beneath Us has an excellent Gothic aesthetic. The lighting in the house is kept minimal in order to cast the maximum amount of shadows across the screen. By keeping the light sources dim, Osbourne is able to generate a cold atmosphere. This chill permeates the frame and helps set the tone for the emotional devastation that is to befall both Grace and Charles. The lack of light also serves to make the house appear inhospitable whilst reflecting Grace’s own icy feelings about being in the property in which her former husband died.
With the chilly atmosphere set, Osbourne shifts focus to generating scares. She does this in two distinct ways, informed by Charles and Grace’s differing opinions on what lurks within the property. Charles initially mistakes the creature for a lost cat and seeks to befriend it. Even when he realises it is something other than feline, Charles enjoys playing with it. Watching a child happily play with a menacing monster is a frightful image that builds tension as the audience awaits the inevitable shoe to drop. In contrast to Charles, Grace is unaware of the creature, but it does inflict plenty of terror onto her as it creeps about, frightening her. As the story progresses, mother and son slowly begin to align in their opinions, but not before casualties have begun to mount up.
The monster itself is kept mostly hidden. Osbourne conforms to the ‘less is more’ branch of directing and in doing so manages to maintain a thin air of dread. Rather than fully reveal itself, this creature lurks within the shadows, its lack of visibility helping to mask the modest budget whilst still encouraging a scare or two from the viewer.
Where The Monster Beneath Us struggles somewhat, is with the story outside of the creature below. Attempts are made to flesh out the family history and Grace finds herself having to navigate the impolite society of her ex-mother-in-law, but the gravity of their interactions doesn’t fully land. The bond between mother and son is also kept at a distance. This space creates a chasm and makes it tricky for the audience to fully bond with either of them. The lack of any real depth to the narrative outside of them clearing the house for sale is disappointing as it leaves the viewer floundering. The film instead relies on their enjoyment coming entirely from the scare moments. For the most part these are effective, but cannot replace a compelling story.
The Monster Beneath Us
Summary
Although it tries, the plot of The Monster Beneath Us’ never quite gets going. Thankfully there are plenty of scary moments to paper over the cracks.
The Monster Beneath Us was reviewed at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest 2024.
