“Technically, it’s Frankenstein’s monster, if you want to be a dick about it.”
What’s it all about? Ever wonder if a zombie could be quick enough to stake a vampire? How about if Frankenstein’s monster could defeat a werewolf without a silver bullet? MONSTER BRAWL answers these questions in a battle royale between some of genre film’s most popular monsters.
Essentially, MONSTER BRAWL is a mock-up television broadcast of a wrestling tournament between monsters (to the death!), stylized in a similar fashion as those you’d see on TSN or Pay-Per-View. The fighters are split into two “conferences”, the monsters — Mummy, Lady Vampire, Frankenstein, Zombie — and the creatures — Cyclops, Witch Bitch, Werewolf, Swamp Gut. This format includes interviews before each fight, referees, commentators, stats (Mummy: “chronic arthritis”) and television network branding; There is a “Monster Brawl” logo in the bottom-right corner of the screen for the entire film.
This initial concept of monsters deciding to fight on the “Monster Brawl” programme is rife with small humorous moments. For example, in Swamp Gut’s interview, he claims that he’s fighting because of his anger over humanity’s neglect of the environment. The broadcast format also allows for some additional casting outside of the eight monsters and their handlers. As expected, flask-swigging Dave Foley and his partner commentator Art Hindle were highlights — “Embalming is a fine art, Buzz. He’s been wrapped in that crap for centuries.” The film’s monster makeup was believable and, thankfully, quite durable as well. But after the setup of the wrestling tournament, MONSTER BRAWL becomes laborious for those who don’t care very much for wrestling as either sport or entertainment.
Toronto After Dark Film Festival runs from October 20-27, featuring gala parties, nightly pub social events, Q&A’s with filmmakers and a zombie appreciation night with reduced tickets for the undead. For complete festival and film info including trailers and advanced tickets, visit www.torontoafterdark.com.
Notes: Directed by Jesse T. Cook; Written by Jesse T. Cook; Starring Dave Foley, Art Hindle, Robert Maillet, Kevin Nash, Jimmy Hart, Lance Henriksen.
