Murder Me, Monster
One part Lynchian mystery, one part Cronenberg nightmare, and entirely bizarre, Alejandro Fadel’s Murder Me, Monster is a thought-provoking and a viciously delirious thriller that morphs the murder mystery and monster movie genres together into its own horrifying and twisted entity. After the body of a decapitated women is discovered in a rural area near the Andes, police officer Cruz (Victor Lopez) begins to investigate, which takes him down a darkly imaginative rabbit hole involving mysterious motorcyclists, geometric shapes and the titular phrase that’s repeated by the case’s prime suspect.
Unflinchingly brutal and unapologetic in its extremity and stomach-churning gore, this is by no means a film for the faint-of-heart. Likewise, a constant claustrophobic and grimy atmosphere remains present throughout, growing increasingly intense as the narrative continues to unfold, rendering these events all the more disturbing. Amidst the gore and dismemberment there is an undeniable beauty to the film’s presentation. Editing, cinematography, lighting, sound design and music (which is somewhat reminiscent of Twin Peaks) all bear the hallmarks of a passion project that’s been meticulously handcrafted by its filmmaker to create something meaningful.
But what meaning (if any) can be taken away from a viewing is completely dependent on how much attention is paid to the small details and how much significance one is willing to bestow upon them. With numerous hidden details lurking in the shadows of the frame, this is a film that demands detective work of our own in order to piece the mystery together; everything is layered with a deeper metaphorical meaning, what that meaning could be, though, will undoubtedly spark heated debates amongst cinephiles and require multiple viewings to even begin to scratch the surface.
By the time the credits roll on the first viewing, there are far more questions raised than answered. Some may find the ending frustrating or even pretentious, declaring it as no more than meaningless insanity. But the most intriguing films are the ones that can be interpreted and understood in near endless ways by their audiences, and this is certainly what Fadel’s latest feature does.
Only time will decide if Murder Me, Monster finds its way to becoming a cult masterpiece. Until then, though, it’s certainly worth seeing what we make of this surreal nightmare.
Andrew Murray
Murder Me, Monster is released digitally on demand and in select cinemas on 4th December 2020.
Watch the trailer for Murder Me, Monster here:
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