User Reviews

Not a lot of reviews of this one and it's a must-see for any Meyer fan as it is almost eerily reminiscent of the master at his best, so I'll add my opinion. Basically this is an Australian "Faster Pussycat" with 50s B-movie monsters thrown in. Despite a tiny budget, it's a lovingly crafted homage, which manages to capture the laid-back, slightly random atmosphere, mannered acting and general lack of morality of the original. The big difference: Meyer's trio of hellcats don't mind who gets hurt or killed along the way; but these three positively enjoy the carnage. The way they transform from sociopath bitches to front-line heroes when the monster attacks is a lovely touch.

There's no sex or nudity, not a huge amount of tension but bags of style and plenty of dismemberment and gore. The four main female actors, especially singer, model and photographer, Nelli Scarlet in the leading role, look perfect in their parts and do a good job on the acting side despite having almost no experience. The guy in the wheelchair is also fine. The rather quirky direction and script, minimal storyline, etc. may seem strange to some, but, while this can't claim to be a great movie, it's a carefully-put-together piece of art. The pace never flags, with fun, violence and action all the way.

Those reviewers who complained about, for example, the laughably awful special effects, haven't understood what is intended here. If you enjoyed "Pussycat", "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" and any of a host of crazy 50s monster-movies, you shouldn't miss this. If you're more into big-name stars, multi-million dollar Hollywood budgets and loads of CGI, better stay away.

Monstro! is one of those films that sounds like it's going to be a sure-fire winner when read about. It even has a cool poster. In truth, it doesn't live up to its potential. Its story has three bad girls on the run for a double murder. They wind up at a small seaside town that is terrorised by a tentacled sea monster. It should be fairly obvious from the above synopsis that this is a movie with more than a passing debt to the exploitation classic Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Furthermore, it even features the quite specific detail of a wheelchair bound misogynistic old man, which also aligns it with Russ Meyer's film. But this is a far less interesting movie sadly. The three girls here are a far cry from the Pussycats unfortunately and aren't nearly alluring enough to carry the film too far, although they are still the best thing about it.

Irrespective of the bad girl trio, it's essentially a low budget Australian creature feature. The monster of the title does pitch up every so often and gets involved in some gory killings. We don't really see too much of it beyond tentacles until the pretty decent finale. But the very combination of the three bad girls on the run with a creature feature is quite odd and does feel like two entirely different films colliding head on; which I am sure was the intention of the writer/director. There's also a pretty good soundtrack of retro tunes which adds some value to proceedings.

I would have to classify this as a bit of a miss considering the great possibilities it suggests. But overall it is fairly entertaining and doesn't ever get boring. And at 75 minutes it never out stays its welcome.

They were told to never go into the water. Now the sea will rise in a tide of blood.

I entered this with some pretty low expectations but an open mind. I did not know the plot and only knew I was going to see a "monster movie". I ended up being pleasantly surprised by this unique, artistic and inventive film.

While the character of Hannah (Kyrie Capri) stands out as the heroine, and Capri could have a future in films, everyone involved deserves credit. This did not come off as an amateur production, despite the fact I am certain most of these people had never been in front of a camera before. Whether the auditions were thorough or lucky I do not know, but they came out with a top-notch cast.

The visuals are appealing, with a nice blend of black and white with color, a twisted little homage to "Wizard of Oz" (whether intentional or not). The grindhouse effects of frames skipping was unnecessary, but well executed. And the soundtrack is phenomenal, really giving the whole production a western feel when it was anything but.

I do wish the sound was mixed better. As an American, the accents were hard for me to take in at times. This was not helped by the dialogue being drowned in the music. A bit more emphasis on speech and less on music (at least during the talking) and I think this would be more digestible for American audiences, if that is a goal.

MONSTRO! is another grindhouse-style movie that came out in the wake of the Tarantino/Rodriguez collaboration. This sub-genre of films typically harks back to the cheapo B-movies of yesteryear, throwing in copious sex and violence and not worrying too much about strong production values. MONSTRO!, an Australian addition to the genre, isn't as bad as the last one I watched - DEAR GOD NO! - but it's hardly the stuff of greatness.

The template this time around is the cinema of Russ Meyer, with a trio of 'super vixens' parading around in their tattoos and bikinis, although the film is surprisingly coy when it comes to actual nudity. The loose storyline sees the trio hole up in a run-down seaside village, where they encounter the titular menace, the Kraken no less, which proceeds to give them a run for their money.

Sadly the truth is that MONSTRO! just isn't very good. The paucity of the budget is evident in the cheapjack special effects - there's plenty of REALLY bad CGI here when the monster eventually shows up - and the general poor standard of acting from the main cast members. The script is also sub-par, and that opening murder sequence is pointless and actually had me hating the central trio after that. As ever, fans of these productions should just go and watch the original inspirations, because they're invariably much better.

Three girls out having fun. By fun, I mean murdering, snorting blow, and raising hell. The official movie synopsis describes this flick as a Australian homage to Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Add in some crappy cgi/sock puppet with an attitude special effects, and that's what you get.

Our three gorgeous rockabilly-esque anti-heroines are driving through Australia, doing their murdering shtick. They stop at a shanty near the beach and decide to take a dip. There are curves galore, but no nudity. An old man who happens to live near by sees them and starts yelling at them to get out of the water. They laugh, and the following night El Monstro Del Mar shows up to devour the town.

Is this movie crap? You bet it is, but it's the enjoyable kind of crap that's best seen with friends and maybe a little buzzed. While I wouldn't call it strictly dark humor, it doesn't take itself serious at all. It's not meant to scare you or teach you something about humanity. It's meant to entertain and it succeeds at that. I saw this flick at the Nevermore movie festival, and that's a great kind of venue for it. See it with friends, have a good time with it. If you like cheesy movies, you'll love this.

I'm a big supporter of Stuart Simpson and I remember when I reviewed his first film "The Demons Among Us" a few years back. I had to get in contact with him straight away and get an interview set up. And so I did. Ever since then I have been eagerly awaiting something new from him, which first was "The Dark Psychosis", but when one of the shorts for that collection became a movie of its own, "El Monstro Del Mar!", that one became my main focus. This was gonna be a wild independent monster movie and anyone who knows me have heard me complain about the lack of good monster films nowadays. Hell, people don't even make very good werewolf movies anymore. Because of this the expectations have been on top since day one and I haven't even stopped for a second to think that maybe this movie won't live up to all of this. But now after finally (after the first package was lost in the mail) having seen the film I can say that it's exactly what it needed to be.

It starts off in black and white with three big breasted rockabilly sweethearts with serious attitude (sound familiar? Yes, this movie in many way a tribute to "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" and the likes) in a car by the side of the road. They soon see a car with guys in it, and clearly they are stopping for these beauties! They slit the throats of the guys and take their car and head to a small town by the sea. There they meet the good old "don't go in the water" man in a wheel chair who warns them about the water. His granddaughter Hannah gets interested in these three ladies and goes to hang out with them later that night. While she parties with them, fishermen are being killed off one by one on a boat out in the sea, and later that morning the girls find the remains. The old man knows what's going on - the sea monster is back.

How original, right? No, not at all. And that's the point. "El Monstro Del Mar!" is constructed to take bits and pieces of Russ Meyer films as well as the good, serious monster movies. Of any decade, really. At times it feels exactly like the 80's did with their fun attitude and gore, but at other times it's straight out of a 50's monster movie. The movie doesn't take itself too serious, but when it comes to being a monster movie it actually does. It doesn't fool around trying to make the monsters funny even though they indeed do look like they could've been in a 50's film. And that's what makes it so much stronger than all of these films "homage films" that are so popular nowadays. The monster scenes are serious, fantastic and actually intense! The monster is pretty much an octopus with the arms/tentacles that eat. Much like the film "Deep Rising", I would say. For the most part we only see the tentacles, and as I said the effects feel like it is out of a classic monster movie, but I am pretty sure that was the case yet again. The tentacles are for the most part controlled by hand puppets and that makes the movement a bit restricted, but I must say I am very impressed by the finale because of how crazy it gets. Monster tentacles everywhere! I don't have any complaint at all against how the monsters looked because it worked so well with the rest of the movie. The gore also looked very good (some occasional blood color that felt a little off) and there is plenty to go around. The effects that I didn't like was some very brief CGI shots and some of the green screen shots. But there are also good CGI and green screen shots, which is very important to point out as well (example of good green screen is when it is for the monster, but bad is when it is for the background when the girls are on top of a hill).

Norman Yemm did a phenomenal job in his role as the worried old man and I don't think there was a second in the movie where he didn't have me convinced. I absolutely loved his character and you actually felt sorry for him! The girls did a good job as well, but they had a lot more outrageous scenes to play out so of course there are some bits that feel a bit awkward. But they also did a great job as these bad ass chicks with a thing for murder. Together the assembly make for a very good cast that fit the style of the movie, both in their acting and their look.

There isn't much more to say about "El Monstro Del Mar!". It's a fantastic little independent monster movie that I am pretty sure I will be watching again within the near future. "The Demons Among Us" was a good first film from Stuart Simpson, but this one is so much better and is proof that we have a future legend here. The short runtime here makes it straight on and focused, but I wouldn't have complained if it was another 10 minutes. There is no reason you should skip this movie if you enjoy monster movies, and even if you don't there are plenty of hot babes to look at while they shake their bodies on screen on more than one occasion. Good job Stuart and the team for making a monster movie that actually knows what is required to play with the big guys, and thank you for not making it into a slapstick splatter for cheap laughs.

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Wow. I really don't know what to say about El monstro del mar!

My jaw is still dropped.

You can listen to all the nonsense about how this is a rip off of this or that but really, this is Austrailia's answer to The Host

During every moment of this film I expected to be disappointed by clichés but instead I sat at the edge of my seat astounded by the originality.

Yeah it's like a collage of other movies but it does it so well, it's Thelma and Louise against Jaws, but not played for humor.

Yes, watch it.

Three dangerous vixens, one giant tentacle monster.. it's a recipe for a good old fashioned disaster. In a good way, of course. In this brand new ozploitation flick, the glorious classic elements of the exploitation and the input of several characteristics of the monster genre collide. It's the best of both worlds. I wasn't expecting much, but the first few minutes caused my jaw to drop and my drool to escape. Just a figure of speech..

It starts off with the three ladies hanging around in the middle of the desert in their broken down car, all shot in classy black/white, steady photography. Australian director Stuart Simpson is obviously paying a tribute to Russ Meyer's monumental classic 'Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!'. It's an effective start and it immediately brings a certain attitude and vibe to it that fans of the traditional action/crime genre will definitely love.

The happy, cheery vibe changes as we witness a terrible crime committed by the, apparently, hit-man-chicks. Monstro Del Mar shows a serious side, but at the same time it will never forget the essence of a great monster flick; taking a breath every once in a while and have a laugh. Plenty of room for silly activities, exploiting the female presence without getting to sexual or cheap.

With only 75 minutes on the clock there will be little time to get distracted or bored with the ladies, the monster or the epic combination of both. The ending is one to remember and the fact that they used practical effects for the most part is something that made me smile from cheek to cheek. Stuart Simpson knows what's right, resulting in a mixture of genres that will entertain you in a way that most other modern exploitation revivals fail to do.

It's not easy to point out exactly what makes Monstro del Mar that much different from the rest. We've all seen it before for as long as we can remember. Maybe it's the lack of convincing new material that makes this traditionally built piece of horror worth your while. Why change a killer recipe, right? The three vixens, Beretta, Blondie and Snowball are all played by first time actresses, making their part even more impressive. They play their roles as if they are having a good time, not as if they're trying to act.

I could just repeat the above and call it an end, but I'd like to point out that it really is a refreshing film in the midst of all the crap released lately. Stuart Gordon, who began his career at Troma (where else?), has convinced me of his talent in a way that very few are capable of nowadays. Check this Australian masterpiece out whenever you can, it will be worth your time!

MONSTRO! Is about three wild, homicidal women, named Beretta, Blondie, and Snowball (Nelli Scarlet, Karli Madden, and Kate Watts), who are just out for a good time. Not surprisingly, they're idea of fun involves cold-blooded murder.

After a day of such criminal activity, they need a rest. So, they take their victims' car and head for the beach. Settling into a beach house for a night of partying, the trio have no idea that a lurking horror is just outside.

Something has emerged from the sea, hungry for human flesh. Have these three "man killers" finally met their match?

This is a well-made, low-budget Aussie film from Writer / Director Stuart Simpson. It's gory as hell, and still manages to have a decent story line. The monster itself is actually quite menacing! The gushy finale -almost- enters into sacred DEAD ALIVE territory!

Fans of Russ Meyer's FASTER PUSSYCAT KILL! KILL! Should adore these women, though they're a bit more on the sadistic side than Meyer might have put on film.

I like to think that the late, great Tura Satana looks down at this movie with a sly smile of approval...