This is a movie I had never heard of before, until I found out it was directed by David Henrie, who I know as Justin Russo from Wizards of Waverly Place (2007-2012). So, I gave this movie a watch and it was okay, while also be a little disappointed by the result.
Positives for Monster Summer (2024):
This movie feels like a throwback to older family-friendly horror movies like The Monster Squad (1987) and I can see people getting some entertainment value from this. This movie isn't trying to be thought-provoking or any of that modern day movie stuff, it just trying to entertain you and I appreciate that. I liked the performances from Mason Thames and Mel Gibson. And finally, there is some solid horror moments in the finale of the movie.
Negatives for Monster Summer (2024):
While I do appreciate the attempt to making this movie feel like older family-friendly horror movies, the attempt doesn't work here. For the most part, this movie consists of scene with characters talking to each other and there's barely any horror in this movie. I would be forgiving of this if the conversations in this movie were good, but they aren't and they feel rather very dull. Some of that is probably because of the small budget and it most definitely shows here. I was expecting the scariest movie here, but I'm a little disappointed given that David Henrie was the director.
Overall, Monster Summer (2024) is an okay family-friendly horror movie that you can throw on and have some fun with the family. Sadly, this movie was a big disappointment for me and given David Henrie's background in family-comedy and Disney Channel, I was expecting so much more from this movie.
