MONSTER MAN (2003)

Imagine yourself driving on a deserted highway in the middle of nowhere. It’s a warm, sunny day and a cool breeze ghosts in through the open windows. College is out and the road beckons, gifting you with all in the time in the world to enjoy the ride, even if your lazy passenger has encumbered you with the day’s driving duties. Then from out of nowhere, a rusty, hulking monster truck appears right behind you and initiates a game of car tag without handicaps. After a few moments of disbelief you realise that the driver of the truck wants to do more than simply dent your fender and as he draws along side you, you dare a glance up at the cab. Glaring back at you is a hideously deformed beast called Fuck Face, the savage, maniacal stare in its milky white eyes giving way to a look of sheer joy as it rams into your car, forcing you off the road. In a brief moment of calm, you try to recover your wits, only to realise the truck has turned around and death on wheels is screaming at you on collision course. Welcome to Monster Man!
Monster Man opens with two young men travelling through the Deep South on a ‘coming of age’ road trip, the destination being the wedding of one of their classmates. Adam (Eric Jungmann), is in love with the bride to be and intends to confess his feelings in a last ditch attempt to entice her off the altar into his arms. However his buddy Harley (Justin Urich) has different ideas and in direct contrast to his sensitive yet naive friend, is a loud mouthed, thinking man’s jock, enjoying beer, women and barbecue whenever possible. Indeed, when the pair first stop for a break, the nature of Harley’s character comes to the fore in an amusing yet disconcerting scene, as they recline in a bar populated solely by amputees. The unsettling surrealism of the locale coupled with his crass jokes directed at the unfortunate patrons culminates in a memorable sequence, which will make you laugh and squirm simultaneously. Certainly not a moment for the politically correct!

As the trip progresses, the pair become entrenched in a series of arguments about the merits and flaws of Adam’s plan and various other issues, until they are confronted by a giant monster truck that forces them off the road. Stopping at the next roadside café, they take a moment to gather their wits but before they leave, they spot the empty monster truck in the car park. There’s little apprehension from Harley here and upon checking that the coast is clear, he climbs up the chassis and methodically pisses all over the driver’s seat! Fleeing triumphantly, the pair hit the road again and soon stop to pick up Sarah (Aimee Brooks), a beautiful hitchhiker. Of course, Harley channels all his energy into getting something going with her but she rejects his overtures, whilst being seemingly attracted to Adam. Yet he is still pining for his soon to be lost love and initially overlooks her attentions.

Just when they think they are out of danger, the Monster Man reappears (Harley heralds his arrival with the classic line “Oh shit, it’s Fuck Face!") and totals their wheels, before chasing them into the middle of nowhere. A brief respite from the pursuit sees them visit another local joint, and this time they chow down on meaty looking bowls of home made stew before discovering the ingredients include fingers and other parts of the human body. After a few twists to the story (I won’t spoil it by mentioning them here) Adam and Sarah find themselves prisoners inside a nightmarish hovel, home to Fuck Face and his unfortunate brother, who lies disembowelled upon a table in the kitchen, whilst Harley becomes part of a corpse burrito!
I was initially drawn to this movie by the billing given to it by the director, Michael Davis. Upon meeting the portly Spielberg look-alike (his description!), he simply informed me that the ‘monster’ in question was a hideously scarred sadist called ‘Fuck Face’ and drove a huge monster truck over his victims. Enough said! There are gallons of gore, there’s a vaguely gratuitous sex scene and for a change, the comedy, stupid though it is at times, is actually pretty damn funny. I’m not normally one for sitcom humour in a horror movie (although it’s foolish to overlook a film solely for this reason) but Davis’ previous directorial experience in making romantic comedies such as 100 Girls and 8 Days a Week shines through here, with the humour complimenting the horror in fine style. So many horror movies have attempted to interject laughs without a sense of timing but Monster Man avoids this pitfall. The acting is suitably over the top and there is some convincing chemistry between the two pals. It’s also credit to Davis that this is his first attempt at directing a horror movie, and he combines some good cinematography with blood spattered special effects and unique scenarios, such as the soon to be legendary ‘corpse burrito’ scene! Just watch it!