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Attack of the Morningside Monster AKA The Morningside Monster
R0 - America - Apprehensive Films / MVD Visual Review written by and copyright: Eric Cotenas (9th January 2015). |
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The Film
 When the mummified corpse of local marijuana grower Ryan O'Malley (Jayson Palmer) is discovered in the woods by an unfortunate pair of horny teenagers pushing thirty, it is easier for Morningside sheriff Tom Haulk (Robert Pralgo) and his deputy Klara (Tiffany Shepis) to narrow down those who did not have a motive to kill the man. They do, however, keep an eye on his known associates: brute middleman Clyde (Mike Stanley), his stoner lackeys Keith (Kris Nelson) and Johnny (Troy Halverson), and dealer Haws (Antonio Madison) and his addict sister Jamie (Aja Morgan). When Clyde's car is tagged with a strange symbol also found scrawled at O'Malley's house, Tom assures Clyde that he treats everyone equally whether he likes them or not; that is, however, until the investigation crosses over into his personal life when he discovers the illegal means that Tom's childhood friend Mark (Nicholas Brendon) has resorted to in order to alleviate his terminally ill wife Abby's (Amber Chaney) suffering. As more of the Clyde's associates turn up gutted shortly after having something of theirs marked with the same symbol, it would seem that someone has it in for the town's undesirables (possibly a rival gang out to take over the drug trade). When Mark barely escapes a run-in with a hooded figure that leaves an officer dead, Tom starts looking for some other connection between the victims and their ritualistic deaths but uncovers something more disturbing. The latest in the DTV standby of small town serial killer flicks, Attack of the Morningside Monster is refreshing for its focus on middle-aged characters reflecting on their retrospectively care-free youth as they face mortality earlier than anticipated (the drug dealers from the murderer and Tom and Mark in the form of Abby's cancer). The principal characters could have used a little more development, even if it does at times feel like the forward momentum of the plot is hampered by belabored setups of multiple relationships. The film can, however, be commended for opening up the story rather than the usual low budget horror standard of minimal set-up before enclosing the characters in a budget-friendly single location to be picked off by the killer. Scream queen Sheppis is underused and Brendon – who snickers through a high school drugs and alcohol lecture – seems to be making a "special appearance" despite top billing, but Pralgo is an engaging lead and Stanley keeps his character's boorishness this side of over-the-top. The identity of the culprit is easily predicted – in the context of horror movie plotting – given his vocation, but quaintly so; however, the reasonably proficient gore effects are not nearly excessive enough to keep things thrilling for long. The film is ultimately more of an entertaining diversion easily overlooked amidst the clutter of direct-to-disc and VOD horror, but it does show promise for the filmmakers.
Video
MVD's single-layer progressive, anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen encode of this Canon C300-lensed film has good detail in close-ups, looks clean in day exteriors, bright interiors, and the more well-lit night shots but overly noisy in shots that seem to have originally been underexposed rather than darkened in post-production. As such, the film looks mostly slick with only a few bits that look blander and cheaper (perhaps rushed).   
Audio
The feature audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo mixes. The 5.1 track is not too sophisticated but recommended (although the 2.0 track is a perfectly suitable alternative). The optional English subtitles could have done with some proof-reading, and a couple lines linger in the silences before the next line of dialogue.   
Extras
Besides a teaser (1:44) and trailer (1:25) for the film, the disc's primary extra feature is an audio commentary by director Chris Ethridge, writer/actor Jayson Palmer, and producer Michael H. Harper who discuss the project's origins as a short for a friend at NYU in the nineties, the helpfulness of the Lawrenceville, Georgia locals (including the police department who let them use their old precinct building and vehicles), as well as their affection for the cast (including the energy and experience a pregnant Shepis brought to the dragging shoot). They also discuss the script's emphasis on character (including the killer's motivations) and its un-slasher-like treatment of slasher tropes. The track is informative, relatively amusing, and not too self-congratulatory.   
Overall
While not quite a diamond in the rough, the ambitious Attack of the Morningside Monster does try to do something different with a lot of (overly) familiar elements, and the results should prove sufficiently entertaining for seasoned viewers.   
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