The Monster: What The Creature REALLY Means

The 2016 film The Monster features a creature hidden within the darkness of the woods, but the real meaning of the monster is something much more. Directed by Bryan Bertino (The Strangers), the film follows a mother named Kathy (Zoe Kazan) and her daughter Lizzy (Ella Ballentine) on their way to exchange custody to her father. Kathy decides to take back roads in order to make the drive quicker but as heavy rain pours, she hits a wolf and the car breaks down.

They get out of the car to investigate the wolf and find a large tooth embedded in the animal. As a tow truck arrives to rescue them, the driver is ripped from beneath the car and taken into the woods by the creature. In-between scenes of carnage, the film shows moments between the mother and daughter that range from traumatic to heartbreaking. Their relationship was tarnished by Kathy’s years of struggling with alcoholism. Knowing that they are inside, the creature begins to stalk the car from the darkness.

As the film and the monster’s hunt for the pair progresses, their relationship begins to deepen and mend. While Kathy has never shown a mothering nature towards Lizzy, she turns into the ultimate protector of her daughter. The Monster’s creature and the threat of death brings out the love that Kathy feels so deeply for her child and her own heartbreak at the thought of losing her.

The Monster: What The Creature REALLY Means

Horror films that feature a mother and child dynamic have always been popular, but in recent years they have gained an increase in popularity and a resurgence in film. With films such as The Babadook (2014) and Hereditary (2018), the shared relationship between a mother and their son or daughter is central to how the horror is realized. In The Monster, the creature uses sound to locate its next victim similar to the creatures in A Quiet Place (2018) but is averse to light. In the film, it is a real living being, but the monster is also an allegory for Kathy and Lizzy’s relationship.

Throughout the film, Lizzy expresses that Kathy never listens to her but listening and sound is key for their survival. Not only that, but throughout the film Kathy must listen to everything Lizzy says to hear for warnings of the monster. The creature stands in as a plot device in order to better the relationship of the pair up until the climactic end of the film. It is an all-encompassing representation of their dynamic that is only strengthened as The Monster progresses and glimpses of the past are shown.

If the creature resembles any other monster in horror, it is classified as one similar to the Babadook. Just as the 2014 creature represented a mother and son’s dynamic and brought them together, The Monster’s creature does the same with Kathy and Lizzy.

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