Attack of the Morningside Monster

[Mark Tolch]

Released By: MVD Visual
Released On: January 20, 2015
Director: Chris Ethridge
Cast: Nicholas Brendon, Tiffany Shepis, Robert Pralgo, Catherine Taber, Amber Chaney
Year: 2014
Purchase From Amazon

The Film:

Small town life in Morningside, New Jersey is about to get a rude awakening. While out in the woods doing depraved teenaged stuff around a campfire, a chance kicking over of a lantern by a topless teen reveals the corpse of a local drug dealer obscured by leaves. While the town is no doubt unfamiliar with such atrocities, this could be classified as a standard drug-related murder with one exception; the organs have been removed, and a strange symbol is found painted in the victim's weed-growin' shack.

It's definitely not par for the course for Officer Tom Haulk and his fellow law enforcement comrades as the symbol starts showing up around town, and bodies start showing up to accompany them. And while Officer Tom would rather be fishing or spending couples night over at his buddy Mark and his cancer-stricken wife Abby's place with his own cute lady friend, the murder of a fellow cop demands that duty be done, and fast.

Narrowing down the suspects isn't a difficult task, and it's made easier by the fact that they're getting done in before any serious thought has to be put into it, but innocent people are also getting hurt. Finally, when information comes back regarding the mysterious symbol, Tom and his crew start putting together the pieces of a puzzle that involves ancient rituals, cannibalism, and a fancy mask that would make the killer from Scream hide his head in shame. But will they figure out who is responsible before the whole cast is killed off...by the Morningside Monster?

To get it right out there, and it'll be obvious to anyone watching from the first scene; Attack of the Morningside Monster is not going to win any awards for being the biggest budget film to roll out of Atlanta. This is an independent film, and it wears that badge pretty proudly. Despite the financial limitations, though, the crew have got some good ideas, even if the film is a little sloppy in places. To be honest, the low budgetedness of the film is part of its charm, and even adds to the entertainment. Check out the signage in the police station. Check out the bald cap on Abby. Check out the not-so-realistic gore. Check out that gratuitous nudity. But they've also got real police cars, real locations, and a competence in shooting and editing, not to mention a decent soundtrack, that you don't usually have the privilege of seeing in such ventures.

And speaking of privilege, let's talk about the best part of Morningside Monster...the cast. Just about all of them. They're FANTASTIC. Really. One of the things that often kills this type of film, no matter how extravagant the ideas and the technique, is bad acting. Not to be found in this film. While the majority of them could not be considered amateurs, it's amazing to see the calibre of performance on display here. Robert Pralgo is awesome as Tom Haulk, while Tiffany Shepis has no problem keeping up as fellow officer Klara Austin. Nicholas Brendon is also wonderful, and Mike Stanley turns in a great performance as local wife-beater/drug dealer Clyde. The talented group mentioned here, as well as the supporting actors, are a real treat to watch.

In the age of multimillion dollar mega-blockbusters, and horrifically bad budget indy films, it's nice to be surprised by a film that is neither. Attack of the Morningside Monster will most likely not end up being a smash hit, but it's got entertainment value, and that counts for something.

Video/Audio/Extras:

MVD Visual brings Attack of the Morningside Monster to DVD with a 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer that looks to be a good representation of the film's source material. Detail is sharp when it needs to be, colours are fairly solid, and artifacting is kept to a minimum.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track is also good, though the volume does jump around slightly during the film...not enough to make you dive for the remote, though. Dialogue is clear and balanced well with the rest of the soundtrack. It should be noted that if you rely on subtitles for this, you may have an issue...the subtitles for this film are horrible looking.

A commentary is included on the disc, with Director Chris Ethridge, Writer Jayson Palmer, and Producer Michael Harper. Though you'll definitely here a bit of the dreaded "Describing what's on the screen" going on, there is a fair bit of information regarding the background of the film, the soundtrack, the filming locations, and the actors that were used.

Two trailers are also included.

The Final Word:

Attack of the Morningside Monster is an entertaining film with a great cast. Worth seeing.

[Mark Tolch]

PS, she is really good in the time that she has. I have to admit that I'm largely unfamiliar with her work.

[Jason C]

I'm a big fan of Tiffany Shepis. I typically enjoy the films where she plays a significant role, but I've hated most of the films where she's just a bit player. Exceptions to that would be CYRUS, it's fantastic, and EXIT TO HELL, it's not so good.

Some of my favorite Tiffany Shepis films:
THE HAZING
THE FRANKENSTEIN SYNDROME
THE VIOLENT KIND
BONNIE AND CLYDE VS. DRACULA
BLOODY MURDER 2
NIGHTMARE MAN

Avoid at all costs:
DORM OF THE DEAD
CHAINSAW CHEERLEADERS
DETOUR

[Mark Tolch]

I think I'll have to check some of those out, thanks for the tip. I couldn't remember why her name sounded familiar, and then I realized that she was mentioned often by a horror actress living out Arizona way.