Love is the Monster is an ambitious and earnest film that attempts to marry folk horror, drama, and hints of Sam Raimi-ish gore with Finnish mythology. It features a cast of talented actors who've fully understood the assignment, and the final act showcases director Alex Noyer's talents at their best.
It's also an ungainly and often oddly paced film that is either too short or too long with frustrating strands of ideas that feel underdeveloped. Your enjoyment of it will hinge on how much you love what an ambitious idea represents over how successfully it is delivered.
The setting is a wellness camp somewhere in the Finland during the midsummer festivities. A group of tourists from Europe and America take part in shamanistic rituals and elaborate trust excercises in hopes to fix whatever cracks are forming in their relationships, unaware that something far more sinister is brewing under the surface.
The site itself is the kind of New Age scam that anyone with a modicum of sense will sniff out as bullshit from the get go; which means it's perfect for well-to-do couples with more money than sense. And Noyer knows that anyone with even a passing familiarity to the genre knows the score. Most of the fun comes from the deadpan humor as the cult behind the site barely try to hide their ulterior motives, yet none of the oblivious tourists can read into what is malicious and what is just Finnish.
In a lesser film, this kind of premise would dictate we're here to watch lambs march into the slaughterhouse. Almost instinctively, I started to count the odds on who would go first. Then Noyer does something unexpected and makes us care about these lost and troubled people. They're not all fun to be around, but they're relatable and honest, even if somewhat thinly drawn.
Noyer draws out the best from his game cast, especially Madeline Zima as Ana, Kristina Tonteri-Young as Blake, and a deliciously hammy Milla Puolakanaho as Tiina, playing the head of the cult. Puolakanaho channels the wacky energy of old Hammer films in the best kind of way. It's a big and broad performance that at first draws us in with a promise of a wild ride, and then unnerves us once we realize there are no brakes to this thing.
Unlike Noyer's first film, The Sound of Violence, Love is the Monster is a more reserved film that has more in common with the quiet terror of The Wicker Man or the grand romanticism of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Such an ambitious crossover requires a delicate hand and, for the most part, Noyer proves himself up to the task. There's a terrific scene involving trust exercises on a beach that ramps up the tension unexpectedly and terrifically, creating a sensation that despite the vast nature around us, we're truly and well alone.
But at just 82 minutes, Love is the Monster is overstuffed with exposition and ideas that don't get enough room to breathe. There are elements of past trauma, forgiveness, love echoing through time, mythology coming to life in modernity, even hints at a Cabin in the Woods type of scenario, and traits of toxic relationships taking more tangible forms in horrifying ways.
Some of these moments get their opportunity to shine. In another highlight, Noyer builds hugely effective scares from an argument spiraling out of control, as bitterness and spite pervert any chance at human connection. The big and loud last half is also a lot of fun in its own way, but feels removed from the rest of the film in style because of how over-the-top it turns out.
Despite complaints, Love is the Monster is well worth your time. Noyer is a hugely talented director with a keen eye for the human element in horror. While his sophomore film isn't quite as effective as his debut, that's only saying how high he set the bar right off the bat.
I think couples will find a lot to love and fear here, especially those willing to suffer some introspection. Horror is the perversion of the natural world, and Love is the Monster is most effective when it targets the vulnerability of both soul and body. In the grand tradition of erotic folk horror, it is an effective and welcome new chapter.
