Humongous is a 1982 Canadian horror film directed by Paul Lynch (Poltergeist: The Legacy TV series; Mania: The Intruder; Prom Night) from a screenplay by William Gray (Dark Shadows 1991 TV series; Prom Night; The Changeling).
In 2017, the film was issued on Blu-ray by Scorpion Releasing.
- Two versions of the film – the R-Rated Cut (in HD) and the Unrated Cut (in HD with standard definition inserts)
- New interview with actor David Wallace
- Audio commentary with director Paul Lynch and writer William Gray, moderated by Nathaniel Thompson
- Theatrical Trailer
- Watching in Nightmare Theatre mode
- Reversible cover featuring the original movie poster
The movie stars Janet Julian, David Wallace (Mortuary), John Wildman, Janit Baldwin (Ruby), Joy Boushel, Lane Coleman, Shea Garner, Page Fletcher, John McFadyen, Garry Robbins.
1946: Young, virginal Ida Parsons innocuously plays as her father hosts a raucous party. Amid the festivities, an older, drunken man named Tom Rice staggers outside and propositions Ida. When she refuses, he chases her into the woods and carnally assaults her; her dogs break out of their pen and they attack and fatally maul her attacker.
1982: Preppy brothers Eric and Nick are borrowing their father’s yacht to take their girlfriends, Sandy and Donna, on a weekend outing along with their sister, Carla.
That night, fog settles in; Eric and Nick, hearing cries out on the water, discover and rescue a shipwrecked fisherman named Bert. Bert informs them that he wrecked offshore Dog Island, the home of lumber baroness Ida Parsons, who has used her family fortune to hole herself up on the island for the past thirty-five years; only making two annual voyages onto the mainland for necessary supplies, and never speaking to anyone during these trips.
Recovering from the onset of hypothermia, Bert tells the quintet a campfire story about the savagery of the wild dogs which roam Ida’s island, acting as her sentries. They wreck their boat after Nick, in a panic, attempts to steer the boat back to the mainland.
Donna, Eric, Sandy, Nick, and Bert wash up on Dog Island; Bert has been seriously wounded, and Carla is nowhere to be found. Nick wanders off into the woods, and is subsequently killed by a humongous figure that breaks down the shed where Nick hides…
Reviews:
” …this modest but sometimes effective chiller will never be placed in the top tier of slasher classics. However, when you can actually tell what the heck’s going on, it’s an efficient model of ‘80s economical horror filmmaking with a solid final half hour and some reasonable (albeit not overly gory) kill scenes.” Nathaniel Thompson, Mondo Digital
“Like Black Christmas, the promiscuous characters die, but so do the chaste ones. Having already eaten every living thing on the island, the creature is searching out the teens for food and does not discriminate between them. This makes Humongous much more surprising than typical American slasher fare…” Canuxploitation
“There’s nothing surprising or special about the “creature” and the characters are cannon fodder, without personalities.” John Stanley, Creature Features
” …displays neither logic, humanity, invention, or imagination … the director’s flashy mannerisms (tilted camera angles and images obscured by dirty glass, bannisters, and the like) are no substitute for a genuine sense of style.” The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror
“Though derivative of other slasher movies, plagued by the annoying improbabilities of all A-to-B horror efforts, filled with bickering dorks, and pretty slow to get started, Humongous eventually gets to a weird, frenetic payoff, as the title monster is forced to leave the cozy confines of his basement and get down to some serious killin’.” Kurt Dahlke, DVD Talk
Buy DVD Amazon.com
Cast and characters:
- Janet Julian as Sandy Ralston
- David Wallace as Eric Simmons
- John Wildman as Nick Simmons
- Janit Baldwin as Carla Simmons
- Joy Boushel as Donna Blake
- Layne Coleman as Bert Defoe (as Lane Coleman)
- Shay Garner as Ida Parsons (as Shea Garner)
- Page Fletcher as Tom Rice
- John McFadyen as Ed Parsons
- Garry Robbins as Ida’s son
