‘Everyone has nightmares. Most survive.’
Impossible Monsters is a 2019 American psychological thriller about an ambitious professor who becomes caught up in murder. Specifically, the murder of a participant in his sleep study, as the lines between dreams and reality blur.
Written and directed by Nathan Catucci, the movie production stars Laila Robins, Dennis Boutsikaris, Santino Fontana and Geoffrey Owens.
Reviews:
“Everything interrelates, of course (and, speaking of relations, the lapse of professional ethics on display in Impossible Monsters is astounding). But if you’ve only got so much time and so much budget, cuts needs must. It wasn’t without its charm […] But Impossible Monsters is a case of too much narrative flab supported by too little narrative bone and sinew.” 366 Weird Movies
“A thought-provoking and masterful addition to the thriller genre, Impossible Monsters is smart, sleek, sexy, and worth your time.” Cryptic Rock
“Catucci puts forward a good idea for an eerie thriller-horror, and delivers it with impressive visual work, but a lack of subtlety and intelligence ultimately makes this a pretty dire affair. The filmmaker shows potential in his directorial debut, but sadly this film is not likely to fire him to instant success.” Cultured Vultures
“Thanks to its cast and their own balances of lightness, darkness, and the rationale we try to have when dealing with both, the film is able to glide through its dual feel. It goes from philosophical to “crime-drama” of sorts, but Catucci makes it work through cinematography, smart dialogue, and the overall hallucinogenic ambiance of the film.” Diandra Reviews It All
“Ultimately Impossible Monsters is a perfectly adequate film with good production values and quite a few engaging twists and turns. If you are interested in the psychology of dreams and nightmares, or the thrill of a murder mystery, then this film is worth a watch.” Film Threat
“Impossible Monsters at times gets too baroque for its own good, straining for a Ken Russell-like hallucinatory style that it doesn’t fully succeed in pulling off. But it’s an admirably ambitious and accomplished debut for its tyro filmmaker who should easily move on to bigger things.” The Hollywood Reporter
“Catucci’s film is mainly a psychological drama, but eventually its thriller aspects kick in when one of the characters is murdered and another is framed for the death. Indeed, all along there have been sinister character motivations beneath the proceedings, but only Charlie’s are made manifest. The other characters—often facing themselves in the mirror—remain ambivalent throughout…” Marvin Brown
“Impossible Monsters speaks to what happens to the light when we revel in the darkness. Director Catucci creates an interesting world where fantasy tries to swallow reality. Despite the fact that it sometimes struggles with its use of characters and story, the film has a compelling premise that provides some interesting moments.” ScreenFish
” …a well made and stylish thriller with more than its fair share of suspense. Better in many ways than several recent thrillers, the film manages to keep us off balance by not doing exactly what e expect when we expect it. The film also boasts a couple of nice suspense sequences that keep us focused on what is happening…” Unseen Films
Cast and characters:
Laila Robins … Dean Gaslow
Dennis Boutsikaris … Steven
Santino Fontana … Rich
Geoffrey Owens … Jacobs
Natalie Knepp … Leigh
Devika Bhise … Jo
Lyanka Gryu … Shayna
Jennifer Lim … Alice
Richard Meiman … Leigh’s Uncle
Robert Cuccioli … Dechamp
Chris Henry Coffey … Charlie
Alison Fraser … Broker
Mercer Boffey … Costello
Rio Rocket … Bar Patron
Donald Chang … Young Officer
Filming locations:
City College of New York City, Manhattan, New York City, New York
Technical details:
84 minutes
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Trailer:
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