Little Monsters
Altitude Films | Release Date: October 8, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
59
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
10
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Stream On

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Total FilmJordan FarleyNov 15, 2019
Proving there’s life in the zom-com yet, Forsythe’s down under rib-tickler might just be 2019’s funniest film. Read full review
80
EmpireChris Hewitt (1)Nov 11, 2019
A very pleasurable surprise, with likeable leads, the right amount of gore, and some incredible near-the-knuckle gags that you can’t quite believe writer-director Forsythe even attempts, let alone gets away with. Far better than the 1989 Fred Savage-Howie Mandel movie of the same name. Read full review
80
We Got This CoveredMatt DonatoMar 12, 2019
Little Monsters is a must-see horror comedy that proves Lupita Nyong'o should be starring in far more horror movies than she's been offered at this point. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattOct 9, 2019
It’s Nyong’o who makes Monsters worth spending 90 breezy, bloody minutes on; wielding her tiny guitar like she did a fateful pair of scissors earlier this year in Jordan Peele’s "Us," she’s both a warrior queen and a fallible, believable human woman — and never not a movie star in every scene. Read full review
75
ConsequenceMichael RoffmanMar 11, 2019
Little Monsters oozes with heart and soul, making for an ultra likable, last-minute addition to a genre that should be buried 12-feet under in the near future. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesOct 8, 2019
The main reason why Little Monsters recovers well from its off-putting start is because of Nyong’o, who is so bright and funny as a capable caregiver, with a catchy song for every occasion. Read full review
70
Film ThreatNorman GidneyFeb 1, 2019
Not since Shaun of the Dead has there been such a consistently uproarious zombie movie. Read full review
67
IndieWireDavid EhrlichOct 8, 2019
The action that clutters the last hour of this movie is never compelling enough to feel like anything more than a bloody distraction, but the characters vibe together so well on their own terms that the walking dead only need to provide an existential threat. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreOct 8, 2019
It’s a zombie comedy, so the laughs come in mostly very familiar places. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawNov 15, 2019
The pure silliness of this idea is enjoyable. The children give guileless performances, and Nyong’o gamely plays the broad comedy for all its worth. Read full review
60
Screen DailyAnthony KaufmanFeb 2, 2019
Little Monsters doesn’t exactly reanimate the popular subgenre in novel ways, but there’s enough humorous gags, suspenseful scares, fleshy gore, and quite surprisingly, a dash of heartfelt sentiment, to make for an amusing thrill-ride. Read full review
60
VarietyAmy NicholsonFeb 2, 2019
The paradox of "Little Monsters" is that it’s so guileless in its story and execution, it could have been made for kids, except for the disembowelings. Still, Nyong’o not only survives the film with her dignity intact, the audience might exit admiring her more. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyFeb 1, 2019
Little Monsters irreverently builds enough good will and comic energy in the early-going to carry it to its conclusion, so it’s bound to gather a cult of some dimension. Read full review
58
The Film StageJordan RaupJan 31, 2019
Never truly scary or side-splitting hilarious (aside from one of the single greatest visual jokes I’ve seen in a long while, involving a kindergarten class picture), Little Monsters can often feel toothless in its bite, ending up being a watchable, if watered-down zombie comedy. Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriOct 12, 2019
Rarely have I seen a horror-comedy as joyless as Little Monsters. Which feels like a weird (and sad) thing to say, because rarely have I seen a horror-comedy that is also so insistent in its humor, so determined to try and entertain me, as Little Monsters. It’s fast, loud, and impossibly shrill — except when it quiets down, which is when it briefly, belatedly comes to life. Read full review
50
New York PostSara StewartOct 10, 2019
Director-writer Abe Forsythe (“Down Under”) nails a handful of funny juxtapositions, but too often leans into mean-spirited and tired yuks. As far as red flags for lameness go, fat-kid and pooping your pants jokes are, well, dead giveaways. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comNick AllenOct 8, 2019
It’s all overly precious and just not funny enough, even if it is a blood-soaked tribute to those who would look at the story as just another day of underpaid work. Read full review
50
The PlaylistJason BaileyFeb 1, 2019
[Nyong’o is] so good, in fact, that the pleasure of her performance makes “Little Monsters” worth seeing. But just barely. Read full review
40
The New York TimesElisabeth VincentelliOct 10, 2019
The charismatic Nyong’o is easily the best part of this feeble Australian horror comedy. Read full review
More From This Movie

59 Critic Reviews

6.0 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 86 Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
2 84 Are You There God? It's Me,...
3 78 John Wick: Chapter 4
4 75 Polite Society
5 73 Air
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL