Premiering as part of the Un Certain Regard strand of the 2018 Cannes Film festival, Argentinean director Alejandro Fadel’s latest film, ‘Murder Me, Monster’ has finally reached our shores, and the two year wait for such an unorthodox slice of psychological horror was more than worth it.
Boasting an intelligently-devised narrative and intricate, hallucinogenic direction, ‘Murder Me, Monster’ is one of those film’s that grabs your attention from the very beginning and leaves you wanting to jump right back into such a suggestive and jaw-dropping cinematic exercise all over again. We would be amiss if we weren’t to mention the outstanding performances all round too, especially lead actor Victor Lopez’ chilling portrayal of police agent Cruz.
Fadel’s macabre and intricate reflection on society – more specifically focusing on themes of loss and grief – slips the audience into the shoes of rural police officer Cruz as he investigates the bizarre case of a headless woman’s body found in a remote region by the Andes Mountains. David, the husband of Cruz’s lover Francisca, becomes the prime suspect and is sent to a local psychiatric hospital. David blames the crime to the inexplicable and brutal appearance of the “Monster”, and its victims’ plea “Murder Me, Monster”. As more deaths happen – Cruz must determine who the real monster is.
Fadel’s enigmatic demands your full attention but the satisfying payoff makes this a must-see movie, not only for horror fans but for anyone who is partial to more intricately plotted out cinema with a style that actually enhances the substance. Let’s just say you should probably watch this before calling it a day with your best of 2020 film list.
With ‘Murder Me, Monster’ available to stream or download to own from Friday 4th December, we sat down with Fadel who revealed the genesis for his latest outing and the specifics behind crafting this all-out assault on the senses…
Words: Howard Gorman
