Monstrous comes to us from filmmaker Chris Sivertson (I Know Who Killed Me, All Cheerleaders Die), who has been doing a string of made-for-tv efforts recently, so it makes sense that I got a strong made-for-tv vibe right from the start. In fact, the film bares a PG-13 rating, which is very warranted considering how kid-friendly the movie turned out, whether that was their intention or not. I personally don’t mind a little “light horror” from time to time, so I tried to keep an open mind.

The story revolves around Christina Ricci’s character Laura, who rents an idyllic lakeside home with her son Cody to get away from her abusive ex-husband. Settling into the place seemed easy enough, despite Cody acting a bit strange at home and at his new school, but Laura won’t let that get her down and presses on with a positive attitude. However, as the story slowly unravels, so does Laura’s state of mind, ultimately leaving them fearing for their lives once again, only this time from something potentially more wicked than her ex.

While I didn’t hate the movie, it does have its fair share of problems, mainly the script, which is not only predictable, but also felt like something that would’ve come out 20 years ago, especially with how the story plays out. Next to that, Christina Ricci is great as always and the film is paced well, along with offering a cool looking monster/spirit (whatever you want to call it) that appears throughout the film.

The movie is definitely not a bad watch, but it’s not something I’d go out of my way to catch either. If you’re in the mood for something to possibly watch with the family you could do a lot worse than this.