Little Monsters | SXSW 2019 Film Review

Little Monsters is an incredibly fun horror comedy film which follows Kindergarten teacher, Miss Caroline (Lupita Nyong’o), who must team up with Dave (Alexander England) to protect her students from the undead at all costs.

Miss Caroline is the most beguiling of teachers, whose mission on this trip is to keep her students’ eyes on her and away from the danger. Much credit to Lupita for not only studying with Australian instructors to truly encapsulate a Kindergarten teacher, but for making it one of the most easily believable performances of the year. After Little Monsters, there’s no one else I want to teach my future unborn kids than Nyong’o’s Miss Caroline. She’s kind and gentle, but fierce and strong. She knows what needs to be done and takes every risk imaginable to cross the finish line with every child unharmed.

The film opens on Dave’s sad and despairing life, as a pathetic aspiring musician who loses everything he has – which isn’t much beyond his relationship. Dave is definitely the type of guy your parents always try to protect you from dating, and your big brother would show up at his house with a biker gang just to scare him off from dating you. Stuck in his immaturity, Dave doesn’t seem to be grown up enough to take care of anyone else, no less capable of caring for himself.

After Dave’s relationship falls to the wayside, he crashes at his sister Tess’s (Kat Stewart) place with her surprisingly intellectual and charming son, Felix (Diesel La Torraca), there to bring a smile to everyone’s face. Torraca feels so natural in his placement, that it makes you wonder what amusement park he was promised a visit to for this performance.

Lucky for Dave, Felix just so happens to be one of Miss Caroline’s students. Dave falls quick and hard for Miss Caroline after stepping up and taking Felix to school, making every effort to appear like the wholesome man Miss Caroline presumably wants. Which also means that Dave is willing to chaperone the upcoming field trip filled with a busload of excited six year olds singing to Miss Caroline’s ukulele jams… and a hoard of zombies ready to eat their growing brains.

Dave is a believable flub and by the end, you’re somehow rooting for him to win the gold. Alexander England does a nice job of this by taking you through the character’s arc, and making you go from wanting to slap sense into him to wanting to give him a hug and watch as he snags the girl.

Just in case you’re wondering what Josh Gad has to do with this, I had the same concern originally. Honestly, I question how necessary his absolutely ludicrous character is, until it went full balls-to-the-wall and I realized this is exactly what this film needs. Gad plays Teddy McGiggle, which is basically this over eccentric, dorky grown male who has mastered the craft at making kids laugh and smile, but is deep down one of the darkest human beings barely alive. I’m glad he wasn’t in every scene because he can be a bit overwhelming, but he certainly adds another level of humor to Little Monsters.

If you like your zombies with a little sunshine, you’re not going to want to miss this one. With the cutest Darth Vader impression and some highly inappropriate scenes that director Abe Forsythe cleverly navigates, Little Monsters is a fantastic blend of comedy and zombies a la Shaun of the Dead, with a punch more heart.