You don’t usually go into Sundance expecting to see Oscar winners fighting off zombies, but that’s part of the reason why Little Monsters was so much fun. The horror-comedy features Lupita Nyong’o as a kindergarten teacher who must protect her young charges from a zombie outbreak, and she goes to funny and very gory lengths to do so.
The film written and directed by Abe Forsythe, with Alexander England playing the lead dude. He’s largely overshadowed by Nyong’o and fellow co-star Josh Gad, the latter as a children’s television personality only looking out for himself.
My review praised the performances and the movie’s simple goals, noting that it really belongs to Nyong’o who can apparently do no wrong right now. She’s fantastic.
SYNOPSIS: After a rough breakup, directionless Dave (Alexander England) crashes at his sister’s place and spends his days expanding his young nephew’s questionable vocabulary. When an opportunity arises to chaperone an upcoming school excursion alongside the charming and enigmatic teacher, Miss Caroline (Lupita Nyong’o), Dave jumps at the chance to impress her. What he wasn’t anticipating was Teddy McGiggle (Josh Gad), an obnoxious children’s television personality who shapes the excursion’s activities. What he was expecting even less was a zombie invasion, which unfolds after an experiment at a nearby military base goes awry. Armed only with the resourcefulness of kindergartners, Dave, Miss Caroline, and Teddy must work together to keep the monsters at bay and carve a way out with their guts intact.
Little Monsters will open in theaters on October 8th before going to Hulu on October 11th.
