Monster Man (2003)

Director:

Michael Davis

Writer (WGA):

Michael Davis (written by)

Release Date:

11 March 2005 (Ireland)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Horror

Tagline:

On this highway, the roadkill is HUMAN!

Plot:

Two guys and a female hitchhiker are terrorized by a monstrous looking man driving a giant monster truck.

Plot Keywords:

Monster Truck | Hitchhiker | Road Trip | Swallowing A Key | Skull Crushing

Cast

Eric Jungmann	...	Adam
Justin Urich	...	Harley
Aimee Brooks	...	Sarah
Michael Bailey Smith	...	Monster Man / Brother Bob
Joe Goodrich	...	Brother Fred
Tim Sitarz	...	Big Redneck
Johnny Green	...	Headless man in Pentagram Room
Steve DeRelian	...	One Armed Man (as Steven de Relian)
Robert R. Shafer	...	Police Officer #1 (as Bobby Ray Shafer)
Diana Morgan	...	Newscaster
Frank Schettini	...	One Eyed Bartender
Mike Kimler	...	Extra
Scott McGaffee	...	Extra

Directed by
Michael Davis

Writing credits (WGA)
Michael Davis		(written by)

Produced by
Ehud Bleiberg	....	producer
Peter Block	....	executive producer
Jason Constantine	....	co-producer
Yitzhak Ginsberg	....	producer
Moshe Peterburg	....	executive producer
Larry Rattner	....	producer
Susan R. Rodgers	....	line producer

Original Music by
John Coda

Cinematography by
Matthew Irving

Film Editing by
Kevin D. Ross

Casting by
Perry Bullington
Robert MacDonald

Production Design by
Reuben Freed

Art Direction by
Chanida Trueblood		(as Chanida A. Trueblood)

Set Decoration by
Chanida Trueblood		(as Chanida A. Trueblood)

Costume Design by
Oneita Parker

Makeup Department
Ken Culver	....	special makeup effects artist
Cleve Gunderman	....	special makeup effects artist
Ken Niederbaumer	....	key makeup artist
Ken Niederbaumer	....	special makeup effects artist
Shelly Willis	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
Mark A. Jones	....	post-production manager
Mark A. Jones	....	production supervisor
Marcia Matthew	....	executive in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Matt Allen	....	first assistant director
Matt Zettell	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Raquel K. Cohen	....	set painter
Chris Debenedetto	....	props
Marcel Victor Prefontaine	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Rusty Fisher	....	boom operator
Phillip W. Palmer	....	sound mixer
Tara Paul	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Todd Masters	....	special effects

Stunts
Kim Robert Koscki	....	stunt coordinator
Joe Murphy	....	stunt double
Tim Sitarz	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Ramon Ciokon	....	electrician
Wyatt Denny	....	best boy electric
Philip J. Jaffe	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Chris Linares	....	grip
Eric McCandless	....	still photographer
Gary Molyneux	....	dolly grip
Stacy Sievek	....	gaffer
Tim Wattez	....	electrician

Casting Department
Mariann H.W. Lee	....	extras casting

Editorial Department
Michael P. Girsch	....	first assistant editor
Jonathan Poirier	....	assistant editor (as Jon Poirier)
Chuck Winston	....	color timer

Music Department
Dena Diamond	....	songwriter: A Love Like No Other
Aaron J. Goldstein	....	orchestrator
Mike Himelstein	....	songwriter: A Love Like No Other

Other crew
Alexander Brown	....	assistant to producers
Eric Pilarcik	....	location scout
Ron Segro	....	production accountant
Veda Semarne	....	script supervisor
Julie Zafiratos	....	production coordinator

Thanks
Keith Eckert	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Dream Entertainment
• Road Brothers inc.

Distributors

• Dream Entertainment (2003) (Non-USA) (all media)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2003) (Germany) (DVD)
• Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Magna Pacific (2004) (Australia) (DVD)
• Opening Distribution (2005) (France) (theatrical)
• Sharada Distribuzione (2005) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD) (VHS)
• Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (VHS)
• Palisades Tartan (2009) (UK) (all media)
• Punto Zero (2008) (Italy) (all media)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2004) (Finland) (DVD)
• Veronica (2007) (Netherlands) (TV) (first national airing)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera dollies
• Indie Grip & Lighting  grip and lighting equipment

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for strong horror violence/gore, language and some sexuality

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

Germany:18 | Finland:K-18 | Australia:MA | UK:18 | Ireland:18 | Iceland:16 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia) | USA:R (certificate #40070) | Netherlands:16 | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Company:

Dream Entertainment

Trivia:

Shot in twenty-two days.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Sarah cuts Adam's t-shirt, he is wearing a black t-shirt under the green one. But when Sarah and Adam made love, there was no black t-shirt under the green one.

Quotes:

Harley:[sitting in a redneck bar] For these hillbillies, putting on socks is the equivalent of wearing a 3 piece suit!

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Men at Work (1990)

Soundtrack:

Love? Right! Love.

A monstrous mess! But still amazingly entertaining...

Well, it has to be said that Monster Man is a huge mess of a film, but somehow multiple different genres and a clichéd plot come together to make one of the most enjoyable modern horror films I've seen in ages! The two biggest styles that the film mixes are a 'Road Trip' style teenage comedy and a 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' style redneck horror vibe, and while one gets in the way of the other quite often; director Michael Davis manages to keep things moving thanks to the fact that the constant shift in tone means that we're never quite sure where the film is going to be taken next. Things start out worryingly as we're introduced to two characters, both irritating in different ways. Adam is a wussy virgin, while Harley is a fat big-mouthed "A-hole". They're both driving across the desert to attend the wedding of some chick they both liked in high school. After a couple of strange events, they pick up a hitch-hiker, and then find themselves being chased by some maniac in a monster truck for reasons unknown...

The idea of someone being chased by someone else in a bigger vehicle is hardly original, but the way the monster truck is used here is one of the film's biggest assets. The truck itself looks spooky because it's so haggard and rusty, and the fact that it bounces around the screen makes the unfolding action exciting and suspenseful. After a while, you begin to get used to the characters and once Aimee Brooks enters the fray, things start to look up. The teen comedy side of the movie actually works pretty well, as Justin Ulrich is always on hand to deliver some entertaining lines of dialogue and the scenes between the dorky virgin and the hot female hitch-hiker are interesting enough. Just when you think the film couldn't possibly get any messier, things take a turn for the weird in the final third. Without spoiling things, it has to be said that Monster Man features the sort of ending that couldn't possibly be seen coming, and along with the twist, is a big surprise. Some people may feel ripped off by the sudden turn at the end - but I actually thought it worked quite well as it fits the film in that nothing here really fits... Overall, this isn't a 'great' film by any means - but if you're looking for some silly entertainment, Monster Man should hit the spot!