My dear readers, though a boarding academy was where much of my early elucidation took place, I must say that my parents did not leave my tutelage entirely to faraway school masters. They had, in their time, accumulated an impressive amount of specialized wisdom that is absent from most conventional scholastic programs. Latin and trigonometry obviously have many wonderful everyday applications but I shall never forget how my mother and father taught me about the tensile strength of human hair when woven into a fine cloak or just how many of my ancestors were executed for their association with unpopular religious movements. Without these invaluable lessons, I cannot imagine how I would have fared in the world outside their immediate care. 

Sophie (Lyndsey Craine) is another lucky child whose parents have taken an active role in her education. Each night before drifting off to sleep, young Sophie was treated to a chapter or two from her mother’s favorite source of nocturnal edification. Rather than fill her child’s head with meaningless fantasy and insipid fairy tales, Sophie’s mother (Samantha Mesagno) elects to put her child to bed each night with a passage from a thick reference volume -- in this case, the eponymous Book of Monsters. The manual in question is a field guide to a world of unusual creatures and Sophie is an eager student, with certain extraordinary grotesqueries set aside as favorites. The immediate value of this knowledge becomes quite apparent when one of the monsters pops up and devours Sophie’s mother during one of their nightly readings.

Sophie is spared any further encounters with this formerly beloved subject until the evening of her 18th birthday, when her father (Nicholas Vince) insists her mother would have wanted her to keep the book close. And the text soon presents many practical applications. Sophie’s friends have planned an illicit gathering to usher in her eighteenth year and the various inhabitants of the Book of Monsters decide to make an appearance. The impressive density of the book suggests that not every monster was able to attend but there is still a rather decent showing nonetheless, with shape shifters, animated garden gnomes and a number of horrors that defy easy categorization contributing to the festivities. While this uninvited horde would pose something of a puzzle for your average youngster, Sophie’s access to the titular tome allows her unique insight into their motivation and, perhaps more pressingly, their weaknesses.

Though their bravery and ingenuity play a significant part in their attempts at survival, Sophie and her friends rely heavily on consulting her mother’s old book and I must confess, it was both strange and heartening to see such strong advocacy for reading in a format that has contributed so significantly to its decline in popularity. So few people read the old fashioned way these days, especially not singular ancient texts, the very existence of which can attract a whole host demonic forces. And what a terrible thing to lose access to such knowledge, as evidently it can lead to such a lovely birthday surprise. This selfless message, inimical to the crude bottom line prioritized by many cinematic endeavors, only stresses the urgency and audacity of Book of Monsters. 

We at Mostmoretm can only hope to follow their example, urging you at our detriment to seek out a source of reading without backlight or “links.” As this charming film demonstrates, what you uncover might end up being useful. 

Book of Monsters runs 84 minutes and does not possess a certified rating in the United States.