The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster | |
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Directed by | Bomani J. Story |
Written by | Bomani J. Story |
Based on | Frankenstein by Mary Shelley |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Daphne Qin Wu |
Edited by | Annie De Brock |
Production company | |
Distributed by | RLJE Films |
Release dates |
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Running time | 92 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $123,107 [1] [2] |
The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster is a 2023 American science-fiction black horror film written and directed by Bomani J. Story in his directorial debut. It stars Laya DeLeon Hayes, Denzel Whitaker, Chad Coleman, Reilly Brooke Stith, Keith Sean Holliday, Amani Summer, and Edem Atsu-Swanzy. [3]
Adapted from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein , the film follows a brilliant teenage girl named Vicaria (Hayes) who resurrects her brother from the dead, only for him to come back a vengeful monster. [4]
The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster premiered at the South by Southwest film festival on March 11, 2023. [3] The film was released in select US theaters on June 9, 2023, [5] and on streaming on June 23, 2023. [6] At the 55th NAACP Image Awards, the film was nominated for Outstanding Independent Motion Picture while Hayes was nominated for Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture.
The world of seventeen year-old genius Vicaria (Hayes) is rife with violence, police brutality, and drug abuse. After losing her mother, and later her brother to violence, Vicaria vows to stop the violence bringing her family back to life. She successfully resurrects her brother, but it soon becomes apparent that she has brought back a monster that is hungry for vengeance.
In an interview with The Austin Chronicle, Story said the idea for the film came to him in 2008, and he had been "holding onto" the original script since 2018. As the script was passed around, it was continuously rejected and "spent a lot of time in purgatory". During the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, the project caught the interest of horror media company Crypt TV. [7]
The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster was officially announced on May 4, 2022, via Deadline Hollywood , and revealed the involvement of Rock Steady Row's Bomani J. Story. Crypt TV's Jack Davis and Darren Brandl would produce along with Story, and Jeremy Elliott and Jasmine Johnson would serve as Crypt TV's executive producers. Laya DeLeon Hayes of The Equalizer would star as the female lead Vicaria, and Denzel Whitaker of Black Panther was set to star alongside her. [4] The film is Crypt TV's first English-language feature film, with the company releasing the Hindi-language feature film Chhorii in 2021.
Filming began in June 2022, and wrapped later that July. [8]
The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster is inspired by Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus, and is both written and directed by Bomani J. Story, best known for his work on the 2018 film Rock Steady Row . In an interview with Deadline, Story reminisced about watching monster movies with his older sister, which led to his dream of adapting Frankenstein: "We rarely, if ever, saw ones that tackled issues that were important to us, with people who looked like us. It has been a dream of mine to bring an adaptation of Frankenstein to film through the black lens with a lead character as smart as my sister.” [4]
In an interview with MovieWeb, Story said that he had first read Frankenstein in high school, and he was moved by the potency of its themes, particularly by the character of Victor Frankenstein and the dehumanization of his creation. "One of the things about Victor that people kind of skip over, is at the very beginning of his genesis," Story said. "He loses his mom and all these people at a very young age, and with the destruction of his family, I was just like — this just makes complete sense to me, because of these systemic pressures that are twisting my community in so many different ways, just like the story. It just made complete sense for it to kind of be told, or at least inspired by and reformatted, for our times, for today." [9]
On May 4, 2022, it was announced that Laya DeLeon Hayes was cast as protagonist Vicaria, and Denzel Whitaker was cast in the role of Kango. A press release on February 1, 2023, revealed the rest of the cast; Chad Coleman, Reilly Brooke Stith, Keith Sean Holliday, Amani Summer, and Edem Atsu-Swanzy. [3] In an interview with MovieWeb, Hayes admitted that she had never seen nor read Frankenstein before hearing about Story's film, but was fascinated by the thought of a black female lead helping to adapt it for the modern era. [9]
On February 1, 2023, it was announced that the film would be released at the South by Southwest film festival, which would take place later that March. [3] On February 22, 2023, it was announced that RLJE Films had bought the film ahead of its SXSW premiere date and would release the film theatrically late that summer. After the film's theatrical run, it will be released on the streaming sites Shudder and ALLBLK. [10]
Angry Black Girl also made a premiere at the Overlook Film Festival on March 30, 2023. [11]
The film had a limited theatrical run on June 9, 2023. [5] It was released through on-demand and streaming on June 23, 2023. [6]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 85% based on 59 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's consensus reads, "Injecting a classic story with fresh innovation and social relevance, The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster is a thrillingly assured feature debut for writer-director Bomani J. Story." [12] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 62 out of 100, based on eight critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [13] Megan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting called the film a "righteous reinterpretation" of Mary Shelley's novel, citing that the film's strength lies in the humanity of its characters and metaphors rather than in typical horror: [14]
"The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster runs a classic literary horror story through a modern urban lens, connecting the mad scientist with a young woman forced to fix society’s most elusive problems...While less successful as a straightforward horror movie, Story’s empathetic approach combined with Hayes’s complex and nuanced portrayal makes for a profoundly human story that evokes respect and hope." [14]
Dex Wesley Parra of The Austin Chronicle likewise praised Story's directorial work, as well as the film's focus on community rather than solely being a horror film: [7] "(The film) speaks to a new wave of interest in material that blends genre convention with social commentary. Make no mistake, Angry Black Girl oozes, bleeds, and frightens...The film is also grounded as a family drama, a coming-of-age narrative, and a community tale of mourning and healing." [7] In a June 2023 review of the film, entertainment news website ScreenRant rated the film a 3.5 out of 5, noting that while the film itself was not perfect, its intentions were "perfectly executed". The site praised Story's involvement, the film's casting, and the story's focus on the lives of black Americans: [15]
"Story's script is a thing of pure beauty in terms of depicting Black life. Even in 2023, it's rare to see an all-Black cast. The film is also not about Black people in the projects or an excuse to abuse them onscreen. The film simply centers Black characters without ever hitting the audience over the head with ham-fisted ideas on race... The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster is marvelous, tragic, terrifying, and certainly worth your time." [15]
Bride of Frankenstein is a 1935 American Gothic science fiction horror film, and the first sequel to Universal Pictures' 1931 film Frankenstein. As with the first film, Bride of Frankenstein was directed by James Whale starring Boris Karloff as the Monster and Colin Clive as Dr. Frankenstein. The sequel features Elsa Lanchester in the dual role of Mary Shelley and the bride. Colin Clive reprises his role as Henry Frankenstein, and Ernest Thesiger plays the role of Doctor Septimus Pretorius. Oliver Peters Heggie plays the role of the old blind hermit.
Frankenstein is a 1931 American gothic pre-Code science fiction horror film directed by James Whale, produced by Carl Laemmle Jr., and adapted from a 1927 play by Peggy Webling, which in turn was based on Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. The Webling play was adapted by John L. Balderston and the screenplay written by Francis Edward Faragoh and Garrett Fort, with uncredited contributions from Robert Florey and John Russell.
Frankenstein's monster, commonly referred to as Frankenstein, is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus as its main antagonist. Shelley's title compares the monster's creator, Victor Frankenstein, to the mythological character Prometheus, who fashioned humans out of clay and gave them fire.
Frankenstein's Daughter is an independently made 1958 American black-and-white science fiction/horror film drama, produced by Marc Frederic and George Fowley, directed by Richard E. Cunha, that stars John Ashley, Sandra Knight, Donald Murphy, and Sally Todd. The film was distributed by Astor Pictures and was released theatrically as a double feature with Missile to the Moon.
The Curse of Frankenstein is a 1957 British horror film by Hammer Film Productions, loosely based on the 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley. It was Hammer's first colour horror film, and the first of their Frankenstein series. Its worldwide success led to several sequels, and it was also followed by new versions of Dracula (1958) and The Mummy (1959), establishing "Hammer Horror" as a distinctive brand of Gothic cinema.
"Monster Mash" is a 1962 novelty song by Bobby "Boris" Pickett. The song was released as a single on Gary S. Paxton's Garpax Records label in August 1962 along with a full-length LP called The Original Monster Mash, which contained several other monster-themed tunes. The "Monster Mash" single was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on October 20–27 of that year, just before Halloween.
Doctor Septimus Pretorius is a fictional character who appears in the Universal film Bride of Frankenstein (1935) as the main antagonist. He is played by British stage and film actor Ernest Thesiger. Some sources claim he was originally to have been played by Bela Lugosi or Claude Rains. Others indicate that the part was conceived specifically for Thesiger.
House of Frankenstein is a 1944 American horror film starring Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr. and John Carradine. It was directed by Erle C. Kenton and produced by Universal Pictures. Based on Curt Siodmak's story "The Devil's Brood", the film is about Dr. Gustav Niemann, who escapes from prison and promises to create a new body for his assistant Daniel. Over the course of the film, they encounter Count Dracula, the Wolf Man and Frankenstein's monster. The film is a sequel to Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943).
Rosa María Almirall Martínez, known by the stage name Lina Romay, was a Spanish actress and filmmaker. She often appeared in films directed by her long-time companion, and later husband, Jesús Franco. She appeared in approximately 109 Franco films made over a 30-year period, from 1973 to 2010. She sometimes used the pseudonyms Candy Coster and Lulu Laverne. Although Romay was listed in the credits of several of Franco's films as a co-director, actor Antonio Mayans stated in a recent interview that Franco used to credit her in that manner for business reasons, and that she never actually co-directed any of the films. However, she contributed occasional plot ideas and assisted in the editing room.
I Was a Teenage Frankenstein is a horror film starring Whit Bissell, Phyllis Coates and Gary Conway, released by American International Pictures (AIP) in November 1957 as a double feature with Blood of Dracula. It is the follow-up to AIP's box office hit I Was a Teenage Werewolf, released less than five months earlier. Both films later received a sequel in the crossover How to Make a Monster, released in July 1958. The film stars Whit Bissell, Phyllis Coates, Robert Burton, Gary Conway and George Lynn.
Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell is a 1974 British horror film, directed by Terence Fisher and produced by Hammer Film Productions. It stars Peter Cushing, Shane Briant and David Prowse. Filmed at Elstree Studios in 1972 but not released until 1974, it was the final chapter in the Hammer Frankenstein saga of films as well as director Fisher's last film.
The Universal Monsters media franchise includes characters based on a series of horror films produced by Universal Pictures and released between 1913–1956.
Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, and the famous character of Frankenstein's monster, have influenced popular culture for at least a century. The work has inspired numerous films, television programs, video games and derivative works. The character of the Monster remains one of the most recognized icons in horror fiction.
Blackenstein is a 1973 American blaxploitation horror film directed by William A. Levey, and starring John Hart, Ivory Stone, Andrea King, Roosevelt Jackson, Joe De Sue, Nick Bolin and Liz Renay. It is loosely based on Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. Released on August 3, 1973, it was made in an attempt to cash in on the success of Blacula; released the previous year by American International Pictures. However, Blackenstein fared poorly in comparison to its predecessor, with most reviews agreeing that the film was "a totally inept mixture of the worst horror and blaxploitation films".
Frankenstein 1970 is a 1958 science fiction/horror film, shot in black and white CinemaScope, starring Boris Karloff and featuring Don "Red" Barry. The independent film was directed by Howard W. Koch, written by Richard Landau and George Worthing Yates, and produced by Aubrey Schenck. It was released theatrically in some markets on a double feature with Queen of Outer Space.
There have been many comic book adaptations of the monster story created by Mary Shelley in her 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. Writer-artist Dick Briefer presented two loose adaptations of the story in publisher Prize Comics' successive series Prize Comics and Frankenstein from 1940 to 1954. The first version represents what comics historians call American comic books' first ongoing horror feature.
The Bride of Frankenstein is a fictional character first introduced in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus and later in the 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein. In the film, the Bride is played by Elsa Lanchester. The character's design in the film features a conical hairdo with white lightning-trace streaks on each side, which has become an iconic symbol of both the character and the film.
Frankenstein is a 2015 American science fiction horror film written and directed by Bernard Rose. It is a modernised adaptation of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. The film is told from the monster's point of view, as he is created, escapes into the modern world, and learns about the dark side of humanity.
Crypt TV is an American entertainment company founded by Jack Davis and filmmaker Eli Roth in April 2015, focused on the creation and distribution of horror-themed digital content with an emphasis on recurring monsters and characters in linked universes. Its creation was backed by producer Jason Blum and Blumhouse Productions.
Frankenstein is a film series of horror films from Universal Pictures based on the play version by Peggy Webling and the 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley. The series follow the story of a monster created by Henry Frankenstein who is made from body parts of corpses and brought back to life. The rest of the series generally follows the monster continuously being revived and eventually focuses on a series of cross overs with other Universal horror film characters such as The Wolf Man. The series consists of the following films: Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Son of Frankenstein (1939), The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943), House of Frankenstein (1944), House of Dracula (1945) and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).