Monster Summer Parents Guide

I wrote this Monster Summer Parents Guide to help you know what is in the movie. All opinions are my own.

Monster Summer is a story about a group of friends who work to figure out a mystery that has been stumping everyone for many years. When Noah’s (Mason Thames) best friend Ben (Noah Cottrell) becomes a “zombie” he goes on the hunt to try and figure out what happened to him. Working together with Sammy (Abby James Witherspoon), and Eugene (Julian Lerner) they find an unexpected ally in Gene (Mel Gibson). You will also see some fun faces you recognize with Kevin James who plays the local newspaper editor, and Patrick Renna (from The Sandlot) who plays the umpire.

The storyline in and of itself was a great idea. It was a fun take on a supernatural villain in the 90’s. I enjoyed the intrigue. I do wish the movie moved a little faster – and that there were more of other things (like a bigger battle at the end), but overall it has a lot of great elements of a scary movie.

Things I wish were different: The villain looked a little cheesy. And I wish they hadn’t tried to play it so much towards kids – or played it totally towards kids – and either made it scarier or more family-friendly (geared towards little kids). I felt like it missed the mark a little by trying to accommodate both audiences.

Monster Summer opens in theaters on October 4, 2024

Monster Summer is rated PG-13 for some violence and terror. It runs for 1hr 37m.

There are no end-credit scenes for Monster Summer.

Sex & Nudity & Innuendos – 1/5 – Shows a couple of teens stripping down to underclothes (or possibly swimsuits) and going swimming at night.

Violence & Gore – 2/5 – The villain sucks the souls of children, and others are eaten. It shows pictures of the missing/soul-sucked kids, as well as the villain talking about having eaten them, and trying to eat others.

Profanity – 2/5 – 3+ uses of God. 3+ uses of damn. 6+ uses of hell.

Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking – 0/5 – none

Frightening & Intense Scenes – 2/5 – Has a few jump scares. The villain in the scenes at the end can be creepy and intense. A kid jumps out of the window and lands on broken glass. He is cut and the villain licks the blood off the glass before chasing him. There is a lot of sinister laughing and voices. There is a scene where the villain controls the lights and power and other things in a house and the TV scene that the character watches is a little creepy. Another scene where all the lights are blown out in a character’s room and then the typewriter starts typing on its own.

Other things to note – I would give this movie a 6/10. It has some great elements of a scary or horror movie – but falls a little short when it comes to the fight with the villain, etc I wish would have been a little bit more. It is still a fun watch and

Monster Summer is a fun movie – if you are looking for entertainment – you will be entertained. But look for a deep storyline or a real “scary” movie.

Monster Summer Parents Guide

Images are from YouTube trailer screenshots

About Monster Summer:

When a mysterious force begins to disrupt their big summer fun, Noah and his friends team up with a retired police detective to embark on a monstrous adventure to save their island.

Mason Thames (The Black Phone and the upcoming live-action adaptation of How To Train Your Dragon) along with Mel Gibson (The Passion of the Christ, What Women Want) and Lorraine Bracco (Goodfellas, “The Sopranos”) lead the way to a Monster Summer, directed by David Henrie (“Wizards of Waverly Place”).

Written by Cornelius Uliano and Bryan Schulz (The Peanuts Movie), Monster Summer also stars Nora Zehetner (“The Right Stuff”), Noah Cottrell (“The Spiderwick Chronicles), Abby James Witherspoon (Secret Headquarters), Lilah Pate (“Outer Banks”), Julian Lerner (“The Wonder Years”) and Patrick Renna (The Sandlot).

Directed by: David Henrie

Written by: Cornelius Uliano & Bryan Schulz

Starring: