I got a chance to check out the movie adaptation of Nicholas Vince’s one-person show I AM MONSTERS!. Nicholas Vince starred in some of the most iconic horror movies, such as Hellraiser and Night Breed, as well as writing a few comics for Marvel. He created a one-person show in 2019 showcasing his life, career, and his struggles as a Gay man in the Margret Thatcher era of English political life.
The show was very surprising in many ways. As always, I feel the need to start with things to be cautious of. Nicholas has had some physical challenges in his early life and some injuries on the sets of movies that were painful and traumatic. He describes these in detail and while the average fan of a hellraiser movie would probably not find them upsetting I want people to know that going in.
That out of the way, the film was different than what I expected, in a good way. The show does showcase his interactions with Clive Barker, who used him as a model for his book covers and later had him play the Chatterer. It also delves deeply into childhood and early adult hood about what it was like to be different in a country that did not appreciate that. The format is also a fresh take with interludes of him doing monologues from appropriate texts as well as visual images and effects that keep things interesting without taking away from the story he is telling. The movie has a through line of exploring what being a monster really is and how, by exploring that, we can be better equipped when we encounter the real monsters out in the world.
This was a truly interesting piece of media even if it did make me squirm a couple of times. I think any horror fan or person who has felt outside society should check it out. If you are both then it is a must pick up.
The show is being released for the first time on blu-ray by Dark Rift Horror and is available for pre-order right now.
Paper Phoenix ink 