Alex Noyer’s folk horror “Love Is the Monster” lands on Prime Video in the US today. The sophomore feature film from the “Sound of Violence” director has an interesting premise but is unfortunately tarnished by uneven delivery.
Noyer’s native Finland inspires the film and draws heavily on the mythology of the ancient Finnish goddess of love and fertility, Lempo. “Love Is the Monster” follows a troubled couple, played by Madeline Zima (“Californication”) and Leonardo Nam (“Westworld”). After their marriage is rocked by infidelity, they look to a Finnish couples retreat in hopes of fixing their relationship. There, alongside other international couples, they seek the transformative teachings of Tiina (Milla Puolakanaho, “Attack on Helsinki”), a shaman and healer who channels Lempo during the summer solstice to help the couples rekindle their relationships. But as the peculiar shaman carries out her pagan rituals with the group, the retreat quickly devolves into a brutal battle for survival.
There aren’t necessarily any bad performances here; each actor brings this mix of unique characters to life in a way that keeps you watching. Milla Puolakanaho is the clear standout, though, as the unhinged, creepily horny leader of this wayward camp for broken couples. Her performance is uncanny even in her most endearing moments, which makes the character feel quirky yet unsettling enough that you know there is something sinister beneath the surface.
At just under an hour and a half, the film keeps a decent pace and wastes no time getting into the meat of the story, opening with the main couple already at the camp instead of front-loading with exposition. Unfortunately, the narrative feels a bit disjointed; while there is a clear throughline tying together the core couple, the retreat, and Lempo, you never fully grasp the motives of everyone involved or their endgame.
Visually, the film does a great job of capturing a distinct folk-horror atmosphere, which really helps immerse the viewer in the retreat’s locale and sells the style of film Noyer set out to make. However, there are some baffling color and lighting choices in the opening moments that give everything a slightly pink hue. It’s never really clear if that’s intentional or what the source of the light even is. There are a few moments like this throughout the film that take you out of the experience because they feel disconnected from the overall aesthetic.
Another stumble is the film’s reliance on CG for its avian elements. While I recognize this is a lower-budget indie film, the digital birds are highly inconsistent—working well enough in some scenes, but completely breaking immersion in others due to unnatural appearance and coloring. It’s a shame because they are a key storytelling device and are used effectively; they just don’t look convincing. Regrettably, the same can be said for the physical props used to depict the dead birds littering the property at various points throughout the film.
It’s not all bad when it comes to the effects, though. The visuals that represent Lempo’s influence through the characters’ eyes are well executed, and the scenes that use practical effects—particularly the gore and Lempo’s “human” form—are much more believable.
Speaking of gore, for the horror fans who love the classic mix of blood, sex, and nudity, there is plenty to be had in “Love Is the Monster.” With a story built around a midsummer tribute to a fertility goddess, gratuitous nudity and sex almost seem like a mandate. The film’s folk-horror DNA also lends itself to some creative kills. While I don’t want to spoil it, one member of the group meets a rather “artistic” demise. The scene is reminiscent of Christian’s final moments in “Midsommar,” but executed in a more violent, almost primitive way.
While not perfectly executed, I was entertained for ninety minutes and was treated to my second awkward handjob scene in a film this month (following “Leviticus”). If folk horror, Finnish folklore, or gratuitous nudity of all ages is your thing, “Love is the Monster” is worth checking out now that it’s arrived on Prime Video.
