Your Monster: Melissa Barrera horror rom-com musical lands North American distribution

Scream (2022) and Scream VI star Melissa Barrera – who was fired from Scream 7 when comments she made about the Israel-Hamas war didn’t go over well with executives at Spyglass Media – has the lead role in the film Your Monster, a project she had previously described as a “horror rom-com musical.” JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray had the chance to see the movie at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and wrote a 6/10 review you can read at THIS LINK. We still don’t know when a wider audience is going to have the opportunity to watch the movie, but it has just taken a positive step forward: Deadline reports that Vertical has acquired the North American distribution rights.

The feature directorial debut of Caroline Lindy, who wrote the film based on her 2019 short of the same name, Your Monster centers on soft-spoken actor Laura Franco, who is dumped by her longtime boyfriend while recovering from surgery and retreats to her childhood home to recover. With her future looking bleak, insult is added to injury when Laura discovers her ex is staging a musical that she helped him develop. But out of these gut-wrenching life changes emerges a monster with whom she finds a connection, encouraging Laura to follow her dreams, open her heart and fall in love with her inner rage.

Barrera plays Laura Franco, with Tommy Dewey (Casual) as the monster. Edmund Donovan (Tell Me Lies), Meghann Fahy (The White Lotus), and Kayla Foster (The Deuce) are also in the cast.

Speaking with Digital Spy, Barrera said Your Monster is “a horror rom-com musical. My character is a musical theatre actor, so there’s a musical in the movie. There’s a lot of singing and dancing in it. And it’s like a rom-com with elements of horror. It’s scary at times, and really funny at times. And it’s everything that I love in a movie combined into one.“

Vertical Partner Peter Jarowey had this to say about the distribution deal: “We were captivated by Caroline’s film at Sundance and thrilled it has made a home here at Vertical. Marking her directorial feature debut, she has created a fantastic, fresh, genre-defying film that perfectly balances the mix of comedy, romance and horror topped off with a dash of musical theater that will captivate and delight audiences later this year.“

Lindy added, “I’m beyond thrilled to collaborate with Vertical on the release of Your Monster. Their strategies and commitment to innovative distribution aligns perfectly with our movie, and their passion for the film and desire to support my first feature means the world to me. The Sundance crowds were incredible, and I’m excited that more audiences will soon have a chance to see Your Monster in theaters and beyond.“

Lindy and Foster produced the film with Shannon Reilly of Bombo Sports and Entertainment and Kira Carstensen and Melanie Donkers from Mermade, “a division of Sharon Horgan and Clelia Mountfor’s entertainment company Merman, which focuses on projects from emerging creators.” Dewey serves as an executive producer with Bombo’s Bob Potter. Jackson Sinder and Mermade’s Jack Taylor Cox are co-producers.

Are you interested in Your Monster, and are you glad to hear it has landed North American distribution? Let us know by leaving a comment below.