Monster Summer (2024)
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A teenage journalist teams up with a retired detective to uncover a supernatural witch stealing the youth of children on Martha's Vineyard.
The story
In the summer of 1997 on Martha's Vineyard, aspiring teenage journalist Noah and his friends are looking forward to a carefree vacation. However, the island's tranquility is shattered when local children begin mysteriously vanishing, only to reappear the next day in a silent, catatonic state. After his friend Ben is attacked in the ocean and left spiritless, Noah takes the investigation into his own hands. He suspects a mysterious elderly woman who recently moved into his mother's boarding house. Unable to get the authorities to help, Noah seeks out Gene Carruthers, a retired police detective who lives in isolation.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In the summer of 1997 on Martha's Vineyard, aspiring teenage journalist Noah and his friends are looking forward to a carefree vacation. The island's tranquility is shattered when local children begin mysteriously vanishing, only to reappear the next day in a silent, catatonic state. After his friend Ben is attacked in the ocean and left spiritless—with a young witness claiming a cackling witch pulled him under—Noah decides to take the investigation into his own hands. Noah's primary suspect becomes Miss Halverson, a mysterious elderly woman dressed in black who recently moved into his mother's boarding house. Unable to get the local authorities to take him seriously, Noah seeks the help of Gene Carruthers, a curmudgeonly, retired police detective. Initially dismissive of Noah's fairy-tale theories, Gene reluctantly agrees to look into the case. As the duo sneaks through the island's foggy woods and gathers evidence, Gene slowly realizes the supernatural threat is undeniably real. They discover the witch's lair, finding harrowing clues such as a collection of missing children's shoes and evidence that the witch is feeding off the kids to steal their youth and life force. Noah, his remaining friends, and Gene team up for a climactic showdown against the ancient evil. Together, they manage to outsmart and defeat the witch, breaking her spell, restoring the affected children to normal, and saving their town.
- First release year
- 2024
- Runtime (minutes)
- 99
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- David Henrie
- Writers
- Cornelius Uliano · writer; Bryan Schulz · writer
- Cast and characters
- Mason Thames · Noah Reed; Julian Lerner · Eugene Wexler; Abby James Witherspoon · Sammy Devers; Noah Cottrell · Ben Driskel; Nora Zehetner · Abby Reed; Patrick Renna · Umpire; Lorraine Bracco · Miss Halverson; Mel Gibson · Gene Carruthers
- Genres
- adventure horror; fantasy adventure; horror
- Themes
- overcoming fear; childhood nostalgia; supernatural evil
- Tone and mood
- nostalgic; dark; adventurous
- Setting
- Martha's Vineyard in the summer of 1997
- Premise and plot tags
- witchcraft; missing children; supernatural mystery
- Content notes
- witchcraft
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 54 · scale: 100; Metacritic · score: 54 · scale: 100
- Production trivia
- Mel Gibson was awarded the keys to the city of Southport, North Carolina, and December 16 was declared 'Mel Gibson Day' while filming.; Principal photography began in Wilmington, North Carolina in December 2021.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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