How to Make a Monster (2001 film)
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| How to Make a Monster | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | George Huang |
| Produced by | Lou Arkoff Colleen Camp Stan Winston |
| Written by | George Huang |
| Starring | Clea DuVall Steven Culp Tyler Mane Jason Marsden |
| Music by | David Reynolds |
| Cinematography | Steven Finestone |
| Distributed by | Cinemax, Columbia TriStar, (DVD, VHS) LK-TEL (Argentina, video) |
| Release date(s) | October 14, 2001 June 11, 2002 (DVD) |
| Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
| Ratings | |
|---|---|
| Argentina: | 16 |
| Australia: | MA, R |
| Finland: | K-15 |
| Germany: | 16 |
| United States: | R |
How to Make a Monster is 2001 science fiction action thriller made-for-television B-movie remake of the 1958 film of the same name. Written and directed by George Huang, it stars Clea DuVall as the main leading role, Steven Culp, Tyler Mane, Jason Marsden, Karim Prince, Danny Masterson and Colleen Camp. It debuted on October 14, 2001 as part of the Creature Features series by Cinemax. It was nominated in 2005 a Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Award for its special makeup effects and its movie of the week.
The movie also has a cameo appearance by notorious scream queen Julie Strain as herself, a poster of the video game Evil Dead: Hail to the King, and a pinball machine of Tales from the Crypt.
How to Make a Monster is released on DVD on June 11, 2002.
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[edit] Synopsis
Three professional game developers, led by the businessman and his intern, are brought down to a rundown computer laboratory, to resume development of the latest game project called "Evilution", and finish it in four weeks. Aside from the contract, they aim to compete each other for the most scariest monster. Sol manages to add an AI chip to the hard drive. After that, the lightning strikes, and, as a result, monster comes alive and begins to hunt its programmers, save for young, smart, meek, blond, 24-year-old female intern Laura Wheeler, who comes to save the day.
Tagline: What started out as a simple game... Became a virtual nightmare.
[edit] Detailed plot summary
At the beginning, the head of a top virtual reality firm Clayton Software, Faye Clayton (Colleen Camp) makes a decision to lay off her team of software programmers, when their latest project, an ultra violent game called "Evilution", receives disastrous test previews. All programmers once worked on that project are fired, leaving the computer labs empty. She then commences the search for a new developers to replace her old ones, determining "Evilution" will be the most terrifying video game ever, and so far her programmers are right on track, except for the evil character in the game that looks simply ridiculous.
At this point, we introduce to Peter Drummond (Steven Culp), and the main protagonist, smart, meek, blond, 24-year-old female intern Laura Wheeler (Clea DuVall), who is a promising programmer. So he adds Laura to the staff to work alongside with three renowned game designers, Bug (Jason Marsden), Hardcore (Tyler Mane), and Sol (Karim Prince). They are informed that a bonus of a million dollars would be awarded to the programmer whose contributions make the game the most "scariest", using various means of motivation and innovation.
The competition fosters a sense of distrust and rivalry between them, but despite their frequent infighting, they manage to work together to make the game scary enough to scare the kids over the world four weeks before the planned deadline. Three weeks later, Bug has created the sound and music for the game, Hardcore has finished designed the game's weapons, and Sol has programmed his sophisticated AI, while Peter outlines the actions which bosses normally do.
One night, during a thunderstorm, Hardcore order Julie Strain to don her motion capture suit to prepare for character animation, which has to be done. As Hardcore and Bug prepares to leave for a drink, a lightning strike causes a power overload, electrocuting and killing Julie in her suit. It later proves to be an unexpected effect for the programmers.
The next day, Peter, Laura, Sol, Bug and Hardcore returns to the lab, only to be shocked to find Julie dead, suspecting there is a serial killer lurking out there. Unknown to them, the building's security system suddenly locks them inside the room, leaving them trapped with no way out. Then, the game starts to act as if it is real, a motion-capture suit that was hooked into the computer network suddenly comes to life, becoming the dangerous and bloodthirsty monster the designers were trying to conjure. They become targets of the killer game, and they are forced to play their own game all their might to face the monster.
At the beginning, Sol is killed, then followed by Bug and Hardcore. Peter and Laura, having survived the slaughter, seek out to find out what happened. It is apparent that the lightning strike may have caused the robot-like motion capture equipment to act out as a game's monster. Peter hands Laura the VR head system, where she can find where the monster is. He goes out, just before Laura finds the monster right down at the lab. She prepares herself with a sword.
She meets with the monster, and fights it with all her strength. The fight is interrupted just as she meets Peter at the doorway. She threatens to shoot at Peter, in which she does, and left Peter to be killed by the monster. She then continues her fight the monster, where the monster is able to grab Laura at her neck before she shoots at the aquarium, causing the monster to stop functioning, allowing her to finish it. Then, the game says: "You Win". The kids in the cyber cafe are surprised as the game no longer be coming to scare them. Laura then makes her way out to the lab.
The next day, a new intern approaches Laura, who is now the company's boss, is told that she has not to be nice in order to become more successful. The film ends just as she goes to her desk, and thinks.
[edit] Cast
| Actor/Actress | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Clea DuVall | Laura Wheeler | The main protagonist of the main movie. She appears as a 24-year-old smart and blond but meek female intern to Clayton Software. She survives the slaughter by the monster, and eventually develops sword-fighting skills to end this slaughter. |
| Steven Culp | Peter Drummond | One of two main characters starring in the movie. He appears as a businessman to Clayton Software, leading his band of developers, and also an abusive boyfriend to Laura Wheeler. He is injured at the chest by Laura and the monster shortly before the final showdown. |
| Tyler Mane | Hardcore | The developer who is responsible for designing the game's weapons. |
| Jason Marsden | Bug | The developer who creates the sound and music for the game. |
| Karim Prince | Sol | The developer who programs the AI for the game. |
| Julie Strain | herself | She dons herself into a motion-capture suit in preparations for character animation. When Hardcore and Bug leave for a drink, she is killed by the lightning strike. |
| Te'ron A. O'Neal | Kid #1 | |
| Aaron Fors | Kid #2 | |
| Brittney Lee Harvey | Kid #3 | |
| Eric Michael Zee | Programmer | |
| Hillary Tuck | New Intern | |
| Scott Wordham | Laura's Assistant | The assistant to Laura Wheeler. |
| Jeff Edwards | Puppeteer | |
| Shane Mahan | Puppeteer | |
| Colleen Camp | Faye Clayton | The head of the computer software company Clayton Software. |
| Danny Masterson | Jeremy | |
| Maysen Michaels | Tina |
[edit] Differences from the original
- The 1958 film version centers around a movie studio called American International Studios, whereas the 2001 version sets in a computer game company.
- Larry Drake and Tony Mantell are protagonists in the 1958 version, the 2001 version's main protagonist is a smart, blond, meek, female intern Laura Wheeler, who is played by Clea DuVall.
- Larry and Tony are the only survivors at the end of the 1958 movie version, whereas Laura is the final girl standing at the end of the 2001 version.
- The monster is different from the 1958 version except that it is made from metal, and it is powered by electricity.
