Most of the reviews would have you believe that this is completely terrible, but actually it's not such a bad effort. It's predictable, to be sure, but directed with more skill than you'd expect, with a score that reminded me (in a good way) of Italian horror movies of the period, and a cute, fairly smart heroine in Janet Julian. Reports of it being "too dark" are true to a degree, but greatly exaggerated; have you seen the much better-known "Hell Night"? (**)
62 Reviews
a killer on an island; dark scenes at night; not bad, but definitely derivative
FieCrier26 February 2005
In 1946, a woman is raped during a party on her father's island. Her dogs come to the rescue, viciously attacking her attacker.
More than thirty years later, two brothers, their sister, and their two girlfriends go out on their large boat on a large lake. One of the brothers is a rather disturbed individual, who fires a gun he has nearly pointed at his brother at point-blank range, among other things. They have some trouble navigating the boat at night, and come across someone stranded in his boat. They bring him aboard, and he's grateful. He tells them about the island they are near, where a crazy old lady lives with lots of dogs.
The psycho brother decides he wants to try driving the boat at night, though they had anchored already. He grabs his gun when they try to stop him. The boat runs aground and blows up, landing everyone on the island.
Though they had heard dogs barking, the only dogs them come across are skeletons. There's no sign of the old lady, and someone starts killing them off. It's no secret that the killer is the old lady's son, the son of the rapist, presumably. Though we never get a good look at him, a diary they find indicates he has acromegaly. Having that doesn't make a person a monster (André the Giant and Rondo Hatton, among others, had that condition). Evidently he is brain-damaged as well, or severely screwed up because of the way his mother raised him.
The movie is pretty derivative. I've seen quite a few movies where at some point a young woman pretends to be a killer's mother to try to save herself, for example. At a couple points, the good brother, his girlfriend, and his sister reminded me of Fred, Daphne, and Velma, respectively, from Scooby-Doo.
Many of the scenes take place at nighttime, and on the videotape, yes the picture is often almost completely or completely black. Evidently this was not true when the film had been projected, so it is probably a matter of a bad transfer.
More than thirty years later, two brothers, their sister, and their two girlfriends go out on their large boat on a large lake. One of the brothers is a rather disturbed individual, who fires a gun he has nearly pointed at his brother at point-blank range, among other things. They have some trouble navigating the boat at night, and come across someone stranded in his boat. They bring him aboard, and he's grateful. He tells them about the island they are near, where a crazy old lady lives with lots of dogs.
The psycho brother decides he wants to try driving the boat at night, though they had anchored already. He grabs his gun when they try to stop him. The boat runs aground and blows up, landing everyone on the island.
Though they had heard dogs barking, the only dogs them come across are skeletons. There's no sign of the old lady, and someone starts killing them off. It's no secret that the killer is the old lady's son, the son of the rapist, presumably. Though we never get a good look at him, a diary they find indicates he has acromegaly. Having that doesn't make a person a monster (André the Giant and Rondo Hatton, among others, had that condition). Evidently he is brain-damaged as well, or severely screwed up because of the way his mother raised him.
The movie is pretty derivative. I've seen quite a few movies where at some point a young woman pretends to be a killer's mother to try to save herself, for example. At a couple points, the good brother, his girlfriend, and his sister reminded me of Fred, Daphne, and Velma, respectively, from Scooby-Doo.
Many of the scenes take place at nighttime, and on the videotape, yes the picture is often almost completely or completely black. Evidently this was not true when the film had been projected, so it is probably a matter of a bad transfer.
"Humongous" disappointment (Directors don't yell "LIGHTS!!" for nothing, ya know!)
IMDBLover_1505721 August 2005
Well, what can I say... "B"-movie status would've been an IMPROVEMENT for this movie! I watched this one in fast forward, mostly, and didn't miss much, if anything at all. The only part worth watching was when they find the diary kept by his mother. At least it'll explain the plot which, by the way, is lame: This woman gets raped and takes up residence (from what I can tell) on the same island she was raped on. Her son ends up as a cross between Norman Bates and Frankenstein. He eats anything in site and apparently wasn't well-treated as a child because of his malformation.
But look on the bright side... you'll always have some dumb kids who just happen to be too nosy for their own good stumble on a DESERTED island (gee, how original *sigh*) and drink too much and start doing stuff they shouldn't.
I think I'd have had more pity for the monster if he wasn't put in such dreary lighting conditions (how do you expect to be scared by something you can't see that well?!?!) The only thing I did enjoy from this film was the ending, because that meant it was over. Don't spend your money buying this one unless you can get it for $1.00 or less.
But look on the bright side... you'll always have some dumb kids who just happen to be too nosy for their own good stumble on a DESERTED island (gee, how original *sigh*) and drink too much and start doing stuff they shouldn't.
I think I'd have had more pity for the monster if he wasn't put in such dreary lighting conditions (how do you expect to be scared by something you can't see that well?!?!) The only thing I did enjoy from this film was the ending, because that meant it was over. Don't spend your money buying this one unless you can get it for $1.00 or less.
Quite interesting if rather bloodless little slasher
DrLenera19 November 2006
Humongous has been largely forgotten amongst the glut of 80s slasher flicks. However,that is a shame. It's certainly no masterpiece,not even of the slasher genre,but it's quite interesting and better than quite a few of the other,similar films released around that time.
It opens with a brutal rape,and it almost gets the movie off on the wrong foot as although not that graphic it's hard to watch. Then we jump forward to the usual small group of young people discovering an island. Much time is spent of them wondering about,which does make the film a little slow,but there is a fair amount of suspense,sometimes underlined by the synthesizer score,which shouldn't work but does. As has often been said before,the film is too dark,but some of the photography is pretty good,which makes one wonder if the darkness was a deliberate experiment which didn't quite come off.
This movie was obviously {well,in the versions I've seen} heavily cut,during the killings we cut away just before we think we'll going to see something nasty. There's just about enough suspense to almost compensate,and the acting isn't too bad,but gore hounds will probably be disappointed. The climactic scenes are pretty exciting though and even though you still don't get much of a look at the monster,this is actually quite effective.
There's a underlying element of sadness to Humongous which is provided by the film's back story,and it's perhaps this which most sticks in the mind. Nothing in the film is especially remarkable,but it does have it's interesting elements. It certainly deserves a proper,uncut DVD release,and far more than some of the other films of this type which already have been!
It opens with a brutal rape,and it almost gets the movie off on the wrong foot as although not that graphic it's hard to watch. Then we jump forward to the usual small group of young people discovering an island. Much time is spent of them wondering about,which does make the film a little slow,but there is a fair amount of suspense,sometimes underlined by the synthesizer score,which shouldn't work but does. As has often been said before,the film is too dark,but some of the photography is pretty good,which makes one wonder if the darkness was a deliberate experiment which didn't quite come off.
This movie was obviously {well,in the versions I've seen} heavily cut,during the killings we cut away just before we think we'll going to see something nasty. There's just about enough suspense to almost compensate,and the acting isn't too bad,but gore hounds will probably be disappointed. The climactic scenes are pretty exciting though and even though you still don't get much of a look at the monster,this is actually quite effective.
There's a underlying element of sadness to Humongous which is provided by the film's back story,and it's perhaps this which most sticks in the mind. Nothing in the film is especially remarkable,but it does have it's interesting elements. It certainly deserves a proper,uncut DVD release,and far more than some of the other films of this type which already have been!
Humongous turkey!
Coventry7 December 2005
This is one of those 80's slashers in which the teenagers are SO stupid that they really deserve to die, and it actually takes way too long until they get wiped out, if you ask me. The movie opens very promising, with a brutal rape-sequence on an island inhabited by a small community of people. This intro fools you into believing that you're about to see a relentless and misanthropic 80's gem. Immediately after this sequence, however, it goes straight downhill. 36 years later, five insufferable teenagers that washed ashore this same island, find out that the place is still inhabited by the cannibalistic offspring of the girl that was raped. Now, I THINK there were some gory death-scenes going on, only I couldn't see it because the photography varies from dark...to impenetrably dark! Most of the playtime, you're just staring at a black screen and it's up to yourself to guess which one of the teenagers is being butchered. Not very interesting for a slasher... The sound effects are reasonably good and there's a handful of atmospheric moment. The same Canadian director also made "Prom Night" which is a lot better. When you eventually get to see the monstrous killer (only briefly, mind you) it exactly reflects the quality of the film: poor, pathetic and extremely disappointing.
A complete waste of time
wbells30 June 2002
Don't bother. Most of this movie is filmed in the dark. You can't see faces, effects - nothing - for most of the movie. This movie is basically just a soundtrack with shapes moving in the dark. What you can see, isn't worth watching anyway. It's dull & predictable. Pathetic.
Humdrumongous.
BA_Harrison3 January 2010
A hulking, brain-damaged beast stalks teens trapped on a remote island: not exactly the most original of plots, for sure, but it sounds like a lot of fun, doesn't it? Unfortunately, despite this one having many of the raw ingredients necessary for a hugely enjoyable slice of trashy 80s horror, it screws matters up with mundane direction, very dark photography, virtually no decent gore, and a creature that is hidden away in the shadows for most of the film.
Humongous begins with a promising pre-credits sequence set in the 1940s, in which a young woman is raped on Labour Day by a drunken party-goer, who immediately gets his comeuppance when a dog rips him to shreds.
The action then moves to the present day (ie., the early 80s), and sees five teenagers—Eric (David Wallace), his girlfriend Sandy (Janet Julian), nerdy sister Carla (Janit Baldwin), hot-headed brother Nick (John Wildman), and Nick's slutty squeeze Donna (Joy Boushel)—taking a trip on a lake in a motor cruiser.
After becoming lost in a bank of fog, the group happens across a man named Bert stranded in a lifeboat, who warns them that they are approaching some dangerous rocks. Nick seizes control of the boat, but crashes it, and the friends are forced to leap for safety and make for a nearby island, which according to Bert is home to a crazy woman and her pack of dogs. Bert's info, however, is not entirely correct: the old woman, who turns out to be the rape victim from the prologue, has recently died, and her dogs have been devoured by her hideously deformed son, who is on the loose on the island and still very hungry!
The rest of the film sees the teens, and an injured Bert, being hunted and killed one-by-one by the ravenous monster; it's all par for the course, with the expected false scares, sudden deaths, the discovery of the creature's lair, and a scene blatantly cribbed from Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) in which final survivor Sandy tries to confuse the killer by masquerading as his mother.
Although director Paul Lynch seems content to to deliver a by-the numbers product, the film does boast two marvellously tacky scenes that I feel are worthy of note: Donna the slut tries to warm up a shivering Bert by taking off her top and pressing her breasts against him; and Sandy falls backwards onto a mouldy corpse, which somehow becomes attached to her. If only Lynch had included more trash of this calibre, or just gone for a higher level of blood and guts, I might have thought more highly of it. As it is, it's just another title in a long list of instantly forgettable backwoods horrors.
Humongous begins with a promising pre-credits sequence set in the 1940s, in which a young woman is raped on Labour Day by a drunken party-goer, who immediately gets his comeuppance when a dog rips him to shreds.
The action then moves to the present day (ie., the early 80s), and sees five teenagers—Eric (David Wallace), his girlfriend Sandy (Janet Julian), nerdy sister Carla (Janit Baldwin), hot-headed brother Nick (John Wildman), and Nick's slutty squeeze Donna (Joy Boushel)—taking a trip on a lake in a motor cruiser.
After becoming lost in a bank of fog, the group happens across a man named Bert stranded in a lifeboat, who warns them that they are approaching some dangerous rocks. Nick seizes control of the boat, but crashes it, and the friends are forced to leap for safety and make for a nearby island, which according to Bert is home to a crazy woman and her pack of dogs. Bert's info, however, is not entirely correct: the old woman, who turns out to be the rape victim from the prologue, has recently died, and her dogs have been devoured by her hideously deformed son, who is on the loose on the island and still very hungry!
The rest of the film sees the teens, and an injured Bert, being hunted and killed one-by-one by the ravenous monster; it's all par for the course, with the expected false scares, sudden deaths, the discovery of the creature's lair, and a scene blatantly cribbed from Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) in which final survivor Sandy tries to confuse the killer by masquerading as his mother.
Although director Paul Lynch seems content to to deliver a by-the numbers product, the film does boast two marvellously tacky scenes that I feel are worthy of note: Donna the slut tries to warm up a shivering Bert by taking off her top and pressing her breasts against him; and Sandy falls backwards onto a mouldy corpse, which somehow becomes attached to her. If only Lynch had included more trash of this calibre, or just gone for a higher level of blood and guts, I might have thought more highly of it. As it is, it's just another title in a long list of instantly forgettable backwoods horrors.
I was at the Canadian Resort while they were filming this movie
nltgobills8 September 2005
I was present at Delmonte in the Pines resort when they filmed this movie. My parents took us there every year. It certainly was no great film, BUT we got to see the actors and the old resort house/area and boat house area in between filming. I was a kid, 9 years old, but I remember seeing dobermans in large fenced areas for the movie and the actor who played "Humongous" was sooo tall, but very nice. They did actually blow up an old boat house out on a little island. When they did that, I was going to bed in the new resort area and remember being afraid of the noise, and the filmed "screaming" from the movie being shot. For a low budget film, it was totally cool to see the remains after the shoot, the old boat house, the props left behind and they ripped an entire floor out of the old resort main house, and there was "blood spatter" etc. in it. That was truly a cool experience.
Average 80's slasher at best.
poolandrews18 April 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Humongous starts on Labour Day Weekend 1946 as the Parson family hold a party at their island lodge, their daughter Ida (Mary Sullivan) is brutally raped by a guy named Tom Rice (Page Fletcher) who is then savaged by the Parson family guard dogs & then fished off by Ida who whacks him over the head with a rock several times... Jump forward 36 Year Later & five teenage friends Nick (John Wildman), Eric (David Wallace), Carla (Janet Baldwin) & Sandy (Janet Julian) are out on a yacht enjoying themselves when they run into fog & get lost. They also run into stranded boater Bert Defoe (Layne Coleman), after generally being stupid they manage to crash the yacht on some rocks on the shore of a mysterious island which has sinister legends surrounding it. Stranded there they have to wait for help but it seems they are on the Parson island where some deformed monster stalks looking for food...
This Canadian production was directed by Paul Lynch who is also credited with the title design & one has to say Humongous isn't an overly impressive film with which to spend ninety minutes of your life but by slasher standards it's not the worst example out there. The script by William Gray is your typical 80's slasher material, from the teen victims to the isolated location to the mysterious deformed killer. It's all there. Gray seems to spend a lot of the time on the killers back-story & the teens working out the mystery, the problem is any seasoned slasher fan will be way ahead of both Gray & his character's. To be fair the script itself isn't really any worse than any other 80's slasher although there are a few poor decisions which ultimately sink Humongous. For a start there is a criminal lack of blood or gore, there simply isn't any sort of pay-off for sticking with it, the character's are pretty faceless & have no real development to the extent that I found it hard to know who was who simply because most of them had no discernible personality or features, the way the kids end up on the island is contrived to say the least & the vast majority of the film is spent showing these teens wander around the island for what seems like an eternity. I must admit I did think the film opened quite well with a brutal rape & death but that's as good as it gets I'm afraid, it's pretty much all downhill after that & the film never recapture the brutality of sleaziness of that opening sequence. The kills are unimaginative & mostly off screen too which doesn't help. Also I am wondering why is the film called Humongous? There doesn't seem to be any reason I can think of as to why it's called Humongous at all.
Director Lynch ruins any chance the script might have had, everyone but everyone who has seen & commented on Humongous mentions the fact that it is so dark which it is. The daytime scenes are fine so it's not just bad VHS tapes or prints Lynch just must have made a monumental misjudgement with his lighting. The last twenty minutes in particular are so frustrating to watch & more often than not you find yourself looking a totally black screen. I can't see anyone watching Humongous & not noticing how dark & frankly unwatchable it is. Released in the US in both 'R' rated & 'Unrated' versions the opening rape & killing of Tom is as graphic as it gets, all of the subsequent murders happen off screen, a mummified corpse is seen, three bodies are seen on meat hooks, there's a bit of blood, someone is impaled on a signpost &, well, that's it. Basically there's a lot of film of teenagers running around with very little reward. All the slasher clichés are here, Lynch often films from the point-of-view of the killer, people jump out of the dark to scare their mates, loud noises are heard at tense moments & the teens keep on separating which makes it easier for the killer. The killers face is only ever shown right at the end although I am not sure if that was on purpose or the fact that it's so dark you can't see anything anyway. There is one odd scene though when a girl collects blueberries & then uses her breast's squished together as a natural 'plate' to carry them on! Then after she notices her mate is cold she undoes her top to expose her breast's & lies on top of him in an effort to warm him up!
Technically the film is alright, it's well made I suppose but there's not much style. Apparently filmed on location in Ontario in Canada. The acting is alright considering it's an 80's slasher but no-one in this has exactly gone on to be stars which isn't surprising.
Humongous (Why Humongous? Why?) is an average sort of 80's slasher, the whole deformed killer on an isolated island set-up is quite neat & fairly well done but it was just too uneventful to maintain ones interest for over ninety minutes.
This Canadian production was directed by Paul Lynch who is also credited with the title design & one has to say Humongous isn't an overly impressive film with which to spend ninety minutes of your life but by slasher standards it's not the worst example out there. The script by William Gray is your typical 80's slasher material, from the teen victims to the isolated location to the mysterious deformed killer. It's all there. Gray seems to spend a lot of the time on the killers back-story & the teens working out the mystery, the problem is any seasoned slasher fan will be way ahead of both Gray & his character's. To be fair the script itself isn't really any worse than any other 80's slasher although there are a few poor decisions which ultimately sink Humongous. For a start there is a criminal lack of blood or gore, there simply isn't any sort of pay-off for sticking with it, the character's are pretty faceless & have no real development to the extent that I found it hard to know who was who simply because most of them had no discernible personality or features, the way the kids end up on the island is contrived to say the least & the vast majority of the film is spent showing these teens wander around the island for what seems like an eternity. I must admit I did think the film opened quite well with a brutal rape & death but that's as good as it gets I'm afraid, it's pretty much all downhill after that & the film never recapture the brutality of sleaziness of that opening sequence. The kills are unimaginative & mostly off screen too which doesn't help. Also I am wondering why is the film called Humongous? There doesn't seem to be any reason I can think of as to why it's called Humongous at all.
Director Lynch ruins any chance the script might have had, everyone but everyone who has seen & commented on Humongous mentions the fact that it is so dark which it is. The daytime scenes are fine so it's not just bad VHS tapes or prints Lynch just must have made a monumental misjudgement with his lighting. The last twenty minutes in particular are so frustrating to watch & more often than not you find yourself looking a totally black screen. I can't see anyone watching Humongous & not noticing how dark & frankly unwatchable it is. Released in the US in both 'R' rated & 'Unrated' versions the opening rape & killing of Tom is as graphic as it gets, all of the subsequent murders happen off screen, a mummified corpse is seen, three bodies are seen on meat hooks, there's a bit of blood, someone is impaled on a signpost &, well, that's it. Basically there's a lot of film of teenagers running around with very little reward. All the slasher clichés are here, Lynch often films from the point-of-view of the killer, people jump out of the dark to scare their mates, loud noises are heard at tense moments & the teens keep on separating which makes it easier for the killer. The killers face is only ever shown right at the end although I am not sure if that was on purpose or the fact that it's so dark you can't see anything anyway. There is one odd scene though when a girl collects blueberries & then uses her breast's squished together as a natural 'plate' to carry them on! Then after she notices her mate is cold she undoes her top to expose her breast's & lies on top of him in an effort to warm him up!
Technically the film is alright, it's well made I suppose but there's not much style. Apparently filmed on location in Ontario in Canada. The acting is alright considering it's an 80's slasher but no-one in this has exactly gone on to be stars which isn't surprising.
Humongous (Why Humongous? Why?) is an average sort of 80's slasher, the whole deformed killer on an isolated island set-up is quite neat & fairly well done but it was just too uneventful to maintain ones interest for over ninety minutes.
good scary big man movie
sepultura50504 October 2006
A woman is raped, and years later she has a child,that grew up to be a monster. Big,scary and ugly.all this takes place on an island.The only drawback on this film is lighting,because mostly shot in the dark,which does add an ominous aura.The acting is decent and the music is scary too,direction is great,Paul Lynch,Also also the director of Prom Night!Which was equally affective as this film.I liked this movie one of the one,s that will make you think can this really happen,like Friday The 13th.It,s a shame they stopped making movie,s like these,80,s is the best of the genre,and this was made in 1982.If your up to watch a tongue in cheek with light,s out horror movie this is one of them. Enjoy
Humongous
Scarecrow-8810 June 2007
Warning: Spoilers
The horrible rape of a wealthy woman trying to resist a drunken male killed by her pet dog sets in motion the later plot where a group of college kids become stranded on a seemingly deserted island thanks to the troubled Nick(John Wildman)who is incredibly jealous of his more responsible, likable brother Eric(David Wallace)who seems to get the most attention of the lovely ladies than he does. Eric is also a more heady, trustworthy type and so Nick wishes to take controls of the boat and, in a scuffle with his older brother, accidentally crashes it setting it on fire with everyone on board narrowly escaping(..including a shipwrecked passenger they take on board who boat was damaged by treacherous rock, played by Layne Coleman). On the shore, Eric calls out for his sister Carla(Janit Baldwin)with only silence answering back. Brother Nick, ashamed at the destruction and situation he caused, goes to search for help..it's told to them by their passenger that the rape victim from the start of the film, Ida Parsons(Shay Garner), has a place up on the hill from the shore, run down and decrepit, where she lived in seclusion with her dogs. What Nick encounters is something of a man who growls like a beast. Soon the others will run into this type of deformed man-monster who hunts with rage. Eric and his lover, model Sandy(Janet Julian)will have to find a way to stop him while also learning about the secrets regarding Ida while searching her home..but, even more important is that she had given birth to a child with a photo, found in an album, showing her holding it with the dog, who saved her from the man raping her, by Ida's side. Had Ida given birth to the thing hunting them on the island? Mysteries may be solved within the house as they find Ida's corpse, her diary(..or mad scribblings), and a special place where the monster lives.
Interesting, gore-less slasher undermined by certain scenes at night & darkened places(such as Ida's cellar where the monster is known to lurk)where the low-quality lighting doesn't capture images or action on screen very well. Some scenes, such as the monster's chasing Nick into a desecrated boat-house, are incomprehensible..you just wish someone with excellent skill at providing decent lighting(such as perhaps Dean Cundy)could've worked in the film because the plot is quite interesting. I mean my eyes begin to hurt I was straining so. But, the unnerving music accompaniment can be quite effective and Ida's depreciating abode creates a spooky setting so not all is bad regarding this flick. And, some of the night-time sequences are quite genuinely eerie. The flick is certainly better than it's 2.1 IMDb rating.
Joy Boushel portrays the object of lust(and she's quite easy on the eyes), Donna who carries a torch for Eric and envies Sandy. One thing's definitely for certain..this flick needs a different title.
Interesting, gore-less slasher undermined by certain scenes at night & darkened places(such as Ida's cellar where the monster is known to lurk)where the low-quality lighting doesn't capture images or action on screen very well. Some scenes, such as the monster's chasing Nick into a desecrated boat-house, are incomprehensible..you just wish someone with excellent skill at providing decent lighting(such as perhaps Dean Cundy)could've worked in the film because the plot is quite interesting. I mean my eyes begin to hurt I was straining so. But, the unnerving music accompaniment can be quite effective and Ida's depreciating abode creates a spooky setting so not all is bad regarding this flick. And, some of the night-time sequences are quite genuinely eerie. The flick is certainly better than it's 2.1 IMDb rating.
Joy Boushel portrays the object of lust(and she's quite easy on the eyes), Donna who carries a torch for Eric and envies Sandy. One thing's definitely for certain..this flick needs a different title.
One of the better slashers of the 1980s
Maciste_Brother5 June 2003
This Canadian slasher is definitely one of the better slashers of the 1980s and is unjustifiably panned by everyone. When HUMONGOUS was released the biggest criticism against it was how predictable or derivative it was and it was dismissed as being just another slasher. Yes, there's a very familiar feel to the story-line but most slashers are basically the same movie done over and over again so I don't see this necessarily as a bad thing. But the fact is HUMONGOUS actually tries to be different and in some ways, it succeeds in being different. HUMONGOUS is more the unofficial companion and has more in common to that other Canadian horror film, RITUALS, than to HALLOWEEN or Friday THE 13Th. Both HUMONGOUS and RITUALS have almost the same kind of deformed killer who lives in the backwoods. The killer remains unseen until the very end. And there's an obvious Canadian feel to both films.
The beginning of HUMONGOUS is brutal and sets up the familiar story-line of a gruesome incident which happened in the past that will affect a subsequent generation. In this case, the film starts in the 1940s. After a woman from a rich family is raped, she decides to live in seclusion on an isolated island where she gives birth to a deformed kid. Flash forward 40 years and we see a bunch of horny young adults who were vacationing on another island and as they're heading back to the mainland on their boat they crash on the island where the woman lived after one of the passengers, Nick the hotheaded brother, takes control of the boat and rams it into rocky shore. Everyone leaves the burning boat and they all have to go to the island and the rest of the story is basically about the group surviving on the spooky island where there's a monster killing them one by one.
The atmosphere is very good and the cinematography is actually good too. Some interesting camera positions. But like many have mentioned already, many scenes during the night are EXTREMELY dark and it's difficult at times to know exactly what's going on. I set up my TV's brightness level to the max and the image was improved greatly but there were still some moments were I didn't see anything at all. As annoying as the dark scenes were, I believe this was done deliberately, not because the film is a low budget movie and they couldn't afford lighting but because that's what the director wanted. The darkness was at times carried to an extreme which can only be attributed to a director's decision and not some low production value. With that said, I personally find it fascinating that so much happens in the dark. The darkness is stylised. Notice when the monster crashes through the door or when the boathouse catches fire, how the brightness of those scenes create a shock. I think the director wanted to shock people with light by having most of the action happen in so much darkness. In a movie theater, after watching scenes that happen mostly in the dark, a quick shot of a bright image creates tension and actually hurts the eyes. It's like when you wake up in the morning and how the bright lights outside the windows hurt your eyes. Well, that's what Paul Lynch tried to recreate here by having so much of the action take place in near total darkness. The monster's appearances during those brief scenes of brightness must have been startling in a dark theater.
The acting is mostly serviceable but the last three survivors, Janit Baldwin (the girl with the glasses), David Wallace (the blond guy) and Janet Julian (the last girl) are much better than your average slasher actor. The gore is limited and in a way it's unfortunate. I'm not a gorehound but I thought the film needed a bit more blood to be that much more creepy. The biggest weakness of HUMONGOUS (aside from the extreme darkness) is the score. There's almost no music. When the film starts getting scary it's no coincidence that it coincides with the moment when the score finally makes its presence felt. The jazzy music during the opening and closing credits didn't belong in this kind of film though. And the story itself is actually interesting and there's an underlying lurid aspect about it that's fascinating. Dogs are a major part of the underlying story and something tells me they have more to do than meets the eye.
Anyway, I personally like HUMONGOUS. The poster is cool and I really like the title. As a real horror film, it's definitely more successful than Lynch's other horror opus, PROM NIGHT, and a good portion of other slashers made in the same period and those made today, like I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, which was obviously inspired by this film.
The beginning of HUMONGOUS is brutal and sets up the familiar story-line of a gruesome incident which happened in the past that will affect a subsequent generation. In this case, the film starts in the 1940s. After a woman from a rich family is raped, she decides to live in seclusion on an isolated island where she gives birth to a deformed kid. Flash forward 40 years and we see a bunch of horny young adults who were vacationing on another island and as they're heading back to the mainland on their boat they crash on the island where the woman lived after one of the passengers, Nick the hotheaded brother, takes control of the boat and rams it into rocky shore. Everyone leaves the burning boat and they all have to go to the island and the rest of the story is basically about the group surviving on the spooky island where there's a monster killing them one by one.
The atmosphere is very good and the cinematography is actually good too. Some interesting camera positions. But like many have mentioned already, many scenes during the night are EXTREMELY dark and it's difficult at times to know exactly what's going on. I set up my TV's brightness level to the max and the image was improved greatly but there were still some moments were I didn't see anything at all. As annoying as the dark scenes were, I believe this was done deliberately, not because the film is a low budget movie and they couldn't afford lighting but because that's what the director wanted. The darkness was at times carried to an extreme which can only be attributed to a director's decision and not some low production value. With that said, I personally find it fascinating that so much happens in the dark. The darkness is stylised. Notice when the monster crashes through the door or when the boathouse catches fire, how the brightness of those scenes create a shock. I think the director wanted to shock people with light by having most of the action happen in so much darkness. In a movie theater, after watching scenes that happen mostly in the dark, a quick shot of a bright image creates tension and actually hurts the eyes. It's like when you wake up in the morning and how the bright lights outside the windows hurt your eyes. Well, that's what Paul Lynch tried to recreate here by having so much of the action take place in near total darkness. The monster's appearances during those brief scenes of brightness must have been startling in a dark theater.
The acting is mostly serviceable but the last three survivors, Janit Baldwin (the girl with the glasses), David Wallace (the blond guy) and Janet Julian (the last girl) are much better than your average slasher actor. The gore is limited and in a way it's unfortunate. I'm not a gorehound but I thought the film needed a bit more blood to be that much more creepy. The biggest weakness of HUMONGOUS (aside from the extreme darkness) is the score. There's almost no music. When the film starts getting scary it's no coincidence that it coincides with the moment when the score finally makes its presence felt. The jazzy music during the opening and closing credits didn't belong in this kind of film though. And the story itself is actually interesting and there's an underlying lurid aspect about it that's fascinating. Dogs are a major part of the underlying story and something tells me they have more to do than meets the eye.
Anyway, I personally like HUMONGOUS. The poster is cool and I really like the title. As a real horror film, it's definitely more successful than Lynch's other horror opus, PROM NIGHT, and a good portion of other slashers made in the same period and those made today, like I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, which was obviously inspired by this film.
Decent slasher film for a B movie
leanettebailey12 August 2018
I remember when this was released on HBO back in the day. The Canadian Director's Version, uncut. Not the re-released "downgraded" version on video today. The film had received horrific criticism and controversy because of its overall graphic murder content, as compared to the blockbusters of Halloween or Friday the 13th. The opening graphic rape scene, ironically was about the max of the film's gore score. Sadly, much of the action thereafter, as others have already commented, was shot in too-dark of lighting to really connect with, including the reveal of the cannibalistic human monster. But nonetheless, it is a horror classic.
This has a lot of potential and some good elements but falls short of what it could have been
kevin_robbins2 September 2021
Humongous (1982) is a movie I recently watched on YouTube. The storyline follows a group of friends who get stranded on an island that is inhabited by a giant of sorts that was spawned from a violent rape of a woman on an island. This movie is directed by Paul Lynch (Robocop) and stars Janet Julian (King of New York), David Wysocki (General Hospital), John Wildman (My American Cousin) and Page Fletcher (The Hitchhiker). The storyline for this picture had potential for a great horror movie. The giant in this is often in the dark and isn't displayed overly well. The kill scenes have some great props but not enough gore. The props and settings are good but I just wish there was more scenes with the giant and more killings. Overall this has a lot of potential and some good elements but falls short of what it could have been. I'd score this a 4-5/10.
Second slasher effort from Paul PROM NIGHT Lynch.
RareSlashersReviewed22 June 2002
Second slasher effort from Paul Lynch. HUMONGOUS pits a group of stereotypical early eighties youngsters against a demented hermit on a remote island. So far so good...
A group of fun loving teens head out on a luxury vacation aboard a large boat. Eric (David Wallace), Nick (John Wildman), Donna (Joy Boushel), Carla (Janit Baldwin), and Sandy (Janet Julian) are in deep, dangerous waters when they come across Bert (Lane Coleman) stranded on a lifeboat. They let him climb aboard before the six of them continue on their doomed excursion. As the warm summer's day gives way to a foggy night sky, the overly cocky Nick looses control of the boat and it crashes into some hidden rocks. Just after they all manage to jump into the safety of the cool water, the ship bursts into a ball of flames and disappears into the depths of the ferocious sea. The group manage to swim to a nearby rocky shore, where the screams that pierce the haunting night sky make it sound like it's inhabited by a pack of wild dogs. Bert knows of the stories of Idah Parsons, a lonesome woman who lives all by herself on the island and keeps the animals for protection. They hope that maybe she can call for help. When Nick goes looking for her and doesn't return, the gang begin to realise that there is something far more sinister than a group of mutts or an elderly lady lurking in the dense forest that surrounds them...
As where PROM NIGHT owed more than a touch of inspiration to HALLOWEEN, Lynch's second effort looks as if it's more influenced by backwoods slashers such as THE BURNING or FRIDAY THE 13th. In one scene Sandy dresses as the killer's mother to try and trick him into thinking it's really her. I had to check the cover to make sure I was watching Steve Miner's second edition to the FRIDAY series! But as I've said before 'pinching from your peers' is a common practice in slasher cinema, so this didn't particularly surprise me! To be honest there's loads to recommend about HUMONGOUS. For a start there's some genuinely fine acting on display. David Wallace who plays the heroic Eric is brilliant and so was his leading lady Janet Julian. Director Lynch keeps things smooth throughout and adds some interesting ideas of his own. One bit that immediately caught my attention was when John Wildman was searching the boathouse for some help. He hears strange grunts coming from the other side of the gate and moves closer to see if he can see what's making the noise. He finds a hole big enough to look through and moves his eye up to it to see what he can spot. He jumps back in shock, when he sees a grotesque eye looking through the same hole back again! It's the little touches like that , which can make a movie all the more memorable. The butcher himself is pretty darn creepy too. He's your typical backwoods psycho, in the tradition of Jason, Marz and Cropsy! Big, mean deformed, surly and nasty! He also possesses super human strength and lets just say you wouldn't like to meet him on your way home late at night! He makes his presence known pretty early on in the runtime and he doesn't stay far out of sight for long ever after! So with all that HUMONGOUS has going for it how could it possibly ever fail?
Well...there's a terrible lack of lighting in the night scenes. Some of the best moments of the film can barely be seen because it's just too dark! We only get to see the killer's face for a couple of seconds tops, all the other shots either have him surrounded by silhouette or it's just too poorly lit to get a good view! You may think that this is only a minor set back and I'm over reacting, but when you've watched through the best part of the feature in broad daylight and built yourself up for the 'final showdown' so to speak, it pretty much spoils it when you can barely see a damn thing that's going on! I'd have thought that a director as experienced as this would've been able to handle a problem like that with ease. But that inconsistency alone prevents this flick from ever touching true greatness. As it stands it's not rubbish, but still, with a little more care with the lighting this could've been a classic.
In the odd small way, this manages to even outshine the director's previous effort. It's far more brutal with a stronger emphasis on horror. But due to that aforementioned flaw PROM NIGHT remains the best of Lynch's slasher work. That said though it's still worth watching for the superb cast and some exciting sequences. But be warned...bring your night vision goggles!
A group of fun loving teens head out on a luxury vacation aboard a large boat. Eric (David Wallace), Nick (John Wildman), Donna (Joy Boushel), Carla (Janit Baldwin), and Sandy (Janet Julian) are in deep, dangerous waters when they come across Bert (Lane Coleman) stranded on a lifeboat. They let him climb aboard before the six of them continue on their doomed excursion. As the warm summer's day gives way to a foggy night sky, the overly cocky Nick looses control of the boat and it crashes into some hidden rocks. Just after they all manage to jump into the safety of the cool water, the ship bursts into a ball of flames and disappears into the depths of the ferocious sea. The group manage to swim to a nearby rocky shore, where the screams that pierce the haunting night sky make it sound like it's inhabited by a pack of wild dogs. Bert knows of the stories of Idah Parsons, a lonesome woman who lives all by herself on the island and keeps the animals for protection. They hope that maybe she can call for help. When Nick goes looking for her and doesn't return, the gang begin to realise that there is something far more sinister than a group of mutts or an elderly lady lurking in the dense forest that surrounds them...
As where PROM NIGHT owed more than a touch of inspiration to HALLOWEEN, Lynch's second effort looks as if it's more influenced by backwoods slashers such as THE BURNING or FRIDAY THE 13th. In one scene Sandy dresses as the killer's mother to try and trick him into thinking it's really her. I had to check the cover to make sure I was watching Steve Miner's second edition to the FRIDAY series! But as I've said before 'pinching from your peers' is a common practice in slasher cinema, so this didn't particularly surprise me! To be honest there's loads to recommend about HUMONGOUS. For a start there's some genuinely fine acting on display. David Wallace who plays the heroic Eric is brilliant and so was his leading lady Janet Julian. Director Lynch keeps things smooth throughout and adds some interesting ideas of his own. One bit that immediately caught my attention was when John Wildman was searching the boathouse for some help. He hears strange grunts coming from the other side of the gate and moves closer to see if he can see what's making the noise. He finds a hole big enough to look through and moves his eye up to it to see what he can spot. He jumps back in shock, when he sees a grotesque eye looking through the same hole back again! It's the little touches like that , which can make a movie all the more memorable. The butcher himself is pretty darn creepy too. He's your typical backwoods psycho, in the tradition of Jason, Marz and Cropsy! Big, mean deformed, surly and nasty! He also possesses super human strength and lets just say you wouldn't like to meet him on your way home late at night! He makes his presence known pretty early on in the runtime and he doesn't stay far out of sight for long ever after! So with all that HUMONGOUS has going for it how could it possibly ever fail?
Well...there's a terrible lack of lighting in the night scenes. Some of the best moments of the film can barely be seen because it's just too dark! We only get to see the killer's face for a couple of seconds tops, all the other shots either have him surrounded by silhouette or it's just too poorly lit to get a good view! You may think that this is only a minor set back and I'm over reacting, but when you've watched through the best part of the feature in broad daylight and built yourself up for the 'final showdown' so to speak, it pretty much spoils it when you can barely see a damn thing that's going on! I'd have thought that a director as experienced as this would've been able to handle a problem like that with ease. But that inconsistency alone prevents this flick from ever touching true greatness. As it stands it's not rubbish, but still, with a little more care with the lighting this could've been a classic.
In the odd small way, this manages to even outshine the director's previous effort. It's far more brutal with a stronger emphasis on horror. But due to that aforementioned flaw PROM NIGHT remains the best of Lynch's slasher work. That said though it's still worth watching for the superb cast and some exciting sequences. But be warned...bring your night vision goggles!
Could've been better!
gwnightscream12 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
This 1982 horror film begins with a young woman getting raped by a guy who then gets eaten by her dogs. Years later, a group of teens become stranded on an island where the woman's violent, deformed son resides and become hunted by him. This could've been better in my opinion because it starts off ok, but fails. Also, the characters aren't that likeable and the film has too many dark scenes. You could give this a try if you're into slashers, but you may be disappointed.
Did the budget not stretch to lights?
fidelio7417 July 2010
Warning: Spoilers
'Humongous' is pretty bad but, to its credit, it keeps things moving along at a fair clip. It is a creature feature which opens with a disturbing rape. Then we are introduced to the usual bunch of young, sexed up adults who become stranded upon an isolated island when their boat is wrecked on rocks. Unfortunately these kids are not alone; a monster is stalking them. And it begins to pick them off one by one.
A lot of the action in this flick occurs in almost total darkness which is pretty frustrating. Did the budget not stretch to lights? It kind of reminds me of 'The Slayer' and 'Witchcraft' AKA 'Witchery' in that all three films take place upon islands upon which the central characters find themselves trapped.
One thing I do like about this movie, aside from its brisk pace, is the ending, which is uncompromising. I am glad I saw this flick and would very much like to see it on DVD. But I do not think it is good enough to warrant repeat viewings.
A lot of the action in this flick occurs in almost total darkness which is pretty frustrating. Did the budget not stretch to lights? It kind of reminds me of 'The Slayer' and 'Witchcraft' AKA 'Witchery' in that all three films take place upon islands upon which the central characters find themselves trapped.
One thing I do like about this movie, aside from its brisk pace, is the ending, which is uncompromising. I am glad I saw this flick and would very much like to see it on DVD. But I do not think it is good enough to warrant repeat viewings.
"No sounds here".
lost-in-limbo5 February 2011
Lights. Camera. Action. Hey what happen to the lights? "Humongous" turned out to be quite a frustrating experience since most of the film occurs within the dark (poorly lit exteriors within confinements or simply the night time sequences), which it was that pitch-black (even after adjusting the brightness on my TV) that made it hard to make out what was really going on. Purposely done for that reason or not, it could have been executed much better. Especially if it was catered for the fact of hiding the monster (as there was a main focus on the heavy-breathing POV shots leering on its victims and the constant wailing that was pulled off rather effectively), which wouldn't bother me but it was simply hard to care at times when you just can't see what's going on. Gladly they revert to using fire in the climatic scenes to brighten things up.
Director Paul Lynch (who directed the 80s slasher "Prom Night") cooks up a raw, primitive if choppy as hell island backwoods survival deformed killer fable which has an engrossing back-story penned by William Gray (The Changeling "1980", Prom Night "1980" and "An Eye for An Eye"). While simple in its long build-up, it tried to be deep in its context (especially the whole Scooby gang doing some investigating) and Lynch was obviously trying for moody suspense than anything really exploitative (despite the opening rape scene). Maybe that's more so a budget restraint as its cheaply projected, but the atmospherics (the island setting) worked despite not always managing to sustained tension due to pitch black confusion. An unhinged electronic score keeps that brooding tone, which definitely can get under your skin. The performances are acceptable enough (Janet Julian is rather good and Joy Boushel adds the spunk); rowdy teenagers and stupid actions.
Fair if somewhat vanilla, but disappointing technical handling is what harms it.
P.s. I recently watched the DVD version of the film and the print is great. A lot of the scenes which were hard to make out on VHS, are clear as day, which enhances the viewing experience.
Director Paul Lynch (who directed the 80s slasher "Prom Night") cooks up a raw, primitive if choppy as hell island backwoods survival deformed killer fable which has an engrossing back-story penned by William Gray (The Changeling "1980", Prom Night "1980" and "An Eye for An Eye"). While simple in its long build-up, it tried to be deep in its context (especially the whole Scooby gang doing some investigating) and Lynch was obviously trying for moody suspense than anything really exploitative (despite the opening rape scene). Maybe that's more so a budget restraint as its cheaply projected, but the atmospherics (the island setting) worked despite not always managing to sustained tension due to pitch black confusion. An unhinged electronic score keeps that brooding tone, which definitely can get under your skin. The performances are acceptable enough (Janet Julian is rather good and Joy Boushel adds the spunk); rowdy teenagers and stupid actions.
Fair if somewhat vanilla, but disappointing technical handling is what harms it.
P.s. I recently watched the DVD version of the film and the print is great. A lot of the scenes which were hard to make out on VHS, are clear as day, which enhances the viewing experience.
Dog Island!
BandSAboutMovies11 June 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Director Paul Lynch also brought us the Canadian cutter Prom Night and here, he starts the action off with a bang: on Labor Day weekend 1946, a drunk (Page Fletcher, the title character from HBO's The Hitchhiker) rapes Ida Parsons at a party her rich father is throwing. She is saved by her dogs, who attack the man before she smashes his brains out with a rock.
36 years later, preppy bros Eric (David Wallace, Mazes and Monsters, Mortuary) and Nick are taking their father's yacht on a weekend getaway with their girlfriends, Sandy (Janet Julian, who was TV's Nancy Drew when Pamela Sue Martin left the series) and Donna (Joy Boushel, Terror Train) and their sister, Carla (Janit Baldwin, Gatorbait, Phantom of the Paradise).
After a day of staring at girl's asses while feeling up other asses (this movie has more nudity in the first 11 minutes than nearly every movie that will come out this year), fog comes in and teh boys save a shipwrecked fisherman named Bert. As he recovers from hypothermia, he tells them of Dog Island, the home of lumber baroness Ida Parsons (remember her?) who lives on the island with only her wild dogs for company. It's at that point that Nick wrecks the boat into - DA DA NA - Dog Island!
Bert gets wounded. Carla gets lost. Nick walks into the woods and gets killed by a gigantic shadowy character. Meanwhile, Sandy and Eric attempt to find Ida Parsons.
While all this is going on, Bert goes into shock so Donna tries to warm him up by stripping nude. As you do. As she lies across his frozen body, the shadowy thing tosses her into the rocks and then rips off Bert's head.
In the middle of all this, Sandy and Eric discover not only Ida's house, but Carla, who is alive. You know who isn't? The dogs of Dog Island, who are all skeletons inside cages.
Our protagonists find a nursery full of dusty toys and a cobwebbed crib, as well as Ida's diary, filled with frightening photos and insane scribblings of her sick child, who she intended to keep free from sin. And oh yeah - they also find her skeleton.
Everyone wises up and decides to leave Dog Island. They gather some supplies and make their way to the basement, where they find the bodies of Nick and Donna.
So the story everyone decides to go with is that this shadowy monster is Ida's son, who somehow lived, and has been driven insane by his mother's death. He's incredibly strong, an amazing tracker and sees any outsiders as a threat. You'd think they'd get the hell away from the house, but no, they go back to get matches and Eric gets killed. His back gets broken all Bane style and Sandy runs to Ida's room to hide.
When the shadowy man gets there, she wraps a blanket around her head and acts as if she is Ida. I love this scene so much, as we never see the monster and only a brightly lit Sandy. Her words are measured and forceful, but as we look at her face, we can tell she's never been more afraid in her life.
Just when Sandy thinks she's safe, she tries to leave the room. However, the mutated man-child realizes her ruse and chases her to the boathouse, where he crushes Carla's head along the way. Even setting this maniac on fire won't stop him, because it's 1982 and this is a Canadian slasher film.
You know what does stop him? A big signpost that impales him. Usually, slashers get stopped by impalement, have you ever realized that?
At the end, Sandy is left alone on the dock, decimated by the fact that she's had to kill a human being and feeling the loss of her friends. And we notice - she now looks a lot like Ida.
Humongous is sleazy and bloody fun, with a unique killer and plenty of atmosphere. Sure, it's a slasher, but it has a way better premise than kids stuck at a summer camp or a cursed calendar date. I've heard comparisons to Joe D'Amoto and George Eastman's Antropophagus, but this has none of the over the top gore of that film. That's not to say that there isn't plenty here.
There's also a minimalist score by John Mills-Cockell, which really sets the tone and amps up the mood. He also worked on Terror Train and was one of the first people to purchase a Moog synthesizer.
36 years later, preppy bros Eric (David Wallace, Mazes and Monsters, Mortuary) and Nick are taking their father's yacht on a weekend getaway with their girlfriends, Sandy (Janet Julian, who was TV's Nancy Drew when Pamela Sue Martin left the series) and Donna (Joy Boushel, Terror Train) and their sister, Carla (Janit Baldwin, Gatorbait, Phantom of the Paradise).
After a day of staring at girl's asses while feeling up other asses (this movie has more nudity in the first 11 minutes than nearly every movie that will come out this year), fog comes in and teh boys save a shipwrecked fisherman named Bert. As he recovers from hypothermia, he tells them of Dog Island, the home of lumber baroness Ida Parsons (remember her?) who lives on the island with only her wild dogs for company. It's at that point that Nick wrecks the boat into - DA DA NA - Dog Island!
Bert gets wounded. Carla gets lost. Nick walks into the woods and gets killed by a gigantic shadowy character. Meanwhile, Sandy and Eric attempt to find Ida Parsons.
While all this is going on, Bert goes into shock so Donna tries to warm him up by stripping nude. As you do. As she lies across his frozen body, the shadowy thing tosses her into the rocks and then rips off Bert's head.
In the middle of all this, Sandy and Eric discover not only Ida's house, but Carla, who is alive. You know who isn't? The dogs of Dog Island, who are all skeletons inside cages.
Our protagonists find a nursery full of dusty toys and a cobwebbed crib, as well as Ida's diary, filled with frightening photos and insane scribblings of her sick child, who she intended to keep free from sin. And oh yeah - they also find her skeleton.
Everyone wises up and decides to leave Dog Island. They gather some supplies and make their way to the basement, where they find the bodies of Nick and Donna.
So the story everyone decides to go with is that this shadowy monster is Ida's son, who somehow lived, and has been driven insane by his mother's death. He's incredibly strong, an amazing tracker and sees any outsiders as a threat. You'd think they'd get the hell away from the house, but no, they go back to get matches and Eric gets killed. His back gets broken all Bane style and Sandy runs to Ida's room to hide.
When the shadowy man gets there, she wraps a blanket around her head and acts as if she is Ida. I love this scene so much, as we never see the monster and only a brightly lit Sandy. Her words are measured and forceful, but as we look at her face, we can tell she's never been more afraid in her life.
Just when Sandy thinks she's safe, she tries to leave the room. However, the mutated man-child realizes her ruse and chases her to the boathouse, where he crushes Carla's head along the way. Even setting this maniac on fire won't stop him, because it's 1982 and this is a Canadian slasher film.
You know what does stop him? A big signpost that impales him. Usually, slashers get stopped by impalement, have you ever realized that?
At the end, Sandy is left alone on the dock, decimated by the fact that she's had to kill a human being and feeling the loss of her friends. And we notice - she now looks a lot like Ida.
Humongous is sleazy and bloody fun, with a unique killer and plenty of atmosphere. Sure, it's a slasher, but it has a way better premise than kids stuck at a summer camp or a cursed calendar date. I've heard comparisons to Joe D'Amoto and George Eastman's Antropophagus, but this has none of the over the top gore of that film. That's not to say that there isn't plenty here.
There's also a minimalist score by John Mills-Cockell, which really sets the tone and amps up the mood. He also worked on Terror Train and was one of the first people to purchase a Moog synthesizer.
Awfully made borefest...
UltimateDarkness9 March 2004
I rented this movie based on its title and interesting cover art and it is definitely one of the worst movies I have ever seen. There's barely a story, basically the movie uses the typical killer stalking teenage victims slasher formula, except the teens are being killed on an island, and the killer, some kind of bigfoot-type creature that is part human, is hardly ever seen, and more than half the movie was shot so dark its hard to tell most of the time what the hell's going on. Both horror fans and non-horror fans alike should avoid this crappy movie. Some hardcore fans of schlock might find some enjoyable qualities about it though, if they can find it anywhere, as it isn't on DVD as far as I know and the VHS copies of it are pretty rare.
Entertaining cheese fest
slayrrr66629 July 2007
Warning: Spoilers
"Humongous" is a decent enough slasher film with some good points.
**SPOILERS**
Preparing for a sailing trip, Sandy Ralston, (Janet Julian) Eric Simmons, (David Wallace) his brother Nick, (John Wildman) and sister Carla, (Janit Baldwin) and Nick's girlfriend Donna Blake, (Joy Bushel) get together and sail off. Coming upon a strange, fog-covered island, they find stranded sea-goer Bert Defoe, (Layne Coleman) in the sea and take him in for shelter. Becoming stranded on the island after a freak accident, he soon relates a story about the owner of the island and her huge guard dogs that keep visitors off her land, which they take with a grain of salt. Venturing out to explore the island, they soon start to mysteriously disappear as does everything else on the island. Finding a deserted house, the group finds out the horrifying truth about the other occupant of the island, and are soon thrust into a deadly fight to survive the beastly killer's relentless onslaught against them.
The Good News: This wasn't all that bad at all and there's some really good stuff in here. The fact that the killer in here is imposing physically makes it a more than appropriate in making the killer someone to fear. That makes all the difference, and the deformity on display makes this one a real keeper. The fact that there's no real clear shot of it until the end makes it all the better, as a quick glimpse of an arm here or part of the ribs there and a picture starts to form but can't be completed until the very end. That's a great way to build up suspense to it's final revelation and this does it quite nicely. There's even some suspense to be had from it's fine stalking scenes, with the one in the jungle while gathering food to be it's absolute best. It's beautifully done, takes it's time and really gets all that it can out of them and just makes the whole thing really spectacular. The chase through the house is another really well-done stalking scene, and there's some really good ones inside the middle portion to really keep interest in the film. That there's a lot of big action scenes in here as well is another plus, with the absolutely spectacular ending in the house the best example. This is a real action-packed scene, including the addition of a ton of fire used and some great battling with the killer. The scene is a lot of fun and really ends it on a perfect note. The kills aren't that bad, as there's a face crushed with a rock, a monstrous bare-hug that breaks the back, a vicious decapitation that scores the film's best shock gag upon it's surprising re-appearance, an impaling with a wooden stick and having one set on fire with the most absolutely brutal-looking variation ever as the flames just simply engulf them and it just looks so dangerous. This works on several pretty nice variations overall.
The Bad News: This one here does have it's own problems. One of the biggest is that this feels way too convenient for there to be any real slashing. The fact that they get stuck there is a little unbelievable, and the way it goes down has a lot to do with it. There's no reason for it to happen, it really sticks out as it's the way they start dying off and it doesn't really register because it doesn't make any sense why other than to get them in harm's way when there's plenty of other options available to get it done. Another really head-scratching idea is the way that the survivor gets out of the wreckage. This is way too much to believe, and the nonsensical story behind it doesn't do it any better. There's also a few scenes in here that don't really work either, but these are all subject to individuals and not at all that much of a detriment as a whole. The rape scene or the aftermath of animal violence scenes in particular are sterling examples of those that don't hurt the film outright but can be seen as a detriment based on personal preference. Otherwise, the fact that most of it doesn't make much sense is the worst flaw.
The Final Verdict: There's some good points and bad ones in here, giving this a real mixed-bag appeal. There's some good stuff in here for slasher fans and cheese-fanatics, giving them the recommendation for this one, but the bad points will lower this one for those who aren't as forgiving.
Rated R: Graphic Violence, Language, Nudity and Rape
**SPOILERS**
Preparing for a sailing trip, Sandy Ralston, (Janet Julian) Eric Simmons, (David Wallace) his brother Nick, (John Wildman) and sister Carla, (Janit Baldwin) and Nick's girlfriend Donna Blake, (Joy Bushel) get together and sail off. Coming upon a strange, fog-covered island, they find stranded sea-goer Bert Defoe, (Layne Coleman) in the sea and take him in for shelter. Becoming stranded on the island after a freak accident, he soon relates a story about the owner of the island and her huge guard dogs that keep visitors off her land, which they take with a grain of salt. Venturing out to explore the island, they soon start to mysteriously disappear as does everything else on the island. Finding a deserted house, the group finds out the horrifying truth about the other occupant of the island, and are soon thrust into a deadly fight to survive the beastly killer's relentless onslaught against them.
The Good News: This wasn't all that bad at all and there's some really good stuff in here. The fact that the killer in here is imposing physically makes it a more than appropriate in making the killer someone to fear. That makes all the difference, and the deformity on display makes this one a real keeper. The fact that there's no real clear shot of it until the end makes it all the better, as a quick glimpse of an arm here or part of the ribs there and a picture starts to form but can't be completed until the very end. That's a great way to build up suspense to it's final revelation and this does it quite nicely. There's even some suspense to be had from it's fine stalking scenes, with the one in the jungle while gathering food to be it's absolute best. It's beautifully done, takes it's time and really gets all that it can out of them and just makes the whole thing really spectacular. The chase through the house is another really well-done stalking scene, and there's some really good ones inside the middle portion to really keep interest in the film. That there's a lot of big action scenes in here as well is another plus, with the absolutely spectacular ending in the house the best example. This is a real action-packed scene, including the addition of a ton of fire used and some great battling with the killer. The scene is a lot of fun and really ends it on a perfect note. The kills aren't that bad, as there's a face crushed with a rock, a monstrous bare-hug that breaks the back, a vicious decapitation that scores the film's best shock gag upon it's surprising re-appearance, an impaling with a wooden stick and having one set on fire with the most absolutely brutal-looking variation ever as the flames just simply engulf them and it just looks so dangerous. This works on several pretty nice variations overall.
The Bad News: This one here does have it's own problems. One of the biggest is that this feels way too convenient for there to be any real slashing. The fact that they get stuck there is a little unbelievable, and the way it goes down has a lot to do with it. There's no reason for it to happen, it really sticks out as it's the way they start dying off and it doesn't really register because it doesn't make any sense why other than to get them in harm's way when there's plenty of other options available to get it done. Another really head-scratching idea is the way that the survivor gets out of the wreckage. This is way too much to believe, and the nonsensical story behind it doesn't do it any better. There's also a few scenes in here that don't really work either, but these are all subject to individuals and not at all that much of a detriment as a whole. The rape scene or the aftermath of animal violence scenes in particular are sterling examples of those that don't hurt the film outright but can be seen as a detriment based on personal preference. Otherwise, the fact that most of it doesn't make much sense is the worst flaw.
The Final Verdict: There's some good points and bad ones in here, giving this a real mixed-bag appeal. There's some good stuff in here for slasher fans and cheese-fanatics, giving them the recommendation for this one, but the bad points will lower this one for those who aren't as forgiving.
Rated R: Graphic Violence, Language, Nudity and Rape
Great Start, Poor Poor Finish
jamdifo25 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The first 25 minutes of this movie was great. It starts off with an intense beginning which lead to the movie's best kill (unfortunately). Then we get introduced to the cast which has some very corny dialogue (hilarious) with some nice nude scenes. Everything was great till the boat wrecked. Then it just became boooooring.
This is a slasher movie where the killer had not one good kill! We never get a good look at he killer's face! We know he is deformed but I guess it wasn't in the budget for good makeup effects. The score was weak and the jazz music at the start and end of the film was an extremely poor choice. Also, the many night scenes were too dark to see anything and was more annoying than scary. Finally, the pacing/editing in the last hour just dreadful. It seemed like it was a 3 hour movie for that last hour. They just dragged things out to get a 90 minute run time.
In summary, first 25 minutes were awesome, last hour slow and boring. 7 total kills and only the 1st kill by the mother was good, the rest were lame. Poor score and editing also. This is one slasher you can skip.
This is a slasher movie where the killer had not one good kill! We never get a good look at he killer's face! We know he is deformed but I guess it wasn't in the budget for good makeup effects. The score was weak and the jazz music at the start and end of the film was an extremely poor choice. Also, the many night scenes were too dark to see anything and was more annoying than scary. Finally, the pacing/editing in the last hour just dreadful. It seemed like it was a 3 hour movie for that last hour. They just dragged things out to get a 90 minute run time.
In summary, first 25 minutes were awesome, last hour slow and boring. 7 total kills and only the 1st kill by the mother was good, the rest were lame. Poor score and editing also. This is one slasher you can skip.
Great film, sadly very underrated
Tikkin8 March 2006
Warning: Spoilers
It's so sad seeing how much stick this film gets when it doesn't deserve it. People complain that there's not enough lighting and you can't see the monster half of the time...when in fact the film was intentionally made that way. I watched Humongous recently and it is already one of my favourite horror films. The reason you don't see much of the monster is because if you did, it would take away the sense of mystery surrounding it. We actually only get to see the monster fully after his face has been disfigured from fire, which I think is quite clever. There's enough silly monster films out there of men wearing masks, so we don't exactly need another one!
The story starts off very well with the rape scene, and then the title screen with photographs in the background. I think it's great how they use photographs of the woman to explain her back-story rather than flashbacks as most films do. The photograph of her with blank eyes and a scar on her face after the rape tells more than any flashback ever could. Next thing we know, it's 36 years later and a group of good-looking teenagers crash their boat on the island where the woman once lived. We find out that she got pregnant after the rape and gave birth to a deformed son. The son has become a wild monster, having been shut off from civilisation on the island. The monster stalks the stranded teenagers and slowly kills them off.
There are some amazingly tense moments such as when the girl is pretending to be the monsters mother, you can see her hand shaking from fear. And also when one of the guys looks through a keyhole and sees the monsters eye peering back at him. The story of the woman and her anguish from giving birth to her deformed son is very well explored - one of the girls finds the woman's diary which is how she knows how to calm him down. When the 'monster' is finally killed, the grunts and noises he makes are very realistic and emotional, and you know that he doesn't want to die. This scene made me feel rather sad. You can also tell that the girl is upset by the fact that she had to kill him.
I can't believe that no one is giving Humongous the credit it deserves, this is one of the better horror films I have seen recently, and I've seen loads! Most films rely on special effects, cheese or gore to make them good, but Humongous relies on mood and atmosphere. That's not to say that it doesn't have any gore, but it's not exactly a gore-fest. If you're a horror fan I strongly urge you to see Humongous and draw your own conclusions, don't dismiss it because of other peoples comments, for it is a great film.
The story starts off very well with the rape scene, and then the title screen with photographs in the background. I think it's great how they use photographs of the woman to explain her back-story rather than flashbacks as most films do. The photograph of her with blank eyes and a scar on her face after the rape tells more than any flashback ever could. Next thing we know, it's 36 years later and a group of good-looking teenagers crash their boat on the island where the woman once lived. We find out that she got pregnant after the rape and gave birth to a deformed son. The son has become a wild monster, having been shut off from civilisation on the island. The monster stalks the stranded teenagers and slowly kills them off.
There are some amazingly tense moments such as when the girl is pretending to be the monsters mother, you can see her hand shaking from fear. And also when one of the guys looks through a keyhole and sees the monsters eye peering back at him. The story of the woman and her anguish from giving birth to her deformed son is very well explored - one of the girls finds the woman's diary which is how she knows how to calm him down. When the 'monster' is finally killed, the grunts and noises he makes are very realistic and emotional, and you know that he doesn't want to die. This scene made me feel rather sad. You can also tell that the girl is upset by the fact that she had to kill him.
I can't believe that no one is giving Humongous the credit it deserves, this is one of the better horror films I have seen recently, and I've seen loads! Most films rely on special effects, cheese or gore to make them good, but Humongous relies on mood and atmosphere. That's not to say that it doesn't have any gore, but it's not exactly a gore-fest. If you're a horror fan I strongly urge you to see Humongous and draw your own conclusions, don't dismiss it because of other peoples comments, for it is a great film.
Genuinely creepy Canuck horror.
Hey_Sweden12 December 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Director Paul Lynch followed up his well known 1980 slasher movie "Prom Night" with this effective rural monster flick. Written by William Gray (whose credits include "Prom Night", as well as "Cross Country", "The Changeling", "An Eye for an Eye", "The Philadelphia Experiment", and "Black Moon Rising"), it tells the story of an island locale with a tragic past, which we get to see in the pre-credits sequence of a young woman being brutally raped by an unhinged, drunken admirer. Over 30 years later, some typical horror movie youths are out on a boating trip, and thanks to the monumental foolishness of the real prick of the bunch, they run aground, and soon become the prey for the offspring of that long ago rape victim, an enormous, deformed thug who's run out of dog meat and is hungry for something more.
What's been said many times before, by many horror fans, is that for years it was a little hard to thoroughly enjoy what was always a much too dark movie where it was too hard to see what was going on. That was remedied on the DVD release, which at least allows us a better look at everything. We now can take greater pleasure in a movie that has a whole lot of thick and heavy rural atmosphere. Some of those shots on the fog enshrouded lake are quite spooky. Use of locations are superb, but one thing that truly makes the movie work is good music by John Mills-Cockell. Lynch and company make the classic move of never giving us a good look at the towering brute until the end; their pacing is rather slow at times, but they do a respectable job of building up the tension in certain scenes. The gore content may be too low for some tastes, but what the movie lacks in blood and guts horror it makes up for with its overwhelming ambiance. It also gives us an entertaining, spunky, intelligent, Laurie Strode type heroine in Sandy, played by ultra sexy Janet Julian. At one point she employs a method also employed by Ginny in "Friday the 13th Part 2": trying to trick the killer into thinking she's his dead mother! Cast members also include Janit Baldwin ("Prime Cut", "Ruby"), Joy Boushel ("Terror Train", "The Fly" '86), and Page Fletcher (the title character from the TV series 'The Hitchhiker') as the rapist. Seven foot five inch Canadian former wrestler Garry Robbins, who many years later played Saw-Tooth in "Wrong Turn", is the murderous behemoth.
A good, fun flick for genre fans, "Humongous" now looks as good as we could want it to, and is worth checking out for the uninitiated.
Seven out of 10.
What's been said many times before, by many horror fans, is that for years it was a little hard to thoroughly enjoy what was always a much too dark movie where it was too hard to see what was going on. That was remedied on the DVD release, which at least allows us a better look at everything. We now can take greater pleasure in a movie that has a whole lot of thick and heavy rural atmosphere. Some of those shots on the fog enshrouded lake are quite spooky. Use of locations are superb, but one thing that truly makes the movie work is good music by John Mills-Cockell. Lynch and company make the classic move of never giving us a good look at the towering brute until the end; their pacing is rather slow at times, but they do a respectable job of building up the tension in certain scenes. The gore content may be too low for some tastes, but what the movie lacks in blood and guts horror it makes up for with its overwhelming ambiance. It also gives us an entertaining, spunky, intelligent, Laurie Strode type heroine in Sandy, played by ultra sexy Janet Julian. At one point she employs a method also employed by Ginny in "Friday the 13th Part 2": trying to trick the killer into thinking she's his dead mother! Cast members also include Janit Baldwin ("Prime Cut", "Ruby"), Joy Boushel ("Terror Train", "The Fly" '86), and Page Fletcher (the title character from the TV series 'The Hitchhiker') as the rapist. Seven foot five inch Canadian former wrestler Garry Robbins, who many years later played Saw-Tooth in "Wrong Turn", is the murderous behemoth.
A good, fun flick for genre fans, "Humongous" now looks as good as we could want it to, and is worth checking out for the uninitiated.
Seven out of 10.
So-so slasher from the makers of the original PROM NIGHT
udar5512 October 2009
Five kids and a drifter they help out end up stranded on an island after the stoner of the bunch accidentally blows up dad's boat. It appears the old man's disappointment will end up being the least of their worries as this island is inhabited by a giant retarded man-child who likes to kill. Director Paul Lynch and screenwriter William Gray followed their successful PROM NIGHT (1980) with this drab by-the-numbers horror film. The screenplay is pretty rudimentary and even rips off the previous year's Friday THE 13th PART 2 with the Final Girl doing the "I'm pretending to be your mommy" routine toward the killer. Another offense is the lack of creative deaths as our killer just throws people around. But even if there were great FX, I don't think we could see them as one of the film's biggest problems (and this is no fault of the filmmakers, actually) is the transfer on Embassy's VHS is incredibly dark. There are scenes where you can't even tell what is happening. We never get a clear view of the killer either so for all I know it could be Richard Kiel in a loincloth. The last 20 minutes or so have some nice bits in a dilapidated house on the island. Too bad I couldn't see 50% of them.
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