MWA HA HA HA HA

Death is the disease that broke my family. I'm sick of seeing it. My hypothesis? If death is a disease... then there's a cure. And I'm gunna find it.

The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster (2023) Dir. Bomani Story

Non-Black People only, I'm curious, how many of these 2023 big box office/streaming Black-led films have you watched?

Chevalier

They Cloned Tyrone

A Thousand and One

Rye Lane

The Perfect Find

The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster

The Blackening

The Burial

Rustin

Creed III

(share for larger sample size pls also lmk your fav Black films this year if you have any!)

The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on August 8 via RLJE Films. The 2023 retelling of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is on VOD today.

Writer-director Bomani J. Story makes his feature debut. Laya DeLeon Hayes, Denzel Whitaker, Chad L. Coleman, Reilly Brooke Stith, Keith Sean Holliday, Amani Summer, and Edem Atsu-Swanzy star. Crypt TV produces.

No special features are included. Watch the trailer below.

Vicaria is a brilliant teenager who believes death is a disease that can be cured. After the brutal and sudden murder of her brother, she embarks on a dangerous journey to bring him back to life

Pre-order The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster.

LAYA DELEON HAYES as Vicaria in the Angry Black Girl and Her Monster (2023)

The Angry Black Girl and her Monster cinematography

It's Not Impossible To Sell A Screenplay, Here's How It Happens - Bomani J. Story via FilmCourage.com.

This morning for my scary movie of the day I watched The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster, and it is aces. Highly recommend--worth a free trial of Shudder just to watch it, if you don't already have Shudder. The debut feature from writer/director Bomani J Story, the film is a modern, Black version of Frankenstein wherein gifted high school student Vicaria has a theory that death is a disease, and that she can cure it, starting with her recently murdered (by cops) older brother.

The movie perhaps follows the source story a little too closely--once the monster is brought to life, Vicaria essentially abandons it, which is what Dr Frankenstein did in the novella, but which doesn't really fit with Vicaria's motives and situation. I forgive it but I did wonder why she wasn't more determined to stop her brother's now reanimated corpse from causing so much destruction in her very small community (a housing project), or to somehow save him. Other than that, it's a pleasure to watch--supporting characters are engaging and feel real, there are some good scares, and the ending is very satisfying. Vicaria is an angry Black girl who's easy to root for, even though she is not perfect (which is also a credit to the filmmaker; none of the important characters in this film is all good or all bad).

The gore effects are pretty intense, but also very cheaply done, so I found it easy to just go, "EW! SLIMY!" and be grossed out but laugh, rather than feeling, "Ugh, bloody. . ." and feel distressed or sad. If that makes sense. The gore is not played for laughs, but it's pretty easy to identify as Not Real, and so somehow less upsetting. The monster is appropriately hideous--made, as he is, from "spare" body parts. A hand that's clearly too big (and with not-all-original fingers), a swollen, discoloured face that's barely held together with stitches, etc.

Just overall a really good watch.

The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster: An Uneven, Earnest Take on Frankenstein

Here is a review of The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster, a solid if flawed riff on Frankenstein in line with the contemporary black trauma horror genre.

The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster is the debut feature from writer director Bomani J. Story. It concerns Vicaria (Laya DeLeon Hayes), the titular black girl, as she attempts to “cure death” by bringing the dead back to life. Facilitating that she steals bodies after they have either been killed by gang violence, drug overdose, or police brutality and experimenting on them, either…

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Filmmaker Interview: Bomani J. Story, writer/director/producer of The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster

Deadass if y’all don’t go see The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster, you will be doing yourselves a GREAT disservice

It’s a retelling of Frankenstein about a genius girl who wants to cure death and brings her big brother back from the dead, produced by none other than my boys Crypt TV! Plus the film has an all-black main cast and focuses a lot on the community that the characters have with each other! The music and prosthetics are great for the budget and istg if you don’t go see it you WILL wish you did

EDIT 11/10/2023: Since this post is getting more circulation than it did when it first got published, Angry Black Girl is available to stream on Shudder and ALLBLCK, and you can buy it on iTunes and Amazon Prime!

A Practically Nonsensical Review: The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster

"If death is a disease, then there is a cure."

A Black led, surreal modernization of Frankenstein. Exploring the viscous cycles from violence, poverty, and generational trauma. While also exploring the power in identity, history, and creation in its many forms. Creation and continuous status quo of life, invention, and system.

The film was overall an interesting, bloodied time, and it looked great! But had trouble keeping the engaging momentum with the constant battle of tone and genre.

All together, I enjoyed it.

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Every Film I Watch In 2023:

176. The Angry Black Girl And Her Monster (2023)

THE ANGRY BLACK GIRL AND HER MONSTER - Review

DISTRIBUTOR: RLJE Films

SYNOPSIS: Vicaria is a brilliant teenager who believes death is a disease that can be cured. Death is ever present in Vicaria's world - violence, police brutality, substance abuse - and after watching her mother and brother succumb, she's had enough. After the brutal and sudden murder of her brother, she embarks on a dangerous journey to put an end to all this death… by bringing the dead back to life.

REVIEW: From the writing to the directing by Bomani J. Story, to mesmerizing performances, THE ANGRY BLACK GIRL AND HER MONSTER captures the intensity of the classic Hammer Horror films with black exploitation films for a brilliant modern take on Shelly’s “Frankenstein.”

From the character voices, to the character arcs and the way themes are blended together, Story is an amazing writer who seamlessly blends the contemporary elements with science fiction themes and touches on numerous issues and makes it all work. He brings many things in front of the lens and presents them in a way that permits the viewer to reflect on them without feeling they're being preached to. Vicaria has numerous poignant lines that feel like inspired observations. Story nicely lays out Vicaria’s character arc so that her hubris overshadows her choices that affect her family in much the same way Victor Frankenstein’s family suffers from his choices. He presents the tragedies that have influenced Vicaria’s decisions, further impact by the urban community she lives in filled with drug dealers, police conflict and poverty. He creates genuine voices and realistic situations that he nicely folds in the science fiction and horror aspects. It's powerful, engaging, and passionate.

This is an independent film that looks like a million bucks. I liked the organic feel of Vicaria’s lab, made from elements she would find in her community.The other locations feel organic and grounded. Built into that are some nice color schemes that add to the tone of the film. Cinematographer Daphne Qin’s work adds soft tones to this star reality. It feels authentic, still engaging and at times like shadows in a nightmare. A nice balance. It’s well framed and paced, and is wonderfully lit. The filmmakers do an outstanding job of creating this world. Mixed in as a fantastic score by Nima Fakhrara. There are classic themes with some modern sounds blended in to create this hybrid sound that adds magic to the narrative.

Story’s film features a soulful cast, with a tour de force performance by actress Laya DeLeon Hayes. Currently starring opposite Queen Latifah on the CBS series "The Equalizer," and known for voicing the main character of the award-winning animated series "Doc McStuffins," Hayes brings a vast palate to the role. It’s a unique character that even exhibits a touch of madness, and she weaves it all into a believable and impassioned performance. Adding some delight and joy to the film is the young actress Amani Summer who plays Jada. She radiates attitude and innocence, and her performances lights up the screen.

THE ANGRY BLACK GIRL AND HER MONSTER embraces all the history from which it springs from, including the black exploitation films of the 70’s. However, there is a respect and intensity with which Story presents these characters that it never feels like exploitation. Likewise, his humor comes from the interaction between characters, never at the expense of characters or the themes of the film. There is a raw honesty in the screenplay and the directing that perfectly does what any good genre story should - explore the human condition in a different light. This is Bomani J. Story’s directorial debut and he demonstrates adept skills as a filmmaker and a master storyteller. I’m excited to see what he does next.

CAST: Laya DeLeon Hayes, Denzel Whitaker, Chad L. Coleman, Reilly Brooke Stith, Keith Holliday, Ellis Hobbs IV, Amani Summer, and Edem Atsu-Swanzy. CREW: Director/Screenplay/Producer - Bomani J. Story; Producers - Jack Davis & Darren Brandl; Cinematographer - Daphne Qin Wu; Score - Nima Fakhrara; Editor - Annie De Brock; Production Designer - Mark Bankins; Costume Designer - Cailey Breneman; SFX Make-up - Ravenous Studios; Creature Concept - Tristan Schane; Visual Effects - Moontower VFX OFFICIAL: N.A. FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093250422551 TWITTER: N.A. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/5lDANhEmTBc RELEASE DATE: In Theaters on June 9th, on Demand & on Digital June 23rd, 2023

**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay), or 👎 (Dislike)

Reviewed by Joseph B Mauceri

laya deleon hayes as vicaria

reilly stith as aisha

— the angry black girl and her monster (2023) dir. bomani story