Under the Bed (2012)

Let’s face it; every child in the world has thought there was a monster living under their bed. For me, my childhood monster under the bed was Pennywise The Clown. The sheer thought of the traumatizing nights I had as a child are enough to still give me the willies. Knowing nothing about this film, we decided to give it a shot just by the title and cover art, did Under the Bed deliver?

Directed by Steven C. Miller, Under the Bed is about a teenage boy who returns home two years after a devastating fire took the life of his mother. The teen realizes that his time away not only was in vain, but the creature he thought only he could see has moved on to his younger brother. In an attempt the thwart the creature, the brothers team up and soon the scares turn deadly.

Under the bed is plagued with bad decisions early on in the film. Most notable is the extremely over the top score. Scenes that didn’t need extremely dramatic strings and vamping got it. Not to mention the ending of the film. The acting was stiff but that not a huge issue. The dialog is nothing more than unnatural filler in areas which took away from some of the emotion the actors were trying to convey.

You could say that Under the Bed has bad pacing as well, however your tune may change as you reach the film’s final 20 minutes. This is where the film snags its R rating and really shines. While watching Under the Bed I was comparing it to films of the past. The best way to describe it is Little Monsters meets The Gate, but with more language and gore.

Speaking of gore, the finale is LOADED with it. I was really surprised by the turn the film took, and the way the effects were handled. The film delivers some great monster violence. The creature itself looks good from what I can tell, but we never really get a great look at it. While the monster is creepy, I don’t think it will haunt children for years to come.

Basically the film was a good watch. It was fun, and felt like a throwback to some of the great 80’s films a lot of us grew up with. GLP gives Under The Bed 3 out of 5 stabs for the finale alone. The film suffered from some overacting, bad writing and over the top score, but the film is still very entertaining and worth a watch. For more information on Under the Bed, visit the films Facebook page. View the trailer below.

GLP Rating: