How to Make a Monster (2001 film)
Encyclopedia
How To Make A Monster is a 2001 film starring Clea DuVall
, Steven Culp
, Jason Marsden
and Tyler Mane. It is the third release in the Creature Features series of film remakes produced by Stan Winston
. Julie Strain
made a cameo appearance in the film as herself. How To Make A Monster debuted on October 14, 2001 on Cinemax
. In 2005, it was nominated for a Hollywood Makeup Artist Award and Hair Stylist Guild Award.
designer named Sol, and a sound effects creator named Bug. Faye Clayton promises $1 million to the programmer who makes the game the "scariest", igniting a fierce rivalry between the trio. During a storm three weeks later, lightning
strikes the building and causes all of the computers and electronic equipment to go offline. After a meeting with Drummond, the three programmers decide to try out the game with the help of Clayton Software intern Laura Wheeler. The game involves a motion capture suit that is connected to the computer network and used to program the game's movements. Peter places a backup CD into the external drive while the others set up. Bug, Hardcore, and Sol soon lose the game, and are surprised to see Laura get all the way to the final boss.
Sol inserts his new AI chip into the mainframe and begins to play the game. As he advances to the game's third level, the motion capture suit connected to the computer network comes alive. Simultaneously, the suit attacks Sol in real life while an in-game monster drags Sol's video game character away. The following morning, Bug and Hardcore discover that Sol has been killed and the backup CD has been stolen. Hardcore attempts to review the security camera tapes with his PDA, but accidentally touches the motion capture suit, which has merged itself with Sol's dead body. The suit attacks Hardcore; although he initially manages to fight it off, he is later killed. The suit then merges itself with Hardcore's muscular body and takes all of his weapons, giving it a striking resemblance to the monster in the game. Bug theorizes that the lighting strike combined with Sol's powerful AI chip has caused the suit to believe the real world is part of the video game. Bug, Laura and Drummond decide to pull the computer's plug, although doing so will likely erase all of the game's data.
While Bug tries to figure out which set of wires to pull, Drummond is attacked by the monster in Hardcore's body. With Bug's help, Drummond manages to escape, but the security system malfunctions, seals all exits, and leaves Laura, Bug, and Drummond in near darkness. Bug travels through ceiling shafts and falls into the kitchen area, where he is attacked by the monster. As the monster draws closer, Bug exposes a gas line and lights his lighter, killing both himself and the monster. The monster returns to the motion-capture suit and attacks Drummond, but Laura saves him by virtually fighting the in-game monster. Laura later tries to beat the game but becomes frustrated and hysterical. Drummond suggests that she try a virtual reality
headset, promising to stay with her while she fights. However, in the midst of the game, Laura realizes Drummond has left her. The monster appears and, in the real world, Laura escapes to the kitchen. There she finds a PDA
displaying a video of Drummond stealing the game's backup CD the night of Sol's death; had Drummond not stolen it, the CD would have allowed the programmers to reverse compile the game and shut down the monster. Laura finds and confronts Drummond at gun point, forcing him to drop the CD. Drummond makes a speech stating that everyone is ultimately a monster. Laura shoots him in the knee and allows the monster to kill him. Laura then dons the VR headset and gloves, acquires a sword, and simultaneously battles the monster in both the real and virtual world. In the real world, she lures the suit toward a fish tank and electrocutes it with the water inside. She then stabs the monster with her sword, finally killing the monster.
With everyone else who made the game dead, Laura turns in the final version of the game and demands the million dollar bonus for herself. The whole event has changed her, making her more jaded and world weary. The video game finally impresses the game testers. Laura uses the game's success to become the new ruthless and evil CEO
of the company, which is renamed Wheeler Software.
, the 2001 version bears multiple differences. Although the plot of the 1958 film revolves around a crazed makeup artist creating a monster, the 2001 version centers around three programmers and a video game monster brought to life through artificial intelligence. The protagonists of the original are two men, Larry Drake and Tony Mantell, while the protagonist of the remake is female intern Laura Wheeler.
on June 11, 2002. The film is presented in anamorphic widescreen and its audio is presented in 5.1 surround sound
in both English and French. Extra features include a "making-of" featurette, photo galleries of drawings and behind-the-scenes images, and theatrical trailers for other Columbia TriStar horror films. The DVD also includes DVD-ROM content for personal computers.
Clea DuVall
Clea Helen D'Etienne DuVall is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Sofie on the television series Carnivàle as well as for films such as The Faculty , Girl, Interrupted and The Grudge .-Early life:DuVall was born in Los Angeles, California, the only child of Rosemary and...
, Steven Culp
Steven Culp
Steven Bradford Culp is an American film and television actor, best known for his roles as Rex Van de Kamp in the television series Desperate Housewives and CIA Agent Clayton Webb in JAG.-Early life:...
, Jason Marsden
Jason Marsden
Jason Christopher Marsden is an American screen and voice actor who has done numerous voice roles in animated films, as well as various television series.-Early life:...
and Tyler Mane. It is the third release in the Creature Features series of film remakes produced by Stan Winston
Stan Winston
Stanley Winston was an American visual effects supervisor, makeup artist, and film director. He was best known for his work in the Terminator series, the Jurassic Park series, Aliens, the Predator series, Iron Man, Edward Scissorhands, and Avatar...
. Julie Strain
Julie Strain
Julie Strain is an American actress and model who was Penthouse Pet of the Month in June 1991 and later chosen as the magazine's Pet of the Year in 1993.-Early life:...
made a cameo appearance in the film as herself. How To Make A Monster debuted on October 14, 2001 on Cinemax
Cinemax
Cinemax, sometimes abbreviated as simply "Max", is a collection of premium television networks that broadcasts primarily feature films, along with softcore erotica, original action series, documentaries and special behind-the-scenes features. Cinemax is operated by Home Box Office, Inc., a...
. In 2005, it was nominated for a Hollywood Makeup Artist Award and Hair Stylist Guild Award.
Plot
When a test group says the company's latest video game, Evilution, is too boring, the game's development team is fired. Businessman Peter Drummond hires three new programmers: A weapons expert named Hardcore, a game artificial intelligenceGame artificial intelligence
Game artificial intelligence refers to techniques used in computer and video games to produce the illusion of intelligence in the behavior of non-player characters . The techniques used typically draw upon existing methods from the field of artificial intelligence...
designer named Sol, and a sound effects creator named Bug. Faye Clayton promises $1 million to the programmer who makes the game the "scariest", igniting a fierce rivalry between the trio. During a storm three weeks later, lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
strikes the building and causes all of the computers and electronic equipment to go offline. After a meeting with Drummond, the three programmers decide to try out the game with the help of Clayton Software intern Laura Wheeler. The game involves a motion capture suit that is connected to the computer network and used to program the game's movements. Peter places a backup CD into the external drive while the others set up. Bug, Hardcore, and Sol soon lose the game, and are surprised to see Laura get all the way to the final boss.
Sol inserts his new AI chip into the mainframe and begins to play the game. As he advances to the game's third level, the motion capture suit connected to the computer network comes alive. Simultaneously, the suit attacks Sol in real life while an in-game monster drags Sol's video game character away. The following morning, Bug and Hardcore discover that Sol has been killed and the backup CD has been stolen. Hardcore attempts to review the security camera tapes with his PDA, but accidentally touches the motion capture suit, which has merged itself with Sol's dead body. The suit attacks Hardcore; although he initially manages to fight it off, he is later killed. The suit then merges itself with Hardcore's muscular body and takes all of his weapons, giving it a striking resemblance to the monster in the game. Bug theorizes that the lighting strike combined with Sol's powerful AI chip has caused the suit to believe the real world is part of the video game. Bug, Laura and Drummond decide to pull the computer's plug, although doing so will likely erase all of the game's data.
While Bug tries to figure out which set of wires to pull, Drummond is attacked by the monster in Hardcore's body. With Bug's help, Drummond manages to escape, but the security system malfunctions, seals all exits, and leaves Laura, Bug, and Drummond in near darkness. Bug travels through ceiling shafts and falls into the kitchen area, where he is attacked by the monster. As the monster draws closer, Bug exposes a gas line and lights his lighter, killing both himself and the monster. The monster returns to the motion-capture suit and attacks Drummond, but Laura saves him by virtually fighting the in-game monster. Laura later tries to beat the game but becomes frustrated and hysterical. Drummond suggests that she try a virtual reality
Virtual reality
Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
headset, promising to stay with her while she fights. However, in the midst of the game, Laura realizes Drummond has left her. The monster appears and, in the real world, Laura escapes to the kitchen. There she finds a PDA
PDA
A PDA is most commonly a Personal digital assistant, also known as a Personal data assistant, a mobile electronic device.PDA may also refer to:In science, medicine and technology:...
displaying a video of Drummond stealing the game's backup CD the night of Sol's death; had Drummond not stolen it, the CD would have allowed the programmers to reverse compile the game and shut down the monster. Laura finds and confronts Drummond at gun point, forcing him to drop the CD. Drummond makes a speech stating that everyone is ultimately a monster. Laura shoots him in the knee and allows the monster to kill him. Laura then dons the VR headset and gloves, acquires a sword, and simultaneously battles the monster in both the real and virtual world. In the real world, she lures the suit toward a fish tank and electrocutes it with the water inside. She then stabs the monster with her sword, finally killing the monster.
With everyone else who made the game dead, Laura turns in the final version of the game and demands the million dollar bonus for herself. The whole event has changed her, making her more jaded and world weary. The video game finally impresses the game testers. Laura uses the game's success to become the new ruthless and evil CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of the company, which is renamed Wheeler Software.
Cast
- Clea DuVallClea DuVallClea Helen D'Etienne DuVall is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Sofie on the television series Carnivàle as well as for films such as The Faculty , Girl, Interrupted and The Grudge .-Early life:DuVall was born in Los Angeles, California, the only child of Rosemary and...
as Laura Wheeler, the kind, 24-year-old intern of Clayton Software. Eventually, Laura kills the monster and becomes a ruthless CEO. - Steven CulpSteven CulpSteven Bradford Culp is an American film and television actor, best known for his roles as Rex Van de Kamp in the television series Desperate Housewives and CIA Agent Clayton Webb in JAG.-Early life:...
as Peter S. Drummond, a hardened businessman at Clayton Software. He is revealed to have stolen the copy of the evil monster for the game. - Tyler Mane as Hardcore, the muscular developer who is responsible for designing the game's weapons for motion capture sessions.
- Jason MarsdenJason MarsdenJason Christopher Marsden is an American screen and voice actor who has done numerous voice roles in animated films, as well as various television series.-Early life:...
as Bug, the developer who creates the sound and music for the game. - Karim PrinceKarim Prince-Roles:*General Hospital *Self Medicated *CSI: Miami *They Shoot Divas, Don't They? *Family Law *How to Make a Monster *FreakyLinks*Buffy the Vampire Slayer...
as Sol, the developer who programs the game's artificial intelligence. - Julie StrainJulie StrainJulie Strain is an American actress and model who was Penthouse Pet of the Month in June 1991 and later chosen as the magazine's Pet of the Year in 1993.-Early life:...
as Herself. Strain makes a cameo appearance in the film when she arrives for a motion-capture session. - James Sullivan as the Monster, who is brought to life through a motion capture suit as a result of a lightning strike.
- Colleen CampColleen CampColleen Celeste Camp is an American actress and film producer, known for her performances in two installments of the Police Academy series and as Yvette the Maid in the 1985 black comedy Clue. She was also the first actress to play Kristin Shepard in U.S. prime time soap opera Dallas in 1979.Camp...
as Faye Clayton, the head of the computer software company Clayton Software. - Danny MastersonDanny MastersonDaniel Peter "Danny" Masterson is an American actor and DJ best known for his role as Steven Hyde in That '70s Show.-Early life:...
as Jeremy, the abusive boyfriend of Laura Wheeler.
Differences from the original
Although the film is a remake of the 1958 release by the same nameHow to Make a Monster (1958 film)
How to Make a Monster is a 1958 American horror film released by American International Pictures. The film is a follow-up to both I Was a Teenage Werewolf and I Was a Teenage Frankenstein. Like Teenage Frankenstein, a black & white film that switched to color for the final moments, How to Make a...
, the 2001 version bears multiple differences. Although the plot of the 1958 film revolves around a crazed makeup artist creating a monster, the 2001 version centers around three programmers and a video game monster brought to life through artificial intelligence. The protagonists of the original are two men, Larry Drake and Tony Mantell, while the protagonist of the remake is female intern Laura Wheeler.
DVD release
How to Make a Monster was released on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on June 11, 2002. The film is presented in anamorphic widescreen and its audio is presented in 5.1 surround sound
Surround sound
Surround sound encompasses a range of techniques such as for enriching the sound reproduction quality of an audio source with audio channels reproduced via additional, discrete speakers. Surround sound is characterized by a listener location or sweet spot where the audio effects work best, and...
in both English and French. Extra features include a "making-of" featurette, photo galleries of drawings and behind-the-scenes images, and theatrical trailers for other Columbia TriStar horror films. The DVD also includes DVD-ROM content for personal computers.
Further reading
- Staiger, Michael. "Evilution - Die Bestie aus dem Cyberspace". In "film-dienst" (Germany), Vol. 55, Iss. 15, 16 July 2002, Pg. 32