Synopsis: A suspense thriller about Michael, who brings his girlfriend Jenny to a beautiful yet strange mountain town where everyone seems familiar. But he begins to see and hear things that no one else can. After many hallucinations and then losing sight of Jenny, Michael is brought to the brink of insanity. He finds himself frantically questioning what is real and what it isn’t.
Release Date: February 5, 2016 MPAA Rating: PG-13
Genre(s): Thriller,
Film Review
Production
Monday At 11:01 A.M. is about a rich doctor named Michael (Charles Agron from Dark House) who is taking a road trip with his girlfriend, Jenny (stuntwoman Lauren Shaw from Evil Dead and Zero Dark Thirty). The couple stumbles across an idyllic little town and decides to stop, Jenny checking out the quaint shops while Michael hits up the local watering hole. In the bar, Michael notices everyone seems oddly familiar, from the bartender who comps him drinks (Lance Henriksen from Near Dark and Aliens) to the sultry brunette across the room who tries to seduce him (Sorority Row‘s Briana Evigan). When a road closure strands Michael and Jenny in the town, they check into a local hotel. They turn in for the night, but Michael is disturbed by what sounds like a murder happening in a neighboring room. Not only can no one else hear the noises, but when Michael breaks into the room to check it out, there is nothing there – the room is vacant. Spooked, Michael convinces Jenny to leave with him, but every road they take leads them right back to the town. Michael struggles to figure out the secret of the strange little village while all of the locals are convinced that he is crazy and everything is all in his head.
There are a lot of good ideas in Monday At 11:01 A.M. The screenplay, written by Charles Agron himself, seems like an ode to the old “The Twilight Zone” television program, or at least to the eighties reboot of the show. Director Harvey Lowry (“Next Best Bartender”) captures the isolation of the town and the desperation of the characters quite well. There’s a creepy multi-layered mystery at the root of the story that is both engrossing and chilling. Lance Henriksen is even in the film. It’s set up to be a winner, right? Not so fast.
Many of the good ideas in Monday At 11:01 A.M. are not fully realized. The movie seems almost as if Agron and Lowry had a premise and an ending, but just made up the middle as they went along. There are some story aspects – such as the history of Room 327 in the hotel or the eerie robed figures that sneak away into the forest – that seem to be not completely fleshed out. When the on-the-nose writing and questionable acting are tossed in, Monday At 11:01 A.M. is a fairly inconsistent movie, full of intriguing concepts that are not executed to their fullest potential.
Now, Monday At 11:01 A.M. does have one of those “a-HA!” endings that really delivers, even if it has been done before – even recently done before. Nevertheless, it is a strong finish to a mediocre movie, so the patience of the viewers who stick it out is rewarded. And, truth be told, it’s not that hard to stick it out through Monday At 11:01 A.M. It’s just nothing that’s going to be remembered on Tuesday, either.
Scary Factor
Monday At 11:01 A.M. is a tense little mystery, but there’s not a whole lot in it that’s scary. There are a few things – again such as the enigmatic hotel room or the freaky robed cult – that could be frightening if a bit more time was devoted to their development, but as they are, there’s no real fear. The film is a bit suspenseful, as any good thriller should be, but there’s not enough payoff to raise any hairs on the viewer’s arms. Monday At 11:01 A.M. is a pretty tame offering.
Cast and Crew
- Director(s): Harvey Lowry
- Producer(s): Charles AgronGary Adelman
- Screenwriter(s): Charles Agron
- Story:
- Cast: Charles Agron (Michael)Lauren Shaw (Jenny)Briana Evigan (Olivia) Lance Henriksen (Bartender)Sam Clark (Bellhop)Mollie Milligan (Lobby Agent)John Sarno (Doctor)Jason Van Eman (Police Officer)Chris Freihofer (The Shopkeeper)Chandler Ryan (Hostess)
- Editor(s): John Blizek
- Cinematographer: Emmanuel Vouniozos
- Production Designer(s):
- Costume Designer: Jenava Burguiere
- Casting Director(s):
- Music Score: Corey Allen Jackson
- Music Performed By:
- Country Of Origin: USA