‘The Angry Black Girl And Her Monster’ Review – A Suspenseful & Timely Reimagining Of Frankenstein

Mary Shelly’s classic novel, Frankenstein, has been remixed and reimagined dozens of times since the story’s debut in 1818. I vividly remember sitting in my English class during my senior year of high school and being enamored with the story about the dangers of playing God.

Writer-director, Bomani J. Story, brilliantly takes the original story’s themes, iconography, and spirit and reimagines and remixes it within a modern setting.

Death is the ultimate enemy. It’s a disease that permeates every fabric of existence. At least that’s how 17-year-old Vicaria (Laya DeLeon Hayes) views it. When The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster opens, we watch as the supernatural, primordial force robs her of her mother one sunny afternoon on a park bench. Years later, it returns to take her older brother, Chris (Edem Atsu-Swanzy), through his involvement in a local gang. Motivated by her losses, the highly intelligent, scientifically inclined Vicaria finds a death cure.

Although Vicaria successfully resurrects her brother, what she brings back is far from human. While contending with this wicked ghoul wearing her brother’s face, she deals with her brother’s former employer and local drug lord (Denzel Whitaker), his deadly enforcer (Keith Holliday), and tries to keep all of this a secret from her kind, but drug-addicted father (Chad Coleman).

Hayes does an excellent job of leading the cast as the intelligent but cocky to the point of insanity, Vicaria. One character teasingly refers to her as a “mad scientist” throughout the film, and it’s easy to understand what has brought on this madness, both emotionally and mentally. Hayes sells the character’s cocky attitude, vulnerability, and deep-seated need to regain control in a tragedies-filled life. Growing up in a dilapidated neighborhood, losing loved ones, and watching innocent bystanders die due to violence has made her commit to conquering death. Viewers will find themselves rooting for her, against her, and sympathizing with her all at once.

Chad L. Coleman brings a silent strength and melancholy to his portrayal of Vicaria’s father, Donald. He’s barely holding on and uses drugs to numb the pain of losing his wife and son. He’s a protective father and proud of his daughter’s intelligence and accomplishments, but he remains unaware of the supernatural happenings around him until the movie’s end. Fans of his tenure on AMC’s The Walking Dead will enjoy the small homage the film pays to his character from that series.

Denzel Whitaker and Keith Holliday both do excellent jobs in their respective roles. Their characters, Kango and Jamaal, are human antagonistic forces to Vicaria as she tries to track down and control her newly resurrected brother. Whitaker gives the drug lord Kango much-needed sympathy toward the film’s end. Like most characters in the story, he is a product of his environment. Although Holliday’s Jamaal doesn’t receive any redemption, he is a convincing threatening force throughout the story.

Child actress Amani Summer portrays Jada, a family friend who strikes up a disturbing friendship with the newly resurrected Chris. This young actress is a talent to watch. She strikes an alarming balance between naive and an acute awareness of the damage her ghoulish friend can inflict.  There is a scene during which she and Chris recite the alphabet that will haunt viewers long after the film has finished. The combination of his deep, terrifying voice mixing with her innocent recitation is too creepy not to remember.

The film also works in some much-needed social commentary about the treatment of African Americans in non-black spaces. Vicaria’s white teacher is so threatened by her presentation of scientific facts that she calls the campus police to remove Vicaria from her classroom. She weaponizes the school’s officers to punish the only non-white student in the classroom. The undead Chris reflects on his life as a black man when he was still alive. He states in a tragic but matter-of-fact way that he was always viewed as a monster and a threat. His resurrection from the dead was the final step in making him the monster society had always told him he was.

The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster is an enjoyable and suspenseful reimagining of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein within a modern framework.

The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster is now playing in select theaters. It will be available for streaming on all digital platforms on June 23rd. 

Be sure to check out GVN’s interview with Chad L. Coleman and our interview with writer-director Bomani J. Story on our YouTube channel.