Trauma Or, Monsters All (2026) Review

*** WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR ANYONE WHO HASN’T SEEN HABIT, DEPRAVED OR BLACKOUT ***

Writer Cassandra (Laetitia Holland) moves to the town of Talbot Falls with the intention of working on her book on the scientist George Washington Carver, but she soon becomes sidetracked with the strange past of the town itself. Cassandra channels both the ghastly, recent history of the area and the odd encounters with her neighbours into a piece for the local newspaper. This article unwittingly causes a wave of terror amongst the townsfolk, some of whom have just been waiting for a further reason to exacerbate the tensions which have been simmering in Talbot Falls for a long time…

Larry Fessenden ties up his unique trilogy of modern takes on the origins of classic, creature feature icons – the vampire, the wolf man, Frankenstein’s monster – by expanding the universe into a quadrilogy that brings all parties together in a tale which carries just as much of a social message as its predecessors but cuts loose a little more in the fun department. Whereas the three prior plots occasionally mined a seam of pitch black humour, you’re invited to laugh along a little more and it’s clear that, even though there are still salient points to be made, the world in general is scary enough right now and there’s room to take things just a little less seriously.

Having said that, it was never going to be a laugh riot, with the stitched together Adam (Alex Breaux) as much of a tragic figure as before, his journey from Brooklyn to Talbot Falls having done little to introduce any kind of happiness into his existence. Werewolf Charley (Alex Hurt) seems angrier than ever, still alive even after being shot with a silver bullet, unable to find a way to communicate with ex Sharon (Addison Timlin) and still ripping the odd face off.

It’s no surprise to find Adam and Charley have holed up in a quiet part of the town, where Adam watches over Alex around those full moon phases by chaining him up in the basement. It’s this out of the ordinary behaviour, plus a strange chat with Alex, which inspires Cassandra to write a piece which is taken as a far more inflammatory screed that it was intended and taps into the current vogue for society wanting to be angry with something, even if the reason is highly tenuous.

There’s lots of enjoy in this but the chief delight is Fessenden himself, returning as bloodsucker Sam despite matters not looking particularly great for him at the end of Habit. Three decades on, he’s lost any shred of humanity he may have once possessed and he’s a gleeful agent of chaos, enthused by the presence of other outsiders and feeding wherever he gets the chance. He also appears in Nosferatu-like form to Charley’s ex Sharon (Addison Timlin) and ends up in her life whether she likes it or not. Sam also has a bone to pick with the eternal youth myth of the vampire, explained away beautifully and logically. To be fair, Larry has that maturity about him now and recasting Sam would have been wrong on so many levels so it’s lovely to see him back and with a mischievous glint in his eye.

If you haven’t seen the previous movies, there are enough flashbacks in here to fill in the blanks but it goes without saying that viewing all four films, chronologically, makes for the most enriching experience. Still, if you’re diving straight in with this one, you won’t spend the proceedings thinking “Who’s that?” every five minutes. It’s some task to cram all of the characters into a story which has a similar runtime to all of the previous entries in the canon but the returning cast members are woven into the ongoing plot rather than slowing it down.

As the newbies in the proceedings, Holland and Aitana Doyle, as Cassandra’s friend and initially unwilling investigative partner Agnes, both bring a freshness and a vital contrast to the always reliable veteran acting talents of such luminaries as Barbara Crampton and James Le Gros. Crampton, in an appearance almost as brief as her stint in Blackout but nonetheless contains a pivotal development, looks like she’s enjoying herself immensely. Le Gros’ character Tom Granick has undergone an interesting transformation since that same movie, his once revered, unofficial town enforcer now a resentful drunk who drowns his sorrows with local pastor Francis (John Speredakos), who’s still a thoroughly decent, educated man bolstered by his faith. In a genre where religious types are generally there to be undermined and/or killed, it’s refreshing to see spirituality treated in an even handed and adult way, regardless of what you believe in.

Trauma Or, Monsters All gets to grips with a world that’s suspicious of difference, be it racial, political, ideological, sexual, whatever. You don’t need to venture too far these days to find fear of the other. Equally, the powder keg of the internet and social media feeds into the escalating madness and reasonable voices are threatened with being drowned out by louder, less tolerant ones. Step forward the pair of slackers that is Burt and Ernie (Cody Kostro and Marc Senter), back to be outraged on the town’s behalf and to track down Cassandra, although their individual journeys don’t quite pan out in an obvious way.

Fessenden ties the chronicle together in an impressive way, delivering on the existential crises while viewing the situation through the eyes of a brand new protagonist, forced into the shadows as much as the perceived monsters she’s chasing but in an entirely different way. There’s a satisfyingly big finish, a chance to reflect on the entirely of this particular universe and, if you stay until the very end of the credits, a possible continuation although this could live as much in the imaginations of those who view it and never see the light of day in a fifth movie. It feels like the end but in Larry Fessenden’s world, I subscribe to the phrase “never say never” and if there’s a new and fascinating place he can take this I would love to see it.

Movie Rating:

Trauma Or, Monsters All trailer