Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Attack of the Morningside Monster’

Written by Scott Edwards 

It is next to impossible to keep a secret in a small town. Everyone knows everyone else’s business and it seems to drive some people crazy since there is no escaping it, unless you move away. But it is also a safe place and knowing what is happening at all times seems to be comforting to some people as they do not like surprises. You know where everyone will be at almost every minute of the day and if something happens, you know exactly whom to blame for it.  

Tom Haulk has lived in the small town of Morningside since the third grade. Being an upstanding citizen in the community since he was a child, he has taken the post of Sheriff and is good at his job. Trying to protect the community from whatever evils comes its way, he has formed a bond with everyone in his town and with his new out of state deputy Klara coming in, he feels very comfortable with his situation. But not everything is as peaceful as it seems as one of his childhood friends is dying of cancer.

Abby seems to be next to death whenever Tom sees her and being best friends with her husband Mark since the third grade, he will do anything in his power to help out with the situation. But Mark is starting to crack up and with the threat of losing his wife, he has to take his ideas further to try to save her from her certain death. However the town has a little secret of its own that has been flying under the radar for some time, a pot growing group is tarnishing the community and when the former leader of it is found dead by the lake, Tom and his police department have to work on finding out who the killer is. Investigating the house, Tom stumbles on a symbol that has been showing up around town on some of the questionable patron’s property. Not knowing what it means, he has to turn to the bigger departments to find out what the meaning of it is and hopefully get a lead to find out who is behind it.

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Not expecting to find too much about the symbol, Tom keeps up with his normal police work but when bringing in a local drug addict for questioning, he finds his good friend Mark in the car with her buying drugs. Feeling bad for his friend and his situation, Tom is convinced to give his buddy a free pass for this one time so he can still take care of his ailing wife, but Tom does not feel comfortable overall with doing it. Getting a report of another local lowlife’s body turning up in the alley, Tom finds a clue that might be able to lead him to who the killer is. It becomes a race against time, but Tom is in a dilemma since everyone that is winding up dead is the scum of the community and even though he can appreciate what is happening, it is against the law and it is his duty to put an end to the killings.

Attack of the Morningside Monster follows Sheriff Tom Haulk as his small town that has never had too many problems is facing a rash of murders. With his small department, Tom is not equipped to handle everything that is happening, and he has to depend very heavily on his deputies to be there when he needs them. Uncovering a pot ring in town, Tom also stumbles across a symbol that is starting to mark the property of some of the town’s unsavory folks. With this happening and two of his best friends going through a very hard time, Tom has to multitask his time between the two, but he might be closer to the situation than he should be. Finding out about the meaning of the symbol, Tom knows that there is some sort of ritual happening, but does he want to know the truth about why this is happening, since the only people that are being harmed are the scum of the town?

A clever story that keeps you guessing who the murderer really is while seeing him working his magic, in what seems to be a workshop. Never being able to see the killer's face intrigues me and I must admit I was very upset with myself when the killer was revealed in the end, as I was very wrong as to who it was. But with a little bit of misdirection and a ton of blood, this movie does not disappoint since you can be the detective and find out who is really taking the lives of the scum of the town. I enjoyed Tom’s transition in the movie as he is trying to be a friend and the town’s sheriff at the same time and trying to separate the two. I have always tried to practice this art and have my personal life be separate from my work life, but as what happens to many people, they both tend to blend together and become intertwined no matter what we do. Stay Scared.

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