One of the things I wondered as I watched Come Play was whether or not the book in it was real: Misunderstood Monsters, A Children’s Story. If you’ve seen the movie, you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, let me explain its importance to the plot.
Misunderstood Monsters in Come Play
Misunderstood Monsters is the book that mysteriously shows up on Oliver’s phone. Azhy Robertson brilliantly plays Oliver, the movie’s main protagonist.
The cover shows an illustration of a tall, gangly creature with his hands clasped in front of him bending over towards a little boy in a yellow shirt and blue pants. Oliver probably feels intrigued and compelled to check it out because he himself feels misunderstood. Maybe even at times likes a monster.
Other than being non-verbal and autistic, Oliver is pretty much a regular little boy. He has a mom and dad, loves SpongeBob SquarePants, goes to school, etc.
But his problem is that because he is a bit different, he has no friends and is lonely.
There’s a friend waiting for him within the electronic pages of Misunderstood Monsters, however. Larry.
The creature known as Larry
Larry is the creature portrayed on the cover of the book. He wants to be Oliver’s friend. The trouble is, he wants to be friends with him forever and ever.
Which normally isn’t a bad goal for a friendship. But Larry wants Oliver exclusively to himself and wants to take Oliver away from his parents to whatever realm it is that Larry lives in. Yeah, that’s a problem.
Come Play was actually based on a horror short called Larry, written and produced by Jacob Chase. He also wrote and directed the feature-length adaptation.
If you’re curious, Larry is available to watch on Vimeo. (Also interesting to note: the book in the short is the same concept, but a slightly different title: The Misunderstood Monster, a Children’s Story.)
Is Misunderstood Monsters a real book?
There is a book called Misunderstood Monsters by April Madres and Ted Irvine on Amazon, but it is not the same book as in Come Play.
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So, nope. The book in Come Play is not real.
But if it did exist, it’d be preferable if Larry stayed put safe and snug within the book’s covers.
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Growing up, was there a children’s book monster you would’ve wanted to be friends with in real life? Or was there one you were glad you only met in the pages of a story?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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