Will Round the Decay really deliver a monster movie fresh take?

Round the Decay says it drew inspiration from horror movies like Pumpkinhead (1988) and Cube (1997). Interesting choices considering it also promises to deliver “a fresh take on the monster movie formula with roots extending into psychological and folk horror.” Will it?

We’ll have to wait and see, and we’ll also have to wait and see where and when it’ll be released. No release date has been announced yet, beyond a vague “due out this Halloween season.”

But let’s talk about the monster component.

With its titular villain, Pumpkinhead qualifies as a monster movie with a folk horror feel. Cube, not so much. Although, it definitely covers the psychological component with its Saw-esque situation. (Maybe it inspired Saw? I never wondered about that before now. But I digress…)

The trailer alludes to some of the psychological aspects Round the Decay’s characters face, but it doesn’t show much in the way of monsters. At least not overtly. Their presence is definitely implied.

Which makes me a little leery. I’m willing to give a movie the benefit of the doubt when it declares that it offers a “fresh take” of any kind. Abigail is a recent horror movie that springs to mind when I think of “fresh takes.” However, it didn’t specifically state one of its missions was to offer a fresh take on the vampire genre.  It just quietly did it.

I’m always a little dubious when a film blatantly makes such a declaration, though. Still, I’m hopeful Round the Decay will deliver on the monster front, too. Particularly because of something the trailer highlights, the statement that “only monsters can kill monsters.”

Say what? What does that mean? And are they still a threat to humans or do some want to help people not just kill (or eat) them? Must. Know. More!

But there isn’t much more to know beyond the blurb included with the trailer:

A young woman returns to the site of her broken engagement, Newport’s Valley, a sleepy tourist town with an all-consuming secret.

You wouldn’t necessarily guess monsters have anything to do with the movie from that. But it becomes evident that “consuming” is a keyword.

As far as monsters go, Round the Decay features “a practical creature designed by veteran special effects artist Greg McDougall (The Haunting of Hill House, Stranger Things, War of the Worlds).”

Writer and director Adam Newman said the movie “has a lot of heart and a lot of character, but it definitely doesn’t skimp on scares or gore. Plus, it has a new, original monster that we can’t wait to introduce to you all.”

New. Original. Fresh. Very curious to see if Round the Decay delivers all that. What about you?

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Courtney Mroch

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.