When a mysterious force begins to disrupt their big summer fun, a boy and his friends team up with a retired police detective to embark on a monstrous adventure to save their island. A film by David Henrie, starring Mason Thames, Julian Lerner, Abby James Witherspoon, Noah Cottrell, Nora Zehetner, Patrick Renna, Gary Weeks, Lilah Pate, Lorraine Bracco, and Mel Gibson.

In 1997, a young boy named Ronnie Harlow (Spencer Fitzgerald) escapes from a secluded cabin in the woods. Panicked, he hurls himself through a window, shattering the glass, and lands on the ground. In his frantic escape, he accidentally drops a revolver before fleeing into the forest. The unseen assailant calmly steps outside the cabin, picks up a blood-covered glass shard, and licks it.

Moments later, Ronnie pauses and pulls a yellow envelope from his t-shirt. It seems to contain something of great importance; he kisses the envelope and carefully places it in his backpack. Suddenly, Ronnie becomes overwhelmingly nervous as he realizes he has dropped his revolver. He frantically searches his backpack, finding only six silver bullets—useless without the gun.

As Ronnie hears a menacing laugh approaching, he turns to face a blinding light. Everything fades to black. That evening, a police officer discovers Ronnie standing alone on the road. The boy remains motionless, unresponsive to any questions, his eyes vacant and distant. The officer notifies Dispatch to contact Miss Harlow about finding her missing son.

The assailant packs their belongings into a 1978 Ford Country Squire and drives off to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. Many consider Martha’s Vineyard the safest summer destination in the United States, attracting families from across America who come to vacation on the island.

Martha’s Vineyard is an island located off the southeastern coast of Massachusetts, approximately four miles from Cape Cod. It is part of Dukes County and is known for its scenic beauty, charming towns, and rich history. The island covers about 100 square miles and features a diverse landscape that includes beaches, woodlands, and farmland. The island has a rich cultural history that dates back to its original Native American inhabitants, the Wampanoag Tribe. European settlers arrived in the mid-17th century, and the island’s name is believed to be linked to Bartholomew Gosnold’s daughter or his mother-in-law24. Martha’s Vineyard has also been a site for significant historical events and developments in whaling and fishing industries during the 18th and 19th centuries. Martha’s Vineyard is renowned as a summer vacation destination, attracting a mix of affluent visitors, including celebrities, politicians, and business executives. Its appeal lies in its unspoiled natural environment, relaxed atmosphere, and vibrant community life. The island can accommodate over 100,000 visitors during the peak summer season, despite having a year-round population of around 15,000.

In the morning, Miss Halverson (Lorraine Bracco) arrives at Captain Martin Pring’s House, owned by Abby Reed (Nora Zehetner), where she has booked accommodation for the summer. Abby greets Halverson, who explains that she has put her car and most of her belongings in storage for the summer and needs a place to park her bicycle.

Abby’s teenage son Noah (Mason Thames) is an aspiring writer who dreams of becoming a journalist like his late father. His father died in an accident while traveling from Mostar to Sarajevo on assignment for The Boston Globe, covering the Bosnian War – a conflict that claimed the lives of more than 50 journalists.

The Bosnian War began on 6 April 1992, following Bosnia and Herzegovina’s declaration of independence. This triggered a conflict involving Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims), Croats, and Serbs. The war was marked by extreme violence, including the Srebrenica massacre in July 1995, where over 8,000 Bosniak men were killed.The conflict ended with the signing of the Dayton Accords on 14 December 1995.

When Noah tries to get his article published in the local newspaper The Gazette, owner Edgar Palmer (Kevin James) rejects it. Palmer claims that Noah’s story about a Peeping Tom is unsuitable for the paper and would frighten readers, explaining that vacationing families prefer to read about light-hearted, cheerful, and happy content, rather than criminal activity.

After a baseball game, Noah sets his sights on a new story: the mysterious Gene Carruthers. Local rumors paint Carruthers as either a spy, a bank robber, or someone in witness protection, though no one knows the truth. Noah has also heard that Carruthers’ wife and child vanished without a trace in the summer of ’65. Despite having no proof, Noah suspects their bodies are buried somewhere on Carruthers’ property.

Noah convinces his friends – Ben Driskel (Noah Cottrell), Eugene Wexler (Julian Lerner), and Sammy Devers (Abby James Witherspoon) – to help him prove his theory. He believes that if he’s right, the story could make national headlines and be his ticket off the island. The four friends sneak onto Carruthers’ property searching for evidence, but Carruthers spots them. In their panicked escape, Noah accidentally leaves his backpack behind.

One evening, Ben invites Noah to join him and his girlfriend Ellie Evans (Lilah Pate) for a night swim and fireworks. Noah declines the invitation, confessing that he’s had a crush on Ellie since childhood but has never been able to work up the courage to speak to her. Later, as Ben and Ellie enjoy their swim at the beach, they’re startled by a mysterious hooded figure jumping off the pier. Moments later, Ben is suddenly dragged underwater. Terrified by a strange glowing light beneath her, Ellie swims to shore.

The next morning, Noah is surprised to find his backpack on the front porch. Inside, he discovers a copy of All the President’s Men. When he opens the book, he notices a handwritten signature on the inside cover reading “G. Carruthers.” Later, Noah visits Ben and learns that he returned home alone and that his mother filed a report with the police. Although Ben looks the same on the outside, Noah senses something is off — Ben’s eyes are vacant and distant, as if he has become a different person entirely.

All the President’s Men is a seminal non-fiction book written by journalists Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, published in 1974. The book details the meticulous efforts of Bernstein and Woodward as they uncovered the truth behind the Watergate scandal. It starts with the initial burglary and follows their investigation as they connect various pieces of evidence and testimonies, revealing a complex web of political corruption and abuse of power.

When news footage shows Kevin Lampkey (Gavin Bedell) being examined by medics after an explosion caused by unexploded ordnance, Noah immediately notices something wrong — Kevin displays the same vacant, distant behavior as Ben, as if part of his soul has been stolen.

Now convinced there’s a witch on the island, Noah enlists help from his friends Eugene and Sammy, along with Gene Carruthers (Mel Gibson), who they turns out to be a former detective. Together, they set out to unmask the mysterious assailant who has been targeting the island’s children.

Directed by American filmmaker David Henrie from a screenplay by Cornelius Uliano and Bryan Schulz, “Monster Summer” offers a fresh take on witch lore in this PG-13 adventure thriller.

The film presents an intriguing premise featuring a shapeshifting witch — even playfully referencing the T-1000 from “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” through an on-the-nose character’s dialogue.

While the PG-13 rating keeps the film family-friendly, it also constrains its potential to become a cult classic. Unlike the comedic approach of 1993’s Hocus Pocus, MONSTER SUMMER attempts to ground its narrative in reality, though this sometimes works against it.

Mason Thames proves himself again as a capable lead, despite working with somewhat limited material. The film starts strong and manages to deliver both an unexpected twist and a heartfelt (if typical) happy ending. However, the middle section suffers from a muddled script, weighed down by too many subplots that disrupt the main narrative’s flow.

MONSTER SUMMER premiered at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles on 24 September 2024. The film was theatrically released in the United States on 4 October.