MAGGIE AND THE MONSTER | Omeleto

A woman goes to a friend's home for comfort from her terrors.
MAGGIE AND THE MONSTER is used with permission from Justin Suttles. Learn more at lyrebird-movie.com.
Maggie is fearful and anxious, plagued by bizarre terrors, and she seems to be going through a difficult transition after a long absence. But she's been invited by her friend Trish to have dinner, which she hopes will help her feel less alone.
Trish and Maggie's conversation is halting, and things take an even more awkward turn when Maggie asks Trish for her boss's email to ask for a job at the clinic where Trish works. Trish is reluctant, and Maggie realizes that her friends see her as damaged. The news puts Maggie in a bad place -- but not as bad as the one Maggie finds herself in when she faces the possibility of being alone after dinner is over.
Directed and written by Justin Suttles, this horror short is a portrait of a woman haunted by spectral terrors, trying to live a semblance of a normal life that only makes her feel even more anxious and afraid. Visually shrouded in shadows with lurking, creeping camerawork, it's also a powerful metaphor for the isolation that those with mental health struggles or differences can feel from the world around them, especially when friends and family see them as defective -- and are also unwilling to talk and listen openly.
Essentially a two-hander framed by an opening and closing scene, the heart of the narrative is the dinner conversation between Trish and Maggie. Skilled, rich and piercing, the dialogue takes the premise of two friends who haven't seen one another in a long time to fill in Maggie's backstory. We learn she went on a trip to the mountains, took some drugs, had some kind of psychotic break, and felt haunted by beings -- and then disappeared for five months. Now she is back and trying to reintegrate into her former life.
But as Maggie and Trish talk, Maggie realizes how her friends' lives have sped ahead while hers has not, as well as the gap between their relative normality versus her own fragile, vulnerable headspace. Most painfully, Maggie is horrified to realize that she's now branded as "crazy" by most of her friend circle, and is treated as an object of pity. As Maggie, actor Catherine Atkinson gives an achingly raw, pitch-perfect performance, capturing an already vulnerable person realizing how truly alone she is with her struggles. As those feelings sharpen and dinner draws to a close, she becomes needy, and it's painful to watch Maggie beg Trish not to leave her alone after dinner, leading to an ugly confrontation.
Gripping, sinister and absorbing, MAGGIE AND THE MONSTER has a finale that fulfills the promise of its dark visuals and horror film stylings, building up suspense into a chilling climax. But the film differentiates itself from more rote exercises in craft with its deep psychological insight, thanks to richly drawn characters, thoughtful craftsmanship and terrific performances. Maggie's backstory is intriguing enough to flesh out a feature, while the end -- though seemingly definitive about what exactly haunts Maggie -- promises even more questions and world-building to explore. But as a self-contained short, it's a powerful evocation of the delicate frame of mind that someone struggling faces when encountering pity and judgment from "the outside" -- and the distress that can cause, especially when mental health and related topics remain taboo to discuss openly.

[@adriannathegreat9890]

I would never leave a friend alone in that condition.

[@nbruer1413]

Sometimes our 'friends' are the real monsters. Not ourselves, nor what we imagine.

[@ZolaClyde]

I didn’t get the impression that Trish was a particularly ‘good friend’- she seemed more self involved than anything else - despite her initial seeming niceness.

[@kaylakunkel783]

There's only so much someone can do. Even if she canceled for the night, the main character would go home and it would still happen. She said yes to cooking dinner, hanging out and her staying over. She'd be breaking her boundaries. There's a limit

[@adriannathegreat9890]

If she's a good friend, I would've cancelled my date and stayed up and talked to her. I would've even offered to go to counseling with her for the first couple of times. When going through a crisis, you need someone who wants to help, not a judgmental narcissist like Trish.

[@Truecrimenwine1]

​@@kaylakunkel783 I 100% agree

[@alexeyb.8598]

Trisha returned and dressed up as a monster to kick out an unwanted guest from the house and bring her boyfriend in.

[@therealJamieJoy]

😂

[@dyslexicboogaloo]

We’ve all been there.

[@tammyerickson2146]

LMAO

[@spidgeb3292]

Love it!

[@pilgrim985]

Hilarious!

[@judylandry302]

The scariest things we will ever know are the fears that only exist inside our own heads, which no one else can see or feel.

[@adriannathegreat9890]

Not always. Sometimes the scariest things are real and can happen when we least expect it.

[@biggestbrowneyes]

Nothing to fear but...Fear itself.

[@margkropf5541]

Agree with Judy. Hitchcock knew that. Remember Psycho?I could not shower for years and years!!!!To this day, I prefer a bath and am 77 years old!!!

[@Azzam_Alqudsi]

@@margkropf5541 time to start working out granny... get that body young again

[@AdamAdam-kh5wf]

These scariest things that no one can feel or see or hear are called hallucinations and part of a mental condition called psychosis when people lose some contact with reality,and this is the case of that psycho woman in the horror short film.

[@michaelfried3123]

Time for a new friend, the old one isn't cutting it anymore.

[@colinellesmere]

The acting was high quality. Great short.

[@JD-ko5tp]

Absolute favorite I've seen on Omeleto yet. Great acting by both women. Amazing job!

[@evek1057]

Man, if I knew a friend has issues, I would have planned the whole night with her rather than book a date. Quite sad on the part of Trisha not showing any empathy. Too bad no one listened to Maggie who was captured... by terror.

[@BeauteOr]

That s not a friend! Friends have empathy! She just wanted to go hooked up this guy. He was probably busy for dinner ….

[@ZolaClyde]

@@BeauteOrAgreed! Trish struck me as really self involved.

[@johnpruett5258]

Maggie needed constant attention which 99.9% of people can't handle.

[@spidgeb3292]

Maybe Trisha was trying to do what she could but wasn't willing to suspend her life for someone who obviously needed more than a friend--she needed a professional, not a potential med student.

[@eugenetswong]

A date in a new relationship is way more important. A lot of people are struggling to get dates, and the wedding industry is in decline, and wedding businesses are shutting down. Even the blonde woman is a victim, too.

[@rgarlinyc]

Why walk around in a strange apartment, with most every light turned off, and a raging thunderstorm outside? (Rhetorical question) Excellent work all 'round guys, masterful - thank you!

[@shirleypatten6212]

My thought exactly.

[@durasaxon5131]

True Lights on. Get your mind on something else.

[@RHKhan86]

Yeah, turn on all room lights.

[@spidgeb3292]

My first thought: why didn't she turn on every damn light? Like, immediately.

[@GradKat]

I would have gone into the bathroom and locked the door …

[@tzk121]

She shoulda said yes when her dad asked if she wanted him to come back...at least he really cared about her well being.

[@glennparker5516]

Great job cast and crew. Superior acting I was really drawn into the dread Maggie felt. Based on a true story.

[@elizabethpace1591]

I would have stayed with Maggie.

[@MarkS-gm3sf]

That scare at the end was really frightening. Almost as scary as the monster at the end of Lights Out.

[@andreasdesigns]

As the tension built, I wondered if I was too old for scary shows because I dreaded what was coming. Then it came; I jumped and swore.

[@nancyx591]

😂😂😂, but I jumped @ the end too!!! 😱😱

[@Bichonben1963]

Fantastic acting and a very atmospheric film, the dark living room and thunder sets the scene perfectly . Really need it longer or a part two, loved it 😱😱😱

[@dandeliondreamer3365]

Got me😳 somehow I didn’t expect it to be literally that terrifying at the end: nearly jumped out of my bed 😅, great writing, so many unsympathetic people in this poor girls life, even not exactly knowing what she’s going through most young women at some point probably went through something child or adult where they were too afraid to be alone at night. I went through a night in my early 20s after an assault that I walked a 24 hour big box store all night long just so I didn’t have to go home, good film, metaphor 👍

[@jime6739]

Good thing you did not jump out of bed or that thing living under your bed....

[@krissmgvlogs]

Great story and acting, poor ending. Is it real or in her mind? Plus the really dark setting, a little too dark!

[@cwayzums]

In the mind. She was suffering from her own demons and practically wanted help by having company, but the friend abandoned her so she succumbed to it.

[@davidking4838]

It was in her mind, the unanswered question is does she survive? You will find that ambiguous endings are often the best - sometimes they are necessary to achieve a proper ending. It is a short story and not a feature film.

[@fakeologist1]

the ending seemed cheap

[@krissmgvlogs]

@@davidking4838 is an ambiguous ending a proper ending? It felt unfinished to me.

[@TheJoya1234]

I was riveted and terrified at the end. Wonderful acting!

[@PHOENIX1699]

"What do you want?" Uh... For you to be a good friend? Friend was really itching to get out lol

[@ZolaClyde]

I wouldn’t really call Trish a friend…

[@quincyfleming8552]

This definitely could be a Halloween movie night this is awesome ❤

[@denisedecamps7814]

The friend is going to be one hell of a doctor🤔

[@AdamAdam-kh5wf]

The end part was really very scary. I don't advise anyone to watch it very late at night.

[@Mixima101]

What? It seemed really anti-climactic because I prepared for a bigger scare.

[@nancyx591]

Too late …..!!! 😱😱😱

[@oishicurrypuffus]

Too late!! Watched this at 2am 😱

[@a.r.1186]

So many pious comments hating on Trish for not being "a good friend." But the implication was that they were never close to begin with. They were both members of the same crowd at college, that was it. And Maggie calls her out of the blue, asking to come over on a night Trish already had plans (Maggie says, "Thanks, I know it was last-minute"), so Trish already went out of her way to be kind and have her over in the first place. She's not a social worker or a nun, just someone who's trying to live her life, who happened to know Maggie in college. Seriously, if you're in your early 20's, and the weird person from your old college crowd invited herself to dinner, crashed your date night, asked to stay over, asked to make it a group date, then asked you to cancel your date altogether, y'all are going to drop your plans, stay up all night slumber-partying, and go to counseling with her "a couple times?" Please.

[@SmartWentCrazy.]

I disagree. Once she invited Maggie over - while aware of her mental health episode no less - she took on the responsibility of being there for her friend. Unless she only had her over to update the group text in the first place that is… She probably should have brought her to the hospital and waited in the ER with her. Maggie was showing signs of being in crisis, and her friend was pre-med too and probably educated on warning signs to some degree. You do not leave someone alone if they are in that sort of head space.

[@hollyperrin7353]

Then Trish should have declined. All or nothing.

[@Arcana_Jester]

@@SmartWentCrazy. Yeah, I think it might have been to get the skinny on her and show herself as "a good person." I have been in a situation like this with people I had met maybe a month before. It was in a role play setting and I played an exorcist. One of the group had a psychotic break where he seemed possessed. They called me at 2am for help. I really didn't know them but they were all terrified. You know what? I went. I've also been on the other end of it before, and knew he was going through the same thing. It is scary as hell when this happens. I stayed til he fell asleep and calmed the others down. We've all been super close since then and that was back in 2006. Would I do that for everyone? Probably not. (Edited for typos)

[@arcflashed]

Well done. I found myself wanting to comfort her.

[@iamterriffic7041]

Maggie would have had to leave she was acting real iffy and I wouldn't have felt comfortable I leaving her there or even staying there alone with her.

[@therealJamieJoy]

she seemed in medical crisis. I would have asked her to call her psychiatrist

[@talhashaikh1435]

Acting is fab

[@porksashimi_0]

I agree, I was the monster

[@jasomcox]

Bizarre is call someone to your place and go out for a date

[@ruffrider2626]

That was great. You all did a good job. Thanks for putting this together.

[@cobbetlprogrammer1344]

Very Well done, the acting and camera shots were Superb. And Scarry. I'd love to see more?

[@MackMateCom]

Acting was professional great production 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@gyuzelbektay7414]

I mean I liked it all the way until monster’s hand.

[@max-jayderomero7743]

Top notch acting and plot line

[@ThereWasABadKittiFromBmore]

That wasn't her friend and I didn't expect that ending😏

[@pamelagrant2960]

That monster was a panic attack. She would of never been left alone in that condition.

[@laurieparis2203]

Wow. So many polished details in this piece make for a tiny masterpiece. Powerful acting, lighting, plot, graphics. Stellar soundtrack! Quickly drew me into the rising anxiety and confusion Maggie was feeling. Nice plot clarification touch, by showing the DMT research abstract in Maggie's car. Best watched in the dark to better appreciate the noir set and the um... ending ⚡👀

[@paulabrown6840]

With friends like that who needs enemies?!

[@jessamyers8761]

As someone who goes to a methadone clinic, it NOT some dark horrible place full of bad people.

[@demarcoadams8975]

Exactly, it’s doctors , lawyers , business people , etc who all go . Methadone isn’t just for recovering addicts .. it’s used for anxiety aswell

[@jameslookstwice]

Modern so called friends.

[@spidgeb3292]

Great! Full story in 15 minutes. Very well done. Well acted, great dialog, incredible build-up of tension.

[@nahdataintit4984]

This channel is elite 🙏🏽✨

[@strlnz]

Part 2 pleaseee

[@nige3801]

Good acting for sure, however in this clown world reality we now live in, very little scares me...jump shocks seem futile

[@noahtheguy1828]

I can honestly relate to this girl. When I was a teenager I went through a phase of really bad anxiety that made me dread being alone. It’s a real fear called isophobia and I had similar experiences to this. Although me being a boy, people just told me to man up and that it wasn’t that big of a deal. Don’t ever say that to a person with isophobia

[@davidlarsen8989]

Ah, yes, the good old "man up" That really doesn´t help

[@AMYBIERHAUS]

She's a horrible "friend" ... jeez, just cancel the date! 😡

[@RHKhan86]

The ending was scary asf. I thought She had a crush on her female friend that's why she wanted to stay with her for a little more. But ending proved me wrong. Good work everyone.

[@nancyx591]

Were you not paying attention??? 🙄

[@RHKhan86]

@@nancyx591 I did, read my comment again.

[@ishowmaxgoofz]

@@nancyx591 they were not cuz how could they think maggie was into her friend ??? LMAOOO . that wasnt the vibe at all . she said from the beginning she was afraid to be alone or go home cuz she didnt know what would happen and the papers in her car had clues of what was going on with her

[@Miamiflow885]

Glad I dont have heart problems, that would have ended them.

[@katbaker12]

Great work to everyone involved in this short film! I went to high school with Samantha Binkard (Trish) and she was always phenomenal in the school plays and dedicated to the work. Glad to see her living her dream. Also, the ending really got me!

[@thundercat8601]

So all this time I've been lying to my kids. Monsters ARE real?!

[@GwenActually]

This was the scariest thing I've seen in years up until the monster appeared and then it became laughable.

[@FIONA21ful]

Nice acting.

[@CatkinsonGA]

Team Maggie

[@futzalfan]

Drama, drama, drama, Bang - Monster. Never saw that coming . . . Not!

[@aroundandround]

Once they reveal the monster’s form, it’s just funny.

[@Mixima101]

Yeah, it was so anticlimactic

[@apricotmadness4850]

They should have kept it in the dark and had just a hand grab her. The greatest monsters are the ones we conjure up ourselves.

[@amandadonegan2137]

Open your aura by hallucinogenics and all kinds of entities can attach themselves.

[@nancyx591]

What an ending!!! 😱 😱 😱

[@kevinmkraft]

Wow! Nice! Great performances and a very effective ending.

[@kurtweiand7086]

Good movie!

[@durasaxon5131]

Unbelievable the monster from the Black lagoon shows up at Maggie's house? Until then everything was excellent

[@pamelagrant2960]

What she needed was professional help. Her friend was in a rock in a hard place if she stayed if she stayed her life could be in danger. The friend should not have come by herself.

[@glen7228]

Soooooo, the joke is on her friends, the monsters are real.

[@sqd8r]

Trippin' ain't easy.

[@TeenyTalks314]

What is this actually based on?? anyone who can explain

[@nicolepryor3950]

That is definitely not her friend because if they was friends she would have cancelled her date and stay with her. It's to the point I wouldn't even want to be at her house right now

[@Amy2024x]

Poor girl 😞

[@tarabrown740]

Ok that was scary & unexpected

[@JeffSchall]

What the hell kind of ending was THAT? Didn't explain anything, but it's likely an hallucinogenic flashback or a schizophrenic vision?

[@techlord5573]

Hmm

[@shockmarkets7384]

Just say no.

[@marekczarnecki5388]

I quite liked it. Solid acting. But maybe cut to black at the final jump scare ? One shot too long?

[@PHOENIX1699]

The searing added an element of physical, as well as mental danger - it was a good length of time to portray a lot in a single moment.

[@fakeologist1]

agreed

[@dthomas4566]

Well i would have been glad it wasn't me AND her getting killed by the monster 💀, Soooo..... maybe her friend made the right choice?!

[@thomapple]

1:06 suggesting that DMT gave her these terrors? I guess the author never tried DMT

[@Oyintheokay]

That friend sucks lowkey …

[@Oyintheokay]

Okay no… high key…

[@RebeccaLynnMusic]

That was unsatisfying.

[@carriebrooks4174]

VERY

[@soelvfaks1]

uuhh..

[@drumsalive]

That friend kinda mean and not much of a friend

[@mayday9718]

I really liked the buildup of the story but this was way too short and the ending way too abrupt imo. I wish they had given this film a few extra minutes to explain a little more of Maggie's backstory and what exactly happened to her. Also, is it just me or was Trish incredibly rude for making plans with a guy and leaving so quickly when she'd already invited Maggie over? She didn't even bother to tell her beforehand that she had a date later ☹

[@janetkatz6531]

Had to turn it off when the monster exploded into the Room I don't want to feed my mind Horrible stuff ! And most of the films are downers I'm surprised that all other comments are so positive You are what you eat You are what you feed your mind Jeez

[@lesleycarney8868]

AAAGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[@Killtoi]

!!!

[@maxpayne930]

Now if u exusse me i have some friends for dinner/Dr Hunibal Lecter Still get,s me👽👻

[@rastaslim8414]

Not a good friend at all... and she a girl at that