There’s More Heart than Horror in The Mother, The Menacer, and Me (SOHOME)

Title: The Mother, The Menacer, and Me

First Non-Festival Release: December 11, 2025 (Digital/Streaming Platforms)

Director: Jon Salmon

Writer: Chris Carvalho, Chris Plaushin

Runtime: 91 Minutes

Starring: James Austin Kerr, Lorraine Bracco, Kellan Tetlow

Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here

This film’s review was written after its screening at the Sohome Film Festival in 2025.

An ongoing conversation exists questioning the virtue of the ethics of following one’s passion. Is it right to prioritize your happiness when others rely on you? At what point does starting a family preclude your own hopes and dreams?

Eddie Mathews (James Austin Kerr) wrestles with these questions and more as he is deadset on making a name for himself in Hollywood. Convinced his television pilot “Killing Karens” is his ticket for the glamorous life, Eddie goes all-in on the production much to the chagrin of his doubting mother-in-law (Lorraine Bracco). The further along he gets into the production process, the more his central antagonist, the Menacer, tries to guide the production to his specifications. Eddie must choose between his dreams of becoming a successful director and being a good husband, father, and friend.

Well-intentioned horror comedy The Mother, The Menacer, and Me fails to strike balance between slice-of-life comedy and the horrors of writer’s block.

A cutesy-enough horror comedy, The Mother, The Menacer, and Me lays the sugar on thick with its approach to the creative process. Saturated with suburban charm and midwestern hospitality, this indie film prioritizes heart above everything else. Character dynamics are empahsized over plot development leading to decently fleshed out players without much to do with one another. They’re interesting on their own but the film suffers for the stagnation.

It’s not just the subject matter that makes it hard to get behind the indie flick but its punishing lack of consistent pacing. Grinding through the frustrations of indie filmmaking and dealing with your mother-in-law, it’s clear that Eddie’s problems are very minor. Even as they escalate in stakes, there’s a distinct lack of a driving force behind the story. Problems are solved quickly, arguments are settled without weight, and things fall perfectly into place in service of its message. Couple this trend with its slow-moving story, and the film wanders until its inevitable conclusion.

Beyond its generic approach to the material, there’s a lack of curiosity in the mechanics of its world that make The Mother, The Menacer, and Me frustrating. With its characters at the mercy of each other’s inconsistent motivations, The Mother, The Menacer, and Me wanders towards its thesis. Every obstacle Eddie faces is met with the simplest solution that doesn’t force him to sacrifice anything. It isn’t until his reckoning at the end that any acknowledgement is made to how Eddie’s world stays upright. And the explanation is less than satisfying. The ethics of passion may be compelling enough but the lack of follow through makes The Mother, The Menacer, and Me feel underbaked.

While it does get too lost in its sweetness at times, The Mother, The Menacer, and Me does make some good points on finding balance between responsibility and dreams. Eddie’s daydreaming personality is played with nuance, recognizing the importance of staying true to oneself while also highlighting the need to fulfill life’s more humdrum tasks. It’s in striking this balance where The Mother, The Menacer, and Me makes its point. Eddie’s conflict isn’t really about whether he gets to continue making art, it’s how does he integrate that into his life. Much like the spirit of indie filmmaking, The Mother, The Menacer, and Me reminds us that compromise is the answer, not abstention.

A niche horror comedy, that is exceptionally light on horror, The Mother, The Menacer, and Me works best on those facing the realities of adulthood. Relying on its solid cast and sunshine-drenched cinematography to opine on the quiet miracles, and setbacks, of indie filmmaking, The Mother, The Menacer, and Me speaks to the parts of the creative process those that champion the industry will appreciate. We may not all have a sentient television show character causing chaos in our minds but The Mother, The Menacer, and Me is vastly relatable to a wide array of horror nerds out there than the nostalgia-bait IP slop littering the marquees.

Overall Score? 5/10