Monster Man
By Matt Springer,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Behind-the-scenes at special effects shop with gory images.
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What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.
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What's the Story?
Syfy's reality series MONSTER MAN explores the art and life of one of Hollywood's great "monster men," the special effects artists who have become cult heroes among horror fans for creating the iconic scary creatures that inhabit our nightmares. Cleve Hall has more than 30 years experience building strange beasts, prosthetic appliances, otherworldly aliens, and many more FX creations. Monster Man follows Cleve through his day-to-day life as an FX creator and his many interpersonal encounters with his daughters and ex-wife, who work alongside him, as well as his best friends, one of whom is technically his boss.
Is It Any Good?
Monster Man suffers from the same awkwardness that so many reality series today suffer from: It just doesn't feel very "real." Although there's plenty of interesting material, most of the cast exhibits a deer-in-the-headlights reaction to discussing their work on camera.
There's also an unshakable sense that the entire enterprise is scripted to within an inch of its life -- not that most reality shows aren't, but at least most other reality shows are better at disguising the unreality with a sense of spontaneity. It's ironic that a team credited with so many amazing unreal creations can't manage to overcome the unreality of their own reality show.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Monster Men's extensive depiction of violence and gore. Are scary movies just as scary now that you know how the effects are created?
Does this show make you want to go into special effects arts as a career? If not, what is something you really love that you could make into a career?
TV Details
- Premiere date: March 14, 2012
- Cast: Cleve Hall , Elora Hall , Roy Knyrim
- Network: Syfy
- Genre: Reality TV
- Topics: Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- TV rating: NR
- Last updated: October 14, 2022
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