Your Monster ending explained: What really is Laura's monster? 

Your Monster is a horror romance film that follows an actress who hopes to return to her creative pursuit after recovering from a tragedy. It shows her getting in touch with her emotions after discovering a charismatic monster in her closet.

Caroline Lindy has written and directed Your Monster, which stars Scream VI's Melissa Barrera in the lead role. Tommy Dewey plays the monster, while Meghann Fahy, Kayla Foster, Edmund Donovan, and Ikechukwu Ufomadu play key supporting roles.

Your Monster initially premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival at its Midnight Section. It was eventually released theatrically in the US on October 25, 2024. Its official logline on IMDb reads:

"After her life falls apart, soft-spoken actress Laura Franco finds her voice again when she meets a terrifying, yet weirdly charming Monster living in her closet. A romantic-comedy-horror film about falling in love with your inner rage."

At the end of Your Monster, Laura's reality and her imagination merge as she finds herself on the stage for her Broadway debut performance after stabbing her narcissistic former boyfriend.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Melissa Barrera-led Your Monster. Reader discretion is advised.

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What is the story behind Your Monster?

Your Monster follows Laura (Melissa Barrera), a young actress with cancer. Her boyfriend, Jacob Sullivan (Edmund Donovan), breaks up with her instead of being by her side. He also resumes working on a play, which Laura once helped him develop.

Soon, Laura is discharged from the hospital. At the time, she is in a delicate emotional state. So, her friend Mazie (Kayla Foster) takes her to her childhood home. While there, Laura has a weird encounter with a monster (Tommy Dewey), who orders her to leave home soon.

Laura learns that Jacob has given her role in the play to a famous actress, Jackie Dennon (Meghann Fahy). She is left with being Jackie's understudy for a role she was supposed to play. While processing her emotions, Laura grows fond of the monster.

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Who plays the lead role in the play?

Laura attends a Halloween party with the cast and crew. The monster joins and dances with her. Soon, she sees Jacob in an intimate moment with a woman, presumably Jackie. With Monster's emotional support, she acknowledges her justified resentment against Jacob.

Before a rehearsal, Jackie learns that Laura and Jacob were in a relationship before. When Jacob berates Jackie, Laura stands up for her and takes out her anger on him. Later, she meets him to speak about what happened. In a tense moment, they kiss each other. Then, he reveals that she no longer has a role in the play.

Distressed, Laura returns home to find the monster's closet filled with her childhood possessions. Monster learns about her kiss with Jacob. So, they get into a heated argument about love. Then, she closes the closet door and realizes that Monster has vanished.

Later, Jackie reveals that she and Jacob are not in a relationship. She arranges for Laura to return to her lead role in the play. On the backstage, Laura notices Mazie in an intimate moment with Jacob. Unbeknownst to Jacob, Laura gets on the stage in her previous role.

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What is the monster in Laura's story?

The ending of Your Monster shows Laura in a cathartic moment as the scenes depict events similar to her life. In the intermission, Jacob approaches her, inflamed and worried about his reputation. She still returns to perform and presumably stabs Jacob.

Shortly after, Laura sees Jacob with a bleeding throat lying on the floor, and so does the audience. However, the film does not show Laura stabbing him. As a result, the ending is left open for interpretation. While speaking about the final moments of Your Monster, writer-director Caroline Lindy said:

“I think the monster is real to her [Laura]."

She continued, saying:

"In this fairytale monster musical horror rom-com, we get to kill off the toxicity in our life and Laura has created this manifestation of her anger as this handsome charming Monster who can do her bidding for her.”

The monster represents Laura's anger toward the unwarranted insults and humiliation she suffered from people who should have supported her.

So, the monster is a representation of her inner rage that she presumably did not express before. Speaking on the same subject, the writer-director of Your Monster added:

"Emotionally, she [Laura] has said ‘I’m not gonna let people treat me this way anymore. So, ex-boyfriends, you’re dead to me. And you didn’t know that I have a sexy Monster who is going to rip your throat out."