Name: Common Monsters
Genre: Animation, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Released: 2020-10-30
Cast: Jacob David Woods, Jacob Reynolds

Is she protecting him or is he the thing she should fear?

unhinged maternal horrorpaper-cut nightmare fuelgaslighting with googly eyes

Latest Episode

18 min

Season 1 • Episode 1

Latest

Chapter 1: The Orange Blooded Boy

Oct 30, 2020

Elle and her son Rowan find a new town to hide in. They are watched.

Overview

Animation Drama Mystery Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Elle and her son Rowan are on the run. Is this twisted mother and son relationship a bizarre case of extreme Munchausen syndrome by proxy? Or is Rowan a dangerous supernatural creature?

Content warning

monster dark comedy adult animation surrealism munchausen syndrome by proxy psychological thriller magic realism paranormal hand drawn animation demonic spirit+2 more

toxic motherhoodmedicalized abusethe monster withinreality vs. delusion

Standout Aspects

Direction

John Irvine's cutout style makes everything feel wrong on purpose.

Sound

Rowan's voice work will crawl under your skin and stay there.

Best for:Solo·Streaming

Heads up:Disturbing·Triggers

Creator

John Irvine

First AiredOct 30, 2020

StatusPilot

Vibe

Pacesteady

Intensityhigh

Tonedark

Feelheavy

Seasons1·Episodes1

Top Cast

Jacob Reynolds

The Shaman (voice)

Ask about Common Monsters

Opens AI chat

Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Cultural

Munchausen by proxy rarely gets horror treatment; this joins The Act in making medical abuse viscerally cinematic.

Trivia

Jacob David Woods and Jacob Reynolds both came from experimental theatre backgrounds—explains why the voice performances feel staged and raw simultaneously.