There Are Monsters 2013

Departure on a road trip to document small-town life

A group of graduate students leaves campus to film a university-backed project about everyday life in a small town. They travel through rural Canada with handheld cameras, treating the trip as a chance to observe real life. The mood is a mix of excitement and technical ambition as they roll tape.

Arrival in a quiet rural setting

The crew reaches a sparsely populated town and starts their documentation. The streets are quiet, and the locals appear cooperative at first. The project begins with attempts to talk to residents and record ordinary day-to-day life.

First signs of something off

As filming continues, viewers notice unusual behavior: people speak in stilted, unnatural ways and move with eerie stiffness. The crew debates whether these quirks reflect a cultural oddity or something more sinister. The tension sets in as the camera captures the anomalies without explanation.

Unsettling patterns spread

Unnatural behavior becomes more widespread as more locals exhibit blank expressions and odd gait. The crew's footage shows strangers who seem present yet not fully there. The sense of paranoia grows as the town becomes a living laboratory for an unseen threat.

Realisation: they're doppelgängers

The team uncovers that these people are not merely odd; they are doppelgängers that have replaced real residents. Witness accounts, mismatched memories, and inconsistent backstories back their suspicion. The evidence points to a deliberate, coordinated invasion rather than random occurrence.

Infiltration expands beyond the town

The crew notices the replacements appear to be infiltrating ordinary life — work, schools, shops — suggesting a larger, possibly global, invasion. The lines between authentic and replicated life blur as more institutions show the same disturbing patterns. The threat feels both intimate and expansive.

Cameras become the sole witnesses

With their handheld setup, the students become the only witnesses to the transformation of their world. Footage documents events in real time, blurring the line between documentary and nightmare. The cameras preserve evidence that might otherwise vanish.

Growing fear and desperation

The crew's fear escalates as attempts to document and escape fail. They realise the threat is closing in on them and their own identities feel compromised. The situation becomes a prison of fear, with every corner potentially hiding a replacement.

The horror deepens: soulless replicas

The team confirms the central horror: doppelgängers are soulless replicas designed to replace authentic people. The unsettling realization reframes what they have been filming as more than a viral mystery. The town becomes a ticking clock as replacements multiply.

Efforts to flee intensify

The crew tries to leave the area, driving away from the town while being chased or observed by the replacements. Their escape is desperate and frantic, captured by the cameras. The outside world remains untouched in the footage's world, heightening isolation.

The threat hints at a global scale

Beyond the town, hints emerge that the invasion could be global. The crew discusses the possibility that the doppelgängers have infiltrated other communities. The footage hints at a creeping, unstoppable spread.

Identity and perception under siege

The film explores themes of identity, perception, and fear as viewers watch people transform and reality dissolve around them. The crew's perspective questions what makes someone human. The line between observer and observed becomes dangerously blurred.