Monsters of California Digital Review

3 star amusing stoner sci-fi conspiracy tale.

Monsters of California is a 2023 American comedy/drama sci-fi film co-written and directed by Tom Delonge (Angels and Airwaves), the former frontman with the 1990’s alternative pop-punk band Blink-182. His directorial debut, it is a long standing passion project, finally brought to the big screen.

It is available to stream on UK Digital Platforms from 7th July 2025, courtesy of Plaion Pictures.

“Have you ever looked around and wondered ‘where’s all this from’? All the stars, planets, houses, trees, like what is this sh*t?”

Dallas (Jack Samson – Zodiak) is a teenage boy still troubled over the disappearance of his navy pilot father three years previously. Much to his annoyance, his mother Leah (Arianne Zucker – We Still Say Grace) has moved on and is now dating Myron (Jay Bingham – Romeo and Juliet Killers) and his sister Meg (Camille Kostek – Free Guy, I Feel Pretty) seems to have accepted it. He spends his days (and nights) following his father’s interest in all things supernatural and ghost hunting with his two best friends Riley (Jared Scott – Before the Dawn) and Toe (Jack Lancaster – Weird: The Al Yankovic Story) with mixed (and sometimes hilarious) results.

One day he has a visit from Myers (Casper Van Dien – Starship Troopers, Sleepy Hollow), a colleague and friend of his father who asks if he has by any chance found a GPS device with his personal effects (why it took him three years to get round to this is unclear). He hasn’t, but a little rummaging unearths said device, as well as some classified documents which hint that his father may have been into some serious government business. The coordinates it contains send them on a road trip, alongside Dallas’s new girlfriend Kelly (Gabrielle Haugh – Fortress: Sniper’s Eye).

Along the way they will discover secrets, unearth truths (get peed on by Bigfoot) and meet Eric Walker (Richard Kind – Portal to Hell, Wolfs), a former scientist who may hold the answers to what happened all those years ago.

“Yo, if you sh*theads are gonna be summoning demons again, make sure you do it nice this time. Ask with peace and love and Sh*t.”

Monsters of California is a really good fun film to watch, but as you might expect, if you are looking for a serious documentary type delve into the subject, this isn’t it. It’s tongue in cheek, funny and doesn’t fall into the trap of trying to take itself too seriously.

The general feel and attitudes in the film are all rather nineties, especially the skater dude stoner vibe and the bimbo who is quite happy to be viewed as such. The three guys are very funny, but if you’re easily offended by toilet humour and fruity language then save yourself the trouble, you will just find this annoying.

There are lots of plot holes and some of the decision making is questionable, but generally it’s a good idea for a story, reasonably well executed and with decent acting. Bear in mind who wrote and directed it, and if that’s your thing and you like the genre then this one is well worth a watch.

“That night we started something that couldn’t be stopped. Three best friends about to find out something we felt impossible. Answers.”