Playing at Fantaspoa Film Festival
April 30, 3:30 PM BST
The hyperrealism put behind the puppet horror film Abruptio is perhaps why this movie is called that. Here, we’re looking at a very relatable story—Les Hackel (James Marsters) has nowhere to go in life. He’s in a dead-end job, lives with his parents and recently got dumped by his girlfriend. What takes him out of the everyday humdrum is that he finds a bomb implanted in his neck, and he’s not the only one.
Pretty soon, he’s tasked to carry out tasks if he wants to keep his head, and the jobs differ from what the Suicide Squad does. This film exists somewhere between what defines a thriller and a character study. The look on the human condition is what makes this work become an instant cult-classic!
The puppetry put behind this work is a mix of various techniques. From full bodysuits to wire works, the illusion is solid to suggest that the world from Spitting Image is very much real. The reason this works very well is that filmmaker Evan Marlowe uses sets from our world to set this adult theatre of the absurd play in.
Also, anything Robert Englund (Mr. Salk) appears in is often top-notch, and his subtle approach to handling this character differs from the many roles he’s famous for. He’s offering wisdom on how to survive this dog-eat-dog world to Hackel, and has lived longer since he too has a bomb.
As for getting answers, Les’ descent to hell is depicted in classic Dante’s Inferno fashion! There’s other strangeness going on, and when the film gets more surreal, that’s all I need to enjoy this horror! There’s plenty of blood and guts to toss around, too. Although I wasn’t expecting anything super creative given the world Abruptio takes place in, the gore is in par to what bloodhounds love to see. While it won’t top Frank and Zed (movie review) in terms of the carnage wrought, what’s done here can still satisfy.
3½ Stars out of 5
Abruptio Movie Trailer
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