Ever had a dream so bizarre you wake up questioning what hell you ate the night before? That reaction scratches the surface of what expect after viewing the life-sized puppet horror thriller Abruptio.
The film is centered on a down on his luck everyman named Les Hackel (voiced by James Marsters) who’s dead-end existence gets turned upside down by unseen forces. Les is shortly thrown into a world of contract murder, alien harvesting and other assorted Grand Theft Auto-style missions complete with an assortment of oddball and dangerous characters.
Those side characters are Abruptio’s greatest strengths courtesy of its diverse cast.The legendary Robert Englund takes a memorable turn as a high strung patsy forced chop up body parts. Jordan Peele pops up early as a middleaged slacker and terrible advice-giving friend. And the late Sid Haig, in likely his final role, completely steals the show as a moonlighting comedian who serves as a murderous accomplice with Les.
Director/writer Evan Marlowe seamlessly blends up-close puppet visuals with real actors from distance, creating the illusion the puppets are full size. This makes the entire, surreal experience more immersive with the random gore and over the top scenarios.
Make no mistake — Abruptio is not for everyone. But for those who love Adult Swim humor with a healthy dose of Dead Alive-style gore, Abruptio will be one of your favorite horror experiences of 2023.
Abruptio is available to stream through August 20 via The Popcorn Frights film festival.
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