Glory, Glorious, hallelujah! It’s time for some cosmic horror as we hit day six of our 31 days of horror!
Today we’re covering…
Glorious!
Movie Details:
- Release Date: 2022
- “Run”time: 1 hour 19 minutes
- Where to watch it: Streaming
- Directed by: Rebekah McKendry
- Written by: Todd Rigney
- Starring:
- Ryan Kwanten
- J.K. Simmons
- Sylvia Grace Crim
Synopsis: Fate leads to a rest stop and a Lovecraftian gloryhole.
Open Stab Wounds (out of 10): 7
Review: The idea of fate and karma have never been concepts I could get behind. On paper, they make sense, but when I really start to analyze those ideas, the reality of our existence really makes me go “nah, no freaking way!” Today’s movie toyed with some of those concepts in a way that makes me want to agree with them. I still don’t, but if I started believing in higher powers, I’d consider it.
Glorious, directed by Rebekah McKendry, tells the story of Wes (Ryan Kwanten) and his encounter at Route 37 rest area. It is quickly established that Wes has had some recent relationship problems and seems to be trying to escape from them. Letting his emotions get the best of him, he proceeds to down a whole bottle of whiskey, burn his “memories” at the rest stop fire pit, and pass out on the ground outside the area (sans the pants he also decided to burn).
Waking up to one hell of a hangover, he rushes inside the rest stop bathroom and proceeds to puke his guts out into the filthy toilet. This is when we are introduced to Ghat (voiced by the always amazing J.K. Simmons), the voice in the last stall. Ghat lets Wes know that fate has chosen him and he will need to make some tough decisions. Wes fights the ideas, attempts to escape, but eventually starts to believe some of what Ghat has been telling him.
Without spoiling the entire film (it’s not too difficult to piece together most of it) I will say that there are themes of choice, regret, introspection, fate, and recompense. Lovecraftian creatures, madness, and ideas are also prevalent throughout the film.
I’ve always enjoyed Lovecraftian movies. I cannot think of many that have a heavy emphasis on comedic elements though; John Dies at the End, comes to mind. This movie, for what it was, did a good job of mixing the two together. I found myself laughing at more than a few scenes. The gore was wonderful, an odd color for a lot of the blood, but far more plentiful than I expected. No real problems with the sound or music. There were a few scenes that I thought were beautifully shot, but nothing I think is going to be winning any awards.
All in all, it was an alright watch. I don’t think I’ll be rewatching, but don’t regret the hour and some change I gave it.
BRANDON’S THOUGHTS: I’d heard decent things about this movie when it first came to Shudder. I was interested in the premise and hadn’t really had a chance to check it out (until now). The first 10 minutes or so, I was anything but impressed (seemed very film school-esque), but as the film went on, I appreciated some of the things they did more. In the end, I thought it was a decent film with a cool, unique premise.
Open Stab Wounds (out of 10): 6
Thanks for reading and watching along with us! Be sure to keep up with all 31 days of our Halloween Horror Film coverage!
Oh, and make sure to follow Brandon on Twitter @BarnyardCruz and Kevin @Solucid!