Dust Bunny

Dust Bunny: Monsters under your bed are always a problem for children, I remember a tiger living under mine. Aurora's (Sophie Sloan) monster is more troublesome than your average bogeyman, ostensibly a dust bunny it grows into a huge dangerous creature. It even eats her parents. Fortunately for Aurora, a hitman (Madds Mikkelsen) lives in her building and she tries to hire him to kill the monster. She has followed him and seen him slay what she takes to be a monster, it was actually a Triad gang carrying a Dragon figure. The hitman thinks that her parents were slain by mobsters after him but there is evidence in her apartment which doesn't add up. To say more would be a spoiler. So the battle begins. Set mostly in a beautiful Art Deco apartment building this film has the feel and look of a Wes Anderson production about it, the costumes, wallhangings, furniture and wallpaper have such attention to detail. There is much violence and killings and maybe people are being eaten by a monster. But the choreographing of the fights is superb. A fine line of humour runs through the film, especially the exchanges between Aurora and the hitman. There is also a touch of Leon to the tale. Sigourney Weaver plays the hitman's rather ruthless handler. We learn some interesting details about Aurora's backstory which certainly puts another spin on the narrative. Great fun! Written and Directed by Bryan Fuller. 8.5/10.

Saw it at Dublin Horrorthon.

"Dust Bunny" is the feature film debut of writer-director Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies, Hannibal), and holy s*** it's one hell of an imaginative, creative and original story, complete with outstanding character work and dazzling sequences. I only knew of the synopsis beforehand, having skipped the trailer, and I'm so glad I did because I went in expecting an action-horror film akin to something like "Mandy," but it's far closer to something like Guillermo del Toro's "Hellboy."

Mads Mikkelson (who deserves far more leading roles) is just a powerhouse, and Sophie Sloan is somehow a scene-stealer, with the two of them being undeniably captivating from beginning to end. The always great David Dastmalchian shines here too and Sigourney Weaver gives a very fun performance, while the effects and action scenes are genuinely impactful, and one sequence actually had the theater roaring!

Funny enough, "Dust Bunny" releasing wide in December is just really fitting, because while not graphically violent, it's a bonkers hybrid that's full of heart and love, and it deserves to be seen on the big screen. I wish it was an IMAX film, because some of the sequences would be insane to see and hear.

This film looks much more expensive, then it was to make. That's what happens when you have highly-regarded filmmakers and actors, calling in favors, and making things happen. It's gorgeously visual, smart, funny, wildly colorful and imaginative, and what a cast! Definitely a new classic - if we lived in that age. I would've watched this over and over, like I did Gremlins or Neverending Story. Hopefully WORD OF MOUTH helps this darling become a sleeper hit!