Glorious

Originality, good actors, out of the box.

The only thing I can say is: start watching and you won't stop.

No big company would do such a creative movie.

This was quite an interesting, quirky and original little film. Great concept with decent special effects, cgi and acting.

The main character, while you can tell he is a good actor, at times felt a little bit... too over the top. This could have been the directing or lack there of, who knows. It also got a bit repetitive in the middle which slowed it down a bit. I found the twist interesting and unexpected and it drew very interesting parallels within the concept that I appreciated.

Regardless, it was entertaining and a breath of fresh air as far as the originality of the concept goes. Would recommend.

A horror movie centered around a public restroom GLORYHOLE seemed absurd but this movie is surprisingly good! The back and forth dialogue between Ryan Kwanten and the Lovecraftian creature in the bathroom stall is really interesting, creepy and even at times quite funny (dark humor)! There's some blood & gore (not too much) and the creature FX are excellent!

As usual Kwanten's acting is fantastic and having J. K. Simmons as the voice of the creature was pure genius!

For a movie that basically takes place in 1 main setting i wasn't bored for even a second! VERY good movie!

The premise alone should let you know if this is for you. Are you the kind of person would be amused by a Lovecraftian monster in a rest stop glory hole? Does that appeal to your sensibility?

While clearly low brow, it doesn't cross the line into gross out territory as much as it could have, and stays as classy as a movie that takes place entirely in a bathroom possibly could. While there's little that's expressly funny or scary, there's an intrigue to the somewhat novel concept, keeping you interested in how it will all play out. I'll admit that a good deal of the novelty comes from an appreciation for J. K. Simmons, that dude rules, and even though he's never on screen, I can picture him delivering the lines, and that makes me smile a bit.

Its feel is reminiscent of a horror short made for a show like Cabinet of Curiosities or Tales From the Crypt, and with it's lean runtime, it's not too far off from one of those. It's eye on the prize simplicity delivers the goods before it wears out it's welcome, giving you just what you came for, nothing more, nothing less.

You've heard of "paradise by the dashboard light," but how about "cosmic horror by the bathroom stall?" This feels like a new, imaginative approach to the genre, even as all the hallmarks remain in one form or another. The blood and gore looks great, as do all the other fanciful visuals we're treated to at one time or another. Ryan Kwanten gives a solid performance as protagonist Wes, making the hapless man relatable as he's stuck in an extraordinary predicament, and it's an absolute joy to be greeted with the dulcet tones of J. K. Simmons' voice as he brings the unseen entity to vivid life - what can't Simmons do? I assumed I'd have fun, but 'Glorious' is even sharper than I'd have given it credit for before I watched.

One could easily see this realized not as a full-length feature, but as a short film, or arguably even (with some modifications) a stage play. The singular setting and small cast of characters both feed into that sense, and with that, all due commendations for the production design and art direction that turn an ordinary highway rest stop into not only a particularly dingy and uninviting one, but a den of nightmares and visceral splendor. It almost seems part and parcel of such a locale that a story told therein should carry certain tones, so it's fitting that for as towering as the possibilities are of the tale, and dark, 'Glorious' also carries a considerable undercurrent of cheeky humor that helps the Bathroom Horror to feel centered. The screenplay fashioned between Joshua Hull and David Ian McKendry is unexpectedly balanced and mindful in that regard while it still tells a complete, compelling, and relatively small story. There's a weird sort of complexity in the chief characters, bite and wit in the dialogue, and sufficient earnest variety in the scene writing to slightly open up the narrative in surprising ways.

Much credit as well to filmmaker Rebekah McKendry for tight direction. I very much enjoyed her feature debut, Christmas horror anthology 'All the creatures were stirring,' and 'Glorious' bears a similar offbeat sensibility, though surely refined in the few intervening years. By no means is the most grand and imposing example of the genre space it plays in, but nor is it intended to be - sometimes the best thing a storyteller can do is to approach honored material from a new angle, and I'm inclined to think McKendry, McKendry, and Hull quite succeed in doing just that. 'Glorious' deftly scratches the itch for cosmic horror while in concept seeming like a more low-key microcosm of Horror, Broadly. The specific flavors here may not appeal to all, but I'm delighted by how the movie tries something a little different and still ends up a the same delicious, thrilling place. As far as I'm concerned 'Glorious' is a very well made, highly enjoyable romp, and is well worth checking out if you have the opportunity.