Glorious
Hoosier Joshua Hull had a hand in scripting this cosmic horror outing. Critic Alec Toombs wishes it had worked better for him.
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I really wanted to dig “Glorious” … I really, really did. I didn’t hate the movie by any means, but it didn’t connect with me beyond a performative level.
Actor/producer Ryan Kwanten (“True Blood”) stars as Wes. Reeling after a recent separation from his girlfriend Brenda (Sylvia Grace Crim, “The Hunt”), Wes pulls into a highway rest stop, makes a fire in a fire pit, chugs a bottle of whiskey and begins burning his belongings (pants included) before passing out as one is wont to do.
Waking up the following morning with the mother of all hangovers, Wes makes his way to the restroom to expel the previous night’s poor decisions. After he’s finished vomiting in one stall’s toilet, a voice calls out to Wes from the stall next door. The voice belongs to Ghatanothoa AKA Ghat (the voice of J.K. Simmons), an ancient god who exists beyond space and time and who may very well bring about the end of humanity as we know it unless, of course, Wes can assist him.
Trapped in the restroom under Ghat’s control, man and god talk in circles through a glory hole between their respective stalls … hence the title.
There are certainly aspects to admire about “Glorious” – primarily the performances of Kwanten (who’s good despite occasional accent slips from the Aussie) and especially Simmons. In spite of this, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that there’s not enough meat on these bones to substantiate a full-blown feature. Even with a scant runtime of 79 minutes (including credits) the material feels stretched to its very limits. I’m of the opinion that this story would’ve been better suited to a short film format. Additionally, a last minute plot twist involving Wes removes any sympathy I had for the character. He was damned near impossible to root for after this reveal.
The screenplay by Joshua Hull, David Ian McKendry (husband of “Glorious” director Rebekah McKendry) and Todd Rigney is not without its churlish charms. References made by Ghat to the fecal matter and semen particles spattered on Wes’ face post-puking and Wes thinking his penis is the key to the universe are admittedly pretty funny.
Lovecraftian horror flicks often work for me. I adore offerings like “The Thing” (1982), “Re-Animator” (“Re-Animator” co-star Barbara Crampton serves an executive producer on “Glorious”), “The Mist” and “The Cabin in the Woods,” but more recent additions to the subgenre such as “Annihilation” and “Color Out of Space” didn’t blow my hair back. “Glorious” owes a significant debt to the look of Richard Stanley’s 2019 offering (both rock that pink and purple color palette like whoa), but director McKendry (whom I’ve enjoyed as a host on the Killer POV and Shock Waves podcasts), her cinematographer David Matthews and special effects technicians Oliver Poser and Jason Richard Miller separate themselves from their forebears and deserve credit for a moment when blood begins raining down in the bathroom. It’s easily the movie’s most visually dynamic image.
My feelings regarding “Glorious” can best be described using a quote from “Whiplash,” the 2014 film for which Simmons won a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award – “Not quite my tempo.”
Full Disclosure: I’m a Facebook friend of Hull’s. Despite never having met the dude in real life, I’ve always kinda felt a kinship with him. We both live in the greater Indianapolis, Ind. area. He writes movies. I write about movies. He brews beer for Scarlet Lane Brewing Company. I serve beer for Traders Brewing Company and Deviate Brewing. I think it’s awesome that a Hoosier had a hand in getting a major motion picture made. I sincerely believe it won’t be his last one and sincerely hope I’ll respond better to the next one.
“Glorious” is screening tonight (Tuesday. Aug. 16) at 9:15 p.m. at the Indiana State Museum IMAX. A Q&A with Hull moderated by Midwest Film Journal’s Sam Watermeier will follow. Tickets are available here. The movie will also be available to stream on Shudder beginning Thursday, Aug. 18.