Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls

Abaddon the Demon in Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls

Andrew Bowser stars in, wrote, and directed Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, an engaging comic horror film. Bowser strived over a decade to get this project off the ground and was able to crowdfund enough financing to achieve his dream. Bowser's influences (80s comic horror flicks like Ghostbusters and Beetlejuice) are a bit too goofy for my taste, but Bowser's film is fast-paced and buoyant with mirth. The cast achieves a nice balance between comic book hysteria and faux seriousness amidst much mumbo jumbo. The one exception is Bowser's own performance which is laden with tics. Still, anyone savvy enough to cast Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton (stars of the immortal Reanimator) can be forgiven his self-indulgences.

Onyx...is ridiculously lightweight and overly concerned with pre-teen sexual anxiety; especially considering that there are no pre-teens in the film. There are collectibles which should clue one in to the arrested development feel to the flick. What redeems the film's dopey premise is the craft behind the flick. The set decoration, make-up, costumes, and monsters all display the handmade effort and love that was lavished on them. The puppetry used to animate the monsters (see above) adds to the film's tactility and sense of deja vu. Onyx... is a tribute to a more hands-on era before the rise of CGI.