John’s Horror Corner: Glorious (2022),  a gloriously gory, gross and squishy cosmic horror chamber thriller in a rest stop bathroom.

MY CALL:  Awesomely disgusting cosmic horror with a heavy dose of well-written, feisty dark comedy. If you love Lovecraft and indie squishy tentacle horror, then step right up. This was a very pleasant surprise. Very well made!  MORE MOVIES LIKE Glorious:  Wanna keep things gross and cosmic? Easy… The Color Out of Space (2019) and Mandy (2018).

After breaking up with his girlfriend (Sylvia Grace Crim; The Hunt, Unhinged) and swan diving into depression, Wes (Ryan Kwanten; True Blood, Flight 7500, Dead Silence) finds himself trapped in a rest stop bathroom where he is coerced to save all existence by a self-proclaimed God named Ghatanothoa (J.K. Simmons; Dark Skies, Jennifer’s Body) preaching cosmic mysticism though a glory hole in toilet stall. Yes, you read that right. Through a glory hole.

By some manner of supernatural means at Ghat’s disposal, Wes is trapped in the restroom, presumably until he submits to Ghat’s rather robustly intimate request to save all humanity. Ghat challenges Wes’ sense of self, guilt and responsibility, while trying to convince him to act on behalf of the universe. Outside the bathroom, strange signs cue us to the obvious weirding that has afflicted the area—e.g., a strange purple flower dripping thick ooze.

Curious to put a face to the enigmatic voice, Wes’ attempts at glimpses into the mysterious stall reveal squishy, squirmy, wet tendrils attached to a grotesque mass largely obscured from our most curious view. What is this thing? This… God? Is this Wes’ mental breakdown fueling psychotic hallucinations? Is this some twisted Jacob’s Ladder scenario of his troubled purgatory after falling asleep drunk at the wheel? Or is this… really happening?

The tone readily shifts from ominous to happy-go-lucky, going from shocking glimpses of imagery of alien morphology to gleeful scoring as we first meet a road-weary Wes. At times, the scoring is even cartoonish, playful, feisty. The same can be said for JK Simmons’ lines; playfully provocative, amusingly inquisitive, self-satisfied in his own mystique. There is a strong dark comedy vibe, and I dig it very much.

This film does an excellent job capturing the provocative nature of something you mustn’t see, for if you do you may go mad simply by viewing and comprehending its maddening, indescribable form. Yet the temptation itself is somewhat maddening. Ghat warns again and again not to look upon him, and Wes again and again is tempted. For a chamber horror, this film is imbued with a strong grasp of cosmic horror—and I love that sensation.

Director Rebekah McKendry (All the Creatures Were Stirring) has come a long way since her first feature film, and I am impressed. This is probably nothing I need to own, but I’m so glad I watched it. I love cosmic horror and, on an indie budget, this is cosmic horror done so very well. It may not be the ultra-dark, inside-out gory stuff of Brian Yuzna (From Beyond) and the creature effects may be limited, but this was cool. Moreover, it was very well acted, produced, written and directed. It’s kind of like a one-act play… but with tentacles and blood.