PLATYPUS

A woman receives a foreboding tarot reading. A man eating an apple is murdered on a beach. A precocious young woman has dreams of a masked killer. A woman walks into an antique store followed by a mysterious figure... and the film continues.

Describing the plot of PLATYPUS is like trying to explain a slasher captured through a dream. Sexual desire, violence, voice-over, a plot unconcerned with character arc, and obviously fake blood are just a few of the elements that make up Joshua Gratton’s second feature outing as a director. A beautifully constructed throwback, PLATYPUS transcends a mere love letter to a genre and celebrates the joys of low-budget, DIY filmmaking. Each kill, each cut around an actor starting a movement cue, and each bit of ridiculous dialogue draws your attention to the movie being brought to life in front of you.

You will see nothing else this year—at Fantastic Fest at least, but I would bet all year long—like PLATYPUS. Wholly original, laugh-out-loud funny, and strangely disturbing, this relatively simple horror premise feels like trying to remember a movie that never existed. Shot on Super 8 film and accompanied by one of the best scores of the year, each moment feels ripped from half a dozen low-rent movies you’d catch on cable at 2 AM. Gratton’s film indulges in the sensual pleasures of the genre (stay away if full-frontal nudity isn’t your jam), demonstrating his familiarity with the tropes while queering them at every turn. It’s a heady concoction that creates a film that feels transgressive and incredibly familiar, especially for a Fantastic Fest audience. So grab your mask, a knife, and your stupidest, hot boyfriend for the World Premiere of PLATYPUS. (AUSTIN KING)

*Paired with the short FUCK FACE dir. Dean Puckett

A mother is thrust into a delirious nightmare after opening the door to a fascist politician who turns out to be obsessed with her child’s skin. From the team behind THE SEVERED SUN.