Indie horror fans are sure to recognize the name Rebekah McKendry (All the Creatures Were Stirring, Psycho Granny). Audiences at Fantasia International Film Festival this year are lucky enough to get the world premiere of the latest film directed by McKendry, Glorious.

With the creative minds of Todd Rigney (Found, Headless), David Ian McKendry (All the Creatures Were Stirring, Psycho Granny), and Joshua Hull (The Impersonators, Chopping Block) behind the story and script, Glorious tells the story of Wes. After a bad breakup, Wes hits the road and ends up at a remote rest stop. He finds himself locked inside the rest stop with a strange voice coming from the next stall and soon realizes he is trapped in a waking nightmare.

The single-location film perfectly builds suspense as the audience unravels the mystery of the rest stop stranger right along with Wes. Even in the most horrifying moments, the filmmakers find ways to incorporate plenty of laughs. The film will keep audiences on the edge of their seat, when they aren’t falling out of it laughing, as the horrors go from bad to worse to catastrophic.

Ryan Kwanten (True Blood, Dead Silence) is wonderful as Wes. Since he is one of the only characters actually seen throughout the film, Kwanten has to carry much of the film on his very capable shoulders. He gives a performance that is perfectly balanced between endearing and unhinged. Also, huge shout out to whoever got J.K. Simmons (Jennifer’s Body, Whiplash) to do the voice of the unseen bathroom stall occupant. His voice lends perfectly to the character and delivers some of the funniest lines in the film.

Most of the visuals of the film are great. The film has the classic pink/purple lighting that has become a staple of cosmic horror. Glorious also boasts great practical effects that create unknown entities and body parts, but the filmmakers wisely chose to use these somewhat sparingly, allowing for the characters to be the driving force of the film. The CGI doesn’t quite live up to the practical effects, but they are so rarely shown in the film it is easy to overlook. Be sure to keep an eye out for this one when it hits Shudder on August 18th.

Glorious is a perfect blend of humor, gore, and otherworldly terror that horror fans won’t want to miss.

OVERALL RATING: 8/10