Quebec premiere
Selection 2023

Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls

Directed by Andrew Bowser

Hosted by Director, Writer and Cast Andrew Bowser.

Credits  

Official selection

Sundance Film Festival 2023
Fright Fest Glasgow 2023
Calgary Underground Film Festival 2023
Chattanooga Film Festival 2023

Director

Andrew Bowser

Producer

Clark Baker, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Michael Mobley

Writer

Andrew Bowser

Cast

Andrew Bowser, Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Myrin Arden, T.C. Carson, Melanie Chandra, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Ralph Ineson, Rivkah Reyes

Cinematographer

Dan Adlerstein

Composer

Matt Mahaffey

Editor

Andrew Bowser

contact

Fortuitous Films, LLC

USA 2023 70 mins OV English Subtitles : English
Genre HorrorComedy

“Turns an internet meme into a horror-comedy throwback with delightful practical effects”
- Siddhant Adlakha, IGN MOVIES

“An infectious Saturday Morning Cartoon of a comedy-horror movie”
- Meagan Navarro, BLOODY DISGUSTING

“A handmade horror gem”
– Nick Allen, ROGEREBERT.COM

Marcus J. Trillbury (Andrew Bowser) is a wannabe Satanist and man-child calling himself “Onyx the Fortuitous,” who still lives with his mom (Barbara Crampton) and stepfather, with a dead-end job at Marty’s Meat Hut. Salvation from the drudgery of his life arrives in the form of an invitation to Briardale Manor, where occult master Bartok the Great (Jeffrey Combs) promises to lead him and four other followers in rituals that will “renew” them as disciples of the ancient god Abaddon. Of course, Bartok has nefarious ulterior motives involving the power-granting Talisman of Souls, and Onyx and his friends are soon threatened by demons, sacrificial daggers and (yuck) cobwebs. Only by discovering his true fortitude can Onyx save himself, his friends, and probably the world.

After building an immense following for his Onyx the Fortuitous character (a.k.a. “Weird Satanist Guy”) via a series of YouTube videos, Bowser now brings him to the big screen as writer/director as well as star. TALISMAN OF SOULS sends Onyx on a classic hero’s journey to find and harness his inner strength and self-worth, surrounded by a supporting cast of endearing oddballs and a truckload of classic horror homages and pop-culture references. Not the least of the shout-outs is the casting of RE-ANIMATOR stars Crampton and Combs, the latter clearly relishing the opportunity to play a grandly theatrical villain. Once Bartok sets his sinister plans in motion, fright fans will particularly revel in the bestiary of practical demons and ghouls provided by the KreatureKid team, and the movie overall has been lovingly crafted with a heightened Gothic style. – Michael Gingold