Glorious Review

Glorious review.

Glorious is a locked room horror movie with some surprises up its sleeve. Buoyed by two great performances, this short feature is an effective one. Shudder has had a great 2022. Glorious is another good addition to their catalog.

New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.

Glorious

Directed by Rebekah McKendry

Screenplay by Joshua Hall and David Ian McKendry

Starring Ryan Kwanten, Sylvia Grace Crim and J.K. Simmons

Glorious Review

Glorious is the story of a man locked in a rest stop bathroom. Trapped by an evil deity who resides in one of the stalls. You’ve already decided whether you are in or out at this point, but we’ll continue with the review anyway.

Wes (Ryan Kwanten) is hurting after a recent breakup. He stops at a rest stop to drink until he passes out. The following day he heads into the bathroom and finds he can’t leave. There is someone in the last stall (the one with the gloryhole). Whoever is in there is very interested in having a conversation. Turns out, it’s occupied by a demigod named Ghatanothoa (J.K. Simmons) who was created to destroy the world. And it needs something from Wes.

Kwanten spends most of the movie alone on screen. It’s occasionally broken up by a flashback or dream sequence. There is also one memorable visitor to the bathroom. But most of the show rests on his capable shoulders. Simmons portrays the demigod on the toilet solely as a voice role. He’s excellent even without physical form.

The story of Ghatanothoa and what he wants from Wes verges too far into spoiler territory for us to unpack here. What you need to know is that it is a fun road with some bloody pit stops. An epic tale of life and death told in a confined rest room. Told, thankfully, by Simmons and his pitch perfect delivery.

There’s a lot of blood in Glorious and rest assured the gore effects are fantastic. If you’re wondering why a story about a man locked in a bathroom is soaked in red…well…you have to watch the movie. It’s a short one, coming in at under 80 minutes. If that sounds like too long to be stuck in a bathroom…don’t worry. Glorious is creative enough to make the time fly.

It’s also very funny. Between the increasingly desperate performance from Kwanten and the mellifluous deadpan of Simmons, every conversation is a treat. Kwanten, as the only person physically in the bathroom, shoulders the physical comedy of Glorious with a go for broke gusto. He’s also the only one who can give a reaction to the absurdity of the situation. He handles this with ease as well.

We learn a lot about the world of Glorious even if we keep staring at dirty tile. Wes might believe it’s the end of the world if he can’t escape the bathroom…but he learns it might be the end of the world if he does. A demigod created for an evil purpose needs his help after all. But why him? Why this seemingly random person who literally stumbled into the wrong place. We’ll have all the answers before the end of the story.

Obviously, there is more to that story than we can talk about here. On that I’ll simply say that both characters in this bathroom are more interesting than they appear at first blush. Their individual histories and ultimate motivations become clearer with every conversation. You’ll find yourself surprisingly invested in whether Wes can get out of this bathroom. And what Ghatanothoa’s true purpose is.

It would have been so easy for Glorious to fail. Could have been a boring, one note forgettable mess. It probably should have been. Director Rebekah McKendry finds ways to make it look dynamic. The story unfolds in unpredictable, but well-timed beats. Simmons delivers a tale worth listening to. Kwanten a performance worth watching. Unexpected twists in the story keep you on your toes.

If nothing else…you haven’t seen a movie like it.

Scare Value

It’s not easy for a movie like Glorious to succeed. It locks its star in a public bathroom with nothing but a voice to play off of. The performances, story and gore effects make this thing hum. Glorious has some secrets that we can’t talk about in this non-spoiler review…but they’re a welcome part of an overall fun package.

3.5/5