High concept science fiction horror on a micro-miniscule budget. Visually mesmerising, surreal and psychedelic, this movie delivers a fractured narrative of psychological breakdown amidst cosmic horrors. It is a shock to learn the budget was around 500k; let me repeat that, 500k, as it gleefully thrashes higher budgeted blockbusters with practical effects and shoestring budget ingenuity. It hides its seams well, but on occasion stitches show beneath the neon-drenched lighting. The plot is derivative and major beats are delivered via seizure-inducing flashbacks. Characters are sketches, hand-waved by an amnesia plot, and the film takes too long to get where it intends. When it does, it goes wild, with the last act a viscera fueled nightmare of rending limbs, spouting blood and tentacled nasties.The practical effects here are disturbingly good and in abundance. Annoyingly, the final beats are relayed through mid-credits stinger, a trend that needs to die bloody.
Despite its flaws, this film delivers in a way most blockbusters can only envy, and done on a fraction of a hollywood catering budget.