Friday, October 15, 2021

31 Nights of Halloween: O.I.

O.I. (2018)
Starring: Ben Cotton, Birkett Turton (as "Kett Turton"), and Toby Hargrave
Director: N'Cee Van Heerden
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Barry (Cotton) has an original idea... and he lives to regret it.

Toby Hargrave, Birkett Turton, and Ben Cotton in "O.I".

There's a skit in an episode of the classic comedy variety series "Monty Python's Flying Circus" where a joke writer invents a joke so funny that anyone who hears it laughs themselves to death. This short film--which is strikes a deft balance between comedy and horror--plays with a similar premise, but does so with humor that's as black as tar. 

The film is well-staged, well-acted, and while the ending is ALMOST a foregone conclusion, there's a couple minor twists that, together with its perfect timing and execution

I like this film so much that I was waffling between whether to give it an Eight or Nine Rating on the Ten-Star Scale. I ultimately settled on 8, because the sequence where poor Barry is held captive by the C.I.A. goes on just a little too long without a strong enough punchline (or maybe an exploding head to serve as a period).

Check it out. I promise you've not had this much fun watching heads explode since "Scanners".



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