User Reviews

Ive seen Andrew's onyx character before. Searching through youtube I had run across "arbys guy" and found the video mildly amusing. When it comes to comedy, it takes a special kind to get me to laugh. ( not unlike people who claim they don't scare easy from horror movies)

Onyx is very funny and I LOL at many of his lines in this film. The rest of the cast was great and I would like to see where Andrew can take this. The effects were cheesy but worked within the context of the movie. I apologize for the review being all over the place but I recommend this for people who enjoy either Andrew's videos or have an open mind for horror comedy that delivers big on a low budget!

Onyx The Fortuitous is a wonderfully cheesy, low budget, horror comedy, created by Andrew Bowser.

A creator who is best known for his short horror films- and work on youtube- in which he plays a series of hilariously goofy, endearingly annoying, characters...inspired by the likes of Sacha Baren Cohen, Jack Black, and Tom Green.

Meaning, not only did he write and direct this film...he also plays the main character Marcus aka Onyx The Fortuitous.

An autistic fast food worker, who is obsessed with his childhood hero...satanist, Bartok The Great.

Thus, when he wins a contest to visit Bartok's home- with a select group of other individuals- he hops on the oppourtunity.

Unaware that Bartok plans to use them to raise an ancient demon...by harvesting their souls.

Bartok claims they are each the reincarnation of a roleplayer in the story of a grimoire he possesses.

Luring them into his trap, under the promise of immortality.

Until, Onyx unwittingly uncovers the ruse, after witnessing the murder of one of his fellow visitors.

Which puts the rest of the group on a path to play Bartok, before he plays them...

Bowser's characters generally have an annoyingly innocent charm to them...and Onyx- a character he developed for a youtube series in 2020- is no different.

So...seeing him get a chance to work them into a feature length film for the first time, is quite the treat!

Because not only is this a complete and utter cheesefest.

It also has some really cool Henson-style creatures...inspired by some of his favourite horror and comedy icons.

Like the ghouls- which look like a combination of the monsters from They Live! And Mars Attacks!; while the monster-in-a-box seems to act as a reference to the infamous Spaulding Gray.

Is it a masterpiece?

Of course not.

It is, however, a youth friendly horror-comedy on par with the likes of Tenacious D And The Pick Of Destiny, for example.

I, for one, was entertained.

And if you aren't too...then you might be taking life a little too seriously.

Because this is great fun!

6.5 out of 10.

For a horror comedy, the movie really works well, some of the effects are really fun and the story is cheesy and campy enough to land this movie in the SBIG section.

One gripe i have is the way Onyx the Fortuitous talks.

I am not familiar with the Actor so if this is his reagular way of speaking i appologize.

IF it is not. Then oooh boy, is it bad, i dont mind Hammed up performances (its a SBIG movie, ham comes with the cheese)

The actor playing him is not bad, he works well in the style of the movie, hell al the actors give their best and sometimes delicious hammy performances that makes it look a fun friends stage performance on the silver screen.

So at the end of the ride, the movie is a blast to watch as a movie to laugh at and kinda make fun off.

Hubie, everyone.

This movie was a ton of fun. If you're into 80's horror comedy, this is for you. Like a Willy Wonka for Satanists of sorts. I was wondering how the character of Onyx would translate to long form content like this, but it worked well.

All of the performances were spectacular. Especially from Rivkah Reyes and Olivia Taylor Dudley. Everyone knew what kind of world they were building in this movie and they played the parts wonderfully.

This isn't going to be for everyone. I'm sure some folks will not connect with this style of humor, or the character of Onyx at all. I think the people who do connect will absolutely love it. I'm glad Sundance did online screenings so I could catch this early.

Also, any movie that scores Ralph Ineson's amazing voice is always worth a watch.

Gonkers.

Really, really liked this movie so it's weird for me to say this but if the main character "Onyx" had not been a thing, or been played by someone else, this movie would have been a solid 10 for me.

It's just great. Great characters (except of course the main guy), great sets, great practical effects, lots of great one liners and visual effects, great music and a solid call back to the old 80s cheesy horror movies.

I had no idea who Andrew Bowser was before I saw this film, or any of the backstory behind the Kickstarter, I came across this movie kind of like grabbing a movie off the shelf at the old mom & Pop video store, it had a cool poster so I checked it out.

If you are an actual fan of Andrew Bowser and are familiar with his work, this movie is probably going to be amazing for you. If you are going in blind, or are reading this review, I would say YES watch this movie if you are into 80's Horror Cheese, the main dude was a downer for me but that's obviously just my opinion. The movie is fun and worth a watch!

Onyx the Fortuitous (Andrew Bowser) is a loser and a follower of Satanist Bartok the Great. He is excited to be one of five fans selected by Bartok to join him in a ritual to raise a demon.

I don't know anything about Andrew Bowser. Apparently, he is famous for this character. It is a character for specific taste. At first, I like his loserdom. I accept his voice as a part of that character, but that does wear thin after awhile. There is a whine to it that can be annoying. Then something happens to me. I actually started to appreciate his commitment to the bit and felt sorry for the character. I can see both sides of the criticism.

It's a bold move to stake your project around a one-note gimmick character. That note NEEDS to land or the entire thing falls apart.

This one completely falls apart.

Neckbeard mall-ninja cringe comedy is completely doable but too many of Onyx's jokes were long non-sequitur hillbilly tangents that were not funny. I felt like I was anticipating something, anything funny to happen until the movie ended.

Bartok was the only character that achieved some level of actual humor. The other characters were barely even attempting comedy, to give space for the comedy star of Onyx, but since Onyx wasn't funny, it was like nobody was doing anything.

It wasn't offensively bad- but it falls into the two worst possible categories for a comedy. A) Not funny, and B) completely mediocre.

This flick stars a unicorn of a character. Onyx is maybe a bit of an acquired taste, but I love him! More Onyx movies please!

Instantly you're invited into this special world that the title character inhabits, and I just love how it feels absurd and grounded and timeless all at the same time. The casting was great. But I honestly had a little trouble connecting with Mack in the first half - I was won over and moved to tears by them later on though!

Olivia Taylor Dudley slays! Mr. Combs...OMG. Bartok is now one of my favorite villains in a comedy. Keepin it beefy!

The creatures and make up effects were lovely. The story was fun and it felt surprisingly grand for being set largely at one location. The visual effects were a distraction at times but mostly did the job. What a warm blanket the cinematography was, pleasingly soft and evocative! A great vibe to making it feel like a bit of an 80s/90s cult film.

The music was oh so good! The heck my guy!? That's a million dollar score right there. How did you get that?? And the handful of homages to the works of Huey Lewis, Trevor Jones, Brad Fiedel, etc. Chef's kiss!

Sound design was rich and colorful. I loved the sequence involving the sharing of dreams and I almost choked on a few sound gags like the book making that pathetic noise for the virgin bit. Hah!

This was a naughty good time too. Curses and curse words abound! And the dream sequence of my dreams! Oh boy!

The next one better have more practical creatures, more naughty behavior, and the same wonderfully endearing Onyx the Fortuitous!!

Cheers!

This would have been mildly entertaining if it was not for the lead characters silly behaviour. Mainly the ridiculous way he speaks.

I also feel that when a writer, who is also the director and the lead actor makes a movie - that it is bound to fail. I mean who does that?

With nobody other than yourself to give input, that person would need to be perfection.

Alas he is not and the movie fails.

For 600k and for what he did achieve with it, is impressive, as a film it simply does not stand up, mainly because the leads character is just too annoying.

I also see a lot of 9 and 10 star reviews. Let me tell you,.anyone who give this a score anywhere near that, has to be involved in the production or severely biased in some way.

"Onyx The Fortuitous And The Talisman Of Souls"

written & directed by Andrew Bowser starring Andrew Bowser & Jeffrey Combs

Beginning as a series of YouTube comedy shorts, the character of Onyx has developed a unique mythology as well as a devoted fanbase. In order to secure financing for his independent film, writer/director/star Bowser turned to crowdfunding website Kickstarter where he was able to raise $610,467. When compared to big Hollywood blockbusters, that amount is small potatoes, but with that small budget, he was able to create a film that looks and feels like it cost 10× that amount. The makeup, costumes and creature effects are all great. They pale in comparison to their big budget brethren, but this film was designed to look as if it was made in the heyday of 1980s creature films (i.e. "Gremlins" or "Fright Night") and at that they succeeded beautifully.

As of this writing (10/19/2023), the movie has played at many film festivals, including the prestigious SUNDANCE, but for now is playing in theaters one night only as part of a FATHOM EVENTS screening. The audience I saw this with all seemed to enjoy themselves. They laughed at all the right moments and seemed moved by the sadder ones. Overall, I would say it was a success with that crowd. I hope the film finds its audience as it is something I think many people will enjoy.

Saw this at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival

"Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls" is a story about fledgling occultist Onyx and a group of worshipers attend a once-in-a-lifetime ritual at their idol BARTOK THE GREAT'S mansion. Based on Andrew Bowser's character named "Onyx the Fortuitous", the film is meant to be a throwback of cheesy 80s horror film and fun non-serious halloween film. I haven't seen much of Bowser's work besides his work in "The Mother of Invention" which I thought was pretty good. However, this film was painfully awful and annoying to watch.

It's clear the film is trying to be non-serious but the problem is that the film's humor and writing feels extremely forced as if it was trying too hard to be funny which ultimately ends up being pretty cringy. The story feels like something from Scooby-Doo but instead of being clever, it's filled with unfunny humor, extremely annoying characters and an all over the place scenario.

Most of the humor feels like humor you will find in terrible modern comedies about toilet humor that is annoying. None of the performances were good and were all pretty bad. I can not stand the character of Onyx the Fortuitous and every other character feels like flat out rejects from a terrible Nickelodeon show. It almost feels like I am watching something from terrible YouTuber films like "Space Cop, Smosh: The Movie, Airplane Mode, and Not Cool". The production designs feel cheap, the dialogue is purely awful, and it never was boring but I felt more annoyed rather than bored.

The only good aspect about this film were the special effects especially the uses of puppets and costumes were good. Overall, it was painful and highly unfunny. But better than most Youtuber films I guess.

Rating: D.

I only discovered Andrew's work a few years ago, but always enjoyed not only Onyx but his short films like "Little Willy". This film was funnier and more charming than I hoped it could be. I truly hope this is a first of at least a trilogy (I'm an 80's kid, Trilogy's are a must, lol) The entire cast is great, the practical effects are awesome and the soundtrack is wonderful. As an artist starting to see a project begin that has been in the planning stages for years, this was very inspiring to watch as well. Definitely watch this on Sundance this week! If not, check it out when it comes out eventually-someone better pick this film up, it's gonna have a great following and get great reviews...idunno.

So... this movie took me by complete surprise. I knew very little of Onyx the Fortuitous but some about KreatureKidd and his FX works. I expected this movie as something that may be fun but had the B-movie feel, boy was I wrong. This movie was fun as hell; had great dialogue, was well-paced, and so funny. The production value was through the roof and never lost my attention. 10/10.

KreatureKidd went above and beyond in skill and as a lover of practical effects, thank you KKidd for keeping it alive and absolutely killing it. It was nice to get to know more about Onyx and see his awesome journey, had to subscribe to Andrew Bowser's channel!

ONYX THE FORTUITOUS AND THE TALISMAN OF SOULS is the miraculous brainchild of Writer-Director-Actor Andrew Bowser, who plays the title character. Considering the budget, this is very well made. Though it does drag somewhat in spots, it"s mostly hilarious, with Bowser's Onyx responsible for the lion's share of the laughs.

If you enjoy occult films with a sense of humor, then you should love this. Though we don't get the longed-for reunion of Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton sharing scenes together, at least they're in the same movie, though Ms. Crampton gets precious little screen time. Mr. Combs, on the other hand, is fantastic as the diabolical Bartok The Great!

In fact, everyone is good in their roles, and the practical effects add the perfect nostalgic touch.

A silly-on-purpose romp through the devil's domain...

Andrew "The Weird Arby's Guy" Bowser goes feature-length with his character Onyx the Fortuitous. I'm pretty sure that this movie borrows its plot directly from a specific classic horror film, but I couldn't remember which one. The House On Haunted Hill is close but it's not exactly right. It's also a lot like an episode of Guillermo del Toro's... Uh... Something About A Box where Peter Weller invites invites five people over to explore his creepy mansion. In this one, the great character actor Jeffrey Combs plays Old Creeper Who Invites People To His Mansion.

I hear this movie had a crowdfunded budget and Bowser certainly did not scam his donors. The mansion looks like something out of an old Hammer classic. Onyx's job at Marty's looked like a real Telway-style burger joint. He got actual actors to be in his film. There's a fairly legitimate soundtrack. The overall "look" does feel more like an episode of Tales from the Crypt than a film production, but that isn't the worst thing to say given the subject matter.

The story itself is where the magic fizzles. You have five main characters who are promised immortality via Satanic rites if they aid Jeffrey Combs and the beautiful Olivia Taylor Dudley. Even if their validity as unholy practitioners of magic is shown, you know that something in the deal is not what it seems. It's a story we've seen a hundred times before (unless you're six years old, but a large number of F-bombs and some light gore keep this from being a kids' movie) and the characters involved are not the most charming.

Bowser puts forth his best efforts to put this one on his back and the expansion of his character gives him an almost Pee-Wee Herman level of mystique, but the others are just doing what they can. The beautiful Melanie Chandra is underwritten and bland as a too-cool-for-school goth type with delusions of being a reincarnated queen. The beautiful Arden Myrin is fun but one-dimensional as a soccer mom turned Satanist. Terrence Carson is solid if unspectacular as the squad's expert on Satanic lore and the beautiful Rivkah Reyes' character is interesting but goes unexplored.

I'm going to guess that Andrew Bowser used this as a vehicle to pay homage to the Saturday morning cartoons he watched growing up, as well as the fantasy and horror films that inspired his work as an adult. (Did you see the poster for this movie? Looking entirely legit.) But I don't know if this type of story was the best use of the Onyx character, as this tale comes off as "cute" at best.

The Onyx the Fortuitous videos that went viral worked because they took fairly mundane subjects and inserted the "Weird Arby's Guy" element, which gave the situation at hand an entirely new spin. A feature-length film needs to retain that dynamic, so Bowser probably should have borrowed the plot from his favorite fish-out-of-water stories if he was going to steal a premise.

You know, something like Elf, Big or maybe even Thor would have worked. Even movies like Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Joe Dirt or Forrest Gump where everyone else in the film is playing a normal person while an inexplicably weird main character bumbles through life could have been good. If anything, Onyx might have thrived in a satirically stale environment like the one in Office Space.

For me, one other missed opportunity was with the fast food customers that give Onyx a hard time at the beginning of the film. It would have been nice to see them return at the end and get their comeuppance. Like, couldn't Onyx have returned with his newfound Satanic powers and forced them to take refuge in the restaurant's dumpster and grease bin? You're already stealing from other movies, dude. Go ahead and steal from the Neverending Story.

I say it's not amazing but it merits another try with the Onyx character, because it could have been great.

There is a specific level of silly and satirical that a good horror comedy has to hit while still maintaining a good enough storyline for there to be stakes and characters fleshed out enough for you to care about them. It can be a difficult tightrope to walk.

This hits that level right on the mark. That being said, it's not for everyone. It's for the kind of audience that quotes viva la dirt league skits. If your friends just look at you funny when you do this and enjoyed the latest disney star wars shows, this movie probably isn't for them.

The only reason that I'm only giving it 9/10 is that I felt that the ending was rushed and seemed fairly anticlimactic compared to the buildup toward it. There isn't anything specific I can put my finger on, but it just had a different feel than the rest of the movie, as if the ending fell victim to a budget or time constraint.

This movie is an excellent addition to its genre and I hope you are in the group of people who enjoy it.

To be honest, I really don't know what to make of this movie. It had a few laughs, lots of chuckles and a few cringes. The story line was actually pretty decent and it made a few flashback connecters so you know why some things happened as they did. Reminded me of a modern day Svenghoolie type of movie they show of Friday nights. The actors were reasonably good, they executed their roles well and there was a good bit of chemistry amongst them but with some more so that others. It sounds like this was just an average movie, and for the most part it was. However, if there was another Onyx the Fortuitous movie, I'd actually go see it. And this is coming from an old guy. Oddly compelling.

A super fun and self aware horror comedy that delivers with beautiful set design and impressive creature fx. I almost cant believe this movie looks as good as it does with the budget they had from the kick starter.

You can tell everyone on this project put their heart in to it. The acting was great and all of the characters played their roles perfectly.

This is they type of movie that ten years from now will have a cult following that watches this movie every Halloween season without fail. A cult classic in the making.

Onyx knows exactly what it is and delivers on that with charm and noticeable love and passion put into this project.

If you've made it this far I can guarantee you have seen bigger budget movies that were far worse than this one. If you enjoy silly humor and impressive creature fx/set design you will finish this movie feeling satisfied.

Congrats to Andrew Bowser and his team for turning what once was a viral video character into a lovable movie hero in a future cult classic.

From Andrew Bowser to Olivia Dudley and all of the others they all did an amazing job. Watched twice in a row on Sundance as I was only allowed 5 hours of view time. Recommend to anyone who enjoys comedy horror from directors/movies such as Tim Burton, Labyrinth/Jim Henson, Quentin Terrantino.. such a lovely film with fantastic filmography, acting, special effects and costume. Loved it. The character development in one hour and fifty minutes. 11 out of 10 would recommend, swiping right on Twitter. This movie will not disappoint and for those who have the chance to watch it definitely do and I recommend getting familiar with the director and writer, Andrew Bowser. I truly see this as his brain child. He has been envisioning this movie for a long time and I had to guess.. over a decade possibly. Enjoy if you can!

Saw this at the Portland Horror Film Festival. It was a blast. The Onyx character is a very unique goofy, funny, naïve, but courageous & honest character. A little bit of everyone & totally relatable. His dialogue time, pitch & intonation make him an extremely memorable character.

I really enjoyed the director making the decision to go back to 100% puppets, which give a real 80's Puppet Master's/Beetlejuice vibe.

If you are looking for a "Scare Me" horror movie, this is not for you. This is more of an Evil Dead 2/Army of Darkness Horror which will have you laughing more than screaming.

I can't wait to see if there is a sequel.

Admittedly I started watching Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls because I have somewhat of a crush on Olivia Taylor Dudley from The Magicians. Didn't know any of the other actors besides Arden Myrin who I have mixed emotions about because some things she's funny in, others not so much. When I heard the voice of the viral video star Andrew Bowser, I was shocked and actually laughed just at the fact he was in a movie.

The pacing is good, the story is at least entertaining, the humor is good at times and bad at times. I liked the practical effects usage instead of the much over-done CGI that plagues modern cinema, it is very Hensonesque.

The main character's.... character..... that was the focus of multiple viral videos was grating at times since it was albeit funny in small portions in those viral videos, it got old quickly and I almost shut off the movie about 15 minutes in. I'm glad I didn't however, because I began to look at the movie as a live action adult cartoon and paired with the practical effects, it had it's own charm that I have not experienced before.

The humor itself is mostly word play, toilet humor, and the character being a goofball, but that too, if viewed through the lens of a live action adult cartoon, is enjoyable.

The story is similar to many 1980's horror movies in my opinion and I could tell how it was going to end fairly quickly after the winners of the contest arrived at the mansion but everything is redone these days so it's ignorable given the other positives I have mentioned.

Olivia Taylor Dudley was a great addition and he (Andrew Bowser also wrote and directed the movie) made a great decision in casting her as she at least attracted my viewership, though I stayed for the movie because of everything else.

All in all, I'm extremely impressed with the quality of such a low budget movie that rivals something a large studio would produce. It may not be for everyone, but I liked it.

If you watch it, I recommend doing as I said and focus it through the lens of a live action adult cartoon.

This was a low-budget indie "creature feature" that was based off of a character on YouTube... but that being said I still thought it was a phenomenal film. At its core it is simple, funny, entertaining and overall is still a better product than half of what the big studios are pumping out ad nosium. The fact that bowser was able to give such substance to the back story of Onyx is admirable and I recommend this movie to anyone who doesn't take being a snobby cinefile too seriously. This movie was made for the people, by the people and definitely delivered if you're a fan of Onyx on YouTube. Also, the monsters in the film are dope and made me a fan of Kreature Kid aka Adam Dougherty.

This is the BEST Movie I have seen in a very long time! So Funny and keeps You interested the entire movie!

My Son (17) is Autistic and told me that he wanted to go see this movie the only night it was playing! Lol So of course the closest Theater to us was over 40 miles away! The movie was so AMAZING that I would drive ANY destination to see it again! So worth the drive!

PLEASE put this out so we could buy a copy! A streaming platform or even disk! If I had the money I would do it for YOU! Hours later and my son is STILL talking about it! Welcome to our family You are stuck with us now! Lol.

Saw this film as part of FrightFest Glasgow 2023 and was so surprised and delighted by the the whole production.

I did not know the Onyx character previous to this film and it opens with a short sketch to introduce the tone and style of comedy Onyx is known for. If you are on board at this point then you'll have a blast for the rest of the film because the particular style of comedy and deliver is woven through the whole story. I really liked it and laughed all the way through the intro, to the point I have searched out viral videos from the last ten years.

The film itself is a love letter to the character driven horror comedies of the 80s and 90s, when a lead having a peculiar or irreverent personality was splashed across the screen and celebrated. Onyx is a great character with a strong comedic presence, but is coupled with a proper heart that keeps you grounded and on side through to the finale.

The 'creature shop' aspect was a MAJOR draw for me as I love any and all practical fx and puppetry in genre films... Onyx delivers this in spades. It's so heartwarming to see money spent on in-camera work that adds such a unique and beautiful aspect to the already retro and nostalgic path the film was on.

If you are into such nostalgia and practical film techniques, and you dig the opening sketch, then Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls is going to deliver. It was a massive surprise as part of the FrightFest line up as I never watch trailers ahead of the festival, and it was definitely in my top picks for the weekend. If this film came out around the same time as Creepshow, Beetlejuice and Dark Crystal then I'd probably have watched it about 50 times by now (I used to watch this kinda stuff on a loop when I was a kid!)