Fried Barry

Could we finally have horror’s answer to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas?

If Fried Barry’s trailer is to be believed the answer could very well be yes.

From the outset of the trailer Fried Barry gleefully presents a surreal, disturbing, and fun trip through the recesses of Cape Town. This is due to a mixture of a kinetic direction and editing. And most importantly, the striking presence of lead actor Gary Green who plays the eponymous Fried Barry: ‘a drug-addled bastard’ who is abducted and then possessed by an alien tourist.

Green has an appearance and acting style that appears to embody the sense of this film capturing in his performance the visceral attitude that the film is attempting to tap into.

As a debut feature by director Ryan Kruger everything seems to point towards an exciting film to look out for in the future. An idea supported by the short film (also called Fried Barry) that this feature originated from which illustrated Kruger’s keen sense in locating the disturbing and strange.

What I believe makes me interested in this film is that it feels like a fresh approach to horror, that embraces an experimental and weird side of filmmaking. Of course, the execution of this may end up being difficult in a feature film, and we will have to wait and see when the film is released.

However, from what I can gather, the signs are promising and I look forward to watching and hopefully reviewing Fried Barry in the future.

Filmmakers like Ryan Kruger and the Rubicon Films team George Popov and Jonathon Russell show that there is a great deal of exciting, ambitious work being made in the world of indie horror.

Whenever people bemoan the state of filmmaking (the claims that sequels and reboots have destroyed the horror genre) it's worth remembering that there are some wonderful horrors to be found in independent cinema- we've got to seek them out and spread the word when we find them.

We've got high hopes at the HoH that Fried Barry is going to be one of these off-the-wall gems.