[Film Review] Glorious (2022)

It isn’t easy to pull off the single location horror film with any real sense of tension and dread. So sometimes it helps to add a little humor to the blood and gore, a detail that Rebekah McKendry nailed with Glorious, the year’s funniest (and, regrettably, only) glory hole horror.

Wes (Ryan Kwanten, True Blood) is a heartbroken man running from his past. When he pulls into a rest area, Wes is quickly roped into a conversation with a destructive God-creature (J.K. Simmons, Jennifer’s Body) through the opening of an intricate and vulgar glory hole. As Wes is locked inside the filthy bathroom with the God, it begins to snake its way into his mind, stealing memories and forcing him to participate in a quest to save the world.

The real hefty power of the story comes from the commanding vocal performance of Simmons. For every step Wes takes to escape his fate, the glory hole God reminds him that the existence of the world relies on his willingness to voluntarily offer a sacrifice. Through this, it is apparent that Wes may not be the man for the job, as secrets and a darker quality is revealed through well-placed flashbacks. Kwanten as Wes is delightfully unhinged, and while he comes close to the edge of a campy performance, he pulls it back at the perfect time, displaying a chilling side to the character that gives just enough of a hint as to his true nature. 

There are times when the film felt like it relied too heavily on exposition, and others when it could be argued that the horror may have been more impactful were this a short film, but these aspects don’t take away from the joy of the film. The whimsical score and ample blood helps keep the action from dragging, and Glorious will surely appeal to anyone who fancies Lovecraftian storytelling and a nice, juicy twist.

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