Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls

I watched this without knowing anything about it and found it to be well made and fun with a good cast and great practical effects.

The only thing I didn't like was the protagonist, which is a shame. I understand he's supposed to be awkward but right from the bat he's extremely annoying and very unlikeable, his acting is too much over the top, and the character doesn't improve or develop in any way through the story.

The rest of the cast is not so bad, but feel like they're just in there as a filler.

What really made me watch and enjoy the whole film was Jeffrey Combs and Olivia Taylor Dudley. They are the high points and it's worth watching for the two of them.

This film had a lot more potential, It could have been rated higher if the main protagonist was more likeable (not such a loser), or he developed and grew in some positive way through the story. Or if the actor played it normal/straight, and not like a caricature.

The humor is good for a chuckle, but it's sometimes too childish. If it had been straight or dry humor like in the original Ghostbusters, it would have been amazing.

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.

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.

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!