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| Images Courtesy of Yellow Veil Pictures |
Simon's
Glassman's Buffet Infinity is a terrible, unknowable entity, born from
the cosmos where things beyond human comprehension dwell, eager to find a way
into our reality. It is a fitting, hilarious choice that within
Glassman's eldritch opus, the way in is via one of the darkest parts of our
reality: consumerism. Presented as a string of increasingly disturbing commercials and
news reports, this is one of the most creative analog horror films of the
decade. Featuring an absolutely insane cast of characters, ominously
scripted advertisements, and an intriguing lore underneath the surface, this is
an absolute triumph.
Strange things are afoot in Westridge County, a fictional town in Canada. With the arrival of a mysterious new restaurant, local businesses find themselves under assault, while cults, geological disturbances, and odd disappearances all begin to become commonplace within the once sleepy community, culminating in what is perhaps the end of all things. Glassman cowrote the script with Elesia Snyder and Allison Bench. What began as a YouTube short inspired by Canada's SCTV slowly evolved into the final product. Bench stars as the owner of a local sandwich shop who comes under commercial attack from the mysterious Buffet Infinity as its grand opening is held right after the appearance of a sinkhole behind the building.
The rest of the cast includes various personalities that represent both human constructs and the supernatural. Perhaps the best example: Pawn Shop owner Ahmed who begins as comic relief; rapping about the various wares he is selling, however as the narrative continues to darken Ahmed becomes the token of the need to consume that drives almost all of the parties within the town, and for that matter, the human race. He is joined by a strange attorney's office, a menacing housewife who promotes an unseen insurance agent, a superhero cosplaying car salesman, a new wave religious guru, and various other personalities. As things continue to worsen, this suburban rogue’s gallery begins to square off, with the “good guys” trying to stop what is coming while others embrace the religion of the mighty dollar.
At its core,
this is a Lovecraftian horror story wrapped in a layer of satire. The way
that these two concepts dovetail is perfection, showing how unknowable gods of
destruction feed off our base desires for sustenance, entertainment, and the
overwhelming need to belong. As the buffet continues to grow and grow so
does the apocalyptic consequences of an inescapable economic prison that the
human race has constructed around itself. Outside of this chilling
revelation are moments of genuine pitch-black comedy, terrorizing implications,
and outright bizarre transformations and evolutions. The result is a one-of-a-kind
experience that uses a simple premise to delve beyond our reality; a place of
endless buffets and neon video games, and into a dimension that may be
responsible for the creation of ours in the first place.
Now available
for digital rental, Buffet Infinity is a landmark achievement in the
horror comedy genre and an absolute labor of tainted love. This is an
experience more than a film and simply letting it envelope the mind is perhaps
both the best way to experience it, while also being its malicious purpose.
Only the viewer will be able to decide for themselves. Come
for the buffet, stay for the annihilation of all reality…and the most stressful
hamburger ever created…
--Kyle
Jonathan