Barbara Crampton

Writer-director Andrew Bowser gives audiences an instant classic and an ode to fandoms, everywhere, with Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls. The dialogue is over-the-top quirky and undeniably hysterical. Teresa Strebler’s production design is straight out of The Addam’s Family, with carved wood, tapestries, antique oddities, and secret passageways. Costumes are vibrant and eye-catching, and the special fx makeup team gives us pure Tim Burton deliciousness. The puppetry reminds me of 80’s Jim Henson creations. Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls stands shoulders above the tropes it incorporates. This film will be on everyone’s lips all year. I predict a bidding war and a franchise, and that’s a win for everyone.