For those who obsessively scour YouTube, you may have happened upon a clip of Onyx the Fortuitous, a cartoonishly verbose bearded nerd with a permanently winced smile, arched eyebrows, nervous giggle, and Hot Topic-inspired fashion. He is the personification of the “M’lady” meme, equipped with a fedora and vest as well as an intense special interest in geek culture and a series of vocal tics (namely a humorously bashful “I dunno”).
Filmmaker Andrew Bowser, the man behind Onyx, has portrayed this character over the past decade, appearing in news reports on sinkholes, anime conventions, and Arby’s robberies. His videos have garnered millions of views, with many knowing him as the “Weird Satan Guy” or “Weird Gamer Guy.” Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, Bowser has officially brought Onyx to the mainstream with his consistently amusing supernatural horror comedy Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls.
Other viral Internet characters like Fred Figglehorn and Marcel the Shell have tried with varying results to catapult their online fame into the feature space with their own cinematic breakouts. Hopefully, Onyx’s big screen debut — and Bowser’s fifth independent film as writer, director, star, and producer — will appeal to a pleased, if niche, crowd. Onyx the Fortuitous is a frequently silly, delightfully over-the-top spin on ‘80s supernatural adventure horror like Fright Night and Gremlins, movies Bowser has explicitly referenced as inspirations.
The plot in particular feels like something ripped out of a lost ‘80s B-movie: The misunderstood and bullied Marcus Trillbury aka Onyx (Bowser) leaves his chaotic home life and thankless burger joint job after receiving a once-in-a-lifetime invitation to meet one of his idols, Bartok the Great (Jeffrey Combs). Once he arrives at Bartok’s mansion, he’s joined by a few other occultists and Bartok devotees: tattoo artist Jesminder (Melanie Chandra), nonbinary bohemian Mack (Rivkah Reyes), widow Shelley (Arden Myrin), and theology professor Mr. Duke (T.C. Carson). The eccentric group is under the impression they’re there to participate in a Satanic ritual with the goal of achieving immortality, but they soon learn that Bartok and his green-haired underling Farrah (Olivia Taylor Dudley, also a co-producer) have more ulterior motives up their sleeves.
While its earnest emotional core sometimes strains to connect and its humor is much stronger than its scares, Onyx the Fortuitous’ evocative throwback to the genre films of the ‘80s more than make up for its occasionally flimsy stabs at pathos and terror. Bowser incorporates neat creature design and impressively executed practical visual effects that pair well with the story’s Re-animator-like shenanigans.
Given the relatively low, Kickstarter-backed budget, it makes sense Bowser and his team mostly forgo CGI (with the exception of some stuff involving glowing green crystals), but this pared-down approach also brings a fun, nostalgic, scrappy energy to the narrative. In every scene, you could really feel Bowser’s enthusiasm for both the genre and the craft, from the gothic production design of Bartok’s estate to the ghoulish monster puppets. At a time when so much of contemporary media is fueled by a fetishistic fixation on ‘80s nostalgia, it’s so refreshing to see retro aesthetics applied with such playfulness, cleverness, and just the right amount of indulgence.
Onyx himself is also integral to the film’s entertainment value. His theatrical cadence, rapid-fire elocution, and hyper-specific anecdotes are a genuinely funny and reliable source of comic relief amid the mysterious, suspenseful proceedings at Bartok’s manor. Even when he ultimately confronts his own demons — no pun intended — Onyx always manages to somehow squeeze some offbeat aside or goofy observation out of the situation.
In contrast, the other cast members, though admirably game and committed to their outlandish roles, don’t quite reach the same level of gleeful absurdity with their performances and any sequence that doesn’t involve Onyx lacks the heightened nature that his persona radiates. In addition to the uneven ensemble acting, where Onyx the Fortuitous falters a bit are the more sincere, dramatic moments, such as when we learn the origin of Onyx’s “I dunno” tic. It definitely helps to see what informed Onyx’s personality, but the shift in mood registers as more jarring than moving. In fact, it’s the film’s comedy that provides greater insight and poignancy into the psychology and motivations of its characters, like early on in the film when Onyx rambles through his very detailed backstory to the other occultists and drinks a tiny bottle of wine from his lunchbox to help loosen him up.
Despite the shaky tonal balance, an intriguing, pertinent theme does emerge: people like Onyx and the other occultists seek out darkness as a means of finding meaning in their lonely lives and powerful people like Bartok exploit their vulnerability and devotion. When Onyx learns that Bartok has gathered the group to sacrifice their souls to summon the demon Abaddon, he is forced to reckon with his insecurities so that he can live up to the title in his name, a classic unlikely hero’s journey. His desire to take action leads to a very hilarious, blazing climax and a genuinely sweet conclusion that celebrates the value of friendship and community for weirdos everywhere.
Your mileage may vary on the film’s unabashedly dorky vibe and Onyx’s caricature, especially if you aren’t familiar with the antics of Bowser’s alter ego. But for fantasy heads, lovers of the black arts, or anyone looking for a healthy dose of stupid-smart entertainment, Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls promises enjoyable, mostly harmless horror-comedy fun.
