Psychedelic Horror Delivers On Shock But Skimps On Storytelling

Right off the bat, the film frames itself as a funhouse mirror of our own society. Everyone is horny, but they don’t actually have sex. People are desperate to escape their bodies no matter the cost. A productive day’s work consists of camping out in love hotels and taking whatever psychedelic is popular at the time. That is precisely why the film’s cast of colorful characters act so weirdly – in the world presented to the audience, this type of out-of-body behavior is the norm, a result of the constant pursuit of enlightenment.

So, sure, that’s the intent, but is it necessarily effective? It’s hard to say. This theme isn’t particularly divulged deeper beyond that, settling into a comfortable mantra of “we live in a society, don’t we, folks?” It’s a bit of a shame, as the film sets up these interesting ideas, only for them to get boiled down to a pretty simplistic message. It’s as if Phillips couldn’t decide on whether the film should an abstract art piece or surreal social commentary.

Perhaps the most prominent example of a potent symbol being misused is Benny’s doll, which he wants to pretend is his child. The sheer existence of a sex doll modeled after a baby, complete with a gaping mouth, should say something about how disgusting the world can be. However, the film frames it as shock for shock’s sake. While this type of framing isn’t inherently wrong, it is a bit of a letdown.