PLATYPUS

When you think of a platypus, what comes to mind? Do you think of a masked murderer with killer vibes? In John Gratton's PLATYPUS, that's exactly what you get!

Accompanied by a nostalgic and haunting voice-over, PLATYPUS tells the story of a schoolgirl in a quiet town who seems to be the only one aware of a masked killer known as Platypus. Haunting her dreams and picking off victims one by one in increasingly deranged, inventive, and vicious ways, this unlikely slasher delivers some incredibly memorable kills. All of this unfolds against one of the grooviest scores you'll hear in a horror film, or frankly, in any film this year. With PLATYPUS, John Gratton cements himself as an artist to watch, disrupting and queering the modern genre landscape through his strong passion and undeniable love for cinema.

The sheer genius of PLATYPUS lies in its self-awareness. This is a film that knows exactly what it is, embracing the fact that it is, unapologetically, a movie. You can feel Gratton’s authenticity, intimacy, and intent in every frame. Even the ludicrous, bright-red blood somehow works in tandem with the outlandish performances and gritty cinematography. As opposed to attempting to disguise its low budget, PLATYPUS celebrates it, combining Super 8 with intimate, distinctive zooms and lo-fi imagery that GLOWS. Shot in Chilliwack, BC, the quietness of the landscape engulfs the screen, creating an atmosphere that is raw, eerie, and familiar. Positioning itself as one of the most inventive genre films of the year, PLATYPUS is a slasher celebration of the strange and the handmade, reminding us why we fell in love with filmmaking in the first place. - Kassy Gascho