Glorious Teaser Delivers the Cosmic Horror

Glorious Trailer

Shudder have released the teaser for Shudder Exclusive Lovecraftian Thriller ‘Glorious’ ahead of its debut on the platform on Thursday 18 August. ‘Glorious’ follows Wes a young man who is spiralling out of control after a bad breakup. His situation worsens after he finds himself locked inside a rest-stop bathroom with a mysterious figure speaking to him from an adjacent stall.

As he tries to escape, he realizes he is an unwilling player in a situation bigger and more terrible than he could have imagined. Directed and co-written by the talented Rebekah McKendry (All the Creatures Were Stirring) and starring Ryan Kwanten (True Blood) as ‘Wes’ and J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) as the mysterious figure, the film will have its world premiere at this year’s Fantasia in official selection.

This is a true teaser at only fifteen seconds long, yet that fifteen seconds gives us a whole lot more than you may expect. While we know nothing of our main character ‘Wes’ (aside from the fact that he is evidently trapped in a public bathroom and having one hell of a day), we do get a great look at the Lovecraftian horror that awaits us. It is both monstrous and kind of oddly beautiful as we see glimpses of swirling colours and ethereal sparkles, as well as a look at the nightmares beyond.

Simmons’ voice truly carries the trailer, giving us some hints to the main plot, yes, but mainly due to the sheer gravitas that he can bring to the words he speaks. I actually found that I really appreciated the look of the public restroom, since it actually looks like a public toilet. It looks grimy and uncomfortable, you can almost feel the air from how it looks. It adds that grounded layer to the cosmic horror, and in some ways adds a horror all of its own. I am curious to see how all this horror plays out within the film itself.