Here’s why grindhouse sci-fi horror Fried Barry is a cult hit

Fried Barry is from the mind of South African filmmaker Ryan Kruger. Known for directing edgy story-based rock music videos, Kruger adds just enough grit and doom to fuel each signature production to become what he describes as a “Ryan Kruger Thing”.

In the case of his first feature film, Fried Barry is quite literally a “Thing”. It’s not quite as much of a thing as John Carpenter’s 1981 classic horror The Thing but inspires the same awe and dread as an alien abducts and then inhabits a junkie’s body.

This psychedelic grindhouse sci-fi horror and dark comedy misadventure is based on the eponymous experimental short film, Fried Barry. Kruger cut loose from the convention of music videos and commercials in an “off-the-wall” eight-part series of experimental shorts to depict a “drug addict off of his mind in a dilapidated building”. It’s a stylised thing of grotesque beauty, which won numerous awards and set the scene for the return of Fried Barry.

One of its true inspirations is Gary Green, an actor who Kruger has worked with on several occasions. Completely invested in the convulsive titular role of Fried Barry, Green delivers an absolutely convincing and iconic performance in the short film. The short experimental horror’s visceral energy catapults you into the moment as a heroin addict gets the shakes. Having “internalised” the character, it was an absolute no-brainer to allow Green to reboot the role of Fried Barry in Kruger’s dark and surreal feature film debut, adopting a sci-fi element to expand on the original vision.

Green has an intimidating look, typically cast as villains or henchmen, earning the lead in this cult sci-fi horror that was crafted specifically with him in mind. He reprises the role with gusto, retaining Barry’s nutty energy but allowing more character and story to enter the fray as we come to realise the deadbeat’s backstory.

Kruger gives Barry an unflattering portrait, depicted as a bastard at home and a shadowy lurker on the streets. This is what makes this wild ride so entertaining as an unlikely candidate becomes the vessel for an alien’s hedonistic quest to experience humanity. Green’s gaunt facial features make him a walking artwork, combining this fascination factor with a demanding physical performance. Swapping bodies takes some getting used to and Green contorts his face and limbs to make this transition to Fried Barry unquestionable.

Fried Barry is essentially a gritty road movie and the journey includes more than 100 actors. While Gary Green is its figurehead, the cast is also made up of experienced players such as Chanelle de Jager, Sean Cameron Michael, Grant Swanby, Hakeem Kae-Kazim with Deon Lotz kicking off proceedings with a certification disclaimer. Grounding Barry is de Jager as his long-suffering partner Suz, while Cameron Michael becomes a memorable and valuable ally in a One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest capacity. Fried Barry’s burgeoning cast enables Kruger to create a zany living and breathing world filled with many characters and faces, who each add a fresh spin.

Kruger’s biggest inspirations “are David Cronenberg, Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter and Chris Cunningham”, likening his ability to move between genre and style to Danny Boyle. His impressive genre-bending film debut is bleak, moody and experiential, engaging sensory perception to offer a visceral and eye-popping audio-visual overload. Its raw impact value recalls Mad Max: Fury Road, conjuring up iconic moments where senses are bombarded with overwhelming sights and sounds – the stuff of nightmares.

Channeling this manic buzz, Fried Barry takes you on a rollercoaster of highs and lows as Barry’s inhabitant pushes his body to breaking point. The wicked fish-out-of-water comedy finds the alien in many outrageous situations, stemming from the sleazy night life of the inner city to more intimate confines.

It’s both disturbing and funny to see Fried Barry trying to fit into his new body and grim society as he gets used to social engagements from mirrorball dancefloors to dingey apartments. Seemingly limitless and unpredictable, playful debauchery keeps you guessing as each new encounter shapeshifts between its imaginative mix of genres on a wheel of misfortune.

Harrowing and non-judgemental, Fried Barry is unlike anything you’ve seen before, lassoing character and story elements into one stylish, surreal and zippy feature length film that oozes cool in its trashy decadence. All you can do is watch as Barry’s flesh is subjected to new forms of ecstasy and torture under the control of his alien overlord, and easier to endure with a healthy dose of schadenfreude. Getting a sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll tour of the shadier side of human nature, this grindhouse sci-fi horror and its comic elements have cult written all over it.

This freak show is definitely not for everyone, exploring the underground in its own weird funk, composing a ghastly symphony of entertainment out of pleasure and pain. A “Ryan Kruger Thing”, this indie beast flexes its ugly/beautiful aesthetic on the back of a career best performance from Gary Green and showcases Kruger’s darkly-dreaming creativity as a filmmaker. Based on the art Fried Barry’s inspiring in fans, it’s not hard to imagine a pulsating sequel being unleashed in a pool of its own life juice upon this unsuspecting planet.