Residue (2017) A Mind Bending Neo-Noir Horror From Rusty Nixon-Fitz of Horror

Written by Bryan Fitzgerald (Fitz of Horror) February 11, 2018

Honestly I was drawn to Residue because a friend of mine and  horror/pop culture artist, Chris Labrenz was responsible for the killer cover artwork. After watching the movie, it has now become a recent personal favorite. I am a huge fan of the old black and white Film Noir crime movies (a film marked by a mood of pessimism, fatalism, and menace) so I was immediately drawn into this film because of the mood, the tone and the down on his luck private investigator. All of the other mind bending mayhem was just a bonus!

Synopsis–Private investigator Luke Harding (James Clayton) reads a book of sinister origins owned by seedy crime lord Mr. Fairweather (Matt Frewer). Unbeknownst to Luke, the book is a much sought after supernatural artifact and Fairweather’s greatest rival, the enigmatic Mr. Lamont (William B. Davis), begins pursuit of Luke with his trustiest henchmen Boston (Michael Matic) & Jacob (Costas Mandylor). While the criminal underworld is desperate to retrieve the book and harness its power for their own dark agendas, it’s evil begins to take root in Luke’s apartment; pitting himself, his daughter (Taylor Hickson) and his secret love Monica (Elysia Rotaru) in a fight for their lives… and their eternal souls. 

From the beginning we know we are in for a wild ride. In the opening scene we see a doctor of some kind in his house dissecting a small and strange creature with a human eye. He is interrupted by a knock on the door that turns out to be a hitman who is there to whack him because of some book that the doctor has only read 40 pages of. With some mysterious dialogue and some plot points that set up the rest of the movie, the hitman aims his gun at the doctor to kill him and the doctor says “they don’t like violence”, somewhat confused the hitman continues with his mission only to be ripped to the floor and dragged to the closet behind him by some sort of wicked monster that is somehow related to the book living inside.

The main character Luke Harding (James Clayton) is a down on his luck private investigator of sorts for seedy underground boss Mr. Fairweather (Matt Frewer), who dreams of the day he gets the one big job and/or possibly go to work for the real crime boss of the town, Lamont (William B Davis). Little does he know that all of their paths will soon cross in very unexpected ways.

The internal monologue narrative of Luke Harding was a brilliant touch in this movie and definitely gave it more of a classic film noir feel. As he is thrust into a dark world of strip clubs ( no nudity is shown), meathead wrestlers, hitmen and a big money job to deliver a mysterious package for Mr. Fairweather, Luke’s life is turned upside down and soon finds himself in a mind bending fight for his soul.

After his big money job goes wrong and he is left with the package, he wants to know what was in the box that was worth all of this trouble. After opening the box and finding a very old handwritten journal, he begins to read it and gets caught up in the story of monsters, murder and madness that lay within. Little does he know the power this book has and the timewarp style trip he is about to take.

As he gets further into the book, he goes further into the proverbial rabbit hole. He begins seeing and doing strange things because of the book and can’t seem to leave his apartment. There are many layers to this story including his neighbor and his daughter (Taylor Hickson) that has been in and out of his life, that come into play in this film and all layers are done with great care as it pertains to the overall story.

While Luke tries to hold onto his ever slipping sanity, the visuals and monsters he sees (and in some cases doesn’t see) are part of what makes this movie so great. The story is constantly building and unfolding leading to new revelations and uncovering dark secrets, all setting the the dark and foreboding tone throughout that is serious but also in a way somewhat lighthearted and funny at times. We feel for the characters involved and are immersed in this world with them.

Residue reminded me a lot of movies like John Dies at the End and Memento, whereas the story isn’t told in a straight forward manner but doesn’t get so convoluted that the viewer is lost and can’t follow along. With a short running time of 82 minutes, I feel like the second half of the movie was a bit rushed and that maybe there was more we could have learned about the origins of the book, both its creation and how it played such a big role in the criminal underworld, but then director Rusty Nixon could have easily entered a running time that would rival the LOTR extended cuts. I personally would have liked a 10-20 minute longer running time but that’s only because I like the  story so much and didn’t really want it to end.

Overall, Residue is 100% worth your time if you are looking for something original and smart. The cover art is amazing so it will also be a great addition to the collection as well.

Residue is currently available on Amazon (burn on demand BD-R disc),  Amazon Prime and Netflix.

Follow them on Facebook at Residue Film and on Instagram at Residuefilm

Follow cover artist Chris Labrenz on Facebook and Instagram at Labrenzink (yes this is HIS original artwork)

Follow me on Facebook at Fitz of Horror and Instagram at fitz_of_horror for all things horror!